Marlon Palmer Creating his own voice in a copy & paste world

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“You have MacDonald money”

“You betta gu look work do!”

“If I kick you, you piss!” (Long Kiss Teeth)

“I can’t with you,” I said laughing. I was in the middle of an interview with the one you all know as ThatdudeMCFLY, and who I was getting to know as Marlon Palmer. “You truly have nothing better to do!” Marlon was laughing his head off, and this was pretty much how we spent the rest of the conversation, just laughing, and getting acquainted.

This week’s Classic Man really needs no introduction. Born August 5^th, 1988 (Strong Leo Astrological Sign), Marlon Palmer (YouTube Star Extraordinaire) has been making people all across the globe take notice of his hilarious antics, his comedic skits, song parodies, and his infamous rants. Since launching in 2011, it has been hard not to notice this emerging talent. Along with his good looks, and charm, Palmer also happens to be one of the most down to earth people I have interviewed.

I was introduced to Palmer, by one our very own writers Brittney Channer. She had forwarded me one of his latest videos, and upon seeing it, I forwarded that on to other people on my social media platforms that also couldn’t help but laugh at the sayings that you most definitely will hear if you were raised in a Jamaican

household. Being of Jamaican descent, of course Marlon has experienced things that can only be understood by the Caribbean community, and he decided one day that he was going to take his love for his culture, and mix it with what he really liked to do; make people laugh.

 I’m going to make a YouTube video every single day for the month.”

 Hailing from Maple Ontario, Palmer grew up watching comedic giants like Will Smith and Jerry Seinfeld. He was inspired by the fact that the men had put in the work, and were living the lives that they had created. The acting bug had already bitten him because he started acting in church plays when he was only six years old, and kept acting right through high school, incorporating a healthy sports regimen into his lifestyle.

In high school, Palmer greatly accepted the role as the class clown, because he sincerely enjoyed watching people laugh around him. When he did his first school play, people saw a different side of Palmer, and this legitimized his call to acting. In September 2009, Palmer took it to a next level when he entered the Much Music VJ Search. “It was one of my friends who actually entered me into the search; so when I made it to the finals, I was like alright!” Palmer tells me. What had set him apart then, and what continues to set him apart now, is his ability to keep his viewers engaged, and to have them howling at his foolishness.

“Okay, I’m going to grind this out if I can make my rent doing YouTube only, and I did. I paid my rent that month” 

There was not much that was stopping this young man’s momentum. In 2010, he was picked up to host a radio show called ThaDot FM, which launched him into the era of his life where he was in demand to host gala talent shows and parties. 2011 was a successful networking year for Palmer, and it established him as the young face of Canadian comedy. It was during this time that we all became acquainted with his infamous video, “Stuff Girls Say,” and his follow up video “Sh*t Jamaicans Say.” Of course he didn’t stop there, he had to bring it back home and do the video we have all grown to love, “Sh*t Toronto People Say.” To date, these videos have generated millions of views, and there does not seem to be a stop to this comedic rise. “Do you know Simone that the video Sh*t Toronto People say, actually got people in their feelings. Apparently the Hockey Night Toronto Crowd did not appreciate the video; they were adamant that Toronto people did not sound like that,” Palmer tells me. “So how did you handle that backlash?” “I told them to reach outside their little areas and come really discover Toronto,” he tells me chuckling.

“I think that is the meaning of life. Finding what you love and do that until you die.”

Palmers dedication, and push for greatness has helped him achieve his 28.1 million views on his social media platforms globally, 54.7 thousand followers on Instagram, and his 32 million impressions a month on Twitter. He continues working on building his omnipresence and has now started doing a monthly comedy show called Extra Gravy, along with a weekly podcast that goes by the same name. Extra Gravy, a collaboration with TheBigNormShow and Palmer, talk about everything pop culture, with interesting questions about life, and our time left on this planet. It comes on Wednesday mornings, and just like anything else Palmer has started, the podcast is already starting to take off.

I asked Palmer if there was any advice he would give to the young YouTubers and comedians who are watching his successful rise; “One thing that I regret is not realizing I was a brand until it was too late. By then, people had already taken advantage because I lowballed myself. Secure your funds by securing your brand.” “What else is important to you Marlon?” “Supporting my community 100%. I still go down to Little Jamaica (Eglinton West), and get my hair cut, and when I heard this was a community paper, I had to do the interview. We have to remember to support each other; we have much more in common then we have differences.”

The next time you will see Marlon is at the 2019 World Cup of Comedy, Africa Vs West Indies, Saturday December 28^th, at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Make sure to come out and support Marlon, and the other comedians who are for sure going to have people falling out their seats.