Comic Relief

Tune in, PaceU, because Ashvin Kapoor ’24 is going live. He’s the brains behind The Ashvin Show, a radio program dedicated to making people laugh during a tumultuous time in history. This is one future talk show host to watch (and listen)!

Ashvin Kapoor ’24 has an important job: he’s using his comedic talents (not to mention business skill) to make people laugh during an unprecedented time of loss and loneliness. Through his brand new radio program, The Ashvin Show, he’s not only bringing people together, but also challenging his audience to think critically. “It's something I’ve been working on for years,” says Ashvin. There have been a few iterations of his work including a YouTube channel before he switched gears at Pace. “Using radio as my medium has allowed me to explore different avenues such as music and interviews.”

He’s interviewed several Pace students already, where he expertly finds the heart of their stories to share with the community. “My favorite moment was probably when I was interviewing my good friend Taylor,” Ashvin explained. The segment was about how his friend performed while having a speech impediment. “It was just such an interesting story, and I was so happy that not only was I able to hear it, but through my show, I was able to broadcast their perspective to my audience.”

“My goal is to make performing my career and be able to spread my message and my comedy,” he said.

It’s that level of passion that truly makes Ashvin’s choice of arts and entertainment management the perfect fit in terms of a major. He actually first heard about Pace and its course offerings from his parents—both Pace alumni. Small world! “To this day, I think it’s the craziest thing that the same school my parents went to almost 20 years ago had the exact major I was looking for,” Ashvin told us. “I am so glad I ended up here because the arts and entertainment major is so focused and different from others.”

As he looks to the future, Ashvin hopes to one day transition his radio show to an in-person venue—live audience, live talk show, the works. “My goal is to make performing my career and be able to spread my message and my comedy,” he said. “Through comedy, I believe we are able to make others feel better, which is why I perform: to make others feel better just like other performers have done for me.”

Of course, he had a few words of wisdom for any aspiring Pace performers looking to launch their own brand, too. “Something I wish I knew was to not perform for the accolades, but to perform for yourself,” Ashvin said. “You are your own brand—not anyone else’s. Make sure you perform for yourself.” He also reminded any would-be artists that it took Kanye four albums before he created his best work. “Don’t sweat it.” No truer words were spoken.

You can catch The Ashvin Show live at 8:00 p.m. ET on Tuesdays. Be sure to tune in and tell him we sent you! Maybe we’ll even hear your story featured on the airwaves next.