Clay Graham
Encyclopedia
Clay Graham is an American
comedy
writer
, television producer
and website creator, best known for his work on The Drew Carey Show
.
, Graham began writing comedy in high school, selling material to humorist Robert Orben
for seven dollars a joke. While still in college, he wrote for Mad
magazine, creating scripts for artist Don Martin.
.
After this, he worked as a writer and producer on the last three seasons of the long-running ABC
comedy, Who's the Boss?
. During this period, Graham wrote "The All-Nighter," an episode still somewhat controversial among fans of the sitcom because of its relatively dark themes.
In 1995, Graham became the head writer
and an executive producer of The Drew Carey Show
. He remained on the show for eight of its nine seasons, producing more than 200 episodes. He produced and helped write many of the series' trademark musical numbers, as well as its annual "live" broadcasts. In 1998, Graham and Drew Carey
took a small production crew overseas and became the first Americans to film a sitcom in China
, using locations such as The Great Wall
and the Beijing
McDonald's
.
In April 2009, TBS announced at its upfront that it was developing a prime-time, animated comedy series with Graham called "Big Tow."
The New York Times published an essay by Graham in its Modern Love column on July 8, 2010 titled "What Clown Wrote This Script?' detailing Graham's relationship with an unnamed actress for whom he developed a TV pilot a decade earlier. Although comic in tone, the essay explores Graham's inner struggles about mixing business and romance and ends on a bittersweet note.
, a new entertainment website for children. Co-created with Kathy Kinney
, who played "Mimi" on The Drew Carey Show
and who also stars as "Mrs. P" in the site, and Dana Plautz, a former executive with Hanna-Barbera
and Intel, the comic website celebrates reading and launched on November 10, 2008.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
writer
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, television producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
and website creator, best known for his work on The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004. The show was set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized version of the actor....
.
Early years
Born in Phoenix, ArizonaPhoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, Graham began writing comedy in high school, selling material to humorist Robert Orben
Robert Orben
Robert Orben is best known as an American professional comedy writer, though he also worked as a speechwriter for Gerald R. Ford and as a magician...
for seven dollars a joke. While still in college, he wrote for Mad
Mad (magazine)
Mad is an American humor magazine founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines in 1952. Launched as a comic book before it became a magazine, it was widely imitated and influential, impacting not only satirical media but the entire cultural landscape of the 20th century.The last...
magazine, creating scripts for artist Don Martin.
Writing career
Soon after graduation, Graham was hired as a writer on the sitcom BensonBenson (TV series)
Benson is an American television sitcom which aired from September 13, 1979, to April 19, 1986, on ABC. The series was a spin-off from the soap opera parody Soap ; however, Benson discarded the...
.
After this, he worked as a writer and producer on the last three seasons of the long-running ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
comedy, Who's the Boss?
Who's the Boss?
Who's the Boss? is an American sitcom created by Martin Cohan and Blake Hunter, which aired on ABC from September 20, 1984 to April 25, 1992...
. During this period, Graham wrote "The All-Nighter," an episode still somewhat controversial among fans of the sitcom because of its relatively dark themes.
In 1995, Graham became the head writer
Head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
and an executive producer of The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004. The show was set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized version of the actor....
. He remained on the show for eight of its nine seasons, producing more than 200 episodes. He produced and helped write many of the series' trademark musical numbers, as well as its annual "live" broadcasts. In 1998, Graham and Drew Carey
Drew Carey
Drew Allison Carey is an American actor, singer, comedian, photographer, sports executive, and game show host. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, Carey eventually gained popularity starring on his own sitcom, The Drew Carey Show, and serving as...
took a small production crew overseas and became the first Americans to film a sitcom in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, using locations such as The Great Wall
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China, built originally to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups...
and the Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
.
In April 2009, TBS announced at its upfront that it was developing a prime-time, animated comedy series with Graham called "Big Tow."
The New York Times published an essay by Graham in its Modern Love column on July 8, 2010 titled "What Clown Wrote This Script?' detailing Graham's relationship with an unnamed actress for whom he developed a TV pilot a decade earlier. Although comic in tone, the essay explores Graham's inner struggles about mixing business and romance and ends on a bittersweet note.
Website
In 2007, Graham began developing MrsP.comMrsP.com
MrsP.com is a free children's entertainment website. It stars actress Kathy Kinney as Mrs. P, a redheaded Irishwoman who reads classic children's stories from her "Magic Library." The target audience for the website is kids between the ages of 3-12, and its goal is to "encourage a lifetime love...
, a new entertainment website for children. Co-created with Kathy Kinney
Kathy Kinney
Kathy Kinney is an American actress and comedian. She gained considerable popularity in the late 1990s for playing Mimi Bobeck, the outrageously made-up, flamboyantly vulgar, and vindictive nemesis of Drew Carey on the sitcom The Drew Carey Show...
, who played "Mimi" on The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004. The show was set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized version of the actor....
and who also stars as "Mrs. P" in the site, and Dana Plautz, a former executive with Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
and Intel, the comic website celebrates reading and launched on November 10, 2008.