About Dan

Ah, yes, what about Dan?

Born a pauper in a small village in Indonesia, Dan went on to become a beloved star in Indian cinema…

(Ok, no.  Stop yourself, Dan.  They just want some simple biography, please.)

(Well, sure, but a little comedy never hurt anyone, I could just…)

(No, see, that’s what I mean.  Every time you see a white space you just have to fill it up with something weird.  Remember in high school, leaving notes embedded in computer programs for other people?  Just the bio.  No comedy.)

(Ok, fine.  But it’s weird that you’re talking to yourself inside parenthesis, have you ever thought about that?)

(Just… write… the… bio…)

(All right.  But you’re grouchy.  And that is unpleasant.)

*  *  *

Dr. Dan French is a lifelong comedian, writer, speaker, and teacher, whose unique career includes being twice-nominated for Emmys as a late night comedy writer, having a Ph.D. in Rhetoric, and teaching at such schools as the University of Texas at Austin.

Dan is currently touring with his new project, “Solving the Body Puzzle:  Weight Loss Answers for a Puzzled Population,” a one-man show, seminar, and soon-to-be book that grew out of his experience of losing over 100 lbs.  After reaching nearly 300 lbs., Dan learned how to control his weight by  deep researching every imaginable weight loss theory and diet — from veganism to Paleo, calorie restriction to super exercise — to figure out what works and why.  In that process he managed to create surprisingly new ideas about the meanings and experience of human weight, and he now presents it all in a one-man show that mixes super funny standup and incredibly effective information.  It’s a comedy about something most people don’t believe is even possible — being able to weigh what you want to weigh for the rest of your life.

When Dan isn’t touring his show, he works as a super clean comedy club and corporate standup who has been called the “fastest brain in comedy.”  Every show he does is different as he constantly interacts directly with audiences, and his ability to connect with people and create comedy in the moment is amazing to watch.  He has performed over 2,000 shows at comedy clubs across the U.S. and Canada, and been hired by organizations such as  IBM, Nextel, Samsung, St. David’s Medical, Duke University, and the U.S. Naval War College.

Dan also holds a Ph.D. in Communication Studies, with specialties in both Rhetoric and Cultural Studies.  He has taught at universities including the University of Texas at Austin, and California State University at Fullerton.  His courses include Advanced Persuasion, Rhetorical Theory, Relationship Communication, Southern Culture, Screenwriting, Television Writing, and about fifty others, as if anyone is still reading at this point.

Dan is also a prolific comedy writer who worked on staff at The Best Damn Sports Show Period, The Late Late Show on CBS, and Dennis Miller, and was a contributing writer on George Lopez, Wanda Sykes, and David Letterman (you want to feel something weird, have your jokes come out of that guy’s mouth, it’s way cool).

After nearly ten years as a comedy writer, Dan swerved out of Los Angeles and into his current career as a writer and speaker, allowing him to combine his lifelong loves of comedy and academics.   He now spends his days combining high quality information with lowbrow entertainment.

Dan is originally from Kentucky.  But now lives with other humans in Austin, Texas.

If you let him, he will write your ear off.