Raybon Kan
Encyclopedia
Raybon Kan is a Masterton
, New Zealand
-born Han Chinese
comedian
and newspaper
columnist
.
, New Zealand soon after his birth, where he began his education at St Mark's Church School
(where he was Dux
and showed an early flair for public performance) and continued through to Wellington College
where he was School Council President and proxime accessit to dux. He attended Victoria University of Wellington
's law school, for what he called 'inexplicable reasons', and earned his LL B
(Hons) and admission to the Bar. During his university days, he captained the Victoria team to second place in the World Universities Debating Championships, losing the final to the University of Oxford
. At Victoria he won the Dominion Journalism Scholarship and the Energy Law Research Scholarship, and an article of his on energy law was published in the New Zealand Law Journal.
reviews for The Dominion
newspaper in Wellington and was soon performing stand-up comedy
on stage and on television. His television work included regular appearances on sketch shows, though it has been reported that live comedy is his passion.
Raybon has been named Best Comedian by Metro and North and South
magazines on repeated occasions in New Zealand. He has performed at the Melbourne
Comedy Festival, (where The Age newspaper named him one of the festival's highlights,) the Montreal
Comedy Festival (1998 and 2001) and the Edinburgh Fringe
. He has also performed in Calgary
, Toronto
, Vancouver
, Hong Kong
, San Francisco, Los Angeles
and Sydney
. He was nominated for the inaugural Billy T Award
in 1997.
His movie reviews featured in TV3
's Nightline nightly news programme. His New Zealand TV appearances include "Pulp Comedy", "Laugh Festival Gala," "Before Stardom", "Look Who's Famous Now", Skitz, "Test the Nation" (which he won three times), "The Great New Zealand Spelling Bee", Inside New Zealand, a documentary in which he trained for two months to be a casino croupier; and a profile in TV's 60 Minutes. In Australia he has performed on "Hey Hey It's Saturday" and been interviewed by Bert Newton.
He authored Five Days in Las Vegas in the early 1990s, about his travels to the United States
during which he appeared on Wheel of Fortune. Another travel-based title, America on Five Bullets a Day, in which he indulged his passion for tennis, was published in 1998. The latest compendium of his work, An Asian at My Table, was published by Penguin in 2004. For many years he wrote a column in The Sunday Star Times.
He has three film roles in "I'll Make You Happy" (directed by Athina Tsoulis), Tongan Ninja
(directed by Jason Stutter
) and Spooked
(directed by Geoff Murphy
).
In November 2004, he became the TV commercial spokesman
for the Freedom Air
airline
in New Zealand. Coincidentally in the 1990s he also fronted an ad campaign for a finance company named Freedom.
He has recently relocated to London. In August 2009 he performed his stand-up show 'Spermbank Millionaire' at the Edinburgh Fringe. In August 2009 his latest film Diagnosis: Death
(directed by Jason Stutter
) was released in the UK.
Currently In New Zealand (2011) and can be found on Twitter
Masterton
Masterton is a large town and local government district in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a region separated from Wellington by the Rimutaka ranges...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
-born Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
and newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
.
Early life and family
Kan's family moved to WellingtonWellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New Zealand soon after his birth, where he began his education at St Mark's Church School
St Mark's Church School
St Mark's Church School is the only independent Anglican co-educational school in Wellington, New Zealand for children aged from two to Year 8....
(where he was Dux
Dux
Dux is Latin for leader and later for Duke and its variant forms ....
and showed an early flair for public performance) and continued through to Wellington College
Wellington College (New Zealand)
Wellington College is a state secondary school for boys in Mount Victoria in Wellington, New Zealand.-History:Wellington College opened in 1867 as Wellington Grammar School in Woodward Street, though Sir George Grey gave the school a deed of endowment in 1853. In 1874 it opened at its present...
where he was School Council President and proxime accessit to dux. He attended Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a former constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It is particularly well known for its programmes in law, the humanities, and some scientific disciplines, but offers a broad range of other courses...
's law school, for what he called 'inexplicable reasons', and earned his LL B
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
(Hons) and admission to the Bar. During his university days, he captained the Victoria team to second place in the World Universities Debating Championships, losing the final to the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. At Victoria he won the Dominion Journalism Scholarship and the Energy Law Research Scholarship, and an article of his on energy law was published in the New Zealand Law Journal.
Career
He first came to prominence writing televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
reviews for The Dominion
The Dominion Post (Wellington)
The Dominion Post is a metropolitan broadsheet newspaper published in Wellington, New Zealand, owned by the Australian Fairfax group, owners of The Age, Melbourne, and The Sydney Morning Herald.- Foundation :...
newspaper in Wellington and was soon performing stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
on stage and on television. His television work included regular appearances on sketch shows, though it has been reported that live comedy is his passion.
