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Andy Cowan

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For the Australian blues pianist and singer, seeAndy Cowan (musician).
Andy Cowan
Andy Cowan

Andy Cowan(bornAndrew Glenn Cowan)[1]is an American writer and script consultant for television and other media. He is the creator and host of the comedy/therapy podcast,The Neurotic Vaccine,launched in 2022 from Benztown + McVay Media Podcast Networks.The Neurotic Vaccinewound up landing among the top comedy interview podcasts in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Italy, Greece, Denmark, Ireland, and Romania, and in 2023 was a multiple finalQuill (podcasting)Award nominee for Best New Podcast and Best Comedy Podcast. From 2010–2011, he co-hosted his radio comedy therapy talk show,Up & Down Guys,onKPFK90.7 FM in Los Angeles.[2]

In 2019 anUp & Down Guyspodcast pilot was produced forWestwood One.He has appeared on several television shows, hosted the hour-long talk show pilot,Another Talk Show! with Andy Cowan,featuringJason Alexanderand Sheila Raye Charles,[3]and was guest commentator on KTTV'sGood Day L.A.He has written humor columns for theLos Angeles Timesnewspaper and magazine,Salon,[4]special material forThe New Yorker,and several songs, one of which won international song contest nods. He is a voiceover artist, and sings in jazz clubs throughout Los Angeles.[5]

Biography

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Cowan received amaster's degreein broadcasting fromBoston Universityand began his broadcasting career in radio and TV news in Pennsylvania.[6]Featured in the November 2018 edition ofAmerican UniversityMagazine,[7]it was there he received his bachelor of arts degree in psychology.

Career

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After gaining media experience in Pennsylvania radio and TV stations and performing standup comedy, Cowan moved toLos Angeles,writing scripts for several comedy television shows. He gained greater exposure withThe Merv Griffin Showduring the 1980s, where he wrote, assisted in producing segments, and was a recurring performer. He pre-interviewed hundreds of political, literary and entertainment figures, includingJerry SeinfeldandOrson Welleseight times up to his final TV appearance, deemed one ofTV Guidemagazine's 60 greatest talk show moments. For the cable TV channelShowtime,he produced, wrote and hosted the 1990 short6 Minutes,[8]a spoof of the popular60 Minutes.That segment won aCableACEAward in 1991.[9]

In 1996Varietynamed him one of "50 Creatives to Watch." At the 2009 Southeast New England Film, Music & Arts Festival, Cowan received the Best Comedy Award for the short film,Knocked Down,which he wrote and appears in. He was writing consultant onPrego,best comedy short film at the 2015 Manhattan Film Festival. Cowan has performed in comedy clubs throughout the country.[6]His voice has been used on audiobooks for theStar Warsaudiobook series, as narrator on the Audible Inc. audiobook,Tales from theOklahoma Sooners Sidelines,and in TV show voiceovers, including as narrator onHollywood's Best Film Directors.He has written forMyFMin Los Angeles and wrote for theJack FMnetwork from 2007 to 2010. He has written 300 panels for the award-winning worldwide syndicated newspaper comic stripBizarroin collaboration withDan Piraro,one of which was featured on NBC'sMeet the Press,over 40 panels for the syndicated newspaper comic stripRhymes with Orangein collaboration withHilary B. Price,multiple panels forHarry Bliss's syndicated comic panel,Bliss,a panel and special material forThe New Yorker,several panels for the British current affairs magazine,Prospect,Reader's DigestHumor in Uniformpanels, andAir Mail,a digital weekly newsletter launched in 2019 by formerVanity Faireditor-in-chiefGraydon Carterand formerThe New York TimesreporterAlessandra Stanley,and political cartoon panels forCounterpoint Media.

Cowan's songwriting work includes...Hitchin' on the Highway of Life(music, lyrics, vocals by Andy Cowan, guitar arrangement by Marty Rifkin, award-winning session musician forBruce Springsteen,Tom PettyandJewel) recipient of five international songwriting nods and featured inKnocked Downand the opening theme ofThe Neurotic Vaccine... And20th Century Man(music, lyrics, vocals) the theme toAnother Talk Show! with Andy CowanandOur Time is Up with Andy Cowan(host, writer, producer).[10][11][better source needed]

Cowan's television writing work includes "The Opposite",one of the top tenSeinfeldepisodes.[12]

In 2016, author/columnist,CNNanchor andSiriusXMradio host,Michael Smerconish,devoted a Sunday column inThe Philadelphia Inquirer[13]to Cowan's takes onDonald Trump's opposite approach to running for president, and interviewed Cowan on hisSiriusXMshow[14]about Trump possibly becoming Cowan's epitaph, for which Cowan, as reported inTV Guide'sTV Insider,apologized.[15]

Cowan was a 2017 recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award fromMarquisWho's Who in America.

