Liz Miele is a Brooklyn based stand-up comic and writer who has cultivated an increasingly high profile over the past 10 years. As an orator, she is witty and whimsical with an infectious appeal. Liz has also earned a reputation as an adaptive and imaginative artist having turned her hand to several successful creative projects in recent years. Notable among these is the web series Apartment C3 and her own animated series Damaged.
As a comedian, Liz has been on the circuit since aged 16 and has amassed an impressive performance CV through extensive touring and developing her signature style. Liz been profiled in The New Yorker, New York Times and the New Jersey Monthly. Her stand-up - which combines a cooky and high watt energy with astute and whimsical observation - has also been featured at Live at Gotham and Comedy Central. I was excited to learn from Liz herself that a stand-up CD recording was on the horizon this year. It is one project that Liz has longed to produce and she has finally realized her goal with her audio debut "Emotionally Exhausting". Recorded live in late 2014, "Emotionally Exhausting" is an hour long hilarious exploration of Liz's growing up with dyslexia, her love of cats (and instagramming them), mishaps with dating on the internet, sexual adventures and whimsical observations about New York City.
I never had any doubts that this CD would be great. Liz is a joy to listen to. Her delivery is pleasantly conversational with a warmth and likability that draws you in and she makes you feel that you're kind of one on one with her. Her polished delivery and comic timing is razor sharp, a testament to her diligent honing of her craft over the past decade and her punchlines are a thing of flawless, hilarious beauty. By way of example, the following clip "Feminist Sexual Positions" (featured on the CD) showcases these ingredients.
In her web series Apartment C3, Liz shined as a sunny eternal optimist, a self deprecator although there were occasions where she could unleash a Jekyll and Hyde genius slap down when it was called for. She brings those qualities to this CD and the results leave you smiling for days.
Emotionally Exhausting is available now through iTunes, Google Play, CDBaby and Amazon. Visit Liz Miele here. Connect with Liz Miele here. Tweet with Liz Miele here. DFA.
I first discovered New York comedian and writer Liz Miele through the successful web series Apartment C3 in which she paired with room mates - photographer Chris Vongsawat, fellow comedian Carmen Lynch and Liz' diva cat Pasta to deliver a hilarious Seinfeld-esque weekly video short that followed the minutiae of their lives in the apartment. Apartment C3 quickly became a staple for me and I was always pleased to see a new episode pop up in my feed. I blogged about the series last year and remarked at the time that it reminded me of the satirical cartoons my grandfather used to read in the newspaper and always laughed heartily with. As the demands of the individual players in Apartment C3 rendered the series non-viable, I remained a dedicated fan of each of the players in their singular pursuits and have been really touched that each of them welcomed my fandom and have stayed in touch with me. I knew that Liz Miele was a dedicated writer in addition to her stand up and acting career and she had hinted to me some months ago that she was working on a project that she had high hopes for.
I should at this point give a little back grounder on Liz herself. Liz Miele is also a Brooklyn based stand-up comic who’s been on the circuit in her home country at - now get this - aged 16! Liz has been profiled in The New Yorker, New York Times, New York Times magazine and New Jersey Monthly. Her stand-up - which combines a cooky and high watt energy with astute and whimsical observation - has also been featured at Live at Gotham and Comedy Central no less. In Apartment C3, Liz shined as the kind of glue that held it all together - the eternal optimist, although there were occasions where she could unleash a Jekyll and Hyde slap down when it was called for. When she's not performing on stage, Liz likes running - a lot - and she regularly competes in the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC with her Dad. According to Liz, she speaks three phrases in French. So, I was hugely excited a couple of weeks ago when Liz announced via her social media platform that she was seeking backing via Kickstarter for the project she had hinted at months ago. The project is Damaged and it is described as a weekly animated web series about broken teenaged robots that are adopted by humans. The two main characters are Emily and TJ, robots that were given up after they didn't work at their respective factories and are being put through the public school system by their adoptive human parents, Rebecca and Richard. Oh and Emily has a cat, Humphrey, who's a Hitler cat, that hates her.
Liz has conceived, created and written the series and has brought in the significant talents of character artists and animators Adam Record, Ben Luce and Grant Lindahl to give life and visual interpretation to Liz' vision. The voice talent Liz has recruited for the series is a who's who of New York's finest comedians and actors including Liz herself, Jermaine Fowler (In Living Color, College Humor), Dean Edwards (SNL, Late Late show with Craig Ferguson, Last Call with Carson Daly), Ted Alexandro (Comedy Central, Late Show with David Letterman), Carmen Lynch (Comedy Central, Late Show with David Letterman, Last Comic Standing), RG Daniels (MTV), Emily Miele (Somethin' Jazz Club), W. Tre Davis (seen off Broadway), Adrienne Iapalucci (Last Comic Standing), Corey Reppond (Great comic and writer in NYC), Joe Machi (Late Night with Jimmy Fallon), TJ Del Reno (voice over artist extraordinairre).
As with any Kickstarter, the viability of the project depends on the interest that can be created and the subsequent donations that are made. And donors to the Kickstarter immediately put themselves in line for some cool incentives for coming on board with the project. At the time of writing, the Damaged Kickstarter has already achieved it's minimum required amount to ensure the viability of the project. However, any additional funding to it will enable Liz and her team to deliver a product of much higher quality and quantity going forward. Given the already considerable talents of Liz herself and the artists and voice talent she has recruited, I can vouch for this project setting a new benchmark in what independent artists can achieve. Donate to the Damaged Kickstarter Today. DFA.
