Zane Helberg

Zane Helberg is an American stand-up comedian, podcaster and entrepreneur living in Los Angeles, CA. He is the founder of Laugh to Live, a company that brings comedy into hospitals and institutions treating substance abuse. He is also the host of ‘’How to Seem Rich So People Like You’’, a podcast that delves into a comedic approach to furthering one’s career by shedding light on his own personal process.Zane Helberg: Comedian, Podcaster, and Entrepreneur
== Early life ==
Born in 1984, Zane Helberg grew up in Tucson, Arizona and is the oldest of two children by parents Art and Lauri Helberg. He moved around to other states quite a bit before settling back in Tucson by the age of five years old. 
After graduating from high school, he moved to Los Angeles, CA. Zane attended college at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Hollywood, CA. It was a two-year intensive drama program. 
Zane Helberg also struggled with drug and alcohol addiction from an early age. He was “just a kid” when he started doing drugs and by age 16, he began having trouble with addiction. From ages 16 to 28, he was a black out drinker and drug user. But in November of 2012, he sought out help and has been sober ever since.
== Career ==
When first moving to Los Angeles, Zane Helberg wanted to be an actor. While going to auditions and performing stand-up comedy, he worked various odd jobs such as pizza delivery driver and other positions within the restaurant industry, including being the manager of a local chain called Fat Sal’s.
After several years of living in L.A., Helberg found himself in a depressive state, working a job that he hated. He realized that stand-up “was falling out of being a priority” in his life.He reached a period where he was only doing standup twice a month.In early 2017, he did one show, opening for someone at a strip club in Las Vegas.This led to Helberg having the idea to get back into stand up full-time, by doing a free, monthly show for people who were in treatment. It was planned to be at an art studio in Hollywood. The first date was going to be set for sometime in February 2017.
However, leading up to the date, the director of client services at Encino Hospital Medical Center’s Serenity Detox, who was supposed to bring his clients to the show, called Zane and told him he could not bring his actively-detoxing clients off property. He instead asked if Zane could bring the show into his facility instead. Helberg agreed and did his first show in front of an audience that was only a few hours off of heroin and other drugs. While it was in front of a rather meager audience, the reception from one heroin addict who thoroughly enjoyed it was encouraging. The addict mentioned he “never thought [he] was going to be able to have fun without putting heroin in [his] body". This gave Zane the motivation to keep the show going. 
For two full years, every Friday night, Helberg brought a show to that facility. With the success of the show, he was able to quit his job working at a restaurant and pursue the project full time.
Years later, Laugh to Live broke away from doing tours solely based inside of rehabs and treatment centers. It evolved into doing tours across the United States, titled “Live from Rehab”, where Helberg invites clients at rehabs and others in the recovery community to attend his shows at public venues. He works with Benji Fucanan of the Gooden Center to “provide a safe and sober environment and form a connection to the audience”.A comedy show that is bringing healing with laughter, Good Things Utah - ABC4.
Laugh to Live’s mission is to provide “an uplifting, cathartic and hilarious experience for those suffering from drug and alcohol addiction”.Zane Helberg Official Website It comes at a time when the rate of substance abuse is rising in the United States, especially during the COVID-19 Pandemic.Substance use during the pandemic, American Psychological Association. In fact, “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of June 2020, 13% of Americans reported starting or increasing substance use as a way of coping with stress or emotions related to COVID-19.
Throughout his career, Zelberg has toured across the United States and has attended several comedy festivals including the world’s largest arts festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He has been featured on several podcasts, including Community Service w/ Craig Conant, Bad Times / Good People, and Mental Illness Happy Hour. 
== Style ==
His comedic style has drawn inspiration from Jerry Seinfeld and can be described as comedy with “tragic mishaps”, taking jokes and stories from his life before, during and after his addiction.“Live From Rehab” a solo comedy show on life before, during and after addiction, Fox 31. Because Zane caters to a rather specific niche in terms of comedy, he notes that it can sometimes be difficult to evoke certain responses from those that are actively detoxing from substances. However, he finds his brand of entertainment to be very rewarding since his goal is to “show [people that] they can actually have a good time without putting drugs and alcohol into their body”.
== Podcasts ==
*How to SEEM Rich so Other People Will Like You (Host)
*Community Service w/ Craig Conant (Guest, Himself)
*A Little Advice (Guest, Himself)
*Bad Times / Good People (Guest, Himself) 
*Mental Illness Happy Hour (Guest, Himself)
*Punch Drunk Sports (Guest, Himself)
*Cash Daddies (Guest, Himself)
*Glitchin (Guest, Himself)
Category:American comedians
Category:American podcasters
Category:American entrepreneurs
Category:1984 births
Category:People from Tucson, Arizona