Maine comedy fest founder
talks about his own dream,
as he opens doors others

If Ian Harvie’s entertainment career could be summed up in one quote, this statement by William James seems fitting: “It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.”

48-year-old Harvie, born and raised in Topsham, Maine, got a late start in comedy.

While he’d entertained family and friends in his childhood with stand-up acts that he says were “entertaining because it was so horrible,” it wasn’t until 2002 when he was 34, when he took a comedy workshop with Tim Ferrell, that the light bulb clicked on. “I realized, oh, man, this is what I’ve been looking for, artistically. This is what lit me up.”

His passion for comedy ignited, Harvie’s attitude toward life freed him to pursue high goals. “It’s not about confidence, it’s about “why not dream?” Why not let yourself have that and try to make it happen. I think maybe the slight difference between me and anybody else out there is that I really thought that I could pursue it. Whether it would happen or not, I had no idea if it would actually come to fruition. But I thought, “I’m going to do everything within my power to make it so.”

In 2006, Harvie packed up and moved to L.A. and doors began to open. Landing the gig of being the opening act for Margaret Cho helped him develop his act and propelled him into new opportunities. Since then, Harvie has kept busy sharing his very personal, experience-based comedy with audiences worldwide, but he hasn’t boxed himself into one form of entertainment. Harvie says, “People are nice, I want to do fun things, I want to be creative — what can I do to do that? How can I stay in that mindset to look for those things? That’s kind of where I live, I think.”

Over the past few years, Harvie has kept his creative realm expanding by adding “television actor” to his resume, with roles in hit TV shows such as “Transparent,” “Mistresses,” and “Young and Hungry.”

Of the various acting experiences he’s had, Harvie says performing in sitcoms has been the most fun because, being shot in front of a live studio audience, it’s the most similar to stand-up. However, “I like all of it because it’s all new and hard and scary. For me, I really enjoy if it’s scary. Like, the scarier, the better. The bigger the challenge, the better.”

An exciting challenge on the horizon for Harvie is the Oct. 20,  filming of his own Netflix comedy special, which will be filmed in Portland, Oregon. Harvie will use his upcoming Australia and college tours as rehearsal and an opportunity to tweak material for the special. Also in the works- Harvie has a comedy-based reality series that is in development for pitching to networks this fall.

Asked who his own favorite comedians are, Harvie is quick to point out that while there are many world-class comedians that he admires and that have inspired him, there are other, less well-known comedians that he loves. He lists a handful- “Tuck Tucker is one of my favorites,” “Fortune Feinster, a regular on “The Mindy Project, ” she’s really one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. My friend Johnny Ater here in Maine”,,Selene Luna, and Sarah Highlander. “These are some of the funniest people that I know that the world needs to know about.”

Giving a platform to comedians that he knows and cares about is partly why he began the Maine Comedy Festival. Harvie says, “I really love comics and I really want them to have a great place to perform.”

Now in its 6th summer, this year’s festival is scheduled for Aug. 19 and 20 and is hosted by the Bethel Inn Resort.

Harvie explains that, “It got started because I wanted to come back here in the summertime and do comedy with my friends.” He attributes his childhood love of summer camp with the festival’s fun, relaxed, campy vibe. Harvie emphasizes the estival’s diversity, including comedians of any race, creed, sexual orientation and style of comedy. “I really try to make it super diverse and fun, and make it fun for the comics, too.”

Asked what makes this festival different from others, Harvie replies, “It’s the Maine Comedy Festival and we always include Maine comics. It’s brought Maine comics back from Los Angeles, it’s brought Maine comics back from all over the country back home to Maine … It’s a real blend and really diverse, with these, like, real local comics and national acts, and local comics who became national acts. In that way, I think that’s what makes it very unique.”

For more information about the Maine Comedy Festival, or to purchase tickets, go to http://mainecomedyfest.com.

Performing in the Maine Comedy Fest this weekend at Bethel Inn are:

Friday, 8:30 p.m.
Kevin Neales, Kenice Mobley, Tuck Tucker and “special surprise guests.”

Saturday, 8:30 p.m.
Johnny Ater, Phoebe Angle, Stephen Spinola, Christa Weiss and “special surprise guests.”

Tickets are $20 for each evening.