Allison Silverman
Encyclopedia
Allison Silverman is an American
comedy
writer
from Gainesville, Florida
. She was the head writer and executive producer
for The Colbert Report until 2009.
in 1990 and Yale University
in 1994. She has written for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Late Night with Conan O'Brien
. She has received several Emmy nominations for her work on these three shows, including two wins for her work on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Silverman attended Yale University
in the early 1990s, where she was involved in one of the college's improvisational comedy groups, The Ex!t Players. After graduating in 1994 with a degree in Humanities, she made her way to Chicago
, which is known for its vibrant comedy scene. She performed at Chicago's I.O.
(then known as ImprovOlympic), and later at the Boom Chicago
theater in Amsterdam
.
Silverman won an Emmy and a Peabody Award
as a member of The Daily Shows writing staff before joining Late Night in 2002. She moved to The Colbert Report in 2005 shortly after it was picked up to series. Although most of Silverman's work on the Report was off-camera, she occasionally made appearances on the show, as an audience member, as the voice of the alien woman "Juliax" in a Tek Jansen
cartoon, and as "Your Soulmate" in the abridged audiobook of I Am America (And So Can You!)
, which she co-wrote. She was a 2009 recipient of NYWIFT's Muse Award, celebrating the achievements of women who work in film and television. She announced her departure from The Colbert Report in August 2009.
She married Adrian Jones on Saturday, February 21, 2009.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
from Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
. She was the head writer and executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
for The Colbert Report until 2009.
Life and awards
Silverman graduated from Buchholz High School, in Gainesville, FloridaGainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
in 1990 and Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1994. She has written for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
. She has received several Emmy nominations for her work on these three shows, including two wins for her work on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Silverman attended Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in the early 1990s, where she was involved in one of the college's improvisational comedy groups, The Ex!t Players. After graduating in 1994 with a degree in Humanities, she made her way to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, which is known for its vibrant comedy scene. She performed at Chicago's I.O.
I.O.
iO, or iO Chicago, is a theater located at 3541 N. Clark St., in Chicago, Illinois, one-half block south of Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. The theater both has performances of, and teaches improvisational comedy. It was founded in the 1980s by Del Close and Charna Halpern...
(then known as ImprovOlympic), and later at the Boom Chicago
Boom Chicago
Boom Chicago is a creative group, based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, that writes and performs sketch and improvisational comedy at the Leidseplein Theater...
theater in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
.
Silverman won an Emmy and a Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
as a member of The Daily Shows writing staff before joining Late Night in 2002. She moved to The Colbert Report in 2005 shortly after it was picked up to series. Although most of Silverman's work on the Report was off-camera, she occasionally made appearances on the show, as an audience member, as the voice of the alien woman "Juliax" in a Tek Jansen
Tek Jansen
Tek Jansen is a fictional character featured on The Colbert Report and in a comic book series published by Oni Press. Jansen originated as a recurring joke in the form of a supposed self-published science fiction novel on the Report, reportedly as a parody of Bill O'Reilly's 1998 novel, Those Who...
cartoon, and as "Your Soulmate" in the abridged audiobook of I Am America (And So Can You!)
I Am America (And So Can You!)
I Am America is a 2007 satirical bestseller book by American comedian Stephen Colbert and the writers of The Colbert Report. It was released on October 9, 2007, with the audiobook edition released several days earlier. The book is loosely structured around the fictional life story of Stephen...
, which she co-wrote. She was a 2009 recipient of NYWIFT's Muse Award, celebrating the achievements of women who work in film and television. She announced her departure from The Colbert Report in August 2009.
She married Adrian Jones on Saturday, February 21, 2009.
External links
- A Week-Long Electronic Journal - A week-long diary kept by Silverman, then a Daily Show writer, for SlateSlate (magazine)Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
in 2001. - Silverman is interviewed on The Sound of Young America - September 29, 2006.