Peter Bisuito, or “My Big Funny Peter,” might be known for packing houses from London to Mexico with his outrageous comedy, but his latest creation is no laughing matter. The comedian-turned-filmmaker’s directorial debut I Remember — a psychological drama about love, trauma, and memory loss — hit major streaming platforms this Valentine’s Day.
From writing the entire script in one all-nighter session to securing Amazon Prime Video, Google TV, and Apple TV, Bisuito’s journey from stand-up stages to the director’s chair has been anything but conventional. We sat down with the multi-hyphenate creator (whose work earned him his own day in Fort Lauderdale) to discuss everything from his creative process to his talk show revival, and why sometimes rejection may be good news.
Chloe Yang (CY): The film deals with repressed memory loss. How do you find audiences connecting with this theme?
Peter Bisuito (PB): This is a movie about repressed memory loss due to a very traumatic experience the main character witnessed. Therefore, I wanted the movie to promote conversation and resonate with people. I get messages even a year later from people telling me they’re still thinking about my film, including my dad.
CY: What inspired you to make this psychological drama?
PB: I thought of the idea way back in 2015, but because my life is consumed with comedy, it took a backseat for many years. Then in November 2022, I was going through a rough patch due to some rejections, and things weren’t going my way. I thought I would shake it up and do something completely different, step away from comedy for a while. When I resurrected the idea, everything just came to my mind — every scene, it all just came to me. I can’t explain it. I wrote the script in one sitting, starting at 11 o’clock at night and finishing around 4:30, and I had the entire script.
CY: Did you get feedback from others during the creative process?
PB: No, I don’t like getting opinions from other people. I’ve been entertaining for 35 years now. I know my target audience, I know my demographic. I know what they like and what they don’t like. If I listen to this person’s opinion, then I have to listen to that person’s opinion, then another person’s opinion. Everybody has a different opinion. I just do what I do, and if you like it, great. If you don’t like it, that’s fine as well.
CY: You’ve managed to secure distribution on several major platforms — congrats! Did you try your luck at film festivals, too?
PB: I gave myself one year with the film festival circuit. I Remember was accepted by several festivals around the world, and won awards in three countries! What really helped was finding a distribution company that loved my film as well. They were instrumental in getting it onto three of the biggest streaming services — Prime Video, Google TV, and Apple TV.
CY: How did your journey in entertainment begin?
PB: I was kind of a victim of — and I use that term very loosely — I kind of just did what my father wanted me to do. I have the most wonderful father in the world, and we have a great relationship, but he was very traditional: “Go to college, get a job.” I always knew I wanted to be an entertainer, but I listened to my dad. I went to college, then I got a job, then another job, and another job. During all that time, I was still entertaining, still doing plays and things like that.
There came a point in my life, when I was in my early 40s, where I thought, “I don’t want to chase the dollar anymore. I’d rather chase the dream.” I continued to work in corporate America and owned a wedding videography business, but I started pursuing entertainment more seriously, where I’m making money now. Up until then, everything I did was just volunteer — community theater, all that kind of stuff.
CY: Tell us more about your stand-up comedy career. What’s it like to perform abroad?
PB: I’ve performed sold-out shows in five countries. I went on a European tour seven years ago, where I played in six cities in three countries. I’ve also performed in Mexico and Toronto, and all over the United States.
Whenever I perform internationally, I have a pretty lengthy conversation about what the culture is like in that specific area. For example, when I performed in London, I asked if we could make jokes about the Queen, because I’d heard it was considered disrespectful. The venue manager told me we could make fun of the Queen as much as we wanted. I’ll also run jokes by them that deal with American culture, sending emails like, “This is one of my jokes. Do you think they’ll get it?” And they’ll say, “Oh yeah, we know all about Donald Trump” or whatever the reference might be. European culture is very similar to United States culture, which makes it easier.
CY: You seem very self-reliant in your work. Has that always been your approach?
PB: I try not to rely on anybody. Whenever I have a stand-up comedy show, I will rent the theater myself, pay for it myself, promote it myself, and publicize it myself. For the longest time, I never had an agent, manager, or publicist. To me, the fewer people involved, the less drama and disagreement. However, it is getting to the point where I need help — I recently hired a publicist because I can’t do it all by myself anymore. There’s so much going on in my life.
CY: What’s your advice for handling rejection, especially for young creators?
PB: You always want to improve. You’re going to improve yourself till the day you die — you’re never going to be perfect. My suggestion is to watch your work and don’t blow smoke up your own butt. If it’s bad, admit it’s bad. Or if a part of it is bad, think about what you can do to improve that.
As far as rejection is concerned, you should welcome rejection. It makes you stronger, more resilient. I’ve always said failure is just the universe telling you you’re going in the wrong direction, and you need to do something different. Failure is a test to see if you’re strong enough to keep going forward. With every rejection, your successes become much more gratifying. You’ll be more grateful for your successes because of all your rejections.
CY: What are your upcoming projects?
PB: I just love to create. My biggest passion is entertaining people — I love to evoke emotion, whether it’s laughter or tears. I have my talk show coming up; we’re filming the pilot episode on March 23. I’ve been working on it for five years, and it’s finally coming to fruition. I also have an idea for a fantastic reality elimination show — like a Dancing with the Stars concept — as well as an idea for a full feature film.
CY: Tell us about the talk show concept.
PB: I started this talk show back in the summer of 2020 during the COVID quarantine. I was sitting in my apartment, and I happen to know how to crochet — my grandmother taught me. I thought, “How stupid would it be if I developed this weird talk show where I’m crocheting naked, and people just call in and ask me questions?” We used a green screen, filmed several episodes, and released them on YouTube. They became really popular, getting 10-15,000 views.
About a year later, we tried performing it live at a bar. We performed 12 shows within 10 months, and every time it was standing room only. People loved the show, but then we stopped because that’s when I wrote my film. Now that my film is on autopilot, I’m bringing the show back on a much bigger level — global vision, professionally videotaped with a seven-camera crew, shot at a TV studio with a live studio audience. We’re raising money for dog rescue, and we’ve secured an exciting first guest — a queer-eyed chronicler of Southern eccentricities.
The show, called Ask a Naked Guy Crocheting — though I’m never fully naked, it’s just a silly gimmick — is like Jimmy Kimmel meets Saturday Night Live. It starts with stand-up comedy, then there’s banter with my co-host, we introduce our guest, have a Q&A session with the audience, and end with a musical performance.
CY: Do you use AI in your creative process?
PB: I use it to help me write things like press releases and bios. But as far as my jokes are concerned, no — I write all my own material, all my scripts. I have a difficult time finding the words when it comes to press releases or emails, so I will use it there. I just hope the younger generation will still attempt to learn and not use AI as an excuse not to learn.
Peter Bisuito’s film I Remember is now available for streaming on Prime Video, Google TV, and Apple TV.
