Tony Sam

Tony Sam (also credited as A.W. Sam)[1] is an American stand-up comedian, author, actor, and former marine biologist from Chicago now living in Los Angeles. He has worked extensively as a television producer and writer. LA Weekly named him one of 10 Comedy Acts To Watch in 2015.[2]

Tony Sam
Tony Sam
Born
Anthony William Sam

Chicago, Illinois
Alma materFlorida Atlantic University
Occupation(s)Stand-up comedian, author, actor
Years active2003-present

His debut comedy album, Scaredy Cat, was released on Stand Up! Records in 2014.

Early life

Sam was born and raised in Chicago.[3] He has a degree in molecular and marine biology from Florida Atlantic University.[4][5] He worked for several years as a scientist, at various jobs including studying cranio-facial defects in zebrafish embryos at Chicago's Children's Memorial Hospital.[3][6] He co-authored a paper in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine.[7]

Career

Comedy and television

Sam began performing stand-up around 2003 in Chicago,[8] and studied improv and sketch at iO Theater and The Second City Training Center.[9] He became known as an alternative-comedy scenemaker, co-founding (with Brooke Van Poppelen) Chicago Underground Comedy in 2005, a weekly rotating showcase of alternative comics designed to forefront stand-up as opposed to sketch comedy and improv.[10][11][12] Kumail Nanjiani was one of the original cast members.[13] Chicago's NewCity called Sam one of the city's most interesting comics in 2009, and praised ChUC as a "mainstay of alternative comedy"[14] and "one of the two best places to perform in Chicago".[15]

Several critics have praised the comic range of Sam's voice; Jake Kroeger of website The Comedy Bureau wrote that it "is so unique, drastically wandering up and down in frequency, that he makes [his] characters exceptionally hilarious and absolutely unforgettable".[16]

Sam's television credits include co-executive producer for Cooking Channel's Food: Fact or Fiction? with Michael McKean and a producer for Josh Gates Tonight, Expedition Unknown, Jay Leno's Garage, Girl Meets Farm, Storage Wars: Barry Strikes Back, Brandi & Jarrod: Married to the Job, MTV's Ridiculousness[17] and the Netflix hit home-renovation show, Instant Dream Home,[17] which in 2023 was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Instructional and How-To Program".[18]

Sam has also written for Smosh [9] and MTV News.[19] McKean praised Sam's work on Food: Fact or Fiction? in an interview on Andy Richter's podcast, Three Questions with Andy Richter, calling Sam "a very funny writer".[20]

As an actor, Sam has appeared on truTV's Hack My Life, Conan,[17] G4's Attack of the Show!, Food: Fact or Fiction?, and Josh Gates Tonight.[21][22]

Sam has performed frequently at the Hollywood Improv,[9] and at festivals including the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival,[23] Bridgetown Comedy Festival,[24][25] San Francisco Comedy & Burrito Festival,[26] Bumbershoot, SF Sketchfest, Chicago Sketch Fest, New York International Fringe Festival, and New York Underground Comedy Festival.[9]

Podcasts

Sam has hosted several podcasts, including Tony Sam's Word of the Day, a podcast about language begun in 2014.[27][28] In 2017, he began co-hosting the podcast Legally Insane with Matt Ritter, a lawyer turned comedian.[29][30]

He has also guested on many other podcasts, including Jackie Kashian's The Dork Forest,[3] Josh Adam Meyers' The 500,[31] Probably Science,[32] Dumb People Town and Sklarboro County with the Sklar Brothers,[33] and The Space Cave with David Huntsberger.[4][5]

