🎤 From Notebooks to Netflix: My Comedy Journey

Hi! I’m Michelle MaliZaki — the 17th Wonder of Japan! (At least in my mind. The first 16 are all Hello Kitty.)

When I started stand-up comedy… that’s actually when I learned what stand-up comedy was. I didn’t grow up with it. In Japan, we have manzai — two comedians talking fast and yelling at each other. But one person, standing alone with a microphone, talking about their life? That was new to me.

When I began, everyone kept saying, “You need a tight five.” I was like, “What’s a tight five?” So I started with a tight three… and it was very loose. Eventually I got to a tight five — and honestly, I still have no idea what I’m doing. But somehow, people laugh, so I keep going.

Then I realized — doing comedy costs money! Gas, parking, mics, therapy… it all adds up. So, I got a job with a Japanese notebook company. Perfect, right? Pens! Paper! Paycheck!I worked for them for five years, then quit to focus on comedy full time.

BUT — because the universe has a sense of humor — after quitting that job, I accidentally organized the West Coast’s first stationery festival in Los Angeles. It’s called Pen Paper Palooza. What started as a way to pay for jokes turned into an event celebrating my lifelong love for stationery — and somehow, both worlds collided.

Now I get to make people laugh and celebrate pens. Life’s weird, but it’s also wonderful.

Since then, I’ve performed at The Comedy Store, Laugh Factory, and Improv clubs across the country. I even recorded a set for a Netflix pilot — something my younger self, sitting quietly in a Japanese classroom, would never have imagined.

Comedy, for me, is about connection. It’s about turning awkward, painful, or just plain weird experiences into laughter. I don’t try to be someone else on stage. I’m just Michelle — a Japanese-American mom who finds humor in identity, motherhood, and being a little lost (in translation, and in life).

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that laughter builds bridges faster than anything else — between cultures, generations, and the version of me who was afraid to try… and the one who can’t wait for the next mic.

Thank you for following this journey — from notebooks to Netflix, and every open mic (and stationery festival) in between.Stay tuned, stay weird, and keep laughing.

— Michelle 🩷