If you see Daniel Shaw around Collingwood, make sure to give him a high five.
For this week’s edition of People of Collingwood we spoke with Shaw, 39, comedian and graphic designer.
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: I grew up in Allenwood Beach and went to school in Elmvale.
Q: What schools did you attend growing up?
A: Huronia Centennial Elementary School and Elmvale District High School.
Q: After graduation, where did life take you?
A: I took graphic design at Georgian College.
Then, I moved to Toronto for a few years to work for Sporting Life, where I worked on their website.
Around that time I randomly got a job that was in Creemore but was based in Collingwood at animation company Switch Video.
I live in Collingwood now. I had a girlfriend at the time who had moved to Barrie so when I got the job, I moved back although my plan was to go back to Toronto eventually.
I ended up liking living here again so much. I really enjoyed getting to a place where I could have space.
I’ve stayed here since.
Q: When did you first know you wanted to be a comedian?
A: I’ve always been interested in comedy. I’ve always been a comedy nerd.
But, I’ve always used it like a shield. It’s my way of breaking uncomfortable situations. Maybe it’s a coping mechanism.
I’ve always liked the feeling of making people laugh.
Once I jumped in, I wished I had done it a lot earlier.
Q: When did you officially start doing comedy?
A: I started in 2016.
I took a class at Second City in Toronto. After that, I was hooked.
I drove from Collingwood to Toronto like three times a week just to do open mic nights.
Q: Tell me about your first show.
A: It was at Absolute Comedy in Toronto. It was a graduation show.
Everyone was encouraged to invite family and friends and I invited no one.
It was a supportive crowd.
It was nerve-wracking because I’ve had serious stage fright most of my life. I was the kid in class who couldn't hold the paper still when we were doing speeches. I remember being told to sit down one time.
Q: What inspires you to power through?
A: I really enjoy it. I enjoy the feeling of making people laugh. I enjoy the artistic expression of it.
It’s really the moments before being on stage that are hard for me, but it always ends up feeling like it was worth it after.
Q: After Second City, how did your comedy career evolve?
A: I worked on it for the next few years, doing shows whenever I could.
I got to a point where I had connections to get booked on paying shows and doing clubs. I made connections with bigger comedians, like Jeff Leeson, who toured across Canada.
I recorded my stand-up album last year through Cottage Comedy, called Parental Guidance. That’s been playing on SiriusXM.
I won Corus Entertainment’s Funniest Canadian contest last year, which came with a $10,000 prize. I got to do a radio spot on The Edge 102.1 and co-host it in town with John Eaton.
Switch Video closed in January of last year. It happened at almost exactly the same time.
Since then, I’ve started my own business. When Switch closed, I wanted to stay in Collingwood. I love Collingwood. I decided to stay here and build my own client list and business. It was terrifying.
The comedy competition gave me a little buffer so I could buy a new computer and set up a home office.
It lined up perfectly.
I’ve been able to work pretty steadily. Balancing that with parenting a toddler and doing my comedy has been a lot, but it’s been really good.
Q: What are your hobbies?
A: Comedy is a big one. I do two to three shows every week, and I host a weekly open-mic night at Taps ‘N’ Tunes.
The rest of my time is spent with my son, who is three, and my wife. We do a lot of outdoor activities like biking. We just had our first bike of the year. We had to wear splash pants.
That is my hobby now; doing fun stuff with him.
Q: Is there anything else you want people in Collingwood to know about you?
A: I’m available to host events and perform shows.
They can check out my website here.
If you see me around town, give me a high five.
For our feature People of Collingwood, we speak with interesting people who are either from or are contributing to the Collingwood community in some way, letting them tell their own stories in their own words. This feature runs on CollingwoodToday every weekend. If you’d like to nominate or suggest someone to be featured in People of Collingwood, email jessica@villagemedia.ca.