MEET BOBBY DEL RIO – WRITER, ACTOR, TV HOST, DIRECTOR, INTERNET STAR…what can’t this guy do??

I met Bobby Del Rio what seems like a lifetime ago, when we both worked at Toronto’s ReelWorld Film Festival – I was the publicist, Bobby was the feature film programmer (and a filmmaker himself). Over the year’s, I’ve watched as he steadily built his career, starring in numerous film & tv projects, he also wrote stage plays, films and tv scripts, then pivoted and adopted online presenting becoming one of the most internationally popular and internet savvy hosts on the Clubhouse platform. He’s embraced the world of high finance & investing, and showed his ability to understand crypto-currency, AI and other techno-platforms that are all so foreign to me! He’s now one of the stars of a successful new tv series “Poly is the New Monogamy” in a role written for him by show creator and long-time friend Cat Hostick.  So of course I had to sit down to do an interview Q&A with him this past week. Here’s what Bobby had to share…..Bobby, you started off as a playwright, garnering so many awards as well as media & fan kudos and industry recognition. Can you remember the first play you wrote that was produced on stage?  My first produced play was called Name It Yourself! at the 1999 SummerWorks Festival. It was an experimental play that was this really weird but unique meta experience of a playwright abusing his own creations.

And then you won the inaugural Robertson Davies Playwriting Award for writing When Children Fall for the University of Toronto Drama Festival. How did that honour impact your career? Was that the motivation for your incredible run of plays produced over the next 5 years?  I never thought of myself as a writer until I won that playwriting award at U of T. After all that initial publicity as a playwright, I started experimenting with every genre I could – as I was really just trying to learn the craft of writing. It was all so unexpected, so the world saw me learning how to write plays as I kept getting so much attention for being a young playwright. You moved seamlessly into film, grabbing all sorts of supporting and guest roles on tv and in film – did that re-focus your sights on a career in film?  For sure. I went to theatre school, where Shakespeare was God. As I started booking larger and larger roles in film/television, I became more interested in the medium of film/tv.

In 2009, you appeared in every frame of the short film Unlocked which premiered at Toronto Int’l Film Festival then was sold to CBC tv. Was this the real turning point for you when it came to leadership in filmmaking?  It was definitely a career highlight. There weren’t many opportunities for Asian actors back then. Paul Lee and Jean Yoon (both from Kim’s Convenience) were also in the film – and I believe it was the first time any of us had actually been part of TIFF. Really cool experience.

You spent some time as Canadian feature film programmer for Toronto’s ReelWorld Film Festival which is where you and I first met. How did that gig impact your career direction & goals?  Tonya Lee Williams has helped my career so much. That job gave me so much confidence. I made so many friends across Canada in the film business, and it inspired me to write/direct my own feature film The Market.Yes, then came The Market, your play & subsequent feature film about the stock market and the “suits“ who lived the Wall Street dream. It seemed like the creative floodgates swung open even wider for you after that and you explored many other opportunities with multiple entertainment and news genres. How did you feel with so many options?  I honestly just focus on what’s in front of me. I was always a top student, so I just look at everything like doing my homework. lol

In 2020/21, Clubhouse became the most popular professionally-targeted social media platform, esp. for those in showbiz, and you were able to communicate with so many legit movers and shakers who, again, opened creative doors for you. How did you discover Clubhouse and how did you become one of the top Clubhouse personalities?  It was super random. My friend just invited me, said I would be good at it. I got so popular by accident. I just made people laugh, made lots of friends, then somehow became one of the top personalities in the world. The universe gave me the platform. I feel incredibly grateful & lucky for all that Hollywood/international exposure. I did 65 interviews around the world, making me the subject of national news in Canada which  landed me a Hollywood agent from the app during the Covid pandemic.In 2022, you became one of the highest-paid television personalities in Canada, hosting/writing 40 episodes of The Daily Drop for News Forum/Blockchain TV. What was that?  I hosted & wrote my first television series. I had many offers come to my team because of Clubhouse – and hosting that tv show about crypto was the best offer I got.

And now, you’re cast as a series regular in the new tv series Poly is the New Monogamy (on Hollywood Suite tv network) which is garnering so many thumbs-up from critics and audiences. How did that show come to be?  Cat Hostick is one of my best friends. She literally wrote the role for me, playing one of her character’s best friends. LOLIs there a 2nd season for Poly? And will you be in that, too?  There’s definitely lots of interest. Many people are exploring options with us, but nothing is confirmed yet.

What’s next for Bobby Del Rio?  I’m currently also hosting/writing another tv series about technology called Open Source (with News Forum). It launched the day before Poly dropped on Hollywood Suite. It’s a busy time in my career. I premiered 2 tv series in 2 days – starring in both.  Here’s the link: https://www.thenewsforum.ca/opensource

Bobby, if fans want to follow you for news and work updates, which social media account can they follow? My social media hands are:  @bobbydelrio on Instagram and @Bobman on Twitter/X