IN CONVERSATION WITH ZACHARIAH PORTER
interview by JANA LETONJA
Comedic powerhouse and dynamic performer Zachariah Porter has just wrapped up his headlining tour, ‘The Strip Mall Tease Tour’. Born from the comedian’s affinity for suburban America, the live shows brought his celebrated characters from social media to the stage in a love letter to the suburbs. Zachariah also co- hosts the popular podcast ‘Camp Counselors’ with his partner Jonathan Carson.
Your ‘Strip Mall Tease Tour’ is a love letter to suburban America. What inspired you to create a show based around this theme?
I grew up in a small town in Massachusetts where I spent my entire life wanting to move to New York City. And after finally making that big jump, I realized that the person I am and the comedy I create is all based on where I grew up. The 'Strip Mall Tease Tour' really revolves around the people I know from back home. The characters at my local bar, the store manager at Old Navy, and the chain restaurants I am so weirdly obsessed with. The show feels like the glory of getting an iced coffee and window shopping at the local mall with your best friends. Familiar and hysterical.
You bring so many unique characters to life. Can you tell us about one or two characters from social media who will be joining you on stage, and how they’ve evolved for the live show?
Of course my Mom character has to make an experience. She has become a major part of my show. I put on the wig and get one glass of wine in me, and I just let loose. But for this tour, I have another special character coming to the big stage, Mrs. Claus. In my mind, she is a mob wife with a dark past and a vendetta against Santa Claus. She gets wild on this tour. But who knows, the show is constantly evolving, so I might add a few more on this 17 city run.
The tour promises personal storytelling, crowd work, and sketches. How do you plan to engage with the audience in a live setting compared to your online content?
Nothing compares to seeing people in the flesh. It’s like the comment section of my videos has come to life. I love interacting with my audience with storytelling and crowd work in this show. My goal is for every show to have a sense of community. At 'The Strip Mall Tease Tour', we are all family.
Without giving too much away, what can fans expect from ‘The Strip Mall Tease Tour’? Are there any surprises in store?
I got to keep the big reveal under wraps, but I will say that my custom Mrs. Claus' outfit is jaw droppingly gorgeous. I am expecting tears and screams from the audience from how good I look. She is going to tear up that stage and I can’t wait.
You gained major traction on TikTok during the pandemic. How did that platform shape your comedic style, and do you remember a specific moment when you realized your videos were going viral?
I owe a lot of my career to platforms like TikTok and Instagram. They have gotten me to the point where I can perform a 17+ city tour. But for me, it has always been a consistent push. It was never one moment that launched it all, but rather 5 years of consistent posting and engaging with what my audience loves that has kept me going viral. That and tons of wigs. Who doesn’t love a 40-inch platinum blonde lace front?
Transitioning from digital sketches to live stage performances is a big leap. What has been the most exciting and the most challenging part of that transition?
The most exciting part is hearing audible laughs. You can read 1.000 comments of people telling you that you’re funny. But nothing compares to hearing 1.000 people in one room laughing at your storytelling. It’s a feeling that I wish I could bottle and sell on Etsy. I could retire because that feeling is so good. The scariest part is the 30 seconds before I go on stage. It feels like all of my organs are shutting down. But when I hear my music cue, it all melts away and I lock in. It’s an emotional rollercoaster.
Your podcast with Jonathan Carson, ‘Camp Counselors’ was named Apple’s Comedy Podcast of the Month. What makes the podcast so special to you, and what do you think resonates most with your listeners?
'Camp Counselors' Podcast is one of the greatest accomplishments in my career. Not only do I get to work alongside my boyfriend, Jonathan, every week, but it’s long form content. Which means we can really dive deeper into our stories and your jokes. It’s not like a 30-second TikTok anymore. So when we get going, it is absolutely absurd and unhinged. The show really brings some levity to how scary the world can feel sometimes. If you need an uplifting and hysterical break in your day, you got to listen to 'Camp Counselors' Podcasts.
The podcast highlights listener stories each week. Has there been a particular story that really resonated with you or impacted you personally?
I always go back to this story about one of our “campers” who wrote in and told us a story about her getting a puppy from a friend. Her mom said that she could never have a dog, so she had to come up with an elaborate story to keep this puppy. She got home and told her parents that she found this “lost puppy” in a trash can without a home. Somehow word spread, and she was on the front cover of her local newspaper and the news, “Local Girl Saves Puppy!” There is a picture of her with this puppy next to a random trash can that she pretended was the one where she found it in. But all along, she was straight up lying to her parents about where it came from. She was in too deep to come clean so she never told them the truth. I love stuff like that. Innocent and dramatic for no reason. It’s the kind of stories like this on the pod that have us asking “Wait, what just happened?”
Comedy can be a powerful tool for change. How do you approach serious topics, like LGBTQ+ advocacy, in a way that stays true to your humorous style while also sending a meaningful message?
Now more than ever, LGBTQ+ comics need to continue speaking up for our community. We live in a world where our rights as people feel like they could be taken away at any moment. It’s scary, but I believe one of the best forms of activism is being vocal about who you are, unapologetically. I am a man who does a very rough form of drag online with millions of people laughing each week. Get involved in your local community, share community resources, and keep being vocal about what you believe. I think that visibility can help remove some of the hateful rhetoric that is being spewed towards the LGBTQ+ community. We are here, we are staying true to ourselves, and we deserve to see ourselves in the media and in this country without fear of having our rights stripped.
After ‘The Strip Mall Tease Tour’, what other projects or creative pursuits do you have on the horizon that you can share with us about?
I have 1.000.000 ideas of projects I want to create and produce. But I do have a pilot I have been working on for the past year that I would love to start pitching to networks. It’s campy, it’s funny, and it feels like home. Comedy is what I love, so to create anything in this space with a bigger and better production is what the goal is.
photographer BRENDAN WIXTED
