Biography of stand-up comedian Shaun Eli

(If you need a shorter bio just use the first paragraph)

Stand-up comedian Shaun Eli has rightfully been called one of America’s smartest comics. Whether it’s a story about dining with a vegetarian or successfully fighting a parking ticket in criminal court, master storyteller Shaun Eli shows you that there’s hilarity in the ordinary if you approach life with a comedic warp. Job interviews? How about the Ten Commandments? For just about anything he’s experienced he has hilarious stories at the ready. With a sense of humor that’s both cheerful and universal Shaun has headlined shows on six continents. He tours with Armed Forces Entertainment, where he has performed in such war-torn hell-holes as Curacao and The Bahamas. He starred in “The Ivy League of Comedy Live from the Emelin Theatre” on Amazon and in seasons 1 & 2 of QuickLaffs on Netflix. He also appeared on the Wendy Williams Show where she both praised and bashed him for being a comedian. In 2021 Shaun was the recipient of a major profile in The New York Times.

Shaun writes jokes for corporations and national political candidates. He also consults for them on how adding humor can help them sell products or get elected to public office. His jokes have been quoted everywhere from the New York Post to Readers Digest to Healthcare Finance News. In both Reform Judaism magazine and the Christian Science Monitor, where he was the subject of a cover story. He’s been featured on CareerBuilder.com and CNN, in local papers like the Scarsdale Inquirer and the Asbury Park Press and in the college papers the Yale Daily News and the Daily Pennsylvanian. Even in The Journal of Irreproducible Results, a scientific humor magazine. Yes, there is one. And his group The Ivy League of Comedysm was the subject of a front-page story in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

More than just smart, funny and clever, Shaun is determined to express his opinion passionately, not surprising for someone who wrote his first satirical essay at age ten. When profiled in Fortune magazine, “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno quoted one of Shaun’s jokes, citing it as an example of the type of “smart comedy” he’s happy to include in his opening monologue. Jay and other late-night hosts used Shaun’s topical material in their monologues for almost two decades.

Outside the world of comedy Shaun was a world-class athlete in two obscure sports (rowing and dragon-boat racing), worked as a lifeguard instructor and is an instrument-rated pilot. He is also an award-winning economic forecaster who once sold his car to a hitchhiker.

Shaun is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. You can watch his videos and read some of his writings, including satirical political essays and hundreds of jokes he’s written for late-night television, on his web site BrainChampagne.com where his slogan “Brain Champagne: Clever Comedy for Smart Mindssm” rings true.

Shaun is also a gold-level (5 gallon) blood donor.

 

Highlights

  • Clean, smart comedy perfect for corporate and charity events

  • Has headlined shows on six continents (so far)

  • Has appeared on Amazon, Netflix and the Wendy Williams Show

  • Wrote jokes for the monologues of three late-night talk shows (The Tonight Show, Late Night with Conan O’Brien and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon)

  • Profiled in The New York Times and The Christian Science Monitor, and his group The Ivy League of Comedysm was profiled in The Philadelphia Inquirer

  • An award-winning comedy writer and a leading expert in comedy, Shaun has written articles on stand-up comedy for various publications including the Newark Star Ledger and Reform Judaism magazine. He writes jokes for and consults with corporations and political candidates on how adding humor can help them sell products or get elected to public office

  • His jokes have been quoted in numerous publications including The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The New York Post, The Asbury Park Press, The Scarsdale Inquirer and more

  • Jay Leno cited one of Shaun’s jokes as the type of smart comedy he liked to include in his opening monologue (quoted in Fortune magazine)

  • Graduate of the Wharton School of Business and has a master’s degree in positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania

Printable version of Shaun Eli’s biography

Downloadable high-resolution headshots can be found here

Newspaper and magazine articles on Shaun Eli and The Ivy League of Comedy

Shaun’s electronic press kit

What Shaun’s comedy can do for you and your organization

 

Shaun Eli in front of applauding audience at a theatre, with title saying "It's my job to make you forget how much you hate your job."

Shaun Eli on stage at New York’s Emelin Theatre

 

I’m frequently asked how I got started in stand-up comedy.
Why does a man do anything? Because of a woman.
I was on a date and I guess I was entertaining because she asked why I wasn’t a comedian.
I said I had friends who were actors- and that while I like writing comedy I didn’t think I was made to be a performer.
She told me she’d just taken a stand-up comedy class and recommended I do the same. I went to a show put on by graduates of the class and they were funnier than I expected them to be.
So I took the class. Started performing stand-up comedy at night. Six years later I left my day job. And here I am.
Come see me; I’m sure you’ll agree I made the right decision.

 

To book Shaun Eli, or if you have questions, email Shaun at BrainChampagne dot com or call or text (914) it’s-funny (914) 487-3866