Zane Lamprey, comedian and animal enthusiast, is set to perform at Claimstake Brewing at 8 p.m. Oct. 18. Photo courtesy of Zane Lamprey

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) – Zane Lamprey, comedian and world traveler best known for television shows such as “Three Sheets” and “Drinking Made Easy,” will perform Oct. 18 at Claimstake Brewing, Rancho Cordova during his 2025 tour.

Since the end of the pandemic, Lamprey has shifted his career from television to the stage, with the intention of creating a night of escape for audiences.

In 2021, as the world slowly crept out of the pandemic, theatres and comedy clubs throughout the nation struggled to keep their doors open. According to Lamprey, many were unwilling to book events due to the possibility of closure. Breweries were hit hard as well and many were forced to close. With this in mind, and thanks to his connections within the world of beer, Lamprey embarked on a mission: filling up breweries doing stand-up comedy.

Zane Lamprey and his wife, Mel Lamprey, pose for a photo together in Yosemite National Park. Photo courtesy of Zane Lamprey

“[Breweries] were unanimously for it, if they had the space to pull it off,” Lamprey said.

Lamprey’s comedy tour has taken him in a new direction, deviating from the travel and drinking content seen on his former television shows and creating a new name for himself as a professional comedian. Lamprey has tried to create a clear separation in his new content, emphasizing that new fans don’t need to have his entire catalogue of television shows memorized; the shows don’t revolve around a big inside joke.

“This is real life stuff. This is me telling stories about my life,” Lamprey said. “It’s gone from storytelling four years ago into pure stand-up comedy.”

At a touring pace of 130 shows per year, maintaining health on the road is important to Lamprey. According to Lamprey, his big three for staying healthy on the road are letting himself sleep in, getting 10,000 steps per day and, at this point in his career, reserving drinking for the stage.

“There’s no limits to what I’ll do when I’m on stage as far as drinking,” Lamprey said. “But I’m not drinking until I hit that stage.”

A shift in Zane Lamprey’s career has resulted in more tour dates and more opportunities for live audience connection. Photo courtesy of Zane Lamprey 

Another facet of Lamprey’s career since the ending of his television shows is a YouTube channel, Zane’s World, dedicated entirely to animals.

Lamprey said that he felt pressure after the success of the TV shows to continue making social media content which revolved solely around drinking.

“It wasn’t something that I was passionate about, so it wasn’t translating,” Lamprey said.

It wasn’t until his good friend pushed Lamprey to start a YouTube channel no matter what the topic was that Lamprey realized his passion for animals is something that could be translated to the screen.

“I don’t know why I was waiting for permission to do it,” Lamprey said.

Now when spending each night on tour at a different brewery, Lamprey spends the day having animal encounters, whether it’s swimming with otters or meeting giant lizards. His channel, Zane’s World, has surpassed 40,000 subscribers.

“Arguably more people are seeing these animal videos than ever saw my ‘Three Sheets’ show,” Lamprey said. “Some of them are getting 20 million views.”

Animal advocacy is a shared passion between Lamprey and his wife, Mel, who started a special needs animal rescue several years ago. At one point, the couple had 23 cats, 13 dogs, a hawk and several guinea pigs living in their home.

“We learned that it’s a world and a world that she’s passionate about and now it’s her full-time job,” Lamprey said. 

Their rescue organization, Pumpkin Patch Pet Rescue, is now a nonprofit organization run by Mel.

Lamprey said that his career can be broken into three categories, each of which could be a full-time career on its own: performing comedy, making animal videos and running an apparel brand, which launched the biggest ever hoodie campaign on Kickstarter, the Adventure Hoodie. A new version of the hoodie is launching this November. 

As for touring, Lamprey said he has found his rhythm with tour dates set through 2026.

“[The show is] non-political, it’s not heavy, it’s come out, have some amazing beer, laugh and forget about everything else you might have going on in your life,” Lamprey said.

Tickets for Lamprey’s 8 p.m. Oct. 18 show at Claimstake Brewing, 11366 Monier Park Place, Rancho Cordova can be purchased at zanelamprey.com. Tickets much be purchased before the event and will not be sold at the door.

Zane Lamprey sharing a special moment with his cat Pumpkin, the namesake behind the Lampreys’ animal rescue non-profit. Photo courtesy of Zane Lamprey