Steph Tolev
Steph Tolev is a stand up and sketch comedian from Toronto; her comedy album recently hit #1 on iTunes and she has become an audience favourite across North America. She graduated from Humber - in her words - "so long ago" and we caught up with her to find out what she's up to now.
What are you working on these days?
I am currently working on building a career in Los Angeles. It was a big step to move out here and start fresh. I guess it’s not a "project" exactly but it feels that way, immersing yourself in a brand new scene. Trying to get booked on shows is a big challenge when no one knows who you are or what you've done in Canada.
What other things have you done since leaving Humber?
It was ten years ago, so quite a bit. I don't even know how to really answer this… I guess I became a comedian, followed my dreams and am pretty damn happy about it.
How did your time at Humber prepare you for what you’re doing now?
The friends I made at Humber play a huge part on my life now. My best friend and the other half of Ladystache, Allison Hogg and I met there and she has changed my life drastically. Ladystache was a huge part of my comedy career in Toronto, I learned so much from her over the years and still do. You connect with very talented people and form a lifelong bond both creatively and emotionally.
Steph Tolev is a stand up and sketch comedian from Toronto, Canada. Her unique brand of absurd and personal comedy has made her an audience favorite across North America both on stage and on television.
As a stand up, Steph has performed in the prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal and featured in her first TV Gala taping this past summer as well being part of the Homegrown competition in 2014. She also taped a TV set for the Halifax Comedy Festival which airs on CBC.
This past September, Steph performed with her sketch duo Ladystache in the Just For Laughs 42 festival in Toronto. During JFL42 she was also a finalist for SiriusXM Radio’s Next Top Comic competition and featured on Andy Kindler’s Alternative show.
Steph has been well-received at the acclaimed Edinburgh Fringe Fest, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver Sketch Fests, as well as North By North East and has opened for Rob Delaney, Eugene Mirman, Brent Morin, Kyle Kinane, Kurt Braunohler, Todd Glass and appeared on the international show Set List.
Steph won the award for Best Female Stand Up at the 2015 Canadian Comedy Awards and was nominated for her sketch troupe Ladystache, which also released their first full length sketch comedy album. The album, entitled So Many Wolves, received rave reviews from the Comedy Network and hit number one on itunes.
Steph's first solo stand up album, Hot N’ Hungry, was released in January 2016 and also hit number one on itunes, receiving top reviews from both the Comedy Network and Exclaim Magazine.
On TV, Steph’s been featured on Much Music’s Video on Trial and MTV’s Losing it, and she had her own stand up special on iChannel's No Kidding. A celebrated member of the Canadian Comedy Records label, she’s performed at numerous colleges and Universities across the country.
Read more about Steph on her websites: stephtolevishilarious.com and ladystache.com or follow her on Twitter @StephTolev, Instagram @StephTolev, or Facebook @StephanieTolev.
