Chris Parker rose to fame for winning Celebrity Treasure Island and now his hilarious and popular Instagram and TikTok videos keep us entertained. He is a comedian, writer and all-round talent.

Chris has just completed filming series two of Double Parked, the comedy he created with Alice Snedden about a gay couple who both become pregnant (series one is on demand on ThreeNow). Catch him hot on the heels of his Australian tour; this talented resident of Uptown has a one night only stand-up show on July 6 in Auckland.

Chris says ...

Before we get into the mundane details of my, honestly, very uninteresting daily life, let me just quickly say what an honour it is to be featured in Uptown’s premiere magazine! To think the who’s who of Uptown’s residents and cafe goers will be hearing about where I, Chris Parker, get my coffee gives me goosebumps.

My alarm goes off ...

It sure does. But I’ve been finding myself waking up just before my alarm. Usually 10 minutes. Some say it’s a form of self-sabotage to rob myself of a sleep-in, others are calling it anxiety. We will let the experts reading this column decide. 

My work day begins ...

It really depends. Sometimes it doesn’t really begin at all. That's due to my chaotic freelance lifestyle. I have been lucky enough to be working on a TV show at the moment so my work day begins around 7.15am on set. But if I’m just in my stand-up comedian lifestyle, my work day usually begins on a Friday night around 8pm. 

My current job ...

I wear many hats, which is unfortunate as I don’t really suit hats. But I’m showrunning season two of Double Parked for Three. I’m also preparing for my tour of NZ with my latest stand-up hour. I’m performing this year at the Kiri Te Kanawa theatre. It’s a very large venue usually held for more prestigious art forms like ballet and opera. So it’s a real privilege to be able to tell my gay jokes there. 

My typical day ...

It all revolves around eating. I live my life like a teenage boy fumbling his way through puberty. Constantly growing and thinking about food. I’ll do some work and then think “I deserved a little treat” and repeat that cycle about three times that working day. 

My big break ...

This could be interpreted in many ways. In terms of career-wise, I’m still holding out for my big break. If you mean breakdown, I think I too am still holding out for that. But if we are talking about a lunch break, I would say I love to take myself on a walk to Bian Sushi. I think any food joint that’s got a Metro Best Eats 2015 sticker on the wall and is still standing strong deserves our full respect. 

My most memorable moment...

When it comes to being on a plane, scrolling through photos on my phone and feeling nostalgic, I always inevitably always find myself going back to my wedding day. Truly the best day of my life. Was so emotional and beautiful and fun to get to celebrate this relationship with Micheal that we put so much work and care into.

Outside of work ...

You can usually catch me and Micheal and one of the following cafés: Small Mercies, Coffee Pen and Benedict’s. Over café-nating myself to the point where I can’t focus for the rest of the day is my form of self care.

I’m proud of ...

What a horribly earnest and confronting question! I thought this was just going to be an opportunity for me to plug my favourite Uptown food spots and now I have to look inward. I’m proud of my family and friends, I surround myself with some pretty amazing people who do some pretty amazing stuff, and I’m proud of them. Okay, enough of that please!

My worst work habit is ...

Writing one sentence on my laptop and then checking my phone for two hours.

I chose Uptown because ...

It has the audacity to call itself Uptown. What other city fringe suburb is going through a rebrand like Uptown? It’s young, vibrant, has the best cafés and the worst footpaths. Truly, name a better city fringe suburb, I’ll wait. :)

I fall asleep ...

After doom scrolling the internet and complaining to Micheal that I’ve eaten too many sweet things before bed.