Steve Patterson (comedian)
Encyclopedia
Steve Patterson is a Canadian
stand-up comedian
, actor
, writer
, television and radio host, and television producer
known for his satire
and observational comedy
.
mates. However, he spent the next few years away from comedy, as he finished his university degree in business from The University of Western Ontario. He then earned a post-graduate diploma
in media
copywriting
. He performed comedy part-time while earning a living as a full-time advertising copywriter from 1994-1996.
Patterson was fired from his copywriting job in 1996. and started performing comedy full-time. Later that year, he joined the touring roster of Canadian
comedy booking agency Funny Business, for which he started as the opening act.
In 1999, Patterson got a chance to perform at the Just for Laughs
comedy festival in Montreal
for the first time. His Irish
-influenced set made it possible for him to tour Ireland.
Between the years 1999 and 2004, Patterson performed across Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom
. He also appeared for a few shows in the United States
and the United Arab Emirates
. In 2004, he made his first Just for Laughs
gala appearance. Also in 2004, Patterson performed at the Edinburgh Festival
in Scotland
.
In 2006, Patterson was host of the Just for Laughs Road Tour throughout Ontario
, and was part of the Just for Laughs
festival in Montreal
that summer.
In September 2007, Patterson became a host of CBC Radio One
's The Debaters
, and gained some notoriety in 2007 as being the first comic to say no to Last Comic Standing
when he qualified for their Canadian
finals in Montreal
. He turned down NBC
to honour a local show commitment.
In July 2010, Patterson performed again at the Just for Laughs
comedy festival in Montreal
on a Gala hosted by Steve Martin. Following his performance, Martin said "If I knew he was going to be THAT good, I would have canceled him."
With growing success as host of The Debaters
on CBC Radio One, The Debaters began airing on CBC Television in the fall of 2011
Patterson was nominated for a Gemini Award award for his JFL performance, on the Steve Martin Gala, and hosted the Industry Gala in 2011. His success continued in October when he was awarded "Best Male Stand-up" at the Canadian Comedy Awards, an industry event which he also hosted .
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
stand-up comedian
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...
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, 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....
, television and radio host, and television producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
known for his satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
and observational comedy
Observational comedy
Observational comedy is a style of humor based on making remarks about commonplace aspects of everyday life. It is the most common type of humor used in stand up comedy.The humor is based on the premise of "It's funny because it's true."-External links:* *...
.
Career
Patterson has been on the comedy circuit full-time since 1996. He draws material from observation of daily/current events and what goes on in the room during a show. He first set foot on the stage at the age of 18 on a dare from his dormDormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
mates. However, he spent the next few years away from comedy, as he finished his university degree in business from The University of Western Ontario. He then earned a post-graduate diploma
Diploma
A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
in media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
copywriting
Copywrite
Copywrite may refer to:* Copywriting, the process of writing the words that promote a person, business, opinion, or idea* Copywrite , an underground hip-hop artist from Columbus, Ohio...
. He performed comedy part-time while earning a living as a full-time advertising copywriter from 1994-1996.
Patterson was fired from his copywriting job in 1996. and started performing comedy full-time. Later that year, he joined the touring roster of Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
comedy booking agency Funny Business, for which he started as the opening act.
In 1999, Patterson got a chance to perform at the 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 in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
for the first time. His Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
-influenced set made it possible for him to tour Ireland.
Between the years 1999 and 2004, Patterson performed across Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He also appeared for a few shows in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
. In 2004, he made his first 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 :...
gala appearance. Also in 2004, Patterson performed at the Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
In 2006, Patterson was host of the Just for Laughs Road Tour throughout Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, and was part of the 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 :...
festival in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
that summer.
In September 2007, Patterson became a host of CBC Radio One
CBC Radio One
CBC Radio One is the English language news and information radio network of the publicly-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial free and offers both local and national programming...
's The Debaters
The Debaters
The Debaters is a Canadian radio comedy show hosted by Steve Patterson. It airs on CBC Radio One Saturdays at 1:00PM and Wednesdays at 11:30AM ....
, and gained some notoriety in 2007 as being the first comic to say no to 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...
when he qualified for their Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
finals in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. He turned down 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...
to honour a local show commitment.
In July 2010, Patterson performed again at the 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 in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
on a Gala hosted by Steve Martin. Following his performance, Martin said "If I knew he was going to be THAT good, I would have canceled him."
With growing success as host of The Debaters
The Debaters
The Debaters is a Canadian radio comedy show hosted by Steve Patterson. It airs on CBC Radio One Saturdays at 1:00PM and Wednesdays at 11:30AM ....
on CBC Radio One, The Debaters began airing on CBC Television in the fall of 2011
Patterson was nominated for a Gemini Award award for his JFL performance, on the Steve Martin Gala, and hosted the Industry Gala in 2011. His success continued in October when he was awarded "Best Male Stand-up" at the Canadian Comedy Awards, an industry event which he also hosted .
Television
- Just for LaughsJust for LaughsJust 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 :...
: Montreal Comedy Festival (2001) - Comedy Now!Comedy Now!Comedy Now! is a Canadian comedy television series which debuted in 1997 featuring the newest in Canadian comedic talent. The show has won numerous Gemini Awards as well as many international awards. It is broadcast in Canada on The Comedy Network, CTV and A...
(1 episode, 2003) - The Ha!ifax Comedy FestHalifax Comedy FestivalThe Halifax Comedy Festival is an annual comedy festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The festival is sponsored by the CBC which tapes and broadcasts the comedians' sets as a series of television specials, and is usually about one week long...
(6 episodes, 2003-2010) - Stranger at the Door (2004)
- H2OH2OH2O is the chemical formula for water and is also used as an abbreviation for the word "water". H2O or H2O It may also refer to:* H2O , a punk band**H2O , their self-titled debut album...
(2004) as CSIS Agent - You Bet Your AssYou Bet Your AssYou Bet Your Ass was a Canadian game show that aired on The Comedy Network. It followed a Blackjack and casino motif, with contestants answering questions on popular culture to earn points. The contestant with the most points at the end of the show was the winner. Hosted by Canadian comedian...
(2006) - Just for LaughsJust for LaughsJust 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 :...
(2006) - Great Canadian Laugh Off (2 episodes, 2007-2008)
- CBCCanadian Broadcasting CorporationThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
Winnipeg Comedy FestivalWinnipeg Comedy FestivalThe Winnipeg Comedy Festival is an annual comedy festival, held in Winnipeg, Manitoba.Created by the Osborne Village Cultural Centre in collaboration with CBC Radio, performances from the festival are also broadcast as a radio series on CBC Radio One and as a television series on The Comedy...
(1 episode, 2008) - The DebatersThe DebatersThe Debaters is a Canadian radio comedy show hosted by Steve Patterson. It airs on CBC Radio One Saturdays at 1:00PM and Wednesdays at 11:30AM ....
(16 episodes, 2011)
Awards and nominations
- 2007, Nominated for 'Best Male Stand-up' at the Canadian Comedy AwardsCanadian Comedy AwardsThe Canadian Comedy Awards, founded by , are an annual awards ceremony celebrating notable English speaking Canadian comedians for achievements in Live, Radio, Film, Television and Internet media over the previous year...
- 2008, Nominated for 'Best Male Stand-up' at the Canadian Comedy Awards
- 2008, Won, 'Best Series Writing' at the Canadian Comedy Awards
- 2011, Won, 'Best Male Stand-up' at the Canadian Comedy Awards
- 2011, Nominated for Gemini AwardGemini AwardThe Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
for Just For Laughs
External links
- Steve Patterson at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...