Canadian comedian Gerry Dee is one of the funniest men to hit the comedy scene—ever. Gerry is the creator, writer, and star of the smash hit CBC TV comedy series Mr. D, and can frequently be seen in The Score’s segment “Gerry Dee: Sports Reporter.” Gerry is presently in the midst of a Canadian stand-up tour, and The Sun caught up with him to talk about the tour and the renewal of Mr. D for a fifth season:
Gerry Dee, Canadian stand-up comedian and prime time television’s Mr. D, can add another business venture to his list of many projects — fronting a startup alcohol company.
Dee got involved with the venture after being approached by Cam McDonald, Bobby Besant and Daniel Bartek, the creators of the Sage Mixology drink company. The company markets Crazy Beard Apple Ale, which hit LCBO shelves in February and Sage Vodka drinks which come in two flavours and will be available in May.
Not one to usually endorse products, Dee decided in this case to support a Canadian company with an interesting idea.
“I like those fun kind of drinks, and the main thing about Sage is that its marketed as a ‘bottle in a bottle’,” Dee said. “The outer bottle holds the juice drink and a smaller one inside holds the alcohol.”
The beverages are also somewhat unique because they’re gluten-free, an uncommon feature for alcoholic products.
“The drinks were just on Dragons Den and they actually won an offer, but the guys turned it down. They’re the real brains behind it, I just got involved,” Dee said.
In addition to his business venture, Dee is also in the midst of his 2015 Canadian stand-up tour, which stops in Ottawa March 31 at the National Arts Centre.
Dee’s roots are in stand-up.
“Ottawa’s always been good to me, we’re still selling tickets but it’s going quite well,” he said. “It’s a big difference doing stand-up compared to the comedy we do on the show because it’s live so you don’t get a second chance, but you also get to hear the laughs and everyone’s reception.”
Dee’s on a bit of a roll, with the tour on the heels of a March 4 announcement that CBC is renewing Mr. D for a fifth season. Dee is, in real life, a former high school teacher — it was his career until switching to full-time comedy in 2003. Thus, he bases many of the jokes and quips from the series on personal experience.
As for the future, Dee is keeping an open mind.
“I’m always open to new business ideas, I’ve always kind of been like that,” he said. “I have a great job, but it’s a tough business so I always keep things going because you never know.”