What we’d rather die than tell,
I live to laugh about.
For me, the most interesting narratives are the ones that capture the full spectrum of human emotions and experiences – the good, the bad, and everything in between. And the more I embrace life’s contradictions and competing realities, the more eager I am to explore those sides of the human condition in the characters and worlds I create.
Making ads is great for paying the bills, but it doesn’t always leave room for such depth and complexity. That’s where my personal writing and these side projects come in. With these outlets, I can really indulge my storytelling impulses — whether it’s through a monologue, a play, improv, sketch, stand-up, or a TV series.
Produced by Momentum 180 and in collaboration with The Cultch and Playwrights Theatre Centre with support from the City of Vancouver, The Parallel Project is a writing workshop program aimed at elevating IBPOC voices through the development of monologues. Over the course of seven weeks, I, along with three other selected playwrights, received mentorship from a dramaturg and participated in collaborative writing sessions. Our journey concluded in July 2024 with two public readings at The Cultch's C-Lab, where IBPOC actors performed our works, including my piece, 'Silence is Violence (Ally's Version).'
My directorial debut at the 2019 Toronto Fringe Festival, which earned us Patron's Pick and Critics' Pick, as well as Outstanding Performance nods for our leads. Steve Fischer from NOW gave us a NNNN review and even noted, "Director Valentine Ho ensures that there are just enough cracks in the Twinsations’ best-foot-forward facade that they remain likeable even when their single-minded pursuit seems ludicrous."
In late 2018, I was one of the lucky seven writers chosen for CBC's Kim's Convenience Emerging Writers' Room. Working closely with showrunners Ins Choi and Kevin White, we developed fresh story ideas for the popular series. I was invited back to contribute more and even had a hand in the creation of The Nicole Power Project, which later became the spin-off Strays.
As part of the Second City Conservatory Program, my cast and I wrote and performed a two-hour original sketch revue, culminating in a performance on the Second City Mainstage to a packed house of over 300 people.
Early on in my exploration of stand-up, I had the honour of opening for some veteran comedians at a Comedy Girl benefit show. The event was a huge success, with 260 people coming out to support Dawn Whitwell's mission to bring more women into the comedy spotlight across Canada.