Harrison Greenbaum

American comedian

Harrison Greenbaum

Harrison Greenbaum in 2019

Born| September 14, 1986 (1986-09-14) (age 37)

Manhattan, New York, U.S.

Occupation(s)| Comedian, host
Website| www.harrisongreenbaum.com

Harrison Greenbaum (born September 14, 1986) is an American stand-up comedian and comedy writer.

## Early life

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Greenbaum was born in Manhattan, New York, and grew up in Woodmere, New York, on Long Island. He graduated as valedictorian of his class at Lawrence High School.[1]

Harrison's mother, Pamela Greenbaum, stated in 2010 that Harrison's paternal grandmother "told the serious stories about the Holocaust camps..." while his paternal grandfather Henry Greenbaum, also a Holocaust survivor, “told the humorous stories." Harrison's father, Steven Greenbaum, is "a New York City director of real estate."[1]

Greenbaum attended Harvard, where he graduated summa cum laude in 2008 and won the 2006 Visiting Committee Prize for Undergraduate Book Collecting for his collection of magic books.[2][3] He also won the Gordon W. Allport Prize for his psychology thesis, "'Did you hear the one about the...?': The effect of racial humor on prejudice."[4]

While at Harvard, Greenbaum co-founded the Harvard College Stand-Up Comic Society.[5][6][7]

## Career

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Greenbaum has performed at many of the leading comedy clubs throughout the world including Carolines on Broadway, Gotham Comedy Club, Comix NY, Comic Strip Live, and the Laugh Factory, and is a regular at the Comedy Cellar.[8]

He was the first-ever comedian or comedy magician to headline a Cirque du Soleil show, Cirque du Soleil's Mad Apple, at the New York-New York Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.[9] [10][11]

Harrison Greenbaum's solo comedy and magic show, titled "Harrison Greenbaum: What Just Happened?", premiered at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City, marking the venue's first magic show. The show then had an Off-Broadway run and embarked on an international tour, with performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Magic Castle in Hollywood, California, and the Comedy Cellar in New York City, where it was also the first magic show to be performed at the venue. Additionally, the show was the first magic show featured at the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York, a museum and cultural institution dedicated to comedy.[12]

### Television

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In 2013, Greenbaum was the warm-up comedian for the first season of Katie, Katie Couric's talk show on ABC,[13][14] and a producer on Would You Fall for That? on ABC.

He was also featured in the first season of Gotham Comedy Live on AXS.TV and in the special Gotham Comedy Live episode, "Best of Season 4: New York, the City that Never Bleeps".

In 2014, Greenbaum was a special guest on Brain Games on National Geographic Channel.

In 2015, Greenbaum was a semi-finalist on Last Comic Standing on NBC.

In 2017, Greenbaum auditioned for America's Got Talent on NBC, performing stand-up comedy.[15]

In 2018, Greenbaum performed on Conan on TBS.[16]

In 2022, Greenbaum was featured on Sherri.[17]

### Hosting

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Greenbaum was an official co-host of the 2010 Times Square New Year's Eve World Wide Webcast[18][19][20][21][22] and was the host of the New York Innovative Theatre Awards, held at Cooper Union's Great Hall in 2011[23][24][25] and at Kaye Playhouse in 2012.[26] [27]

Greenbaum is a writer for MAD Magazine.[2][28]

### Awards and recognition

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Greenbaum is the winner of the 2010 Andy Kaufman Award,[29][30][31] given in recognition of creativity and originality in comedy. He is also the winner of the 2011 Magners Comic Stand-Off and a 2011 Shorty Award for excellence in short-form social media (i.e. Twitter).[32] Greenbaum was named one of 2010's "Comics to Watch" by Comedy Central[33][34] and one of the "Best of the Breakout Artists" by Carolines on Broadway and Punchline Magazine.[35] As part of Carolines' Breakout Artists Series, Greenbaum headlined the club, becoming the first performer to sell out a "Breakout" show. Greenbaum became a member of the New York Friars' Club in 2009, making him one of the youngest people ever inducted into the legendary club. On August 5, 2017, Greenbaum was awarded the Clarke Crandall Award for Comedy at the 80th Abbott's Magic Get-Together in Colon, Michigan, the Magic Capital of the World.

