Vallejo’s Funniest: Artie Valenzuela and Dennis Barcelon on Representing V-Town in Comedy

By Jennifer Redondo 

The Bay Area is a very special place. It’s a place that many Filipinos and artists call home, and they rep hard! Just 30 miles outside of San Francisco is the “Spirit of the Bay” – the city of Vallejo, which is the hometown of notable names like E-40, Mac Dre, H.E.R., P-Lo, and CRSB to name a few. Aside from musical artists, other entertainers are coming out of V-Town, including Vallejo’s finest, Joey Guila, the Fil-Am comedian who’s been on tour opening up for Jo Koy around the world. Emerging comedians, Artie Valenzuela and Dennis Barcelon, aka “Bong Robbie”, also hail from Vallejo, California. 

Artie Valenzuela is an up and coming comedian, and he’s also the producer of Everybody Eats, a comedy show that first debuted in Los Angeles two years ago. The show was headlined by the OG, Filipino-American San Francisco Bay Area comedian, Rex Navarrete. We had the opportunity to chop it up with Artie Valenzuela and Dennis Barcelon, who will be making his stand-up comedy debut next month. 

1. Tell us about yourselves, Artie and Dennis. 

Artie Valenzuela: My name is Artie Valenzuela. I'm a comedian from Vallejo, California. I live in Sacramento, but I'll never claim this hot ass place. I'm promoting my upcoming comedy show Everybody Eats taking place in Sacramento on October 13th at the Punchline. 

I went to Sacramento State University where I studied Journalism and Theater. No, I do not use my degree whatsoever. I’m Filipino, of course I work for the state doing a government day job.  

Dennis Barcelon: The government name is Dennis Barcelon, like the city Barcelona minus the A. But probably people don't know that’s my real name. They might know me more for the characters that I do on social media like Bong Jovi and Robbie Joves from Hercules. Like Artie, I spent the majority of my childhood in California. My dad was in the military so I spent the first 10 years of my life in Japan, Guam, and other parts of the United States. I spent my formative years in Vallejo, California. 

I went to San Jose State University where I studied Advertising. When I was fresh out of college, I wanted to get into the creative aspect of advertising, doing commercials or print ads. But it didn’t work out like that. Though, now I am leveraging my degree with the videos I am creating and trying to promote my work on social media.  

2. How did you get into comedy? 

Artie Valenzuela: Since I was a kid, I wanted to be a stand-up comedian. In kindergarten, I did a drawing of what I wanted to be when I grew up. I drew a brick wall with a neon sign – that's comedy! Early on, I was already doing a lot of crowd work. I would do school speeches but throw in jokes, and try to keep audiences captivated that way. In middle school, I was in leadership and I would run the rallies. I continued in high school, and during my senior year, I ran all the rallies and lunchtime quad activities. I was always doing the fun stuff. After graduating, I was kind of in a drought trying to figure out what to do next.  

I didn’t realize that I would be here now. Five years ago, I was doing sports media and podcasts. I am a  big SF Giants and 49ers fan. That's how I got into blogging and writing, which led to comedy. I started writing jokes and stories that would later become my stand up comedy content. I did an open mic, and I haven’t looked back since. It’s been so fun and I don’t see myself doing anything else at this point.  

Dennis Barcelon: I was always into comedy. Early on, I was making home videos and doing skits with my family, particularly with my brother and cousins. When we were younger, we did a parody skit on a fake NBA draft. All the players being drafted were either Filipino or just weird characters. That's how we entertained ourselves during the summer when we would stay over at each other's houses. That’s how it started, with me being the ringleader growing up. 

During the pandemic, I started to get into comedy because they both encouraged me to put my videos up on YouTube and social media. I was shy at first and not very confident that others would find me amusing. I thought my brother and cousin thought I was funny just because we’re related. Since I had nothing to do after work during the pandemic, I decided to go for it. I wanted to see if people would like the content I made. It went from one video with a couple of comments. There was some positive feedback and people were asking for more. I did one, two, three and so on. Some of my Instagram videos started to pop off and I started to see people liking my content, and I continued to do it because people were laughing. I didn’t want to let people down. I wanted to keep making them laugh. 

