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Pablo Francisco will be the first to tell you that he’s not savvy with computers.

But he’s among a wave of comedians who can count themselves fortunate they live in the age of YouTube.

Francisco, whose celebrity impressions and sound effects will be on display at the Palm Beach Improv at CityPlace through Saturday, had counted himself a success already. He’d been a writer on MADtv, had development deals for television and toured the country.

But YouTube put him on a different level.

“A lot of younger people, and I’m talking really young here, are catching on to me,” Francisco said in a telephone interview. “And there were people from big agencies saying that people in Sweden ‘saw you on the YouTube.’ I ended up with a totally different attitude about it, saying, ‘Dude, this place is a gold mine.’”

As a result, his combination of comedy and on-target voice work has reached an audience of millions more. Most would likely immediately recognize his spot-on impression of the late “movie trailer guy” Don LaFontaine.

Francisco says an impression can take five minutes to learn — such as Dennis Hopper, which he says came almost immediately — or it can be a struggle.

“At first, Chris Rock was too hard,” Francisco said. “Finally I had a friend of mine call me and leave me a message as Chris Rock — his was really good. I did get it, but it’s hard to keep it going. I still miss it, can’t hold it more than a paragraph.”

Francisco said he may not have reached what many consider the pinnacle of a stand-up’s career, movie or TV fame, but it’s not for lack of trying.

Hollywood has come calling, but the projects never seem to quite fit Francisco’s rapid-fire style.
“I had three TV deals, each worth about half a million,” Francisco said. “They say, ‘Sorry, we can’t quite do it, but here’s the money anyway.’

“Hollywood’s generous like that. Some guys get it right away, but I realize that there’s not many shows with good writing anymore, and Ray Romano’s (Everybody Loves Raymond) was like the last of the great, well-written shows.”

Instead, Francisco seems happy presenting his cast of characters at one comedy club or theater at a time, or the occasional special such as his upcoming Comedy Central concert. Or Web site — he’s completely embraced YouTube now, putting up videos of his travels through Europe on his own YouTube channel.

“Everyone’s videos are going up there, good ones,” Francisco said. “You don’t want to waste people’s time on there. You want to put on a good show, even up on YouTube.”

What: Pablo Francisco

Where: Palm Beach Improv – 550 S. Rosemary Ave., West Palm Beach, FL, 33401

When: Feb 4th – 6th