News: UK Comic Breaks Canadian Attendance Record

UK comedian James Mullinger has sold out an arena gig in Canada. Mullinger filled the Harbour Station stadium arena in Saint John where he moved to two years ago.

"When I moved here, I was told I wouldn't get any work as a comedian and last week I sold more tickets than Guns N Roses, Iron Maiden, Jeff Dunham, Def Leppard and Alice Cooper when they played the same venue."

He went on to explain how he did it: "How did a completely unknown jobbing comedian do this? Simple. Hard work and the support of the lovely people in a small city. This wasn't a victory for me, although it is very lovely. It is a victory for Saint John. And for self employed people everywhere trying to make a go of it."

"I had no big plan coming here. I had no big team behind me. I had no Canadian TV credits or festival credits. I had nothing except some jokes and a work ethic. I just came here, took every gig I could, did good work, people liked what I did and they came out in their thousands to support. It's that simple. And anyone could do this. I am not special in any way."

"My hero (and all time favourite stand up) Jerry Seinfeld previously held the comedy record for ticket sales at this venue. Somehow I broke it. This wouldn't be possible in a big city but in a small city in New Brunswick it is. That's why I live here. And it's why I will never live anywhere else. Hard work and being good at what you do pays off here."

Mullinger was formerly the comedy editor of GQ and has co-written a film about stand-up, The Comedian's Guide To Survival, starring James Buckley in a role partly based on Mullinger.

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