Sammy J

Sammy J (aka Sam Jonathan McMillan) is an award-winning comedian, writer and composer based in Melbourne, Australia. As a solo act, Sammy J won the Best Newcomer award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. He has since performed in Edinburgh, Montreal, and every major Australian comedy festival. His album "Skinny Man, Modern World" received an ARIA nomination for Best Comedy Release, and he gained a national following with his satirical take on the 2016 Federal Election, "Sammy J's Playground Politics". His current solo show, "Hero Complex", won Best Comedy at the Melbourne Fringe Festival and was nominated for a Helpmann Award in 2017. In 2008, a collaboration with puppeteer Heath McIvor led to the dark musical comedy "Forest of Dreams". As "Sammy J & Randy", the duo received the Barry Award for Most Outstanding Show at the 2010 Melbourne Comedy Festival. Their acclaimed live shows have taken them from the Sydney Opera House to London's West End, and in 2015 they were handpicked by Neil Patrick Harris to appear in his Montreal Gala. Their musical sitcom, "Sammy J & Randy in Ricketts Lane", premiered on ABC TV in 2015, and has since launched on Netflix UK and NBC's Seeso in the USA. As a composer, Sammy J has written countless comedy songs for stage and screen, and scored the incidental music for "Ricketts Lane" and "Sammy J's Playground Politics". Away from the comedy world, Sammy J's MC skills have seen him host award shows, interview politicians, and inject much-needed humour into corporate events. He regularly runs workshops in schools, and his debut middle-grade novel, "The Long Class Goodnight", is released in 2018. Sammy J is a proud Ambassador for Big Brothers Big Sisters and Oxfam, and has travelled to South Africa and PNG to witness their work firsthand. Sammy J's biggest project remains unfinished. In 2008, he started "The 50 Year Show", a comedy spectacular that will run every five years until 2058. The show continues in Melbourne in 2018.