Brett Evan Erlich (born March 1, 1982) is an American political comedian featured as a writer, producer and host on TV shows and Web sites. He is the executive producer of ''

The Young Turks ''The Young Turks'' (TYT) is an American progressive news commentary show on YouTube that additionally appears on selected television channels. TYT serves as the flagship program of the TYT Network, a multi-channel network of associated web s ...

'' network, where he also appears as a host of "Happy Half Hour". He also appears on

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...

Primetime Specials hosted by

Barbara Walters Barbara Jill Walters (born September 25, 1929) is an American broadcast journalist and television personality. Known for her interviewing ability and popularity with viewers, Walters appeared as a host of numerous television programs, including ...

and

Katie Couric Katherine Anne Couric ( ; born January 7, 1957) is an American journalist and presenter. She is founder of Katie Couric Media, a multimedia news and production company. She also publishes a daily newsletter, ''Wake Up Call''. From 2013 to 2017, ...

. From 2006–2011, Erlich was a writer, producer, and host of ''

InfoMania ''InfoMania'' (stylized as ''infoMania'') is an American half-hour weekly satirical news-show that aired on the Current TV television network from 2007 to 2011. The program was initially hosted by Conor Knighton and later Brett Erlich, with featu ...

'', a comedic news show on the cable station

Current TV Current TV was an American television channel which broadcast from August 1, 2005, to August 20, 2013. Prior INdTV founders Al Gore and Joel Hyatt, with Ronald Burkle, each held a sizable stake in Current TV. Comcast and DirecTV each held a smalle ...

. He formerly wrote, co-hosted (with Ellen Fox), and co-

executive produced Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

The Rotten Tomatoes Show Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

'' (2009–2010). ''InfoMania'' was canceled in the summer of 2011. From July 1, 2006 to July 9, 2007, Erlich wrote, associate-produced, and co-hosted ''Google Current''.

Early life and education

Born in 1982 in the

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...

near

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, he attended local public schools and graduated from high school at Chaminade College Preparatory in West Hills. He studied at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

, graduating in 2004. While there, he co-founded the Stanford Shakespeare Society. This student-run company is devoted to the production and performance of Shakespearean and Shakespeare-influenced drama.

Career

Erlich has become established as a political comedian in TV shows and on the Web. From July 1, 2006 to July 9, 2007, Erlich wrote, associate-produced, and co-hosted ''Google Current''. From 2006–2011, Brett was a writer, producer, and host of ''

'', a half-hour comedic news show on the cable station

. It was created by Madeline Smithberg, who created ''

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

,'' and executive producer David Nickoll. Erlich formerly wrote, co-hosted (with Ellen Fox), and co-

'' on

(2009–2010). After its cancellation, some of its material was compressed into a weekly 2-minute segment on ''InfoMania.'' This show was cancelled in the summer of 2011. Erlich's segments on ''InfoMania'' and ''Google Current'' have included "Viral Video Film School," "Guilty Pleasures," "Men Menning," "Everybody's Doin' It," "Spam I Got," "Ostensibly on the Scene," "World Leader Flickr Sites," "Retroactive Interview," and "FearCast." His show, ''Viral Video Film School,'' was nominated for a Webby Award in 2010. It was a People's Voice Winner in the Online Film & Video "How To & DIY" category. His video ''Saw the Musical'' was nominated for a 2011 Webby in the Variety category; it lost to

Zach Galifianakis Zachary Knight Galifianakis (born October 1, 1969) is an American actor and comedian. He appeared in ''Comedy Central Presents'' special and presented his show ''Late World with Zach'' on VH1. Galifianakis has starred in films including ''Th ...

' ''Between Two Ferns.'' In 2012 Erlich appeared in the independent feature ''Dead Dad.'' In the fall of 2013, Erlich became the online host of ''Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Declassified,'' a spinoff online show on ABC.com. It is companion to the ABC Network show, ''

Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics ...

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ''Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' is an American television series created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen for ABC, based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, an ...

'' ''Declassified'' features recaps, sketches and featurettes to bring fans up to speed. According to

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'','' the network plans three expanded installments during the season to delve into the series’ more provocative storylines, with the help of some special guests.

Personal life

In 2017, Erlich married longtime girlfriend Brooke Marks.

Notes and references

External links

Stanford Shakespeare Society
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Erlich, Brett Living people American television writers American male television writers Current TV people The Young Turks people Television personalities from Los Angeles Stanford University alumni 1982 births Chaminade College Preparatory School (California) alumni Writers from Los Angeles