Sugar Sammy

Sugar Sammy
Birth name Samir Khullar
Born February 29, 1976
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Medium comedy, Television
Nationality Canadian
Genres Observational comedy, Improvisational comedy
Subject(s) Race, Sex, Pop Culture
Influences Dave Chappelle, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Don Rickles[1]
Website www.sugarsammy.com

Samir Khullar, better known as Sugar Sammy, is a Canadian comedian, actor, writer and producer from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His comedy routines are delivered in a mixture of fluent English, French, Punjabi and Hindi.[2]

Early life

Samir Khullar was born February 29, 1976 and raised in the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood of Montreal, Quebec. At the age of eight he saw Eddie Murphy's 1983 comedy special "Delirious[3] and credits the experience as being a defining moment in his life. From then on, he knew what he wanted to do.[4] Khullar also names Martin Lawrence, Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle as comedic influences. After early stage experiences in high school, Khullar attended Marianopolis College while occasionally performing at open-mic nights at the Comedy Works and the Comedy Zone.[3] Continuing to work for recognition on the comedy circuit, he attended McGill University in cultural studies while working as a night club promoter. There he received what would later become his stage name after letting many women into parties for free.[1] Sammy is a resident of the Town of Hampstead.[5]

Subjects

Sugar Sammy's routines are within American comedy club traditions, tackling everything from race, sex and pop culture with observational comedy from the perspective of an Indo-Canadian living in French Canada. He blends polished material with improvisational comedy and interacts with audience members sitting near the stage.[3] Askmen.com dubbed him “Comedy’s New Rock Star” and The Hollywood Reporter selected him as one of their “Ten Comics to Watch”.[6]

Appearances

Since 2004, Khullar has performed on TV several times. He has appeared at the Just For Laughs Festival seven years in a row and was the first comedian ever to perform in the English and French and Hindi Toronto editions of the Festival.[7] He has also appeared at the Sydney Comedy Festival, the Cape Town Comedy Festival, and was invited to the inaugural Johannesburg Comedy Festival in 2009.[8]

On August 21, 2006, Sammy opened for Dave Chappelle at Toronto's Massey Hall.[9] In 2006, Sammy taped his "Comedy Now!" special which aired in Canada on The Comedy Network, CTV and A. The special also aired on Comedy Central in the United States.

International career

Sugar Sammy has toured in the United States, Canada, England, Australia, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Thailand, the Philippines, China, India, Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Egypt, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Lebanon, Singapore, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Northern Ireland, Dubai, Haiti[10] New Zealand and South Africa, where his one-man show sold 15,000 tickets.[11]

In the summer of 2009, The Gersh Agency signed Sugar Sammy following a strong showing at the Just For Laughs Festival.[6]

He is the first artist chosen by Comedy Central India to tour their country, visiting Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi in March 2013 with his English/Hindi/Punjabi comedy show.[12]

Sugar Sammy's international TV credits include his own one-hour TV special on Showtime Arabia entitled " Sugar Sammy Live in Dubai" which aired in 14 countries,[13] headlining two TV shows for Showtime respectively entitled "Minority Rules" and " Friday Night Live", appearances on CBC, Comedy Now on CTV, as well as appearances on The Comedy Network (Canada), The Comedy Channel (Australia), and on Dutch TV.

Francophone career (Quebec, Canada)

In 2007 Sugar Sammy appeared in Quebec's "Le Show Raisonnable" and in 2009 performed in the French edition of the Just for Laughs Festival. His point of view concerning Quebec politics and culture from the perspective of a minority earned him a standing ovation and "The Revelation of the Year" award. In 2010 he made headlines again by presenting an award alongside Quebec political leader Pauline Marois. He teased her incessantly about sovereignty and the language debate.

Sugar Sammy wanted a stronger presence in Quebec. His bilingual show ‘You’re Gonna Rire’ became his first tour of Quebec in 2012.[14]

In May 2013, Sugar Sammy became the first English comedian to win at Quebec’s prestigious Olivier comedy awards. He won the Olivier for Best Show (voted by the industry, for En français svp!) and the Olivier for Comedian of the Year (voted by the public).[15] In 2014, he once again won the Olivier for Comedian of the Year at the 16th annual gala.[16]

During December 2014, he ran a billboard ad in the Montreal Metro stating that "For Christmas, I'd like a complaint from the Office de la langue française", in reference to the Quebec government organization that forces businesses to run ads in French. After a complaint was received, the English text was blacked out and replaced by "Pour Noel, j'ai eu une plainte de l'Office de la langue française" (For Christmas, I got a complaint from the Office de la langue française). This marketing campaign designed by Sid Lee garnered much attention from Quebec media and was the center of heated debates between different linguistic communities in the province.[17]

