Elliott Kalan
Encyclopedia
Elliott Kalan is an American
comedian
, and a writer for The Daily Show
with Jon Stewart
.
Kalan grew up in New Jersey
where he started his long time friendship with Anne Hathaway
and attended New York University
, majoring in screenwriting. Today, Kalan lives in New York City
where he began at The Daily Show as a production assistant, before moving up to producer and, ultimately, writer.
Before writing for The Daily Show, Kalan was co-founder of the comedy group the Hypocrites with fellow TV writer Brock Mahan (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2076495/). He also hosted a live talk/variety stage show, The Primetime Kalan, (originally The Midnight Kalan and later The New Kalan Show) It was created by Kalan, producer Erik Marcisak
, and director Joe Guercio, and written and performed by Kalan, Marcisak, and Dan McCoy. Many of Kalan's Daily Show co-workers appeared on his show, including Stephen Colbert
, Samantha Bee
, and Rob Corddry
.
Kalan occasionally appears in bit parts on The Daily Show and provided voice-over narration for "The Decider" comic-book segments. He was instrumental in putting together the "gay cowboy" montage (a comedic series of clips from classic westerns, illustrating that the gay content in Brokeback Mountain
is nothing new), when Jon Stewart
hosted the 78th Academy Awards
.
From 2006 to 2009, Kalan wrote a weekly column for the free morning daily Metro
. Following a column he wrote in the August 3, 2007 issue of the Metro, Kalan was fired for writing a self-deprecating joke about the increasing obsolescence of the newspaper industry. This was followed by a brief article in New York Magazine on August 20, 2007 about the incident, which was heavily publicized on internet blogs including Media Bistro, Huffington Post, and Gawker. Many blog postings about the incident imply that the Metro violated basic principles of journalism and freedom of expression in firing Kalan. Perhaps as a result of this publicity, he was later re-hired. In 2009, he left the Metro of his own accord, saying "Why leave now? It just feels like the right time for me to move on creatively. Or I’m going undercover to deliver Osama bin Laden to justice. Pick whichever reason sounds cooler."
Kalan also performs as a stand-up comic, and co-hosts a podcast with Dan McCoy, Stuart Wellington and The Flop House House Cat named "The Flop House" where they watch and mock major movies that received poor reviews from critics, such as Gamer
and All About Steve
. One supplemental episode of the Flop House, in which Kalan improvised a rapid-fire pitch for a film based on the comic Ziggy became a minor viral Internet success, after being posted on Gawker. Dan McCoy and Kalan also work together on a comedy zine called Whim Quarterly, which is published by Kalan's former comedy partner Brock Mahan.
Since early 2009, Kalan has been the host of a series called Closely Watched Films at the 92YTribeca. These events commonly feature the screening of a rare older film followed by a discussion between Kalan and a celebrity guest who has not seen the film before. In his spare time, he enjoys words that sound like other words.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, and a writer for The Daily Show
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
with Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian...
.
Kalan grew up in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
where he started his long time friendship with Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway (actress)
Anne Jacqueline Hathaway is an American actress. After several stage roles, she appeared in the 1999 television series Get Real. She played Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries...
and attended New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, majoring in screenwriting. Today, Kalan lives in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where he began at The Daily Show as a production assistant, before moving up to producer and, ultimately, writer.
Before writing for The Daily Show, Kalan was co-founder of the comedy group the Hypocrites with fellow TV writer Brock Mahan (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2076495/). He also hosted a live talk/variety stage show, The Primetime Kalan, (originally The Midnight Kalan and later The New Kalan Show) It was created by Kalan, producer Erik Marcisak
Erik Marcisak
Erik Marcisak was born on March 17, 1978 in Queens, NY. He is an American writer, sketch comedy producer, actor and VIP customer of David Gagnon taxi, based in Charlottetown, PEI...
, and director Joe Guercio, and written and performed by Kalan, Marcisak, and Dan McCoy. Many of Kalan's Daily Show co-workers appeared on his show, including Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
, Samantha Bee
Samantha Bee
Samantha Bee is a Canadian comedic actress and author best known as a cast member on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.-Early life:Bee was born in Toronto, Ontario into an unconventional family...
, and Rob Corddry
Rob Corddry
Robert William "Rob" Corddry is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his work as a former correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and for his starring role in the comedy film Hot Tub Time Machine...
.
Kalan occasionally appears in bit parts on The Daily Show and provided voice-over narration for "The Decider" comic-book segments. He was instrumental in putting together the "gay cowboy" montage (a comedic series of clips from classic westerns, illustrating that the gay content in Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain is a 2005 romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee. It is a film adaptation of the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx with the screenplay written by Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry...
is nothing new), when Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian...
hosted the 78th Academy Awards
78th Academy Awards
The 78th Academy Awards honored the best films of 2005 and were held on March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. They were hosted by The Daily Show host Jon Stewart, with Tom Kane making his first appearance as the show's announcer...
.
From 2006 to 2009, Kalan wrote a weekly column for the free morning daily Metro
Metro International
Metro International is a Swedish media company based in Luxembourg that publishes the Metro newspapers. Metro International's advertising sales have grown at a compound annual growth rate of 41% since launch of the first newspaper edition in 1995. It is a freesheet, meaning that distribution is...
. Following a column he wrote in the August 3, 2007 issue of the Metro, Kalan was fired for writing a self-deprecating joke about the increasing obsolescence of the newspaper industry. This was followed by a brief article in New York Magazine on August 20, 2007 about the incident, which was heavily publicized on internet blogs including Media Bistro, Huffington Post, and Gawker. Many blog postings about the incident imply that the Metro violated basic principles of journalism and freedom of expression in firing Kalan. Perhaps as a result of this publicity, he was later re-hired. In 2009, he left the Metro of his own accord, saying "Why leave now? It just feels like the right time for me to move on creatively. Or I’m going undercover to deliver Osama bin Laden to justice. Pick whichever reason sounds cooler."
Kalan also performs as a stand-up comic, and co-hosts a podcast with Dan McCoy, Stuart Wellington and The Flop House House Cat named "The Flop House" where they watch and mock major movies that received poor reviews from critics, such as Gamer
Gamer
Historically, the term "gamer" usually referred to someone who played role-playing games and wargames. Since they became very popular, the term has included players of video games...
and All About Steve
All About Steve
All About Steve is a 2009 American comedy film, directed by Phil Traill, which stars Sandra Bullock, Thomas Haden Church and Bradley Cooper. It is distributed by 20th Century Fox...
. One supplemental episode of the Flop House, in which Kalan improvised a rapid-fire pitch for a film based on the comic Ziggy became a minor viral Internet success, after being posted on Gawker. Dan McCoy and Kalan also work together on a comedy zine called Whim Quarterly, which is published by Kalan's former comedy partner Brock Mahan.
Since early 2009, Kalan has been the host of a series called Closely Watched Films at the 92YTribeca. These events commonly feature the screening of a rare older film followed by a discussion between Kalan and a celebrity guest who has not seen the film before. In his spare time, he enjoys words that sound like other words.