After graduating from the Foothills Composite Highschool in 2010, an Okotoks resident has moved south to pursue a career dealing smiles. 

Lampooning his upbringing, relationships, and cultural heritage, Juan Forno is hot off his comedy special "The Snow Mexican," a self-produced project that has been picked up by Amazon Prime in the US and UK. He brings to the stage the comedic nature of his life from being a godfather to the daily struggles of life as a millennial.

It's a talent he grew into as he wasn't necessarily a funny kid growing up.

"I wasn't a class clown. " Forno joked, "My parents said, 'don't you have to be funny to be a comedian?' "

Poking fun at just about every aspect of his life Forno even turns a scary family moment into a joke in his new special. 

"I love my grandma, she's a gangster. About three and a half years ago to this day, my grandma was on a CTrain platform hanging out with a friend. Somebody came along who was going through a tough time, high on pills and drugs and alcohol and whatever, and she pushed my grandma in front of a CTrain and she broke her back. Ambulance rushed her to the hospital, doctor said she had a 2% chance of living.

"And like the gangster she is. She is still alive today. On that ambulance ride with her friend, that friend proposed to her, and I got to emcee their wedding."

Juan Forno is a part of a family with a large presence in the community. His brothers along with parents Pablo and Bobbie are integral to the Okotoks Dawgs organization. He personally played on the inaugural J-Dawgs team. 

He cites his family as a huge inspiration to him along with fellow Latin-Canadian comedians and though he's now residing in the United States, his hometown will forever be on his mind.

"Okotoks is a great little town. I love my time there and I always love coming back. We go tobogganing every Christmas down the Dr. Morris Gibson Hill. Those are some fond, fond memories."

"Okotoks will always have a special place in my heart."

Locals can catch him live through the internet in an upcoming crowd-work special in his current hometown of Portland, Oregon. 

For those wanting to see him in person?

"I will be in the area in Calgary on April 19."

His special is available on Amazon Prime in the United States as well as the United Kingdom. Canadian viewers can watch it on YouTube.
"The Snow Mexican" is recommended for mature audiences. 

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