On a late summer day, comedian Ryan Zeitz wove his way through the crowds at Canada’s Wonderland. Some ran shrieking toward their favourite rides, others beelined for a fairground food queue.
But for Zeitz, it was just another day at the office.
Instead of working on his couch or a co-working space, Zeitz has spent the last 14 months working from the amusement park’s VIP lounge. During the regular season, he usually clocks in Monday to Friday, and spends an entire eight-hour workday at the park, researching jokes, writing stand-up routines, organizing comedy shows, prepping his comedy-class materials and editing video. His current career goal? To perform a show at one of Canada’s Wonderland. (No word from management on that yet.)
He has also been creating content about his unique “work from home” set-up, documenting his workday adventures on TikTok, turning him into a bit of a local celeb in the park. At least one person stopped him to get a photo and press him for the secrets of the park during his Star interview (in this case, they wanted to know his must-try treat of the season; Zeitz suggested the Dole Whip).
How he works
His standard workday begins a little before noon, when he makes the 25-minute drive to the park.
After grabbing a banana Icee, he’ll usually head to Manchu Wok for lunch, where many of the staff recognize him, then takes his garlic shrimp and vegetables on lo mein back to his usual spot in the VIP lounge — right by the bathroom, given how many free drinks he consumes from the lounge’s pop machine.
He’ll then work for the rest of the afternoon before having dinner at the park at 8 p.m. Afterwards, he’ll stay until the park closes at 10 p.m., enjoying the rides and other fairground fun; he gets one fast-lane pass per day, which he usually uses on AlpenFury, which he’s ridden at least 40 times during work. (He also often visits the park for leisure at least once per weekend as well.)
Park perks
One major factor in Zeitz’s unorthodox workspace choice? Cost savings. Zeitz purchased a $99 MVP deal last year that included free parking and a gold pass, along with the food plan ($110) and drink add-on ($53.99 plus $9.99 processing fee). “I was just scanning my QR code everywhere and I was getting free food and free drinks, and it was only then that I had this light bulb a-ha moment,” he says. “I was like, “oh my God, I could just bring my laptop here. Why don’t I just bring my laptop here?”
As someone who experiences multiple ADHD symptoms, Zeitz has tried to figure out ways to work with his brain versus against it and has found the practice of body-doubling — where working around others helps spur productivity — useful in the past. Previously, he worked at a Tim Hortons near his house, but that added up. “You’re still paying $15 to $20 a day minimum, so you couldn’t do that all the time on a comedian’s salary,” he says. But with the Canada’s Wonderland food and drink plans, he could eat two meals at the park and drink as much as he wants for free.
Clocking in to Canada’s Wonderland
July 28, 2025 was his first official day working from Canada’s Wonderland. He spent day one on the job working out of the lower floor of the Lazy Bear Lodge, but the lack of A/C sent him to Reddit to see if there were any more work-friendly spots in the park, which resulted in Zeitz paying the $100 to upgrade his gold pass to a prestige pass and get access to the VIP lounge. He perused the legal terms and conditions of both the park and his passes to make sure he wasn’t breaking any rules. No-one has ever hassled him in person, he says, although he has experienced some online harassment from people complaining that he doesn’t really do any work or that consuming all that fairground food is unhealthy. (His only quibble with his “office”? He brings his own toilet paper. “That one-ply life ain’t for me!” he laughs. He likes to joke that he’s cost the park more in water utilities than in food and drink.)
But does the park care?
Zeitz was aiming to hit $10,000 in free stuff by the end of the year and, while he’s still working on the running tally, he believes he has already most likely surpassed that goal by now. Sometimes, he’ll even dip into the park for dinner on the way back from playing softball downtown to reap even more savings. Canada’s Wonderland park president Christopher Mortensen says he’s “thrilled” Zeitz is making good use of his pass. “We do advertise that the unlimited visits allow guests to come and go like they own the place, so it’s great he’s taking advantage of that,” he says. “It’s a fun place to work! Ryan may have the right idea: a little work, some popcorn, maybe a quick Leviathan ride for research purposes. Honestly, it beats another Teams meeting.”
Has he gotten any joke inspiration from the park? Not yet, but he has reaped other benefits. “I’m properly hydrated for the first time in my life, probably because you know how easy it is with ADHD to forget to drink water and to eat,” he says. “Here I’m making sure I’m getting my two squares a day, and I know that I’m drinking a lot because drinking is gamified now.” He’s also getting his steps in walking around the park — and the resulting improved sleep and 10-pound weight loss. Soaking in the sunshine every day. And just being out of the house. Zeitz has bipolar disorder and has been hospitalized for depression before, and the social aspect of this adventure has improved his mental health greatly. “There’s always a handful of people come up and say hi every day. Sometimes we take pictures and stuff,” he says. “It’s hard not to be in a good mood when really nice kind people are coming up to you and sharing their love for the park.”
He plans on working from the park when it’s open during the Hallowe’en and holiday season when he can. And next year, when the park re-opens full-time for the season, he’ll be right there, banana Icee in hand, ready to clock in.