3. What did your family say when you wanted to do comedy? 

Dennis Barcelon: “Wait, what? You?” I didn't tell my parents, aunts, or uncles. I just told my brother, cousins, and people closer to my age. I didn’t want to tell my parents, especially because most of my content was not really appropriate. So, when they found out, they realized on their own that people were watching my videos, including my dad! He told me, “You're funny, but does everything have to be bastos (vulgar, gross, disrespectful)?” Those are the ones that people laugh more! I guess they’re encouraging, but it’s a unique kind of encouragement. 

Artie Valenzuela: When I first started comedy, my family had a positive response and they were very accepting and supportive. My aunties and uncles came to see my shows. I was inspired by my funny uncle. Uncle Donnie was always making jokes and killing the room during family parties. I’ve always dreamt of being just like him, but with an even bigger family party! 

4. Where do you draw inspiration for your content? How would you describe your sense of humor? 

Dennis Barcelon: It starts with my own family experience! My characters are based on Filipino dads, uncles, and grandpas. Growing up, that’s what I saw and that’s where I get inspiration from. I just add my special twist on their personalities, with my experience growing up in the Bay Area and being Filipino from the Bay Area. My characters are based on what I grew up seeing and it's almost like my real life journal where I am reenacting my memories and life experiences and making it into content. 

I feel my best ideas, for some weird reason, have been in the bathroom – whether I'm handling my business, in the shower or brushing my teeth! I swear if this thing continues and I finally get to have my own stuff and a production company, I am going to call it “comfort room productions” because that’s  where I'm comfortable and my brain just comes up with the weirdest ideas. At least 90% of the videos you've seen, most of that content randomly came to me while taking a shower or a shit.  

Artie Valenzuela: I've always been the jokester in the group, and I've made it a point to get a laugh in most situations. It's just really my perspective, being the five foot shooter. I was always the short Filipino in the room. I learned to laugh at myself, and get others comfortable to laugh with me. I am big on roast battles and I've been professionally roasted by comedian writers.  

5. What has been the biggest obstacle that you’ve had to face in your career? 

Artie Valenzuela: Producing and doing stand-up. I could do it for a room of 10 people or 500. Producing a show is challenging because there's so much back-end stuff that you don't see as the act. When you're doing a show, you're just put on stage for 15 minutes, you get paid, and then essentially take the rest of the day off. When you're like a producer, you have so many different avenues that you have to  promote and fill the seats. It's an incredible feat and I give so much credit to any producer out there. It's so hard but when we finally get to the show, it's obviously a great feeling. Working up to it, you can't feel good until it happens. It’s also challenging to find the time to work on my passion when working a full time day job, but we have to keep working on our craft every day. 

Dennis Barcelon: The biggest roadblock is me! I’m creating the content, shooting the content, and editing the content myself. I don’t know what to do when things are brand new, and I have to figure out everything on my own and figure out what direction to go. I just have to try. Hence, here I am now trying my hand at stand up comedy. I always wanted to see If I could do this, and dip into a totally different arena. I still don't know what the hell I'm doing. I'm just doing the same thing over and over. I am open, and hoping that something breaks off so that I can find another path that sends me to where I need to go.

I agree with Artie completely about having to work, and then when I get off work it's like I have another job but I'm not actually getting paid for it. This is something I love to do, and I want to give it a shot. I didn’t know what I was doing when I first started, but I just kept at it. I would spend hours trying to create content, but when I create content that just comes out of my head, that one ends up being the one that makes people laugh. Like I mentioned before, the biggest obstacle I have had to overcome is actually me! It’s all on me now. 

