Ray Ellin
 |
| Ray Ellin | |
|---|---|
| Medium | Stand up comedian, actor, writer, producer, talk show host |
| Nationality | American |
| Genres | Observational comedy, Satire/Political satire, Social commentary |
| Subject(s) | American culture, American politics, current events, pop culture |
| Website | rayellin.com |
Ray Ellin is an American comedian, talk show host, producer, writer, and director.
Career
[edit]Ellin performs at top comedy clubs around the United States. He hosted and wrote for the syndicated shows The Movie Loft, Premium TV, New York Now, and BrainFuel TV. He also hosted the ground-breaking web-based talk show LateNet with Ray Ellin. The show has had appearances by comedians, actors, and authors including Chevy Chase, Leonard Nimoy, Jeff Garlin, Hank Azaria, Charles Grodin, Richard Belzer, Susie Essman, Artie Lange, Amy Sedaris, Richard Kind, Paul Shaffer, Oksana Baiul and Fran Drescher.
Ellin produced and directed the film The Latin Legends Of Comedy,[1] which he financed on his own six credit cards.[2] Its opening weekend, the film finished third in per-screen average behind Oscar winners The Last King Of Scotland and The Queen.[citation needed] The movie was acquired by 20th Century Fox for US DVD rights.[citation needed] Ellin co-starred in the film Killing Cinderella opposite Jessica Capshaw.[3] In 2011, Ellin became the host of the Gong Show Live, a resurrection of the iconic television show. In 2012, he became the host of the new television show Worth The Wait.
In 2013, Ellin opened Aruba Ray's Comedy Club on the island of Aruba. The venue recently celebrated its eleventh anniversary, and does approximately 100 shows a year, and features top US comedians on each show (including Ellin). The wildly successful venue is rated number one on TripAdvisor for Best Show and Best Nightlife. Ellin has become an outspoken ambassador of Aruba, and once declared on an interview on Fox television that "Aruba saved him spiritually." He has distributed thousands of books to schools in Aruba, and has helped raise thousands of dollars for the One Love Foundation, a non-profit that helps animals in Aruba.
In 2018, Ellin became executive producer of the television show This Week at the Comedy Cellar. The show was sold to Comedy Central, and wrapped season three in early 2020. The show ended its run as a result of the pandemic in 2020.
In May 2020, Ellin started Comedy Cloud, a company that produces live, interactive, online comedy shows for companies, non-profits, and schools. During the pandemic, Ellin raised money for Aruban charities through comedy shows on Zoom. While live venues were closed in NYC, Ellin performed standup on the island of Aruba.
In the summer of 2024, Ellin produced standup shows in theaters in Paris during the Olympics. On his podcast "Wild Nights on the Prairie," Ellin said the "Paris Olympics and Shows were one of the best experiences of my life, and I'm incredibly grateful and lucky to have been able to have it."
In 2023 and 2024, Ellin toured Europe, performing in France (Paris, Lille), Italy (Rome, Florence), Spain (Barcelona, Madrid), Germany (Frankfurt, Berlin), Belgium (Brussels), Denmark (Copenhagen), Austria (Vienna), and Czech Republic (Prague).
Personal
[edit]Ellin grew up with older sisters, who had him listening to Barry Manilow songs as a small boy. Therefore, he knows the lyrics to almost all of Manilow's songs. At age eleven, would get up at 5:30 a.m. to deliver The Boston Globe. Ellin moved to New York City after college. He moved around many times, at one point sleeping in the front seat of his Dodge Aspen.[4] While parked in front of a Manhattan high school, Ellin was awoken by students rocking the car. He has had a variety of jobs, including selling postal uniforms to letter carriers.[2] Ellin has joked "You've never lived until you've measured the inseam of an angry mailman."
Ellin has helped raise over a million dollars for various charities; he has been quoted as saying "I want to make a fortune doing what I love to do, and then just be a philanthropist."
Awards
[edit]- 2009: Ellin was named one of "New York's Best Emerging Artists".
- 2006: Ellin received a Proclamation from the City of New York for his contributions to comedy.
- His film The Latin Legends Of Comedy won the jury award at the Boston International Film Festival.[when?]
External links
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Genzlinger, Neil (September 29, 2006). "On Stage and Off With Three Veterans of the Comedy Scene". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-01-31.
- ^ a b Dylan P. Gadino, "Ray Ellin: On the Go!" Punchline, May 10, 2006
- ^ "'Is this thing on?' Today's comics find success elusive". The Christian Science Monitor. August 30, 2002. Retrieved 2009-01-31.
- ^ Steve Lipman, "A Class Clown Eyes The A-List", The Jewish Week, September 30, 2009.