We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Valerie Vibar a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Valerie , thanks for joining us today. One of the toughest things about progressing in your creative career is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

As a child, you view your dreams through rose colored glasses. And you’d think that all you need to do is learn the craft and work hard and you will be rewarded. The American dream, but I was also raised in Asia where the American dream does not exist.

As an actor, I’m very sorry to say this – racism, colorism, objectification, and fatphobia. I can go on and on and write a whole research paper on everything I mentioned, but that might be too long. Anyways, when you’re brown (me), a woman (me), Filipino (me), and plus sized (me), you will go through a lot. You can be the best actor. You can make the director cry, and you can make the whole room die from laughter, and they still won’t choose you (I’m talking about Hollywood. Not the Asian entertainment. That’s a different conversation altogether). The sad part of it all, the decision makers don’t even realize it either that they’re choosing someone who looks like them instead of the best actor. So how can you be mad at that? You talk to them, then either they understand or they call you sensitive. Anyways, we see this in children. I used to teach at a preschool, and I noticed that the 2 Filipino kids I had were overly attached to me. The moment I walked in the room, they stared because, finally, there’s someone there who looks like them. I have a good relationship with all my students, but I’m just saying that this preference to choose someone who looks like you goes very deep in our psychology, which is why representation and awareness matters. Diversity matters. We need to expose everyone to everyone.

What I go through, the discrimination in acting, is everywhere and every single day. I try not to let it affect me, and you see so many people making an effort for diversity such as the cultural films. I love those. We need those.

I’m numb to the discrimination now, and I’d rather work with people who would welcome me instead of people who would fire me in the middle of production because they found me unbearable to look at because of my weight. That’s a true story. It was on a vertical drama, and the one who decided on firing me was the Chinese client. Take note, I was that very same weight when they hired me. If you think Hollywood is hard, try working with Asians. I was only doing background work that time too. And the other actor who was replaced midway through production, he was black. Who did the keep? The skinny Caucasian background actors.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Valerie Vibar, and I was born and raised in the Philippines. Today, I am a multi-disciplinary artist working in Los Angeles. Because I work professionally across so many creative fields, it tends to confuse people. To put it simply: I am a performer who paints, makes music, and writes.

My main source of income is teaching music and art—specifically piano, voice, illustration, and painting. I teach strictly on a private basis. You will never catch me teaching at a traditional school; it’s just never going to happen. I fiercely guard my freedom, and I refuse to follow rigid curricula that only serve to slow children down. Instead, I push my students to become the absolute best versions of themselves, building deep, personal bonds along the way. They can call me thirty years from now, and I will always answer the phone for them.

All of my hobbies have successfully become my profession, and I am incredibly thankful for that. What sets me apart from everyone else, if we were being completely honest and just black and white, is the sheer breadth of my creative net. I have yet to find anyone who spans as many fields as I do.

But raw talent is just one piece of the puzzle. To me, what truly makes a person stand out is how they present themselves to the world. For me, that distinct spark is my relationship with children. Most of my private students have stayed with me for over five years because of the genuine connection we share.

I remember having an art exhibit where I noticed that the people most in awe of my paintings were the kids. They would drag their parents over by the hand, pointing and talking about how pretty the art was. Seeing that filled my heart tenfold. Children see the world with a purity that adults often lose.

I experienced that same magic when I performed stand-up at the LA Lantern Festival in 2024. Because it was a massive family event, I kept my material strictly family-friendly. After the show, crowds of children ran toward me just to say hi. I doubt they fully understood every joke I made, but they gave me so much love.

I have always gravitated toward children, and they toward me. My aunt once told me, “If there is one talent of yours that is truly a gift from God, it is your relationship with children.”

While I don’t have children of my own right now, I absolutely want them in the future. And before I die—once I am completely secure—I want to open an orphanage.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I am officially in my redemption arc.

