An Ohio University senior has been selected as a semi-finalist in a national stand-up comedy contest sponsored by Comedy Central TV.

Eric Moneypenny, 21, a telecommunications major from North Carolina, will perform at Zanies in Chicago on June 4 as part of one of nine semi-final rounds being held around the country. The winner from the Chicago contest will compete in Hollywood on June 29 for a chance to perform on the Comedy Central program "Premium Blend" and a spot in the 20th annual Just For Laughs International Comedy Festival in Montreal.

In order to enter the contest, Moneypenny sent in a video of his stand-up routine at a Comedy For The Masses show on the OU campus in February. Comedy For The Masses is a comedy group that grew out of last year's OU comedy troupe, Four Funny Guys and Matt. Moneypenny said Mike Busch (the only member of Four Funny Guys and Matt still at OU) formed Comedy For the Masses as a way for OU students to try their sketches and routines in front of audiences.

"You can write all the stuff you want, but you have to know if it works or not," Moneypenny said. His material apparently works, as shown by his success in stand-up and his recognition in the Comedy Central contest.

Moneypenny's routine consists mainly of laid-back observational humor and impressions that satirize celebrities such as David Spade, Christian Slater, Ray Romano and Matthew McConaughey. He has been doing stand-up for the past three years and has performed at clubs and college campuses around Ohio, Illinois and Michigan.

"I've been writing stand-up since I was 16," Moneypenny said. He enjoyed doing the writing, but never got up the nerve to do an actual show until a friend told him that the Hillel Center in Athens was looking for a comedian to open a show there.

"I was really nervous. I had no idea if it would be good or not," Moneypenny recalled. "I did it for one of my friends, and it really didn't go that well at all." The show turned out much better, however, and Moneypenny decided to pursue it further.

Soon after, he spent a summer in Chicago studying improv and performing at open mic nights at Chicago clubs.

"That's how I got a lot of real experience in front of real audiences," Moneypenny said. He went on to take a stand-up workshop in Cleveland and managed to get some gigs from his experience in the class.

Moneypenny now performs three or four times a month in Athens and around the region.

"There are a lot of small rooms around Ohio where they book comedy," Moneypenny said. With graduation coming up on June 8, Moneypenny also has been trying to concentrate on his classes. 

His last performance at OU, he said, will be at the Shaft Aid IV show this Thursday in the Front Room in Baker Center. The show is being held to raise money for The Shaft, a humor publication produced by OU students. 

"It's always fun to do stuff with The Shaft," Moneypenny said. "I always help Jason (Nedley), the editor, whenever he needs me."

AFTER GRADUATION, Moneypenny plans to move to Los Angeles, make a demo tape and see what kind of success he can have in the entertainment industry.

"I want to just like make money and not get evicted," Moneypenny said. Ultimately, he'd like to be on "Saturday Night Live" or another TV show doing his comedy. For now, he's focusing on graduating and doing the best he can in the Comedy Central contest.

"It's just a confidence booster," Moneypenny said. "It's nice to know that Comedy Central watched my little tape and said 'Yeah, that doesn't suck too bad.'" 

He only has six minutes to perform in the semi-final round, so Moneypenny is trying to put together his best six minutes worth of material. He usually does between 15 and 45 minutes worth of material, he said.

"I've been running around my apartment practicing way too much since I heard about this," he said. 

With the Shaft Aid IV show, Moneypenny added, he can finish his career at OU with a top performance while using it as a way to prepare himself for the Comedy Central contest.
 
 

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