Lee Camp (comedian)
Encyclopedia
Lee Camp is an American
comedian
, writer, actor, and activist.
and grew up in Bethesda, Maryland
until 1989. His father is a psychoanalyst who served 20 years in the military as a doctor. His mother is a social worker. In 1989 the family moved to Richmond, Virginia
where Camp stayed until he went to college at the University of Virginia
in Charlottesville, Virginia
. He started writing comedy when he was 14, then got his humor columns printed in the high school literary magazine. Upon arriving at the University of VA, he won a competition to become the humor columnist for the school newspaper "The Cavalier Daily". Camp then wrote a weekly humor column for all four years he attended the university. He began performing stand-up comedy
on his 19th birthday at an open-mic night at Matt's Pub in Richmond. The Richmond Comedy Club was downstairs, which was where Camp got his first paying gigs. He also performed regularly throughout the rest of his time at UVA university, opening for Jimmy Fallon
, Darrell Hammond
, Lewis Black
, and Tracy Morgan
when they came to do shows at the university. In his final year of college, Camp self-published a book of his humor columns entitled "Neither Sophisticated Nor Intelligent". Upon graduation he moved to New York City.
Camp performed at the first five Netroots Nations for the liberal blogosphere as well as the 2008 Democratic National Convention
, performing during presentations that also featured President Obama, Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Harry Reid, and John Edwards.
He gained a lot of attention when he appeared on Fox News morning show Fox & Friends
in 2008, when, before the presidential campaign, they asked him to do left-wing jokes along with a right-wing comedian. Instead he went live on air saying "What is Fox News? It's just a parade of propaganda, isn't it? It's just a...festival of ignorance." The video clip went viral online and was viewed by millions.
He was featured running for president on Comedy Central
's "Fresh Debate '08", and also appeared on ABC
's "Good Morning America
" that year.
His web series "Moment of Clarity" started in March 2011. It became a short podcast as well in June, 2011.
Camp is a regular performer at the Montreal Just for Laughs
comedy festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
He is featured in the new book “iSatiristas!” by Paul Provenza
and Dan Dion.
Camp bears a tattoo on his left forearm, a quote from Howard Zinn
, which says “Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can quietly become a power no government can suppress, a power than can transform the world.”
newspaper. Cartoons were supplied by his younger brother Dean, who is also a filmmaker and author. Dean has a hit web video called "Marcel The Shell With Shoes On," and it's soon to be a children's book too, due for release in November 2011.
With Nick Alexander
and Alan Lord, Camp co-authored the 2005 BIGfib Book of Bollocks, a collection of stories from the satirical website BIGfib.com. Camp is a contributor to "The Onion
" since February, 2009, and was a staff comedy writer for The Huffington Post
for ten months. He wrote and hosted OnDemand's "The Movie Loft" for three months in 2009.
“.
's short film "Dealbreaker", a Sundance Film Festival
official selection. That year he also appeared in the episode "Intoxicated" (season 6, episode 19) of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
. In the 2006 TV short "Exposing the Order of the Serpentine", Camp played the role of Ashamed Man.
.
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...
, writer, actor, and activist.
Early life and beginnings of career
Camp was born July 21, 1980 at Walter Reed Army Medical CenterWalter Reed Army Medical Center
The Walter Reed Army Medical Center was the United States Army's flagship medical center until 2011. Located on 113 acres in Washington, D.C., it served more than 150,000 active and retired personnel from all branches of the military...
and grew up in Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
until 1989. His father is a psychoanalyst who served 20 years in the military as a doctor. His mother is a social worker. In 1989 the family moved to Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
where Camp stayed until he went to college at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
in Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
. He started writing comedy when he was 14, then got his humor columns printed in the high school literary magazine. Upon arriving at the University of VA, he won a competition to become the humor columnist for the school newspaper "The Cavalier Daily". Camp then wrote a weekly humor column for all four years he attended the university. He began performing stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
on his 19th birthday at an open-mic night at Matt's Pub in Richmond. The Richmond Comedy Club was downstairs, which was where Camp got his first paying gigs. He also performed regularly throughout the rest of his time at UVA university, opening for Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Fallon
James Thomas "Jimmy" Fallon, Jr. is an American actor, comedian, singer, musician and television host. He currently hosts Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a late-night talk show that airs Monday through Friday on NBC...
, Darrell Hammond
Darrell Hammond
Darrell Hammond is an American actor, stand-up comedian and impressionist. He was a regular on Saturday Night Live from 1995 until 2009, the longest tenure of any cast member. Upon his departure, Hammond, at age 53, was the oldest cast member in the show's history...
, Lewis Black
Lewis Black
Lewis Niles Black is an American stand-up comedian, author, playwright, social critic and actor. He is known for his comedy style, which often includes simulating a mental breakdown, or an increasingly angry rant, ridiculing history, politics, religion, trends and cultural phenomena...
, and Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan is an American comedian who is best known for his eight seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and currently known for playing the role of Tracy Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock.-Early life:...
when they came to do shows at the university. In his final year of college, Camp self-published a book of his humor columns entitled "Neither Sophisticated Nor Intelligent". Upon graduation he moved to New York City.
