Introduce yourself!
My name is Andrea and I am lucky enough to occasionally work for UNTOLD Agency as a copywriter.

How would we describe what you do for work? As many professions as you like…
Writer, comedy writer, copywriter, stand-up comedian, ex-journalist who still writes articles occasionally, potential OnlyFans foot model (it’s under consideration). I started my career as a journalist for a red-top paper (I can’t tell you which one because you’d hate me) and I was very VERY bad at my job – not the writing part, but the 'ruthlessly rooting out stories' part. I moved into copywriting, then about 10 years ago did my first stand-up comedy gig and instantly became a hundred times less annoying to friends and family, because I realised that making everyone laugh and demanding the spotlight had a proper place, and dinner with the family wasn’t it.

Each of your roles are, I assume, quite different. How do they influence and blend into each other?
I tend to work really well in marketing jobs that require a little humour or levity, and with products that require imagination rather than the super-hard sell. And the reverse effect is interesting – I never knew how unbelievably useful asking questions, interrogating the brief and idea maps could be to writing jokes till I realised I was using those skills for comedy, to strength test the truthfulness (or lack of) of premises and punchlines.

Your comedy is very candid. What made you first feel you could take to a room of strangers in such a personal way?
I wish that I could be broader and cleaner, more mainstream – I would get so much more work! But I guess you are who you are, and I’ve always been an oversharer, which is annoying in conversation (I’m told!) and much better on stage where it’s funny and relatable (to some at least). I started out telling stories at true storytelling nights, and my first one was about how easy it was to obsess over my ex online – it wasn’t stalking, but it was close enough that I could see the dangers of social media, even all those years ago – and people in the audience really responded to it, probably because social media was new, and they’d all realised how much harder it is to get over someone with so much access to their lives online. And I think that’s why I go so personal and candid – I like to tap into those areas that we don’t like to admit out loud, the disgusting and self-centred and antisocial thoughts we’re ashamed of. That’s the kind of thing I find funny. As for talking to a room of strangers – that’s not brave, it’s a desperation to be loved and listened to! There’s nobody more insecure than a comedian hoping for a laugh.

Which of your jobs has been most memorable?
I was asked to do a set at the Madness Weekender at Butlins. That’s a weekend where about 3,000 fans of Madness (the band) come together to enjoy Madness singing their greatest hits, with a comedy show thrown in, for some reason. Madness fans are mostly a mix of bald men and tough-as-nails women. It was a bad booking. Performing to about 1,800 people in a huge room, I managed about 12 minutes (the only time I’ve ever left the stage without doing my allotted time) and during that time, I was booed, screamed at, called a c**t and had several pint glasses thrown at me. I had to be led out through the kitchens to avoid the group of ladies who wanted to bash my head in, and then I sat on the bus that takes you from Butlins to the nearest station for 40 minutes till it left. As soon as the engine started I burst into tears and didn’t stop for about ten hours. Would not recommend.

Do you think comedy is a good medium for storytelling?
Yes, but it’s really hard to tell a great story that’s as funny as it is compelling and well constructed. There are some amazing storyteller comedians, like Tommy Tiernan, John Mulaney and Mike Birbiglia, and when you watch them, they make it look completely effortless but it isn't at all. You have to pepper the backbone of the story with jokes, without detracting from the narrative. When you use storytelling in marketing like UNTOLD does, it’s a brilliant way to get people excited about a product because stories are truth – the tradition of storytelling is brilliant for documenting what it means to be a human.

And finally, tell us about some other creators who you admire. Could be comedians, or writers, or from any other medium at all.
There are so many people I admire. I love American comedy because it’s really joke heavy, even when it’s surreal or alt – I love Josh Johnson, who is crazy prolific, I love Joe DeRosa because he’s just about the grumpiest man alive, I adore Maria Bamford, she’s weird and amazing, and I’m really into this girl I gig with sometimes called Mickey Overman, who is just so naturally funny. I love the artist Joanna Gilbert, who does these huge abstract paintings that are so vivid; Mercedes Helnwein, this LA artist who does weird things with women’s faces; and my friend Rebecca Hendin, who is an incredible illustrator. I love Barbara Rubin, this weird underground filmmaker from the 60s. I’ve also recently started reading Spinoza, this philosopher who was referenced in the Isaac Bashevis Singer (one of my favourite authors) book of short stories The Spinoza of Market Street. I understand about 2% of it, but I’m trying my best. Sometimes when I feel like crap I read Rumi, and feel a tiny bit better. I’ll stop now.

andreahubert.com