Raybon has been named Best Comedian by Metro and North and South
North and South (magazine)
North & South is a monthly magazine published in New Zealand. It was founded in 1986, and famously documented the end of the Lange Labour government in 1989. Its name relates to the two main islands of New Zealand, whilst alluding to the novel by Elizabeth Gaskell...
magazines on repeated occasions in New Zealand. He has performed at the Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
Comedy Festival, (where The Age newspaper named him one of the festival's highlights,) the Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
Comedy Festival (1998 and 2001) and the Edinburgh Fringe
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
. He has also performed in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, San Francisco, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. He was nominated for the inaugural Billy T Award
Billy T Award
The Billy T Award is New Zealand’s most prestigious comedy award recognizing New Zealand comedians with outstanding potential. It has been presented annually since its inception in 1997 when Cal Wilson and Ewen Gilmour shared the award...
in 1997.
His movie reviews featured in TV3
TV3 (New Zealand)
TV3 is a New Zealand commercial television network, owned by MediaWorks New Zealand. Launched on 26 November 1989, the first private television network in New Zealand...
's Nightline nightly news programme. His New Zealand TV appearances include "Pulp Comedy", "Laugh Festival Gala," "Before Stardom", "Look Who's Famous Now", Skitz, "Test the Nation" (which he won three times), "The Great New Zealand Spelling Bee", Inside New Zealand, a documentary in which he trained for two months to be a casino croupier; and a profile in TV's 60 Minutes. In Australia he has performed on "Hey Hey It's Saturday" and been interviewed by Bert Newton.
He authored Five Days in Las Vegas in the early 1990s, about his travels to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during which he appeared on Wheel of Fortune. Another travel-based title, America on Five Bullets a Day, in which he indulged his passion for tennis, was published in 1998. The latest compendium of his work, An Asian at My Table, was published by Penguin in 2004. For many years he wrote a column in The Sunday Star Times.
He has three film roles in "I'll Make You Happy" (directed by Athina Tsoulis), Tongan Ninja
Tongan Ninja
Tongan Ninja is a 2002 full length kung-fu action-comedy directed by Jason Stutter and filmed in New Zealand. The film has received recent notoriety for co-starring and being co-written by Jemaine Clement, star of the HBO comedy Flight of the Conchords...
(directed by Jason Stutter
Jason Stutter
Jason Stutter is a New Zealand-based motion picture director.He has directed a number of short movies, including Blood Suckers and Careful With That Axe, the latter winning the Golden Spike Award for best short film at the film festival in Valladolid, Spain.In 2009 he directed Diagnosis Death, a...
) and Spooked
Spooked (film)
Spooked is a 2004 New Zealand film directed by Geoff Murphy and loosely based on Ian Wishart's novel The Paradise Conspiracy, which itself is based on actual events in New Zealand...
(directed by Geoff Murphy
Geoff Murphy
Geoff Murphy is a successful New Zealand filmmaker best known for his work during the renaissance of New Zealand cinema that began in the last half of the 1970s....
).
In November 2004, he became the TV commercial spokesman
Spokesman
A spokesperson or spokesman or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others.In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have received formal training in journalism, communications, public relations and...
for the Freedom Air
Freedom Air
Freedom Air was Air New Zealand Group's low-cost airline which operated from December 1995 to March 2008. It ran scheduled passenger services from New Zealand to Australia and Fiji and charter services within New Zealand...
airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
in New Zealand. Coincidentally in the 1990s he also fronted an ad campaign for a finance company named Freedom.
He has recently relocated to London. In August 2009 he performed his stand-up show 'Spermbank Millionaire' at the Edinburgh Fringe. In August 2009 his latest film Diagnosis: Death
Diagnosis: Death
Diagnosis: Death is a 2008 horror comedy film made in New Zealand, directed by Jason Stutter and co-written by Stutter Raybon Kan and briefly featuring members of the TV-series Flight of the Conchords, Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie and Rhys Darby....
(directed by Jason Stutter
Jason Stutter
Jason Stutter is a New Zealand-based motion picture director.He has directed a number of short movies, including Blood Suckers and Careful With That Axe, the latter winning the Golden Spike Award for best short film at the film festival in Valladolid, Spain.In 2009 he directed Diagnosis Death, a...
) was released in the UK.
Currently In New Zealand (2011) and can be found on Twitter
External links
- Raybon Kan - official site
- http://www.diagnosisdeath.co.uk