One man shows

Down With the Brown

In 2008, Sammy released his debut comedy album, Down With the Brown. His CD tackles everything from life in Quebec to his take on sex and race from the perspective of an Indo-Canadian. It was released on January 15, 2008 and coincided with a Canadian tour.[18]

You're Gonna Rire – Bilingual show and En Français SVP - French only show

In an unprecedented experiment, Sugar Sammy's 'You're Gonna Rire' is the first large-scale Anglo-Franco comedy show in the country.[19] In 2011, the comedian created a show in a language called Franglais – an ode to the Montreal experience of switching between English and French throughout the day.[20] It was described as “50.5 per cent English, 49.5 per cent French” as a reference to the 1995 referendum results). Initially conceived as a single night at the 1,300-seat Olympia theater, tickets sold so fast that it extended to 45 performances[21] with a total of 53,000 tickets sold and a run well into April 2013.[22]

In 2012, the bilingual show was also transformed into a fully French-language show entitled En Français S.V.P. (In French, Please).

Sugar Sammy continues to perform both shows in Montreal and the French show throughout the province of Quebec. His tour dates have won him the ranking of one of the 30th biggest grossing tours in North America according to Pollstar magazine - May 2013.[23] Two years later, the combined shows have sold over 230,000 tickets, with over 100 soldout shows performed at the Olympia theatre in Montreal alone.[24]

In May 2014, Billboard magazine named Sugar Sammy the top-selling Canadian tour of the 12 months ending April 12, 2014.[25]

Ces gars-là - TV Series

In February 2014, Sugar Sammy and French-speaking comedian Simon-Olivier Fecteau launched the ten-episode series series Ces gars-là on Quebec’s French V network. A buddy comedy à la Wedding Crashers and Swingers, the show stars the two comedians, is directed by Fecteau and written by the two principals and India Desjardins. Inspired by the lives of the two writer-comedians, the series follows their searches for love, their relationships with their families and how they deal with the rules of their own friendship. Unusually, Sammy's English-speaking fans have followed him to a show on a French channel.[26] The successful series was [27] prolonged into a second season[28]

HBO Canada special

Sugar Sammy’s biggest TV credit is his 72-minute HBO Canada special which became one the network's highest rated TV specials and a first for any Canadian. The special was eventually acquired by Air Canada and was aired on all international and domestic flights.[29] Due to popular demand, the special was eventually released on DVD; where it went straight to # 1 on the stand-up comedy bestseller's list on Amazon Canada.

Accomplishments

Awards

Year Award Category Result
2009 COCA ( Canadian Organization for College Activities) Best Comedian 2009 Won
Montreal Mirror top ten "most desirable man" Won
Anokhi Magazine top 25 "Sexy and Successful" Indian artists Won
Canadian Comedy Awards Best Male Stand-up Nominated
Masala! Mehndi! Masti! Favorite Comedian Nominated
The Just For Laughs Festival The 2009 French discovery of The Just For Laughs Festival Won
The Hollywood Reporter Ten Rising Comedy Talents From Around Won
Divine magazine Ranked#58 in the annual list of the Top 100 Men of 2009 Won
2010 Le Gala Les Olivier Discovery of the Year Nominated
Le Gala Les Olivier Best Comedic Act Nominated
Ministère de l'Immigration et des Communautés culturelles Prix québécois de la citoyenneté Won
Societe des Grands Citoyens Le Prix Umayyad'ambassadeur et rayonnement Won
COCA ( Canadian Organization for College Activities) Best Comedian 2010 Won
Montreal Mirror Best Comedian 2010 Won
Canadian Comedy Awards Best Television Performance Nominated
2011 Montreal Mirror Best Montreal Comedian 2011 Won
2013 Gala Les Oliviers Olivier de l'année Won
Gala Les Oliviers Spectacle de l'année Won
Gala Les Oliviers Auteur de l'année Nominated

Won

2014: Olivier de l'année, Gala Les Olivier

Nominated

2015: Best actor in a comedy series - Gala Artis

2014: Multimedia - Canadian Comedy Person of the year, Canadian Comedy Awards 2014: Meilleurs textes - comédie: Simon-Olivier Fecteau, Sugar Sammy et India Desjardins, Prix Gémeaux 2013: Spectacle de l'année - Humour : En français s.v.p. !, ADISQ