Albums

Sam's debut album, Scaredy Cat, was recorded May 24, 2014 at Acme Comedy Company in Minneapolis and released later that year on Stand Up! Records.[34] It received generally positive reviews and praise from several high-profile comics including Kyle Kinane, Michelle Buteau, The Sklar Brothers, Beth Stelling, Jason Nash, former SNL cast member, Brooks Wheelan, Brody Stevens and Eddie Pepitone.[35] Comedy Bureau's Kroeger called the album one of the best of 2014,[36] saying it "strikes a great balance between a genuine silliness and unfiltered candor".[37] Ed Placencia of the website Comedy Reviews said "Sam gleefully adds a touch of fun and whimsy to each of his bits. ... Scaredy Cat wonderfully displays that he has decided to embrace the simple tactic of just having a good time."[38] Richard Lanoie of The Serious Comedy Site called it "smart".[39] Huffington Post reviewer Tony Bartolone called the album "refreshingly silly".[40] Chris Spector of Midwest Record wrote that "Sam does a fine job of being that normal guy that lives next door that suddenly, unexpectedly goes nuts."[41]

Four segments from the CD were turned into cartoons by animator Alex Clark.[42][43][44][45]

Author

In 2021, under the name A.W. Sam, he published a book of poetry, Waste[LA]nd: Poems For L.A., about Los Angeles.[1] In 2022, Sam released his second collection of poetry, Toil. The book was praised by actors Jonah Ray and James Urbaniak.[46]

Discography

Books
Year Title Publisher ISBN Pages Note
2020 WASTELAND: POEMS FOR LA GRAVEL YARD BOOKS 978-1737893806 79
2021 TOIL 978-1737893844 97
2022 THE PERPETUAL PLUMMET OF IMPERFECTION 978-1-7378938-5-1 101

