Corporate Comedian Perry Kurtz for Corporate Comedy in Hollywood and
Beyond. |
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
Corporate Comedian After graduating in 1972(and paying off his instructors to pass him), he began freelancing for national label companies creating finished art for Pepsi, Tab, Sprite, Levi Strauss, Gerber, and Polaroid, including the design of the Seven Up "bubble pattern" logo in '74(for a measly 300 bucks) . In 1976, he became the art director of a religious publishing house just outside of Northeast Philadelphia making an outrageous amount of money. After 2 years of high pressure, a nervous breakdown from overwork, and people constantly asking, "What are you? A comedian?", his close friends advised that he should (just leave town or) get into comedy. He quit his directorship in 1977 and entered a talent show at The Crazy Horse Saloon in New Jersey, taking a $250 first prize for singing a parody of "Eleanor Rigby" as Jerry Lewis. He took a comedy workshop (cash was paid upfront) and lived on his savings until 1979. Then, with his last $500, a suitcase, electric guitar, and roller skates he equipped with headlights, he moved to San Francisco to become a comedian. His first paying "gig" was as the emcee and manager at the now-closed, Off Broadway Male Burlesque Club on Broadway in North Beach working 6 nights a week and making WAY too much money. A few weeks later, at the request of screaming female patrons (they were blind), he gave birth to his "Comic Strip Routine" parody (he only takes off his jacket and women STILL give him money).
In 1983, he left the "Broadway Scene" (too much sex and drugs) and pursued
comedy in real comedy clubs. He spent a lot of time "working out" at the Holy
City Zoo Comedy Club in San Francisco, where he had many opportunities to hang
out and share the stage improvising with Robin Williams. (He has followed Robin
13 times at management request) A few years later, he was averaging 30 to 40
weeks a year headlining comedy clubs (and getting paid for it) (Go figure)
across North America and Canada.
Just before his birthday in 1989, he relocated to Los Angeles, where he became a paid regular at The Comedy Store (the money sucks) in Hollywood and Dangerfields in New York City. He actually met his wife "online" on an LA bulletin board (they did not hot chat). They talked "voice" for 40 hours over 3 days. Then she drove to his house and they instantly(?) fell in love. He lives in Los Angeles, has been married 20 years to the same woman, has 4 kids, 27, 26, 22, and
Perry is Also the Star of "Drinking Beer and Smoking Cigarettes" On Youtube which garnered over a million views in 41 days. |
||||||||||||
| About Perry Kurtz | |
|