Update: It's been quite a year so far for comedian and variety artist Chris Bliss. In January he was personally invited by comedy legends The Smothers Brothers to do a series of concert appearances. In March the top-rated variety program in France, "Le Plus Grand Cabaret du Monde", asked him to reprise his "Amazing Juggling Finale", which over 60,000,000 have watched worldwide on the internet. Most recently, his national nonprofit MyBillofRights.org was granted approval in the state of Texas to release its design proposal and begin fundraising for a $4.1 million Bill of Rights Plaza in front of the Texas Supreme Court - the first such major display anywhere in America.
This same versatility is the hallmark of Chris's work in the corporate marketplace*, with clients as diverse as DARPA (the Defense Research Projects Agency) and the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Peace University initiative; and a skill set that ranges from emcee to meeting facilitator to panel moderator to corporate video spokeperson and scriptwriter. These are all in addition to his well-established reputation as a headline act capable of energizing any size audience, from ballrooms to arenas.
Comedian, variety artist, and committed common ground advocate; Chris Bliss continues to be recognized for his unique voice and accomplishments.
*visit the Chris Bliss Video Library at www.bureaufriendly.com for a full range of sample clips
Short Bio: A fresh and captivating voice in the tradition of American satire from Will Rogers to Jon Stewart, Chris Bliss is one of the country's top comedians, having appeared on both The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and The Late Show with David Letterman. He has opened hundred of concerts for major stars from Eric Clapton to Asia to Kenny Loggins, and was chosen as the exclusive opening act for Michael Jackson on his “Thriller” tour.
Chris has also performed for many of America's top corporations. His quick wit and custom writing skills make him an excellent choice for emcee, meeting facilitator, and corporate video spokesperson – not to mention a terrific star performer to close out any session. His “amazing juggling finale” has been seen by some 60,000,000 people on the internet. Considered one of the best closers anywhere, it's a guaranteed standing ovation that will bring the house down and leave your attendees buzzing; one of the key goals of any corporate meeting.
Smart, timely, and original comedy, capped off with a world-class variety closer that’s not to be missed - - Chris Bliss is two of the best in one outstanding performer.
"If you're looking to laugh, you can't do much better than Chris Bliss." - The Washington Post
“One of the brightest comedians around . . . I really enjoy this man’s work” - Jay Leno
Full Bio:
For comedian, juggler, and Bill of Rights advocate Chris Bliss, life has been a study in contrasts. The youngest son of a Washington D.C. attorney, he majored in comparative literature at Northwestern University and the University of Oregon, where he was on the Dean’s List before dropping out at the end of his junior year. The reason? He told his father it was “to become the world’s most famous juggler”. Looking back, Chris admits: “the truth is, I never consciously wanted to be a juggler, or a performer of any kind. I just wanted to not be a lawyer, and being a rock ‘n roll juggler looked like a really fun way to burn that bridge.”
Ironically, Chris did become the world’s most famous juggler. Not once, but twice. With an improvisational style augmented by custom lighting effects and set to rock music, he accidentally created the perfect concert opening act. After theater dates with Eric Clapton, followed by an arena tour with rock supergroup Asia, he was asked in the spring of 1984 to be the exclusive opener for Michael Jackson’s record-breaking Victory Tour, the most talked about tour of the decade. Fifty-five sold out stadium shows later, with ticket sales topping the 3 million mark, Chris reached the peak he’d set out for.
Then in 2006, eighteen years into his well-regarded standup comedy career, juggling fame struck again. Chris had long since become a headline attraction at America’s best comedy venues, with dozens of national television appearances, including the Tonight Show, where Jay Leno called him “one of the brightest comedians around”, adding “I really enjoy this man’s work.” So it was even more ironic when his “Big Finale” video, a four-minute juggling routine set to music from the Beatles’ Abbey Road, suddenly caught fire on the internet. Downloaded more than 60,000,000 times, the performance’s popularity helped usher in the age of viral video sites like YouTube, garnering Chris media attention from ABC, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, and FOX, along with feature articles by the AP, USA Today, and the Washington Post. Ringo Starr even posted the video on his website – the ultimate endorsement.
The timing couldn’t have been better, as it brought attention to the launch of Chris’s newest venture: MyBillofRights.org, the Bill of Rights Monument Project, a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to rebuilding Americans’ sense of common ground through the placement of monuments of the Bill of Rights across the USA. Incredibly, there was not a single installation honoring the Bill of Rights when Chris started the organization. That changed on July 5, 2008, when America’s first Bill of Rights display was dedicated in Montezuma, Iowa, in front of the state’s second oldest courthouse. Resolutions have also been passed in Texas and Arizona for permanent displays on their state capitol grounds. The Texas project is moving full speed ahead, with the recent approval to release designs and begin fundraising for a $4.1 million national destination Bill of Rights Plaza in front of the Texas Supreme Court, adjacent to one of the nation’s most historic and beautiful capitols (http://www.mybillofrights.org/CSS_texas.php).
The result is that Chris is doing a whole new level of juggling today, striking the balance between a wealth of career and nonprofit opportunities. These have included speaking about the power of positive change at a conference in Scotland that featured Sir Bob Geldof, appearing with the late Paul Newman at several benefits for his "Hole In The Wall Gang" camps, and his exceptional debut on The Late Show with David Letterman, where Chris performed live with Fatboy Slim and the Paul Shaffer band.
Capping it all off, Chris has re-introduced his juggling masterpiece as the closer for his stand-up act. "It's like icing on the cake", he explains. "I start by telling them I once toured with Michael Jackson - and they're just not buying it. They're waiting for the punch line. And then - wham!" Bliss laughs. “I love how totally shocked they are that I’m actually good at it. It's the same thing I love about comedy - that joy of the unexpected."
Other career highlights include the release of his comedy CD, "My Act With Your Eyes Closed", which has received airplay on hundreds of radio stations, and his recently released concert dvd “Chris Bliss Live . . . For Now.” His first one-man show, an autobiographical monologue play titled "Walking On The Moon", debuted in late 1999 and has since been produced in both Minneapolis and Los Angeles. Told with compelling honesty and surprising humor, "Walking on the Moon" explores peak experiences and transformational moments, suggesting that ultimately it's our questions, not our answers, that define us.