His memoir,Banging My Head Against the Wall: A Comedy Writer's Guide to Seeing Stars,with a foreword byJay Leno,was released on June 28, 2018. Media interviews includedKCAL-TVCBS Channel 9; Los Angeles;KTLA-TVChannel 5, Los Angeles;KABC Radio,Los Angeles;WGN Radio,Chicago; The Michael Smerconish Program, SiriusXM;Coast to Coast AMwithGeorge Noory;The Michael Harrison Interview andThe Adam Carolla ShowonPodcastOne;TheJim Bohannon Show;and First Light on Westwood One.Banging My Head Against the Wall: A Comedy Writer's Guide to Seeing Starswas acquired in 2019 by TheNational Comedy Centerin Jamestown, New York.[citation needed]

Credits

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Partial credits include:

  • Cheers(3 episodes plus an additional story, 1985–1987) – (writer)
  • Throb(1 episode, 1986) – (writer)
  • Take FiveakaTheGeorge SegalShow, (6 episodes, 1987) – (writer, story editor)
  • The Pat Sajak Show(1989-1990) – (writer, performer)
  • Into the Night(1990–1991) – (writer)
  • Seinfeld(23 episodes, 1994–1995) – (writer, program consultant)[6]
  • Double Rush(12 episodes, 1994) – (writer, story editor)
  • 3rd Rock from the Sun(16 episodes, 1995–96) – (writer, executive story consultant)
  • The Merv Griffin Show1981–86) – writer, segment producer, talent coordinator, performer)
  • 6 Minutes(Showtime, 1990 short segment) – (producer, writer, host)
  • My Talk Show(1990, 1991) – (writer)[16]
  • The Best Damn Sports Show Period(3 episodes, 2002) – (announcer)
  • Only Human(1990) (CBS pilot, co-writer)
  • Barely Fitz(1998) (CBS pilot, writer)
  • Howie(2000) (Fox pilot, writer)
  • Knocked Down(2008 short film) – (writer, actor, vocalist)[17]
  • Ellen DeGeneres- (writer for 2001 Emmy hosting)
  • Phonees(2011 webisode series) – (writer, actor)[18]
  • Up & Down Guys(2010–11 radio show, KPFK-FM, Los Angeles) – (creator, writer, co-host)
  • Another Talk Show! with Andy Cowan(2011 pilot) – (executive producer, writer, host)
  • Our Time is Up with Andy Cowan(2015 pilot) – (creator, writer, host)
  • Wannabes(2016 pilot) – (Co-creator, writer, actor)
  • Donald Trump is George as "The Opposite",The Michael Smerconish Program interview, SiriusXM, March 2016
  • Is That Normal? with Andy Cowan(2019 comedy docuseries pilot) – (co-creator, executive producer, lead)
  • Die Job(2019 dark comedy feature) – (writer)
  • The Neurotic Vaccine(2022 comedy/therapy podcast) - (creator, writer, producer, editor, co-host, Benztown + McVay Media Podcast Networks)

References

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  1. ^"Marquis Who's Who on Demand — Search results for" cowan, andrew ", page 1".Archived fromthe originalon 2012-03-16.Retrieved2011-08-02.
  2. ^"Andy Cowan".Andycowan.net.
  3. ^"Sizzle: Another Talk Show! Jason Alexander & as George Costanza, Andy Cowan (HOST) as Jerry Seinfeld".YouTube.RetrievedDecember 9,2021.
  4. ^"Andy Cowan's Articles at Salon".Salon.RetrievedDecember 9,2021.
  5. ^"Andy Cowan & The Nina Beck Trio - ILL WIND".YouTube.RetrievedDecember 9,2021.
  6. ^abc"Andy Cowan".IMDb.RetrievedDecember 9,2021.
  7. ^"There's Something About Andy".American University.RetrievedDecember 9,2021.
  8. ^"6 Minutes (1991 CableAce Award-winning 60 Minutes parody featuring Andy Cowan)".YouTube.RetrievedDecember 9,2021.
  9. ^"CableACE Awards (1991)".IMDb.RetrievedDecember 9,2021.
  10. ^"See: Another Talk Show! w/ Jason Alexander & as George Costanza, Andy Cowan (HOST) as Jerry Seinfeld".YouTube.RetrievedDecember 9,2021.
  11. ^"OUR TIME IS UP with Andy Cowan - Comedy Pilot".YouTube.RetrievedDecember 9,2021.
  12. ^"Sketch Anatomy: Andy Cowan Explains the Origins of 'Seinfeld's" The Opposite "| Splitsider".Archived fromthe originalon September 24, 2014.RetrievedSeptember 21,2014.
  13. ^[1][dead link]
  14. ^"SoundCloud - Hear the world's sounds".SoundCloud.RetrievedDecember 9,2021.
  15. ^"'Seinfeld' Writer Apologizes if Donald Trump is Imitating George Costanza's 'The Opposite' Episode ".Tvinsider.
  16. ^"My Talk Show".IMDb.September 1, 1990.RetrievedDecember 9,2021.
  17. ^"Knocked Down (2008)".IMDb.RetrievedDecember 9,2021.
  18. ^"Phonees".IMDb.October 10, 2011.RetrievedDecember 9,2021.
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