## References

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1. ^ a b Building a lifelong comedy laugh track
2. ^ a b Ullian, Adam (October 19, 2009). "Jokes up his sleeve" (PDF). amNew York. p. 20\. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 5, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
3. ^ "Visiting Committee Prize for Undergraduate Book Collecting - Lamont Library - Harvard College Library". Archived from the original on September 9, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
4. ^ "Prizes | Psychology Undergraduate Program". Archived from the original on March 18, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
5. ^ Zaino III, Nick (October 5, 2007). "Festival is Happy Helping Rising Stars". The Boston Globe. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
6. ^ Howell, Daniel (October 12, 2007). "No Hecklers Here: Stand-Up Society Takes the Stage". Harvard Crimson. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
7. ^ Kearney, Joshua (December 7, 2006). "First Stand Up Show Very Risqué". Harvard Crimson. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
8. ^ "Harrison's Tour Schedule". Harrison Greenbaum. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
9. ^ "Mad Apple at New York-New York Hotel & Casino | Buy tickets | Cirque du Soleil". www.cirquedusoleil.com. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
10. ^ Veness, Susan and Simon (May 28, 2022). "'Mad Apple' by Cirque du Soleil celebrates New York City's culture". Attractions Magazine. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
11. ^ Radke, Brad (July 6, 2023). "'Mad Apple' by Cirque du Soleil celebrates New York City's culture". Las Vegas Weekly. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
12. ^ "Harrison Greenbaum". New York Magicians. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
13. ^ Heyman, Marshall (December 31, 2012). "At Carolines, Laughing the Year Away". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
14. ^ "Whitney Kropp and Katie Uffens Backstage at "Katie": "Katie" comedian Harrison catches up with Whitney and Katie after the show". KatieCouric.com. October 2, 2012. Archived from the original on November 13, 2012. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
15. ^ "Harrison Greenbaum: Comedian Comes Out As A Comic To His Parents - America's Got Talent 2017" on YouTube
16. ^ "Harrison Greenbaum: America Is #1 In Personal Lightning Strikes - CONAN on TBS" on YouTube
17. ^ "Life’s a Circus for Harrison Greenbaum" on YouTube
18. ^ Cardoza, Gonzolo. "Comedians Predict What 2010 Has In Store for Us". Comedy Central Insider. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
19. ^ "New Years Celebrations Available On-Demand". Retrieved February 25, 2010.
20. ^ Times Square Alliance. "Times Square New Year's Eve 2010 Press Release". Archived from the original on February 11, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
21. ^ Taub, Eric (December 16, 2009). "Times Square Goes a Tweeting". The New York Times. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
22. ^ McCarthy, Sean. "Harrison Greenbaum to co-host Times Square's first-ever New Year's Eve Webcast". Retrieved February 25, 2010.
23. ^ "2011 Award Recipients". New York Innovative Theatre Awards. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
24. ^ Hetrick, Adam (September 19, 2011). "Innovative Theatre Awards Held Sept. 19; Susan Stroman and John Patrick Shanley Are Presenters". Playbill.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
25. ^ Bacalzo, Dan (September 14, 2011). "Harrison Greenbaum, David Henry Hwang, Susan Stroman, et al. Set for IT Awards Ceremony". TheaterMania.com. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
26. ^ BWW Newsdesk (September 12, 2012). "Comedian Harrison Greenbaum to Host 2012 Innovative Theater Awards, 9/24". OffOffBroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
27. ^ Taylor, Jordyn (September 25, 2012). "2012 IT Awards Take Over Kaye Playhouse". Backstage. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
28. ^ Slaubaugh, Mike. "MAD Magazine Contributor Appearances". Retrieved February 25, 2010.
29. ^ "Andy Kaufman Award Official Website". Retrieved November 14, 2010.
30. ^ "The Andy Kaufman Award Announces 2010 Winner: Harrison Greenbaum Receives Award for Outstanding Comedy Performance" (PDF) (Press release). The Andy Kaufman Award. November 3, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 16, 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2010.
31. ^ Stage Time Magazine (November 7, 2010). "Comedian Harrison Greenbaum Named Winner of 2010 Andy Kaufman Award". Archived from the original on December 28, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
32. ^ "#EmergingComedian finalists on how Twitter has changed their careers". Official Shorty Awards Website. November 15, 2011. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
33. ^ "Comedy Central and the New York Comedy Festival Team Up to Launch a Showcase of the Hottest Up-and-Coming Comedians" (Press release). Comedy Central. July 13, 2010. Retrieved November 14, 2010.
34. ^ McCarthy, Sean (November 1, 2010). "Are you one of Comedy Central's Comics to Watch for 2010? Meet the lucky few at Carolines for the NYCF". Archived from the original on November 4, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
35. ^ "Carolines Breakout Artist: Harrison Greenbaum". Retrieved September 6, 2010.

## External links

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* Official website