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There are many crimes against comedy. If you wanted to research the nature, extent, causes, controls, and prevention of crime at both the individual and society level, criminologist Matt Stellingwerf is your man.

But of course real crime is no laughing matter. So how does Matt set aside the serious stuff on the page when he takes to the stage as a comedian?

"I am very fortunate that I have a freelance day job that I can complete on a job-by-job basis and thus can fit around my comedic work. Comedy largely takes place in the evenings, freeing up my days to write, both comically and criminologically."

Age/location:

I am 26 years-old. I was born in Hamilton, grew up on a station in the hills outside of Wanganui, and now live in beautiful Kingsland, Auckland.

Qualifications: MA(Hons) in Criminology, with a thesis on the persistence of capital punishment in post-Furman America. As far as creative qualifications, I do not really have anything, beyond a wonderful comedic education from my Brit-comedy loving parents.

Tell us about your day job 

I am a criminologist, a branch of sociology that studies the nature, extent, causes, controls, and prevention of crime at both the individual and society level. Currently, given my creative commitments, I work as a freelance writer who specialises in criminological chapters, papers and proofing. I originally chose it at university as a cool sounding major, and then fell in love with it as a subject.

Tell us about your creative work when you're NOT doing your day job? 

I am a stand-up comedian and writer. I write for television and travel around the country performing at a variety of venues and events. From Beer Festivals, rural RSAs and strip-clubs, to Fringe Festivals and theatres!

How do you manage juggling both?

I am very fortunate that I have a freelance day job that I can complete on a job-by-job basis and thus can fit around my comedic work. Comedy largely takes place in the evenings, freeing up my days to write, both comically and criminologically.

Tell us about your creative background.

I was a painfully shy child, and only began to come out of my shell in the last year or two of high school when I became involved in drama and debating. Between then and my first comedy gig (just over two years ago) I traveled and studied, but was never really involved in the arts...some would argue I am still not.

What has inspired you? Who or what keeps you going?

I was originally inspired by Monty Python, Billy Connolly, Dave Allen, Red Dwarf etc. But what keeps me going...I know it is cliched to say, but comedy really is a drug! The rush on stage is something I don't think I can do without now. As for criminology, it is a beautiful feeling to do something that can shape public policy and genuinely change the world.

Would you like your creative work to be full-time?

Yes. I do have a passion for criminology, and it is something I would love to pursue later in life, but at this stage of my life comedy is my addiction, and as an art-form I am excited by the new directions I am beginning to head in.

What would help you achieve this?

Hopefully a successful run of my first solo show in the NZ International Comedy Festival this year would help! Beyond that, my specific goals don't necessarily involve TV and corporate work, more that I continue to grow and evolve as a performer. I want those to be rewards, not the reason I get up in the morning (occasionally afternoon).

If you had the chance to start your creative career or path again, what would you do differently?

I am not sure I would really change anything. I have been incredibly fortunate with how far I have gotten in comedy in such a short period of time. That said, you can't help but wonder where I could be now if I'd started straight out of school, rather than in my mid-twenties.

What advice would you give to someone pursuing a similar creative career or pathway?

The key to comedy, and almost anything, is time. In this case, get as much stage time as possible. Be a 'yes man' and use that time to craft, to experiment, and to grow. You will have terrible gigs, everybody does, but what makes a stand-up is not running away but wanting to get right back up on stage and own it.

Tell us about your recent or upcoming creative projects.

My main focus right now is preparation for the 2014 NZ International Comedy Festival and my show All of the Above, Loft @ Q, 8:30pm May 13-17 (subtle plug there).

What’s your big idea for 2014?

I am very excited about a big new piece I have recently written about a rather bizarre and difficult period of my life. I hope to craft it into my next solo show, and as such will be planning a 'work-in-progress' show for later this year and applications for the Adelaide & Dunedin Fringe Festivals, and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

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Hamilton-born and Wanganui-bred Matt Stellingwerf is a rising star of the New Zealand comedy scene. He has performed extensively around NZ, including performances at the Dunedin Fringe, Hamilton Fringe & NZ International Comedy Festivals, as part of AotearoHA Next Big Things & on Maori TV's Crack Up Showcase. Matt was the 2012 winner of the New Zealand Comedy Guild Award for Best Newcomer and a nominee for Gag of the Year & Best MC.

Matt brings to the stage a worldview inspired by alcoholic shearing gangs, bizarre Dutch relatives, and criminological theory and attempts to answer some of life's enduring mysteries.