Where many stand-up comedians write from distant observation, Seán Devlin’s (叶 世民) material often comes from real-world interventions and politically-charged personal confrontations. Recorded at Vancouver’s Little Mountain Gallery in 2019, AIRPORTS, ANIMALS. is the work of a comedian whose mother was raised as a squatter in the Philippines before immigrating to Canada to escape the Marcos regime. A comedian whose political provocations over climate change and migrant justice have previously landed him in jail. A biracial artist who experiences both white privilege and racial violence living in Vancouver, BC - the anti-Asian hate crime capital of North America. Yet, while political stand-up comedians typically express themselves through angry ranting, Devlin’s performances find him calmly recounting stories that would leave many people infuriated. From these intimate experiences Devlin produces a brand of grounded joy that is frequently absurdist, but never escapist. A timely balm for people seeking balance in the era of COVID-19 and glorified hatred.

Devlin has performed stand-up for 18 years at festivals such as Bumbershoot, Just For Laughs NW, Sled Island, and Bridgetown Comedy Festival. He has shared the stage with comedians Zach Galifianakis, Tig Notaro, Reggie Watts, Hari Kondabolu, Aamer Rahman as well as musical acts like MGMT and Of Montreal. Most recently, Devlin was a Consulting Producer on BORAT: SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM (2020). His directorial debut WHEN THE STORM FADES (2018) earned him the Emerging Canadian Director prize presented by The Director’s Guild of Canada at the 37th Vancouver International Film Festival and won two international jury prizes for Best Director from festivals in Liverpool & Mumbai.

From 2011 to 2015 Devlin organized a diverse group of comedians, artists, filmmakers, actors, musicians and activists to execute a multi-year tactical media campaign with the goal of engaging Canadian youth in progressive politics. ShitHarperDid.com began as a viral website that generated millions of hits during Canada’s 2011 Federal Election. The Globe and Mail described it as “a stealth campaign that's been spreading like prairie wildfire.” and The Huffington Post called it “the viral phenomenon that captured the digital zeitgeist.” As the Executive Director of the organization Devlin orchestrated an innovative combination of online content, TV ads, a feature documentary, complex media pranks and he also shocked the public by infiltrating the Prime Minister’s security detail (the most expensive in Canada’s history) not once, but twice. Devlin then organized a national network of young supporters to physically confront harmful politicians in their own communities. SHD was part of a progressive movement that catalyzed an unprecedented increase in youth voting by the 2015 election. The innovative impact created by SHD resulted in opportunities for Devlin to produce similar projects around the world with the likes of Greenpeace, Edward Snowden, and The Yes Men.