Mr. Showbiz
“The amount of drive and determination Ward has is staggering. He always has four or five projects going at once. Not many people have that kind of focus.” -- Larry Nichols
“Ward Anderson for me is an example of someone who never stops working, Stand up Comic, author, radio host, father, husband. Spend a few days on the road with Ward you will learn more about Christmas than you thought you could, and you’ll learn there are a thousand angles to attacking your career you never thought of. Solid guy!” – K. Trevor Wilson
“Ward and I have worked together a bunch of times. He's one of the funniest and hardest working guys out there. He's also been super-generous in his support of my career.”
– Martha O’Neil
“Ward Anderson is one of the hardest working guys I know. The amount of hustle this guy has in multiple forms of media is both inspiring and sometimes overwhelming to think about. The guy does radio, television, stand-up, and has even had a few novels published. As a comic, Ward Anderson has a special talent to command the stage. His brash, "in your face", style can easily turn an unresponsive group of people into an audience eating out of the palm of his hand; a feat that I have personally seen.” -- Ryan Maglunob
“Ward Anderson is loveable dick. I mean that with all sincerity! He gets away with saying things that not many comics can because of his charisma. I love working with the guy. Whether I'm hosting for him, or vice versa, we play well off each other with the main goal in mind of making sure the audience has a great time.” – Brendan McKeigan
“Ward is one of the hardest working comics in the game. Whether it’s writing books, movies scripts or touring internationally, this guy knows how to hustle.” – Allison E. Dore
The author, David Reuben, is a huge fan of Show Business history and one of my favorites is Mr. Sammy Davis Jr. Sammy was a mutli-talented entertainer who could sing, dance, act, play drums & trumpet, and had perfect comic timing.
Recently, I sat down with Mr. Ward Anderson for an in-person interview and found out he is also a huge fan of Show Business history, but more importantly that Ward is an actor, author, director, screenwriter, producer, television & radio host and stand-up comic. Guess what, Mr. Ward Anderson was in a boy band in his early years of his career and can dance.
According to Ward’s mother Annice; “Ward started being funny at 2 years old” while Ward states; “I got all my creativity from my mom”. Mr. Ward Anderson was the youngest grandchild in a large extended family and was spoiled and craved attention and had an abundance of energy. Mom remembers; “What do we do with this kid?” By age 6, Ward was in Acting Classes and started writing comic books. Acting remains Mr. Anderson’s first love. Older brother, Rob says; “Ward was a happy child who was into everything and followed me and our cousin Chris around.”
Mr. Ward Anderson was born in rural Georgia and from age 6 onward grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta. Ward states; “In suburban America, there is a lot of time to kind of sit and observe a lot of the quirks that make us who we are. That’s what “observational comedy” is all about, and that’s what my act was from the beginning. At the same time, maybe the ho-hum of suburban life just led me to too much time in front of the TV, watching comedians. Next thing you know, I’m a comic because I grew up watching so much of it on television.” Keep in mind that the Anderson family returned to rural Georgia to regularly to visit the extended family. Ward had a well-rounded upbringing with a lot of diverse characters in his life.
By high school Ward Anderson was an accomplished actor and was singing in a band. Mom Annice remembers. “Ward loved dress up and look good even in Middle School and High School”. By College he was entrenched in acting and theatre, Ward was so good in College plays that his family thought Ward would be a full-time actor. In fact, the family was astounded the first time they saw Mr. Anderson perform in a comedy club.
“When I was 18, I saw a young comedians’ club perform at my University (UGA) in Athens, Georgia, at a local bar. I asked how I could be a part of it. They allowed me 5 minutes at their next show, a few weeks later. I did well enough that they let me come back. Next thing you know, I was in the club and we performed monthly for the four years that a was a student. A few of us went professional. Chris Edgerly is a very popular voice artist, John Turco works the Northeast a lot. And that guy who first gave me my shot onstage? The very busy and popular comic Costaki Economopoulous.”
After a short stint as a manager at a pub style Restaurant, Ward decided to go after his dream of being in Show Business. He was working half a month as an actor in the Medieval Times show in New Jersey. Then the second half of the month he toured and established himself as a stand-up comedy. Ward remembers, “For two years, I was able to do that without having a “Day job”. Those two years helped establish me with enough booking agents that I wound up getting full-time stand-up work.
Ward toured internationally for over 10 years leaning his craft and realizing that business is the key to Show Business. After spending 46 weeks a year on the road doing stand-up Mr. Anderson also realized that he wanted a long career in Show Business and had to expand into acting, writing, directing, producing and always having a project on the go. The author, David Reuben, realized after speaking with Ward that he wants to do everything in Show Business. Ward is proud of the fact that he has not had to have a “Day Job” in 20 years.
Mr. Ward Anderson met his wife Laura in Montreal while he was in town working and she was visiting friends in the mid 2000’s. After they got serious Ward moved to Laura’s home town of Toronto ON Canada. Not only did Ward fall in Love with Laura but he also fell in love with Toronto. Today he is a staple in Canadian Show Business. He has had two radio shows, been on TV, authored 3 books, directed, wrote movies, gotten back into acting and evolved his stand-up comedy into a more personal act.
His brother Rob says; that getting into radio has settled Ward down”. Laura states; “that Ward has grown as a performer and person. He loves radio writing movies and producing high end products. But now it is all about family and doing comedy about his life” The rest of Ward’s immediate family concur that he loves living in Toronto and he is happy doing multiple projects in Show Business. Anyone that meets Mr. Ward Anderson admire his hustle and dedication to his many talents.
“My act used to be ridiculous, physical, loud and stupid. I have no shame in saying that, because that’s what I wanted it to be. It was purely observational comedy, with nothing personal in it. Now my act is almost entirely personal, with anecdotes about my marriage, my family, my children, and my reluctance to getting older. Some would probably say my old routine, with the ridiculous prat-falls and silliness, was superior to my more personal material that I’m doing now. But I’m proud of the fact that I learned to bring my actual experiences to the stage in a way that people find relatable and funny.”
These days Mr. Anderson spends as much time as possible in Toronto with his wife and young family and has found a balance between life and work. He has gotten to the point in his career where he can turn down work that does not make him happy. Ward said; “every performer struggles with the idea of turning down work and maybe I am not turning down enough.”
To relax Ward spends time with his family and close friends. He loves to read and is studying Christmas folklore & history. He recently started a Christmas Podcast called “The Christmas Show.” He listens to a lot of Jazz and Smooth R&B. “I’m told it’s odd, but I’m a winter fan. I enjoy long walks in the cold, listening to music.”
Ward Anderson recently sold a movie script to the Lifetime Channel and has a new Comedy Special coming out on July 9, 2019 on Amazon Prime & iTunes. Check Ward out at your local comedy club and say hi. He may give you some fashion advice, Christmas folklore or kick up some old school dance moves.
For more information about Ward Anderson visit http://wardanderson.net/
On a personal note, the author David Reuben, found Mr. Ward Anderson to be charming, honest, and well versed in all aspects of showbusiness. Young performers should use him as a resource.
Mention you found out about Ward Anderson on www.thecomedygreenroom.com
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