Russ Meneve
Encyclopedia
Russ Meneve is a stand-up comedian
from Hawthorne, New Jersey
who has appeared on multiple shows on NBC
and Comedy Central
.
. He first tried out as a comedian at 17 in his high school and in 1993, he started as a comedian.
After school, he received a degree in accounting and worked as an accountant
for Price Waterhouse. After quitting the job, he worked for Toys "R" Us and as a door-to-door salesman for telephone services. At the same time, he applied for the job of a page at NBC
. Meneve became successful as a salesman and joined his former boss at a new company with a much higher salary but when NBC offered him a part-time job with a much lower salary, he quit as a salesman and worked for NBC as a page.
and succeeded in getting stage time at major venues like the "Comedy Cellar", the "Comic Strip" and "Caroline's". By 2004, he was a regular performer at those venues. In 2005, he both appeared as himself and as a writer on Comedy Central Presents
as well as on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He also appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
, Last Call with Carson Daly
, Last Comic Standing
and The Caroline Rhea Show
. He was on the "The Ten Funniest New Yorkers You’ve Never Heard Of" list published by New York
and was awarded "The Impact Player of 2005".
In 2004, Meneve collaborated with Ted Alexandro
and Tom Shillue to found the "New York Comedians Coalition" with over 300 other New York based comedians as their members in order to represent the comedians of the city and to negotiate better payment for comedians performing in the clubs. After several meetings with the club owners, the Coalition managed to negotiate a raise for all comics in the city.
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...
from Hawthorne, New Jersey
Hawthorne, New Jersey
Hawthorne is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 18,218.Hawthorne was originally part of the now-defunct Manchester Township, which was later subdivided to create Hawthorne, Haledon, North Haledon, Prospect Park,...
who has appeared on multiple shows on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
.
Biography
Meneve was born in Hawthorne, New JerseyHawthorne, New Jersey
Hawthorne is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 18,218.Hawthorne was originally part of the now-defunct Manchester Township, which was later subdivided to create Hawthorne, Haledon, North Haledon, Prospect Park,...
. He first tried out as a comedian at 17 in his high school and in 1993, he started as a comedian.
After school, he received a degree in accounting and worked as an accountant
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
for Price Waterhouse. After quitting the job, he worked for Toys "R" Us and as a door-to-door salesman for telephone services. At the same time, he applied for the job of a page at NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. Meneve became successful as a salesman and joined his former boss at a new company with a much higher salary but when NBC offered him a part-time job with a much lower salary, he quit as a salesman and worked for NBC as a page.
Professional career
After joining NBC as a page, Meneve tried out as a comedian in various clubs in New York CityNew 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...
and succeeded in getting stage time at major venues like the "Comedy Cellar", the "Comic Strip" and "Caroline's". By 2004, he was a regular performer at those venues. In 2005, he both appeared as himself and as a writer on Comedy Central Presents
Comedy Central Presents
Comedy Central Presents is a half-hour long stand-up show that features various stand-up comedians in each episode.-DVDs:Starting in 2008, Comedy Central started releasing "Best of" compilation DVDs, with uncensored audio...
as well as on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He also appeared on 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...
, Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly is an American late night talk show that is broadcast on NBC. The show is hosted by Carson Daly, the half-hour show featuring celebrity interviews, documentary-style coverage of a topic, and musical performances. Last Call airs weeknights at 1:35 a.m. Eastern / 12:35 a.m....
, Last Comic Standing
Last Comic Standing
Last Comic Standing is an American reality television talent show that has aired from 2003 through 2010.The goal of the program is to select a comedian from a group, who will receive a development contract with the NBC network, and a television special first to air on the cable-TV network Comedy...
and The Caroline Rhea Show
The Caroline Rhea Show
The Caroline Rhea Show is an American syndicated variety/talk show that was regarded as the successor to The Rosie O'Donnell Show. It premiered in September 2002 and ran until June 2003 and was hosted by actress and comedienne Caroline Rhea, who was hand-picked by Rosie O'Donnell as her...
. He was on the "The Ten Funniest New Yorkers You’ve Never Heard Of" list published by New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
and was awarded "The Impact Player of 2005".
In 2004, Meneve collaborated with Ted Alexandro
Ted Alexandro
Edward "Ted" Alexandro is a stand-up comedian from New York City. He has appeared on most late night talk shows and has had his own half hour specials on Comedy Central.- Biography :...
and Tom Shillue to found the "New York Comedians Coalition" with over 300 other New York based comedians as their members in order to represent the comedians of the city and to negotiate better payment for comedians performing in the clubs. After several meetings with the club owners, the Coalition managed to negotiate a raise for all comics in the city.