References
  1. Sam, Tony (2021-10-04). "Waste[LA]nd: Poems For LA: Sam, A W: 9781737893806". Tony Sam. Tumblr. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
  2. Seabaugh, Julie (2014-12-26). "10 Comedy Acts To Watch in 2015". LA Weekly. Los Angeles. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  3. Jackie Kashian (2014-11-25). "TDF 261 – Tony Sam". The Dork Forest (Podcast). Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  4. David Huntsberger (November 7, 2017). "113 – Marine & Molecular Biology with Tony Sam pt. 1". The Space Cave (Podcast). Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  5. David Huntsberger (November 14, 2017). "114 – Molecular & Marine Biology with Tony Sam pt. 2". The Space Cave (Podcast). Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  6. McQuern, Elizabeth (2006-11-02). "Inside With: Tony Sam, Comedian, Producer, Scientist". The Apiary. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  7. Topczewska, Jolanta M.; Postovit, Lynne-Marie; Margaryan, Naira V.; Sam, Anthony; Hess, Angela R.; Wheaton, William W.; Nickoloff, Brian J.; Topczewski, Jacek; Hendrix, Mary J.C. (2006-07-30). "Embryonic and tumorigenic pathways converge via Nodal signaling: role in melanoma aggressiveness". Nature Medicine. 12 (8): 925–932. doi:10.1038/nm1448. PMID 16892036. S2CID 31906174. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  8. Johnson, Allan (2005-04-08). "Stand up and deliver: Thriving underground scene puts the edge back in comedy". Chicago Tribune. Chicago. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  9. "Quick Dish: TONY SAM Headlines at The Hollywood Improv". Comedy Cake. September 24, 2015. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  10. Canon, Ramsin (2010-06-01). "Chicago Underground Comedy Celebrates 5 Years, Telfer CD Release". Gapers Block. Chicago. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  11. Ryan, Kyle (2005-09-15). "Interview: Tony Sam". The Onion A.V. Club (Chicago print edition). Vol. 41, no. 37. Chicago.
  12. Holm, Kelsey (2005-09-01). "Underground comics stand up at Jokers". The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. Waterloo, Iowa/Cedar Falls, Iowa.
  13. Shively, Colin (2010-06-08). "Comedy group marks anniversary". The Columbia Chronicle. Chicago. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  14. Kowarski, Ilana (2009-05-17). "Ten Rising Comics to Look For And Five Places to Go See Them…". Newcity Stage. Chicago. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  15. Schramm, Mike (2007-05-17). "Solo System: Mike Schramm looks at the current state of stand-up comedy in Chicago". Newcity. Chicago. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  16. Kroeger, Jake (2011-06-12). "Tony Sam-Tip of the Hat 6/11/11". The Comedy Bureau. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  17. Tony Sam at IMDb
  18. "IMDB - INSTANT DREAM HOME (TV SERIES 2022-) AWARDS". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  19. "Author: Tony Sam". MTV News. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  20. Andy Richter (2020-01-27). "Michael McKean". The Three Questions with Andy Richter (Podcast). Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  21. "HAHAJK.com Head Writer and Chicago Underground Comedy Co-Founder to Host Showcase at Just For Laughs Chicago Festival". PRWeb. 2011-05-19. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  22. Wenzel, John (2012-07-26). "Tony Sam's "Persona!" draws characters out of stand-up comics". Denver Post. Denver, Colorado. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  23. McCarthy, Sean L. (May 19, 2011). "The Full Schedule For The 2011 TBS Just For Laughs Chicago Comedy Festival". The Comic’s Comic. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  24. Kroeger, Jake (May 23, 2016). "The 2016 Bridgetown Comedy Festival Is Happening Next Week". The Comedy Bureau. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  25. Kroeger, Jake (April 26, 2011). "The Last Day of Bridgetown". The Comedy Bureau. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  26. Kroeger, Jake (August 15, 2012). "Tickets and the Line-up for The San Francisco Comedy & Burrito Festival is Here". The Comedy Bureau. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  27. Sam, Tony. "Tony Sam's Word of The Day Podcast". Soundcloud. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  28. Kroeger, Jake (February 17, 2014). ""Learn" More Words with Tony Sam's Dictionary Word of the Day Podcast". The Comedy Bureau. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  29. "New Podcast "Legally Insane" Dives Into Crazy Legal History". PR Newswire. 2017-10-10. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  30. Ritter, Matt; Sam, Tony. "Legally Insane Podcast". Cascade Media. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  31. Josh Adam Meyers (2019-07-03). "Episode 465: Magnetic Fields' 69 Love Songs with Tony Sam". The 500 with Josh Adam Meyers (Podcast). Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  32. Matt Kirshen (June 19, 2012). "Episode 25 with Tony Sam!". Probably Science (Podcast). Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  33. The Sklar Bros. (2014-10-04). "Episode 220.5 Sklarboro County 125". Earwolf (Podcast). Earwolf. Retrieved 2014-10-04.
  34. Tony Sam, Scaredy Cat at AllMusic. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  35. Sam, Tony (November 12, 2014). "Comedian Testimonials". Tony Sam Tumblr. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  36. Kroeger, Jake (January 2, 2015). "The 100 Best Things in Comedy We Were Witness To In No Particular Order of 2014". The Comedy Bureau. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  37. Kroeger, Jake (October 7, 2014). "Tony Sam's Scaredy Cat Out Now from Stand Up! Records". The Comedy Bureau. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  38. Placencia, Ed (2019-04-18). "Tony Sam's Scaredy Cat". Comedy Reviews. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  39. Richard Lanoie (2018-04-09). "Tony Sam – Scaredy Cat". The Serious Comedy Site. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  40. Bartolone, Tony (2014-10-28). "Tony Sam Is a Big, Fat Scaredy Cat". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  41. Chris Spector (2014-11-12). "Volume 37/Number 12". Midwest Record. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
  42. Tony Sam (comedian), Alex Clark (animator) (2020-10-28). Tony Sam: Haunted House (cartoon). Stand Up! Records. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  43. Tony Sam (comedian), Alex Clark (animator) (2020-09-16). Tony Sam: Beard Jokes (cartoon). Stand Up! Records. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  44. Tony Sam (comedian), Alex Clark (animator) (2020-09-30). Tony Sam: Death Jokes (cartoon). Stand Up! Records. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  45. Tony Sam (comedian), Alex Clark (animator) (2020-09-30). Tony Sam: Lost Dog Poster (cartoon). Tony Sam. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  46. Sam, Tony (2022-02-01). "I'm proud to announce the release of my newest..." Tony Sam. Tumblr. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
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