6. What are you currently working on? 

Artie Valenzuela: Everybody Eats! Everybody Eats is a comedy show that I produced, starting back in 2022. We had our first show in Los Angeles in 2022, featuring Rex Navarrete. Now we're trying to produce the show at my home club, Punchline in Sacramento on October 13th at 7 PM. Our headliners are Ron Josol and Andrew Orolfo, plus Norm Alconcel, and Robert Omoto. We have Filipino comedians from Canada and the Bay Area representing. I can't wait for you guys to see the show! It will be Dennis’ first time doing his own stand-up set. It’s going to be kind of crazy as he makes his debut here at home! 

Dennis Barcelon: Yeah, yeah, yes! I will be making my stand up comedy debut at Everybody Eats! It’s kind of nerve wracking because it’s a long, good amount of time! I had the same feeling when I first started doing videos. Of course, you are your own worst critic! I am nervous because it’s a different ball game. 

7. In moments of self-doubt, what do you do to build yourself back up to be able to push forward? 

Dennis Barcelon: Doing it! I don't realize that I am nervous when I am recording videos in the safety and comfort of my own home, without an audience. Back in the day, I was in a rap group. I know, very typical of a Filipino from the Bay! I could recite a verse, rock the stage, and be fine. But, this is different! As a rapper, you say the verse, do the hook, and if there’s other people on stage with you, they do the same thing and then you’re done! But in stand up comedy, I have to hear the silence of the crowd. I don’t know why I am getting nervous because I have hosted and emceed other shows before. This time, it’s different because I will be alone, and again, I am doing this to myself! I just need to get up on stage, be in the moment, and I just have to remember what I want to say!  

Artie Valenzuela: I'm pretty simple. When I start to doubt myself, I love to go back to my wife and my dog. I have anxiety off the wahoo, it's crazy and I didn't know I had it growing up. My wife has been by my side through many stages of life, and now she’s seeing the progression of Artie the comedian. She’s helped me navigate through those moments of doubt. My dog, Layla, also helps with my anxiety. You need a dog in your life if you don't have one. 

8. What are you guys most excited about? 

Artie Valenzuela: Everybody Eats! I wanted to make a comedy show. I used to work at Nordstrom as a sales person and I met some other Filipino creatives that were just trying to use that paycheck to run their hustle. When I got together with one of my old coworkers, now a friend, I told him about this idea I had about creating a big production. I wanted to make sure that we all made something off it, not just the comedians. I wanted to make sure that everyone got paid, even if they weren’t on stage. Everyone was helping me, so I wanted to make sure they got a piece. Whoever's gonna be a part of it, I want to make sure that everybody has a play.That's kind of been the culture that I've been raised in, obviously being Filipino, it’s like taking care of your family.I'm excited to share what we've been building, and I hope to be able to share it more and more with others.  

Later down the line, my ultimate goal is to write a screenplay. Until then, you’ll have to follow my stand-up and listen to my podcast called One Couch. Me and my friends talk about silly stuff for about 10 minutes. 

Dennis Barcelon: I'm most excited about being able to be on stage to share the stage with comedians such as Artie, Andrew, Robert and Norm. I want to see if people will be receptive to me not being on your phone, but instead on the stage. I’m excited and nervous! 

Aside from the stand-up comedy, I am currently doing a movie. My character, Robbie, will be featured, but it’s more like Bong’s origin story. We're in production, and we've already started filming. It’s called “Hello Hello”. I also have a merchandise collaboration with Landmarc, with the first drop being an homage to my hometown, as well as tying in what I’ve been doing with my content on IG.  

9. Where can people find you? 

Artie Valenzuela: You can follow me on Instagram @artie.valenzuela or head to my website. You can also watch and listen to my podcast, One Couch.  

Dennis Barcelon: You can find me on Instagram @xlsince2003, TikTok, and Facebook. My merch can be purchased at landmarcllc.com. 

The Everybody Eats comedy show will take place on Sunday, October 13, 2024 at 7 PM at the Punchline in Sacramento. For more details and to purchase tickets, head to the Punchline Sacramento website.  

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Written by Jennifer Redondo

Co-Founder and Co-Author of In Her Purpose

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