Jeffrey Gurian Comedy Writer and Director

Click here to read Jeffrey’s online entertainment column “Comedy Matters“.
Click here to see Jeffrey’s new film from GNN (Gurian News Network) “College Professor Fired For Casually Removing His Spine” – Seen at the Cannes Film Festival 2009

Jeffrey wrote a book called “ Make ‘Em Laugh” with Richie Tienken, owner and founder of the legendary comedy club The Comic Strip, for the 35th anniversary of the club which Tienken opened in 1976.  The introduction is written by Chris Rock.

Tienken and Eddie Murphy discovered Chris Rock there in 1986, and the club also launched the careers of superstars like Larry Miller, Lewis Black, George Wallace, Jerry Seinfeld, Ray Romano, Susie Essman, Lisa Lampanelli, Colin Quinn, and many more, all of whom are in the book.

Jeffrey appears in and co-produced a 48 minute documentary called “The Business of Comedy” featuring appearances by comedy icons Robert Klein, Susie Essman, George Wallace, Shecky Greene, Budd Friedman, Rick Newman, and many more.

As a result of his many years of writing material for the famed Friars Roasts Jeffrey was asked to do a book for Kensington Press on celebrities’ favorite nasty jokes. The book was called “ Filthy, Funny, and Totally Offensive –Jokes So Dirty, Comedians and Entertainers Only Tell Them To Each Other” which is available in Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com.

Jeffrey is the host of Comedy Matters TV, an internet channel he started in 2011, which now has over 225 interviews with such A-list celebs as Jimmy Fallon, Chelsea Handler, Jon Stewart, Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers, Jack Black, Bob Saget, as well as film stars like Ethan Hawke, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei, Danny Aiello, Chazz Palminteri, Liv Tyler, Amanda Seyfried, and well over 200 more.

In 2012 he was the official celeb interviewer for Just for Laughs in Montreal the biggest comedy festival in the world, where he interviewed 40 of the biggest stars there including Howie Mandel, Adam Carolla, Ken Jeong,  and Gary Shandling.

As a result of his interviewing reputation he got to play himself three times on Nick Kroll’s “Kroll Show” on Comedy Central in scenes with Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Jon Daly, Amy Poehler, Karen Black, Laura Dern, and Katy Perry.

Jeffrey taught his Comedy Writing class for The Learning Annex, entitled “How To Write Comedy”, and was also accepted to the faculty of Baruch College to teach his course on “How To Write Stand-Up Comedy.”

Jeffrey was the co-writer of a one hour television drama that aired on NBC called De La Salle, starring the voices of Edward James Olmos and Lynn Whitfield. The special was based on the real school of the same name in Manhattan that serves academically talented children from low-income families. They used the real kids and faculty as actors.

His award-winning feature film “Face To Face” that he wrote with actor Scott Baio made it’s world premiere at the Taos, New Mexico Talking Picture Film Festival where it was honored, and feted as the opening night film. It starred Dean Stockwell, Alex Rocco, Joe (Analyze This) Viterelli, Thomas (Melrose Place) Calabro, Scott Baio, and Madchen (Twin Peaks) Amick.

It’s about three young male cousins in a close-knit Italian family who are tired of their fathers not opening up to them emotionally. Out of desperation, they kidnap their own fathers for a week-end of forced male bonding. It’s funny and touching at the same time.

It won for Best Comedy Feature at the Marco Island Film Festival in Florida, and the Hollywood Film Festival in CA, and was featured at festivals in Oregon, Palm Springs, Reno, and Sedona, Arizona.

A short film Jeffrey wrote called “ I Am Woody” about a mob boss who’s obsessed with Woody Allen, featuring famed actors Victor Argo, and Soprano’s star Vince (Johnny Sack) Curatola, won for Best Short Film at the N.Y. Independent Film Festival.

At the request of Peter and Rory Rosegarten of The Conversation Company, Jeffrey was recently named the Head of Comedy Programming at the GoldCoast International Film Festival on Long Island, coming up in October of 2013, and will be planning a gala in honor of Susie Essman as part of the festivities.

One of his proudest achievements was as a “reporter” for the legendary comedy newspaper Weekly World News where he wrote unusual stories like ” Tap Dancing For The Criminally Insane”, “Man Slips On Pat Of Butter, Winds Up In Next Town”, and “Top Model Has Abdominal Organs Removed for Thinner Look.” He was also given his own column entitled “Gurian’s World of the Bizarre.”  Some of his cover stories appear below.

He also wrote the script for a corporate film for Ernst and Young called “Innovation”, that was shot by Firebrand Films, and he was a writer for the televised Friars Roasts of Drew Carey, Rob Reiner, and Jerry Stiller that aired on Comedy Central.

SPECIAL COMEDY MATERIAL WRITTEN FOR COMEDIANS:

JOAN RIVERS, ROBIN WILLIAMS, GEORGE WALLACE, PHIL HARTMAN, RICHARD BELZER, GILBERT GOTTFRIED, RODNEY DANGERFIELD, DICK SHAWN, FRED TRAVALENA, DICK CAPRI, JIM MORRIS, PAT COOPER, RICH LITTLE, FRANK GORSHIN, MARILYN MICHAELS, MARTY INGELS, HENNY YOUNGMAN, MILTON BERLE, JERRY LEWIS, PAULY SHORE, ALISON LARKIN, ANDREW “DICE” CLAY

WRITTEN FOR NON-COMEDIANS:

BRUCE WILLIS, MICHAEL BOLTON, SCOTT BAIO, JIM DALE, CHUCK SCARBOROUGH, CHAD EVERETT, MIKE DOUGLAS, ERNIE ANASTOS, ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK, MAYOR DAVID DINKINS, MARTY INGELS, SHIRLEY JONES, DONALD O’CONNOR, TONY LO BIANCO, BUDD FRIEDMAN

WRITER FOR THE FRIAR’S CLUB IN NEW YORK FOR 12 YEARS

FILM
I Am Woody – Writer / Producer – DTF Productions

Face to Face – Writer – Giant Entertainment

Comedy Project – Writer – Currently in development(Warner Bros.)

The “Men Who” Series – Writer/Director – Toyota Comedy Festival

I’m Your Man (First Interactive Film) – Writer – Sony Project

Seeing Is Believing(Starring Gilbert Gottfried) – Writer/Producer – Playboy Int’l TV

The Bar Channel(starring Richard Belzer) – Writer/Producer – Playboy Int’l TV

Sexual Harassment(starring Pat Cooper) – Writer/Producer – Playboy Int’l TV

Video Dating(starring Phoebe Legere) – Writer/Producer – Playboy Int’l TV

TELEVISION
“One Child at a Time” – Hour-long telefilm / After-school special – Writer – PBS

“The Book of Love” – Pilot for new series – Writer – GR Productions, PBS

Creating new product(5 new shows) – Head Writer – Saks/Lipsky Entertainment Productions

Chop-Suey TV – Writer – New Show

Henny Youngman’s 88th Birthday Roast(with Bill Persky) – Writer – Cable Special

Friday Night Video Fights(chosen by Judy McGrath) – Writer – MTV

Material Performed on “Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” by Rodney Dangerfield – Writer – NBC

Material Performed on “Merv Griffin Show” by Fred Travalena – Writer

Material performed on Joan Rivers by Joan Rivers – Writer – Channel 9

THEATRE
A Punch in the Face (one-act play)Writer/DirectorSynchronicity Space