Paul Mecurio
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Paul Mecurio is a Rhode Island-born comedian once featured on Comedy Central Presents. A lawyer by education (graduated from Georgetown University Law Center), Mecurio took up stand-up comedy after working as an investment banker and merger and acquisitions lawyer.
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[edit] Early career
A native of Providence, Rhode Island, Paul Mecurio graduated with honors from Georgetown University Law Center and began his career on Wall Street as a mergers and acquisitions lawyer at the law firm of Willkie Farr and Gallagher and later as an investment banker at CS First Boston. All the while, Paul was honing a second career writing and performing comedy and was hired by Jay Leno to write jokes for “The Tonight Show.” In 1995, with the encouragement of Jay, Paul moved center stage, leaving Wall Street and starting his career as a stand-up comedian.
[edit] The Daily Show
In 1996, Paul was invited to be on the original writing team for a new Comedy Central show called “The Daily Show.” In 2001, as a writer for “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” Paul won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement In Writing In A Variety, Music or Comedy Program. For his work on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: Indecision 2000,” Paul was honored with a Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcasting. In 2002, Paul received his second Emmy nomination for his work on “The Daily Show.” Paul has also been featured in “The Daily Show” segment, “Second Opinion,” in which he skewered the medical profession playing an HMO representative with a less than sympathetic mindset.
[edit] Sex For Sam
As a recurring guest and friend of on the Opie and Anthony show, when the duo were broadcasting on WNEW-FM in New York City, Mecurio was asked to be a "spotter" and show commentator during a Sam Adams promotion that encouraged couples to have sex in public places called "Sex For Sam." Mecurio's couple wound up at St Patrick's Cathedral, and were caught by a security guard who told the three to leave. Although agreeing to leave, Mecurio (later admitting for comedic value) argued with the guard until police arrived, and the three were subsequently arrested.
The Opie and Anthony Show was canceled two days after "Sex For Sam," due to the controversy, and the station flipped format 5 months later. [1] Opie and Anthony eventually returned to radio two years later when their contract with Infinity Broadcasting had expired, and seldom mention Mecurio on the air.
On July 29, 2009 producer Erik Nagel from the Opie and Anthony satellite radio program ran into Mercurio in New York City at the corner of 49th Street and 7th Avenue and introduced himself. Mercurio gave Erock a dirty look and walked away with his brown "Lucky Bag."
[edit] Stand-Up/TV/Film
A national headliner in clubs across North America and in Europe, Paul has performed at the prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal and has made numerous TV appearances including “The Late, Late Show with Craig Kilborn,” Comedy Central’s “Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn,” NBC’s “Late Friday,” Comedy Central’s “Dr. Katz” and numerous appearances on VH1’s popular clip shows. Paul has been a guest on Fox News Channel and makes regular appearances on CNN, CNNfn and MSNBC as a political satirist.
Paul was seen in a guest-starring role opposite John Cleese in the failed ABC sitcom “Wednesday at 9:30” and shot a television pilot set in New York City for famed producer/directors Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana. He can also be seen in the upcoming film drama, “High Art, Low Life,” written and directed by Peter Nourjian and recently shot the lead role in the independent film “Faux Pix.”
Paul has written, produced and directed five short films, the latest of which, “Gloves,” an off-center dark comedy has been screened at several prestigious film festivals including “The US Comedy Arts Festival” in Aspen, “The Toronto Film Festival,” “The Los Angeles Independent Film Festival” and “The San Sebastian Film Festival” in Spain. Paul also worked on the film “American Buffalo,” starring Dustin Hoffman and Dennis Franz based on the award winning David Mamet play of the same name.
On May 21, 2004, Paul premiered his own “Comedy Central Presents” half-hour special. Paul was featured as a political satirist in the 2004 Presidential Election coverage by The Daily News, CNN, MSNBC, CNNfn, and ESPN2.
Mecurio has also been working as the warm-up comic for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire with Meredith Vieira.
[edit] Sports Central
Paul recently shot the television pilot “Sports Central,” in which he starred, co-created and executive produced. Using a news format, “Sports Central” is a funny, smart look at the controversial off-the-field issues and player behavior plaguing sports. [2]
![[2]](http://www.paulmecurio.com/PRESS/Daily_News.jpg){kind=link}