Eric Ochoa has been a consistent content creator since 2008, and became one of first viral social-media sensations with his YouTube channel SUPEReeeGO. The Mexican-American comic’s sketch series Cholo Adventures and You Know You’re Mexican If … took the internet by storm, garnering millions of views on YouTube thanks to their hilarious depictions of Mexican culture.
As the years went by, Ochoa adapted his cultural comedy to fit changing trends and algorthythms. The Cholo Adventures characters went on to do song parodies, food challenges and podcasts, and even explored the world of filmmaking. Recently, Ochoa jumped into standup comedy, trading the characters and sketches for stories and straightforward jokes.
You can catch Ochoa on Friday, Sept. 19, at Spotlight 29 Casino.
“It’s Eric Ochoa—not in character, but just raw,” Ochoa said during a recent Zoom chat.
A couple of years ago, Ochoa tried out standup comedy for the first time, after creating numerous characters that existed inside of YouTube videos and at a handful of live shows. Ochoa admitted that comedy primarily without the help of his characters is a bit difficult.
“It’s probably harder, to be honest, because whenever I do characters onstage, I’m able to kind of hide behind that a little bit,” Ochoa said. “Whenever it’s me up there, it challenges me to just rely solely on jokes and stories and connecting with the audience. I actually enjoy it more, to be honest.”
Sharing experiences from his culture is a priority for Ochoa in his standup, just as it is in his YouTube videos.
“If I see a lot of my peoples out there, I mix it up, but if not, then I go into explaining a little more, then doing the characters,” he said. “Sometimes it just blends in there. If it works, it works. It’s a good tool to have, especially whenever you just want to pop in with an impression.”
It’s been 17 years since Ochoa’s “How to Be a Cholo” video launched his career.
“Sometimes I do get a little tired of playing the characters I have on YouTube, but I do (the videos) with a good amount of friends,” Ochoa said. “Whenever we get back onscreen, it’s like, ‘All right, I love it.’ It’s fun to improvise, and a lot of the videos are improvisational with me and my buddies just acting like fools. All of that has prepared me to do more of the standup stuff, to be on the spot and crack some jokes.”
While Ochoa is enjoying standup comedy, he still loves creating comment, as his most recent YouTube series, Foo’s Got Talent, shows.
“Sometimes you need to tap into other things and continue to challenge yourself,” he said. “You don’t want to stay too comfortable in something. I always want to try new things, and I always go toward things that scare me. Two and a half years ago—that’s when I tried standup, because it scared me. I finally did it the first time in front of a thousand people out in Pico Rivera. I kept working on it, met some other comics, and I was like, ‘Damn, I’ve got a lot of work to do,’ because these guys are pros. I don’t want to just come into their space and be like, ‘Oh, I could do that.’ It’s been a process so far, and it’s been a fun one.”
Ochoa said he’s grateful that he did not overwork himself as he started creating content.
“I wasn’t very consistent,” he said. “I wasn’t one of those channels with a weekly video. I just did it when I could, maybe every couple of weeks on YouTube. That kind of kept me on pace. I’ve had some moments where I was like, ‘Man, I should quit. What am I doing?’ There’s a lot of support from people, and I have a lot of joy doing it, so keeping up with it is fun. Learning the (YouTube) algorithm that changes constantly is dope, and that’s why I come up with other new things, like Foo’s Got Talent. … I thought, ‘OK, let me do a talent show with foos.’”
The comedian was dead-set on having his channel expand beyond Cholo Adventures.
“You start turning into Jason (Friday the 13th) and Halloween,” Ochoa joked. “If that’s what people come to watch, you have to give them what they want, but at the same time, you’ve got to keep your own sanity. Luckily, I’ve been able to move things around and challenge my audience as well.”
Ochoa and I share a connection: We were both taught by the same drama teacher, Shaun Carlin. Years after teaching Ochoa in Compton, Carlin moved to the Coachella Valley and led the drama department at Coachella Valley High School, changing the lives of many students, myself included. Mr. Carlin, when I was a student, even invited Ochoa and the Cholo Adventures crew to speak at CVHS. Ochoa has talked in videos the extreme impact Mr. Carlin had on his life.
“I always say Mr. Carlin was the guy who gave me the confidence boost, like a father figure,” Ochoa said. “My dad was a little more on the absent side, and Carlin was such a hero to me. We would do musicals; we did Oklahoma!, and he gave me the leading antagonist role. It’s very rare to see or meet a teacher who would really look at you, and just have this belief in you. … Carlin helped me believe that I can do anything. It was really nice and such a pleasure getting to know Mr. Carlin, and even after high school, we would message each other on Facebook, or he had my number, and sometimes we would just go back and forth. He had such a huge impact. I’d say he gave me the confidence to get up onstage and do what I’m doing today.”
Eric Ochoa’s standup show in Coachella will feature sets from both his YouTube friends and his standup friends.
“My boy P-D-Flo, Pedro Flores, director and writer of High School Sucks the musical, and Alex Arredondo, who plays Sleepy Brown in the Cholo Adventures videos, they also do standup as well,” Ochoa said. “I brought them in with me and started giving them more and more time. Chances are, they’re going to come out and do their own standup. My boy JValentino and Martin Rizo will be a part of the live show, too, and then probably a couple more. It’s always a good time. It’s good vibes, and we all learn from each other—but it’s almost like a kickback. When we get up onstage, it’s just us; we’re talking to people, and it’s a whole vibe.
Eric Ochoa will perform at 8 p.m., Friday, Sept. 19, in the Chairman’s Lounge at Spotlight 29 Casino, at 46200 Harrison Place, in Coachella. Tickets start at $33.84. For tickets and more information, visit spotlight29.com/entertainment.