The Briefing Comedian Sam Taunton on life after The Project & his 'embarassing' habit
Mar 6, 2026
Sam Taunton, Australian comedian and former regular on Channel 10's The Project, reflects on growing up in Nowra and his shift from junior golf to stand-up. He talks about learning live TV, the shock of the show ending, his gratitude journal habit, and his new tour, This Must Be The Place. Quick, candid and warm.
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Growing Up In A House Held Together With Pop Rivets
- Sam Taunton grew up in a rundown fibro house in Nowra that his dad constantly patched with pop rivets and WD-40.
- He disliked hosting friends there, but revisiting the house when his dad sold it helped him reframe those memories into material for his show.
From Junior Golf Champion To Comedy
- Sam was a junior golf champion and planned to be a professional golfer through his teens, playing state and national tournaments every weekend.
- He eventually woke up one day and decided to stop pursuing golf and later enrolled at University of Wollongong instead.
Chickening Out Then Committing To Standup
- Sam repeatedly signed up for Raw Comedy during university but kept chickening out until after he finished uni and moved to Melbourne to try stand-up properly.
- He slowly built a career by doing gigs, getting more work, and eventually snowballing into a full-time comedian.