Stand-up
Camp spent the following years performing three shows per night at Ha! Comedy Club, N.Y.C. and performing at between 70 and 100 colleges per year.Camp performed at the first five Netroots Nations for the liberal blogosphere as well as the 2008 Democratic National Convention
2008 Democratic National Convention
The United States 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform and officially nominated its candidates for President and Vice President of the United States. The convention was held in Denver,...
, performing during presentations that also featured President Obama, Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Harry Reid, and John Edwards.
He gained a lot of attention when he appeared on Fox News morning show Fox & Friends
Fox & Friends
Fox & Friends is an American morning television show on the Fox News Channel.-History:The show begins at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time with the latest Fox News Live headlines and analyzes the news of the morning...
in 2008, when, before the presidential campaign, they asked him to do left-wing jokes along with a right-wing comedian. Instead he went live on air saying "What is Fox News? It's just a parade of propaganda, isn't it? It's just a...festival of ignorance." The video clip went viral online and was viewed by millions.
He was featured running for president on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
's "Fresh Debate '08", and also appeared on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's "Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
" that year.
His web series "Moment of Clarity" started in March 2011. It became a short podcast as well in June, 2011.
Camp is a regular performer at the Montreal Just for Laughs
Just for Laughs
Just for Laughs is a comedy festival held each July in Montreal, Quebec, founded in 1983. It is the largest international comedy festival in the world.- Information :...
comedy festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
He is featured in the new book “iSatiristas!” by Paul Provenza
Paul Provenza
Paul Provenza is an actor, comedian and filmmaker, a self-professed skeptic currently based in Los Angeles.-Early years:...
and Dan Dion.
Camp bears a tattoo on his left forearm, a quote from Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn was an American historian, academic, author, playwright, and social activist. Before and during his tenure as a political science professor at Boston University from 1964-88 he wrote more than 20 books, which included his best-selling and influential A People's History of the United...
, which says “Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can quietly become a power no government can suppress, a power than can transform the world.”
Writing
Camp's first book was "Neither Sophisticated Nor Intelligent", a collection of his best humor columns from "The Cavalier Daily", the University of VirginiaUniversity of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
newspaper. Cartoons were supplied by his younger brother Dean, who is also a filmmaker and author. Dean has a hit web video called "Marcel The Shell With Shoes On," and it's soon to be a children's book too, due for release in November 2011.
With Nick Alexander
Nick Alexander
Nick Alexander is an English writer, his first novel was published in 50 Reasons to Say Goodbye.Alexander was born in 1964 and grew up in the seaside town of Margate England...
and Alan Lord, Camp co-authored the 2005 BIGfib Book of Bollocks, a collection of stories from the satirical website BIGfib.com. Camp is a contributor to "The Onion
The Onion
The Onion is an American news satire organization. It is an entertainment newspaper and a website featuring satirical articles reporting on international, national, and local news, in addition to a non-satirical entertainment section known as The A.V. Club...
" since February, 2009, and was a staff comedy writer for The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
for ten months. He wrote and hosted OnDemand's "The Movie Loft" for three months in 2009.
Television
Camp was a staff writer for the 2009 TV comedy "Inside the Cinema". He is featured on the new Showtime show “The Green Room with Paul ProvenzaThe Green Room with Paul Provenza
The Green Room with Paul Provenza is a talk show on Showtime, hosted by Paul Provenza. It features a panel of guests, discussing various topics about comedy.-Synopsis:...
“.
Acting
In 2005 Camp played the role of a waiter in Gwyneth PaltrowGwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Kate Paltrow is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut on stage in 1990 and started appearing in films in 1991. After appearing in several films throughout the decade, Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as Se7en and Emma...
's short film "Dealbreaker", a Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
official selection. That year he also appeared in the episode "Intoxicated" (season 6, episode 19) of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
. In the 2006 TV short "Exposing the Order of the Serpentine", Camp played the role of Ashamed Man.
Radio
Camp is a regular contributor to New Dissident Radio and The Jeff Santos Show on Revolution Boston Radio. He was a featured comedian on John Oliver's BBC Radio 4 show Political AnimalPolitical Animal
Political Animal is a radio show hosted by British comedians John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman in which various stand-up comedians perform political material....
.
Books
- "Neither Sophisticated Nor Intelligent", Xlibris Corporation 2002, ISBN 140104266X (hard-cover), ISBN 1401042651 (paperback)
- "Bigfib Book of Bollocks" (with Nick AlexanderNick AlexanderNick Alexander is an English writer, his first novel was published in 50 Reasons to Say Goodbye.Alexander was born in 1964 and grew up in the seaside town of Margate England...
), BIGfib Books 2005, ISBN 2952489939
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Dealbreaker | waiter |
| 2005 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 6) Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 6) This article contains a list of episodes for season 6 of the television series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.-Cast:*Christopher Meloni as Det. Elliot Stabler*Mariska Hargitay as Det. Olivia Benson*Richard Belzer as Det. John Munch... "Intoxicated" |
Bart |
| 2006 | Exposing the Order of the Serpentine | ashamed man |
External links
- Lee Camp's official website
- Lee Camp's Youtube Channel
- Lee Camp's Twitter page
- http://newyork.timeout.com/music-nightlife/comedy/67021/lee-camp Time Out New York interview
- Comedian Lee Camp: Fox News a 'festival of ignorance'
- Huffington Post bio
- http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2011/mar/30/lee-camp-reviewThe GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
review]