Paul Virzi

Paul was first attracted to stand-up comedy at a very young age. He was only nine years old when he witnessed Eddie Murphy's RAW in 1987. Although he couldn't understand all the jokes, and probably should not have been listening to explicit language, he became instantly intrigued by the idea of speaking into a microphone and making a crowd of people happy. Also, in the mid-eighties, his father took him to see Rodney Dangerfield live at Radio City Music Hall in NYC. By the end of the show, he was sleeping on his father's lap but the seed was planted. Growing up, Paul was always making people laugh, something that he continues to do today. Paul makes waves and raises eyebrows every time he touches a microphone. In the year 2000 Paul entered a contest in upstate NY where he went to high school. It was called The Hudson Valley's Funniest Man for a popular radio station. The competition, which was comprised of over 20 contestants, lasted more than two months. Before he knew it, Paul had successfully passed the first two rounds, joining the last seven comics in the finals. It came down to him and one other. In the end, Paul fell short. However, this inspired him. Not only has he gone on to win many other contests, but he also came to the realization that this is what he wants to do for the rest of his life. Since then he has opened numerous times for some of the best comedians in the business. Comics such as Dave Attell from Comedy Central's "Insomniac" and "The Gong Show" and Bill Burr from Comedy Central's "Chappelle's Show" and his one hour special "Why Do I Do This" are just a couple. Paul performs all over the country and many of the nation's top comedy clubs have called him one of the strongest up and comers working today. Recently, Paul was a semi-finalist for NY's Funniest Comic Competition for the NY Comedy Festival in NYC. Paul's Stand-Up can be heard on Sirius Satellite Radio daily. He is also currently shooting a TV pilot for a show he wrote and created along with some fellow comics. Paul never fails in keeping the laughs coming and making the audience feel comfortable with his hard hitting personal approach. He is fun to watch and has a great stage presence.