JK Hobson

Artist, Buddhist, Concerned citizen, Educator/Teacher, Entrepreneur, Foodie, Global soul, Musician, Parent, Performer, Producer, Promoter, World traveler

JK Hobson is a Fulbright Scholar, summa cum laude graduate of the University of California, Riverside, and an educator and storyteller who has called Vietnam home since 2016. * Raised in New York City, JK’s early life was shaped by the city’s vibrant music scene, playing guitar for the underground metalcore band Crisis, fronting Ace of Sabres, and touring extensively before transitioning into academia and international education. * In 2016, JK was awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship, which brought him to the Mekong Delta city of My Tho. After a transformative year teaching and engaging with the local community, he made Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) his long-term base. * In Vietnam, JK has become a leading voice in the region’s comedy and cultural scene. He co-founded Saigon Funny People, founded Standup Comedy Asia Out Loud, and has performed stand-up across Asia, Europe, and the United States, including in Los Angeles, New York City, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, France, and Vietnam. In 2024, he was voted Saigon’s Favorite Comedian in Where in Vietnam’s People’s Choice Awards. * With his incisive and confrontational comedic style, JK has opened for and produced shows for international stand-up talents including Ahmed Ahmed, Dave Thompson, Lars Callieou, Garrett Millerick, Corey Marx, Stephen Carlin, Dwayne Perkins, Jamie Wang, and Sam See. He has also appeared on national television, guest-hosting VTV4’s Vietnam Discovery and breaking new ground as the first guest on the podcast Seven Million Bikes: A Saigon Podcast. * JK launched Asia Out Loud in 2019 — a stand-up comedy promotion and social media platform dedicated to exploring culture, food, and everyday life in Vietnam — and produced the stand-up series The Outsiders, as well as podcasts including The We Outchea Expat Podcast and Asia Out Loud Presents: The Outsiders Podcast! * His work has been featured by major outlets such as VN Express and the Saigon Times, highlighting his role as a cultural connector at the intersection of education, comedy, and global dialogue.

Nichiren Buddhism; high-intensity, especially guitar-driven music; science fiction as a lens for understanding the moral and social direction of humanity; and stand-up comedy as a tool for social critique and change.

"You must respect your life. You will be unhappy if you allow yourselves to be swayed by society's prejudices, passing trends and contradictions. Never forget to live true to your convictions." Daisaku Ikeda

Cross-Cultural Communication, Cultural Adaptation, Global Perspectives Education, International Education, Stand-Up Comedy as Social Commentary

Taking long naps at short intervals. (It's one of my only natural talents.)