Elisha Yaffe
Elisha Yaffe | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 13, 1983 [1] Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA |
| Occupation | Actor and writer[2] |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School, Emerson College[3] |
| Alma mater | Emerson College |
| Website | |
| http://elishayaffe.com/ | |
Elisha Yaffe (born August 13, 1983) is a comedian, actor and producer. He is best known for co-creating several notable webseries, including Downers Grove, Minor Stars and Remember When: A Comedy Series which, according to Gigaom, was recently taken out to pitch as a television series.[5] Currently he can be seen in commercials for Mike's Hard Lemonade, Time Warner Cable and Nintendo.[6][7] In 2010, he was named to the Heeb 100[8], a yearly roundup of 100 creative Jews you need to know about.[9]
Life and career
Yaffe is from Amherst, Massachusetts, where he was a founding member of the Valley Arts Project, a non-profit dedicated to supporting the development of young artists.[10] He is a graduate of Emerson College.[3] While at Emerson, he founded Zebro, a Boston-based sketch comedy group that drew national attention due to popular YouTube videos by the troupe.[11] The troupe put on a regular live show at the ImprovBoston. According to The Boston Herald, Zebro's live show featured sketches, stand up, videos, and even Yaffe's own grandmother crocheting live onstage.[12]
As a senior at Emerson he was asked to take part in the 30 Years of Comedy show that was held at the Majestic Theater in Downtown Boston. He shared the bill that included the likes of Steven Wright, Denis Leary, Bill Burr, Eddie Brill, and Bill Dana.[13] That same year, Yaffe was asked to perform a showcase in front of Emerson alumn and Comedy Central president Doug Herzog.[3]
After college, he formed Sorry, Dad Productions with Michael Blaiklock, Dave Horwitz, and Justin Becker. Together they produced the slacker comedy "Downers Grove" produced for Warner Brothers Studio 2.0. It eventually premiered on TheWB.com as part of a major site redesign and content launch. The project took nearly three years to launch. Within that time Michael Angelokas, the composer of the show's title track, became a household name with the success of his indie pop band Passion Pit. According to Yaffe, the delay of "Downers Grove" was due to the fact that Warner Brothers, like many big production houses at the time, was still trying to find the right strategy for web content production.[5]
He now resides in Los Angeles.
References
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3114820/
- ^ http://elishayaffe.com
- ^ a b c "The Boston Globe", November 12, 2006, Anupreeta Das, "Out of the Shadows"
- ^ http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/gallery/comedians?pg=5
- ^ a b "Gigaom", June 15, 2010, Liz Shannon Miller, ["Downers Grove Waits Two Years for TheWB Premiere" http://gigaom.com/video/downers-grove-waits-two-years-for-thewb-premiere/]
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEZUF7BARQo
- ^ http://www.elishayaffe.com/video
- ^ "Heeb Magazine", April 5, 2010, Jessie, "Heeb 100: Elisha Yaffe"
- ^ "DCist", January 12, 2010, Josh Novikoff, "Six & | Showcases Local Heeb 100 Honorees"
- ^ http://gazettenet.com/2004/08/21/arts-fest-shows-work-young-artists?SESSf4e1e7ba66b254c6d8fc7e71af19cdf7=gnews
- ^ http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2007/03/23/zebro_sketch_team_rides_wave_of_video_success_to_new_york/
- ^ The Boston Herald, March 31, 2006, Sean McCarthy, "Who's So Funny?" http://imgur.com/C3GP8
- ^ Loge, Peter (September, 2006) "Comedy Showcase Marked 30 Years of Emerson Comedy", "Expressions" 15(23)