​“Rez Comedy” aims to break the mainstream barrier

By Kaley Sievert

“With this film, we hope to show the mainstream that Native American comedians are just as funny as Dave Chappelle, Louis C.K., and Gabriel Iglesias,” says Jon Roberts, comedian and member of the Red Lake band of Ojibwe. “If given the opportunity, [Native Americans] can give America a look at something they never knew existed.”

Roberts and Rob Fairbanks, comedian and member of the Leech Lake band of Ojibwe, are two Minnesota competitors in Project Greenlight, a reality show on HBO that creates a starting point for young directors. For years Roberts and Fairbanks have loved comedy and wanted to tell the behind-the-scenes story of trying to make it as a Native American comedian.

“We are really underexposed and we have no airtime on mainstream,” Fairbanks said. “Some people don’t realize we are still around.”

If Native Americans do receive media recognition, it’s usually for disproportionately high rates of alcoholism, obesity and suicide, rather than positive messages about efforts to save the environment, contribute to education, or serve the community.

According to Roberts, living on the reservation can be dangerous because of drug and alcohol addiction, but the environment also has its benefits.

“The ups include the pure beauty of the land. The forests, the lakes and the wildlife are breathtaking,” Roberts says. “It’s also a positive growing up surrounded by family and the community that feels like family.”

Despite the positives, living on the reservation can feel overwhelmingly negative and generations on the reservations have passed down the mentality that failure is more likely than success. According to Roberts and Fairbanks, the fear of failure can do a lot to hold community members back from their full potential.

The two men want to produce a film that breaks that negativity and gives their communities hope for the future.

The movie is titled “Rez Comedy,” and follows Fairbanks and Roberts on a 12-day road trip to Hollywood as they try to make it in mainstream comedy. While on their journey, Roberts and Fairbanks meet fellow Native comedians who share stories about “life, comedy and goals.”

“It’s to bring awareness to the stories and journeys of those using comedy as a tool to help their communities,” Roberts said.

Fairbanks said “Rez Comedy” is really about Native communities pursuing any dream they wish to follow. He also notes the challenges for people on the reservation to believe dreams are a possibility, because there are few outlets for them to utilize for their talents. Native American talent requires individuals to build their venues and resources from the ground up.

“For the kids on reservations, if you say, ‘I want to be a comedian,’ a lot of times that is not possible,” Fairbanks said. “So, hopefully, if they see the show and hear the stories maybe they will get hope to do it and follow.”

Fairbanks has always thought about his kids at home and wants them to see something bigger than themselves. For them it is a huge deal to see their father on stage or hear him on the radio. When Fairbanks was a kid, whenever he heard someone making it big, it meant something to him.

“To me, that told me I could make it. It gave me hope,” Fairbanks says.

According to Roberts, the road trip was filmed last fall. The next step for completing “Rez Comedy” is the post-production, which includes editing, an expensive aspect of filmmaking. In order to fund the last parts of the film, Roberts and Fairbanks need to raise ten thousand dollars. They have already raised over half of their goal amount and are hoping to be finished by the end of the summer.

In order to help Roberts and Fairbanks reach their goal, anyone can visit www.seedandspark.com, scroll down to “Rez Comedy,” click, follow, spread the word, share the trailer, and/or donate.

“If we pull together I think we can make it happen,” Fairbanks said. “The movie is more than just me and Jon, it’s about hope. I want people to see that.”