Yawp Mag Issue 31 The Raconteurs | Page 8

Four time nominee for Best Comedy in Just For Laughs in Montreal, Critic’s Pick in the 2014 San Diego International Fringe Festival, and 2015 Melbourne International Comedy Festival nominee for the Golden Gibbo award, Jon Bennett has been described as ‘the patron saint of storytelling’, ‘a joy to watch’, and ‘bold, honest, engaging and different’. Bennett mentions that he admires the work of Mike Birbiglia his storytelling career, naming him as one of the “most popular story-telling guy”. Birbiglia was at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival a few years back, as well as appearing on This American Life. Bennett notes, however, that he was doing storytelling before he knew about Birbiglia and that he isn’t necessarily influenced by him, but admires him greatly; “I don’t know that, before I started doing stuff, if I had any influences. I kind