Nathan Fielder

Nathan Fielder
Born February 1983 (age 32)
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Medium Stand up, television
Nationality Canadian
Years active 2006–present
Genres Alternative comedy, dry comedy
Notable works and roles This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Nathan For You
Website NathanFielder.com

Nathan Fielder (born February 2, 1983)[1] is a Canadian writer and comedian.

Fielder was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, where his parents were social workers. He attended Point Grey Secondary School. Fielder was a member of the school's improv comedy group, which also included comedian Seth Rogen. He studied business at the University of Victoria and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in 2005.[2][3]

After receiving the 2006 Tim Sims Award for outstanding Canadian comedy newcomer, Fielder went on to join the cast of the CBC comedy series This Hour Has 22 Minutes as a field correspondent. He has also helped write for Canadian Idol.[4] In 2010, he wrote and directed a number of sketches for season 2 of Important Things with Demetri Martin on Comedy Central.[4] He was also featured as a guest voice actor on the Season 2 finale of Bob's Burgers.[4]

Fielder played the role of Jon Benjamin's boom operator in the 2011 television series Jon Benjamin Has a Van,[4] and played Bob Woodward in the "Washington, DC" episode of Comedy Central's Drunk History.[5] He is the star of Comedy Central's Nathan For You.[6] The show is based on the Nathan On Your Side segments that he did for This Hour Has 22 Minutes.[3]

Dumb Starbucks Coffee

Main article: Dumb Starbucks

On February 7, 2014, a coffee shop entitled "Dumb Starbucks Coffee" opened in Los Feliz, Los Angeles.[7] The shop stated that they were operating as a parody of the global coffee company and coffeehouse chain Starbucks and utilized the chain's siren logo and name in their signage, cups, and other materials.[8] The shop mocked items considered to be standard to many Starbucks locations such as Norah Jones CDs and drinks by using the term "dumb" in front of the names, such as "Dumb Norah Jones Duets" and "Dumb Iced Vanilla Latte".[8] Beverages and pastries were distributed free of charge.[7] A few days later Starbucks announced that they were not affiliated with the shop and that they were "evaluating next steps" due to the shop deliberately attempting to mimic the look of a traditional Starbucks location.[9] The identity of the person behind the shop was not released initially and various comedians such as Tim & Eric were theorized to be involved with the prank,[10] as their production company Abso Lutely Productions had applied for a filming permit at the Dumb Starbucks Coffee location.[11] On February 10, 2014, the shop was closed by the Los Angeles County Health Department due to it not having the permits required to operate a coffee shop.[12] Shortly thereafter, Fielder announced that he was behind the parody and the Los Angeles Times noted the prank's similarity to other skits performed on Fielder's show Nathan For You.[13]

References

  1. Itzkoff, Dave (February 28, 2013). "'Nathan for You' show the scapegoat for news hoax". New York Times Wire Service.
  2. Weiner, Jonah (June 12, 2014). "Nathan Fielder’s Ingenious Dumb Humor". The New York Times Magazine.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Semley, John. "Nathan Fielder, still on your side". Now Toronto.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Nathan Fielder biography
  5. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2906694/?ref_=tt_ep_pr
  6. Comedy Central Website
  7. 7.0 7.1 Moran, Lee (February 10, 2014). "'Dumb Starbucks Coffee' pop-up shop opens in Los Angeles". NYDN. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Erik Hayden, Brandon Kirby. "'Dumb Starbucks' Shop Appears in L.A.'s Los Feliz". THR. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  9. Lee, Jolie. "Starbucks responds to Dumb Starbucks in L.A.". USA Today. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  10. Teti, John. "Tim & Eric might be the ones behind a "Dumb Starbucks" coffee shop in L.A.". AV Club. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  11. PRITCHARD, JUSTIN. "'Dumb Starbucks' in Los Angeles tied to comedy duo". Yahoo News. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  12. KOONSE, EMMA. "'Dumb Starbucks' Coffee Shop Shut Down by Health Officials". Christian Post. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  13. Tatusian, Tenny. "Comedy Central's Nathan Fielder is behind Dumb Starbucks". LAT. Retrieved 12 February 2014.

External links