She may be coming from the land down under, but this Aussie’s comedic upside is ready to have people laughing all over the world. As part of We Own The Laughs.com’s Comedian of the Day, have a few laughs and get to know comedian Bianka Ismailovski. The Melbourne, Australia native shares some of her favorite moments in stand-up comedy and lets us know how she always own the laughs.
Name: Bianka Ismailovski
Hometown: Melbourne, Australia
Instagram/Tik-Tok: @biankaismailovski/@biankaism
Years in Comedy: 3
Comedic Influences: Ilana Glazer, Elaine from Seinfeld, & Chelsea Peretti.
Favorite Comedy Special: Hannah Gadsby “Nanette”
Favorite Comedy Movie: Not Another Teen Movie
Favorite Comedy TV Show: Arrested Development
Favorite Comedic Character: Homer Simpson
Favorite City to Perform In: Melbourne
Favorite Topics to Joke About: Sex, baby!
Favorite Type of Audience for a Comedy Show: I love an excited audience.
Favorite Comedy Club: Bits and Pieces Comedy in Melbourne!
How did you discover your passion for comedy:
I always loved to laugh and loved to make people laugh. Growing up I was obsessed with Seinfeld and I thought that doing stand-up comedy was the absolute best thing anyone could do. So from a very young age I had this dream of doing comedy but I never thought it’d actually become realized. It still blows my mind that I get to do it.
What do you remember most about your first time performing stand-up comedy:
Honestly, I remember thinking “I am a f***ing superstar” and knowing I was born to do this. I just couldn’t wait to do it again.
How would you describe your comedic style:
Very confident and sassy, and a bit sexy. I’m a story-teller, and I like bringing the crowd along with me and making them feel good.
Describe your process for comedic writing:
I don’t write my comedy down, I do it all in my head. I’ll think of a story I want to turn into a bit and I’ll just start saying it out loud as though I was performing it – and then every time I do it I’ll think of new jokes to incorporate. And then it eventually takes shape and evolves into a bit. Honestly, I “write” my comedy as I’m coming out of the shower and looking at myself in the mirror with a deodorant can in my hand for a mic.
How do you judge success in the world of comedy:
Having a loyal audience that supports you no matter what. The ones who are across all platforms, buy your merch, and come to your shows – that’s pretty dope. Obvi getting a Netflix special is always a mark of success but managing to find your people and keep them, that’s success.
Who are some of your comedic peers that you enjoy watching perform or inspire you personally and professionally:
In Aus, we are spoiled with amazing women/non-binary/trans performers.
Babes I’m obsessed with are:
Heather Joan, Eloise Eftos, Ruby Teys, Lou Wall, Mel O’Brien, Samantha Andrew, Aurelia St Clair, Han Arbuthnott, Maddy Weeks and Maryellen to name a few.
What’s been your most memorable moment in comedy:
My first solo show will always hold a special place in my heart. I’d never done a run through of it, just raw-dogged the whole hour to a live audience and absolutely smashed it. Proved to myself I could make magic all by myself and I’ve never looked back.
What have you learned most from your failures in comedy:
Don’t take a lack lustre gig/set too personally. Sometimes it’s genuinely the audience’s fault that the gig sucked and that’s on them, babe.
How do people react towards you when they realize that you can make people laugh:
Depends on the setting! If it’s on a dating app and they’re a man, they’ll often start telling me they think they’re probably funnier than me and that they should be doing stand-up… But most of the time when I meet someone and tell them I’m a comedian they say “yeah, that makes sense”. The worst is when they ask you to tell them a joke and I have to explain no, I am the joke.
Describe what it’s been like building a career in stand-up comedy:
It’s a never-ending cycle of knowing you’re good at this and doing what you were damn well put on this earth to do – coupled with crippling self doubt, impending doom and imposter syndrome. So yeah IDK… it’s a bit of a mixed bag, babe.
If you could change one thing in the world of comedy, what would it be:
As a sober morning person, I hate that comedy is so often performed in a dingy bar late at night. I want morning shows, with coffee carts plz!
Best advice you’ve ever received from a comedian:
To collaborate! I used to keep my content close to my chest and hated revealing bits before I thought they were “ready” – but now I love to collaborate and get feedback from others. I’m lucky to have such an incred community of comedian friends and working through bits/ doing run-throughs of rough drafts has been invaluable.
If you were releasing a comedy special this week, what would it be called:
My new show is called “Like Godzilla” so let’s go with that.
Funniest encounter you’ve ever had with a celebrity:
I met Paris Hilton and it was really hot (that’s hot) and I told her my tits were sweating and she told me her asshole was sweating. Which, you know, mine was too. I just hadn’t said it out loud. She then asked me for my Instagram handle and now we’re online friends.
Weirdest place you’ve ever performed any form of comedy:
I was hired to judge a dog costume competition, not once but twice. Hardest gig I’ve ever had. You try judging DOGS for wearing CUTE COSTUMES. They’re all winners?!
A Bianka Ismailovski Fun Fact:
My mum was a former Miss Yugoslavia and my dad was a famous Croatian pop star who represented Croatian in Eurovision.
Where would you like your laughs to take you:
Before I die, I want to be a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race. That’s my life goal, not just in comedy but on a personal and spiritual level too.
What would you tell a potential comedian if they ask you how they can own the laughs:
Just start. Don’t focus on getting “a tight five” – because it’ll never be perfect and you’ll forever live in a perpetual state of “wanting to try stand-up”. Just get on a mic as soon as you can!
What are your thoughts on the future of comedy:
I look forward to the day when I don’t see “women aren’t funny” comments online, that shit is real tired.
If you could write one episode for one classic TV sitcom which show would it be and give a brief detailed sentence on the episode:
Oh, come on. It’d be so fun to write The Golden Girls in a post-Me Too/post-Trump world. The gals sitting around eating cheesecake dismantling the patriarchy while Sophia talks about sexism in Sicily and Blanche recalls how she once banged the president.
If you could choose 1 comedy club and 3 comedians to perform with on your perfect comedy show, how would it go:
I don’t care where it is but I’d love to perform with James Acaster, Steph Tolev, and Bob The Drag Queen. Is it a lineup that makes sense? No. But I’d be living out my dreams so.
What’s next for you:
Hollywood, baby! I’m going to Hollywood Fringe next year and performing internationally for the first time which is really exciting.
Why should a person always laugh at life:
You’ll literally be dead soon, hun. So don’t take this shit too seriously, have a laugh.
*Checkout Bianka’s new show Like Godzilla which will be performed across Australia in 2023, as well as Hollywood Fringe in Los Angeles, CA.
Follow Bianka Ismailovski’s comedic journey on these social media websites:
Instagram/Twitter/Facebook/Snapchat/Tik-Tok: Bianka Ismailovski
Podcast: Sad and Sexy
Personal Website: Bianka Ismailovski