Créa

The 2012 Grand Prix Créa, which recognizes Quebec's best advertisement of the year, has been awarded to the Sid Lee agency for Vidéotron's English-language Prank Calls campaign featuring Sugar Sammy. Sugar Sammy also won the best actor award for his performance. The campaign aimed at showing its customer-service employees' patience and efficiency, while also mentioning the company's various services. In each spot, Sammy called Videotron's customer service with a bizarre problem designed to test the employees' abilities while highlighting a particular aspect of Vidéotron's services. "The writing and direction are perfect," the jury explained. "Because Sugar Sammy delivers the goods so masterfully, viewers understand everything and laugh a lot.[35]" According to Claude Foisy, Vice President, Brand Management, of Videotron. "These are actual calls answered by real employees, who demonstrate their dedication to their mission of providing their customers with the best possible experience".[36]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Nguyen, Joe (March 11, 2010). "Face2Face with Sugar Sammy". AsiaXpress.com. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
  2. ↑ MacPherson, Guy (January 3, 2008). "Slick, savvy stand-up Sugar Sammy takes on the world". Straight.com.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Durai, Melvin (March 6, 2008). "Sugar Sammy returns for encore performance". South Asian Post.
  4. ↑ Posner, Michael. "How sweet it is for Sugar Sammy". Toronto: The Globe and Mail.
  5. ↑ Cohen, Mike (March 31, 2012). "Some behind the scenes stuff from Sugar Sammy" The Suburban.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 AP. "Sugar Sammy signs with Gersh". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Sugar Sammy: Putting the HA in HAHA!". http://www.mtvindia.com/''. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Jozi Comedy Festival". Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Q&A : Sugar Sammy". NOW Magazine. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  10. ↑ Radsch, Courtney (February 16, 2009). "Stand-up comedy takes the Arab world by storm". Al Arabiya (AlArabiya.net/English). Retrieved February 16, 2009.
  11. ↑ http://web2.hahaha.com/microsite/SugarSammy/SugarSammy
  12. ↑ "Tickling your funny bone". The New Indian Express. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  13. ↑ "The Laugh Factory: Monrok, Sugar Sammy, Rajiv Satyal & other Comics!!". Meetup. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  14. ↑ "La Presse Affaires Magazine - 0032". Virtual Paper. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Sugar Sammy picked as Quebec's comedian of the year". Montreal. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  16. ↑ http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Sugar+Sammy+repeats+Olivier+year+winner/9828824/story.html
  17. ↑ "L'humoriste Sugar Sammy se moque des tensions linguistiques dans une nouvelle publicité - Bryo". Bryo. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Slick, savvy stand-up Sugar Sammy takes on the world". The Georgia Straight - Vancouver News and Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  19. ↑ http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/Review+Success+doesn+breed+safety+Sugar+Sammy/6230972/story.html#ixzz1viiyiiJe
  20. ↑ http://montreal.openfile.ca/blog/curator-blog/curated-news/2012/sugar-sammys-youre-gonna-rire-makes-some-columnists-pleure
  21. ↑ Graeme Hamilton (March 2, 2012). "Sugar Sammy’s ‘franglais’ show has Quebecers laughing in both languages: Graeme Hamilton: - National Post". National Post. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Sugar Sammy unites many solitudes with laughter". The Globe and Mail (Toronto). September 10, 2012.
  23. ↑ Véronique Harvey. "Sugar Sammy et Marie-Mai dans le Top-50". Le Journal de Montréal. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  24. ↑ http://fr.canoe.ca/divertissement/tele-medias/nouvelles/2014/05/02/21644916-qmi.html
  25. ↑ "Sugar Sammy Video Interview: Canada's Hot Comedian - Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  26. ↑ {url=http://m.torontosun.com/2014/05/03/sugar-sammy-crosses-canadas-two-solitudes | location=Toronto |date= May 3, 2014}
  27. ↑ {url=http://vtele.ca/v/communiques/l-emission-ces-gars-la-depasse-largement-les-attentes_432.php}
  28. ↑ {url=http://vtele.ca/v/communiques/une-deuxieme-saison-pour-ces-gars-la_443.php}
  29. ↑ {url=http://blog.aeroplan.com/aeroplan-members/member-profile-sugar-sammy/
  30. ↑ "Dining at Rumor's? Take my advice – please!". Winnipeg Sun. December 16, 2009.
  31. ↑ "APIH". Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  32. ↑ http://www.micc.gouv.qc.ca/fr/presse/phototheque/pqc2010.html
  33. ↑ http://www.lelezard.com/communique-282802.html
  34. ↑ Chris. "Sugar Sammy". Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  35. ↑ "Éditions Infopresse - The 2012 Grand Prix Créa is awarded to Vidéotron and Sid Lee for the Prank Calls campaign!". Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  36. ↑ "Press Releases". Retrieved February 2, 2015.

External links