When I first arrived in Los Angeles, my accent kept me from jumping straight into acting. While I worked on it, I pivoted to stand-up comedy. To my surprise, I did well. I met amazing people who are still my closest friends today, and I began producing my own show: The Val Show.

The irony is, I didn’t even start it. An old friend launched it because he thought it would be “good for me.” He was right. It turned out I was a natural at producing. As the show exploded, I brought in a partner to help handle the growth.

In 2021, as pandemic regulations began to lift, I went all in. My shows consistently sold out. During one performance, the entire room was screaming my name. It was intoxicating—but it was also draining.

For anyone coming to LA to do comedy and wanting to produce comedy shows, let me give you a few heads up:

>The Door vs. The Bar: Clubs only give you a percentage of ticket sales. You don’t see a dime from food or drinks.

>The Marketing is on You: Most venues won’t help you promote. You do the heavy lifting.

>Protect Your Circle: LA is ruthless.

Eventually, my partner became the booker while I handled marketing, sales, and logistics. Soon, a toxic dynamic crept in. The comedians my booker brought in started treating me terribly. They would rub shoulders with him and give me the side-eye at my own gig. Honey, it’s called The Val Show. People bought tickets to see me, not them.

The disrespect escalated until my own booker tried to push me off the lineup. He demanded I stay off the stage, claiming I was “better as a producer than a comic.” He wanted total control of my creation. I was financially drained from funding marketing costs, and emotionally broken by a betrayal from someone I considered my best friend.

So, I walked away.

My booker launched his own show at a restaurant. They paid him a substantial amount, but the room was always dead. The show failed quickly. I didn’t gloat, but seeing the truth play out was a quiet victory.

That era was the bittersweet “Golden Age” of The Val Show. It took me years to recover from the burnout, but in 2025, I brought the show back. Today, it’s just a monthly open mic in Echo Park. I resurrected it simply to reconnect with friends and fall back in love with stand-up.

But that mic isn’t the real redemption arc.

Right now, a massive opportunity has landed in my lap like a meteoric surprise. Because of strict NDAs, I can’t reveal details, but I can tell you this: I am reviving The Val Show on a scale I once only dreamed of. I skipped a lot of steps to get here, and while there are daily setbacks, I am taking my shot.

I am engineering my own redemption, and I’m doing it with a smile. My ultimate goal is the top. To me, stand-up isn’t just about telling jokes; it’s about storytelling, connection, and community. Since the dawn of time, our primitive ancestors gathered around fires to share stories and inspire one another. That fire is stand-up comedy.

When this project finally drops, I promise you—I’m going to be screaming in sheer happiness for years.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The myth is that hard work and falling in line will get you to the top. I’m a hard worker. I fall in line. I am disciplined, obedient, and everything else that makes a “good” employee.

And guess what? No one cares.

You know what being well-behaved got me? Nothing. I could go on about this forever, but I’ll spare you the ramble. Let me tell you some stories instead.

I was once represented by an amazing woman. She used to tell me, “Why would I take the steps when I can get you to the top?” I know what a lot of you are thinking: success is about luck and connections. But this woman is a legend. I won’t drop her name, but her songs have defined eras. Someone of that magnitude does not invest her time in anyone she doesn’t believe in. She believed in me, and those words redefined me.

In 2018, I met a retired talent agent and producer. He told me, “You never ask. You create something, and you let them come to you. Never the other way around.” He taught me how to keep control and how to have the upper hand in an industry that destroys your self-respect.

Those two people defined who I am today.

I’m not begging, and I’m not chasing. I’m happy where I am, and everyone who knows me personally knows my strict moral code. If I’m not respected, or if I’m looked down on, I move on. I have amazing opportunities ahead, and I am itching to see them through to the very end.

I am taking control of my life. I refuse to work for 20 years just to hope for a shot. I’m taking my shot now. I am the force behind my own dreams and projects. It is going to happen. I am officially done waiting for someone else to make it happen for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.valerievibar.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/valerie.vibar