K Trevor Wilson

When people think of comedy, they often think only of stand up or sketch. But comedy knows no boundaries, and the industry’s funniest professionals work in film, television, webisodes, and podcasts as often as they do on comedy club stages.

Humber Comedy grad and Canadian Comedy Award-winning stand-up K. Trevor Wilson is one of these jacks of all media. Alongside his stand-up career, he’s steadily built an impressive list of on-screen acting credits including Letterkenny, the first original scripted sitcom from Bell Media’s streaming service CraveTV. Based on Jared Keeso’s acclaimed web series Letterkenny Problems, the new show follows life in small-town Ontario. Think Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town meets Trailer Park Boys.

“My character Dan is one of the hicks,” Wilson says, “a big, country-boy storyteller. He's kind of the Kramer to Wayne [Keeso] and Daryl's [Nathan Dales] Jerry and George.”

Acting in Letterkenny is a bit of a homecoming for Wilson, who started his professional career as a child actor. But sitcom work hasn’t lured Wilson away from stand-up. On the contrary: it’s given him an additional platform for sharing his unique sense of humour.

“[Acting] was my first love, but comedy has always felt like my calling,” says Wilson. “I've always felt that acting and my stand-up feed each other, but they are very different. Stand-up is all you -- one person writes the jokes, one person performs; failure or success is all on you. Acting, especially in a show like this, is an ensemble effort; you’re part of a larger machine and have a job to do to keep that machine running smooth.”

This open-mindedness and willingness to collaborate may be two reasons for Wilson’s success. He is working with everyone and in every media. He’s hosted Sunday Night Live for The Sketchersons and created videos with the John Gape collective. He’s graced the stages of Canada’s most prestigious comedy festivals (Just For Laughs, Winnipeg Comedy Festival, Halifax Comedy Festival), and been featured on CBC Radio’s The Debaters. He’s appeared on Billable Hours, This Is Wonderland, and The Art of the Steal, and even found time to release his own comedy album, for which he won one of his two 2015 Canadian Comedy Awards.

Where does this drive come from?

“Humber gave me a chance to try just about every form of comedy, expanding my horizons,” Wilson says. “It also gave me a group of seasoned pros to learn from and introduced me to a group of like-minded people who are still amongst my dearest friends. I don't know if I'd be where I am today without Humber.”

Catch K. Trevor Wilson on CraveTV’s Letterkenny now, or follow him on Twitter: @KTrevorWilson.