Steve Hofstetter

Artist Information

Biography

Author, columnist, and comedian Steve Hofstetter is often called the hardest working man in show-business. With all due respect to the late James Brown.

Hofstetter's national TV debut came on ESPN's Quite Frankly, where Stephen A. Smith yelled at him for three minutes. Hofstetter has also appeared on CBS' "Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson," Showtime's "White Boyz in the Hood," VH1's "Countdown," Sundance's "On the Road in America," and ABC's "Barbara Walter's Special," where he thankfully did not cry. Having appeared on networks from Boston to Miami to Denver, his local television appearances are too numerous to count, especially if you're using your fingers.

One of the top booked acts on the college circuit, the 29-year-old humorist also just released his third album and his third book. The book is titled "National Lampoon's Balls!" Thankfully, It's a sports book. Hofstetter has written humor columns for the New York Times, SportsIllustrated.com, and NHL.com, where he publicly admitted to being a Ranger fan.

After hosting Four Quotas on Sirius Satellite Radio for two seasons, Hofstetter moved to broadcast radio, and his Sports Minute (Or So) is currently syndicated on over 150 stations and in over 30 newspapers. Hofstetter's first live comedy album ("Cure For the Cable Guy") reached #20 on Billboard's comedy charts. His second album ("Dark Side of the Room") is the first ever pay-what-you-want" comedy album, since people were going to steal it anyway.

Hofstetter's brutal tour schedule consists of over 100 colleges and dozens of clubs every year, and is fueled by an immense online popularity, tons of press, and a Prius with great gas mileage. He reached 200,000 friends on Facebook and 400,000 more on MySpace, and high shelves in grocery stores.

Hofstetter was named one of Two Drink Minimum magazine's Best New Faces of 2004, which confuses him since he definitely had a face in 2003. And while Hofstetter's live shows are routinely sold out, he is best known for his writing, first published at age 15 (when he also had a face). At 18, he co-founded "Sports Jerk of the Week," an irreverent website featured by press like USA Today's Baseball Weekly, Sports Illustrated and CNN. And at 20, Hofstetter took a year off of school to head up web content for the New York Yankees. The Yankees won the World Series that year, which would have been wonderful if they hadn't beaten Hofstetter's Mets. He did not have a face that night.

While an undergraduate at Columbia University, Hofstetter was a well-read columnist for the Columbia Daily Spectator and a voice of the Lions. After a summer writing for Maxim, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated for Kids, Hofstetter turned his column into two books. The column gained popularity with syndication in several newspapers and websites, including collegehumor.com.

Hofstetter also looks a great deal like Michael Rappaport.

Instrumentation

Discography

2009 - Steve Hofstetter - Steve Hofstetter's Day Off
2008 - Steve Hofstetter - Dark Side of the Room
2006 - Steve Hofstetter - Cure For The Cable Guy
2004 - Steve Hofstetter - Tastes Like Bliss

Books: Student Body Shots, Student Body Shots - Another Round, National Lampoon's Balls!

Official Website

http://www.stevehofstetter.com

Audio

Video

Steve Hofstetter on Ferguson, NESN, and DCT

Photo Gallery

Press

• Comedian brings full house to Pruis [+ Show ]
  

  Pruis Hall reached its maximum capacity Tuesday night when about 650 students attended Steve Hofstet...Pruis Hall reached its maximum capacity Tuesday night when about 650 students attended Steve Hofstetter's comedy show.
  
  The show was part of Welcome Week, which was organized by the University Program Board.
  
  Senior telecommunications major and director of UPB Sam Maples said Welcome Week started the semester on a good note, with students of all years participating in the events organized by the Board.
  
  "I think the show was awesome," she said. "It's the start of the year and we packed up Pruis. We had a good turnout, and we are really excited about it."
  
  The show was opened by Cleveland Jackson, a comedian who has worked with Dave Chappelle and lives in Louisville, Ky.
  
  Jackson said he thought the show went well, and the audience was open-minded toward the jokes.
  
  "I thought it was a great audience," he said. "I thought we were going to perform at a cafeteria, but this was set up really nice and the fact that the university let us perform uncensored really made a big difference."
  
  Jackson will be shooting a DVD for his show "Rockstar On a Budget" later this fall.
  
  Hofstetter, who was the main act, said he was pleased with how many students showed up.
  
  "I had a great time," he said. "It was an amped-up crowd. When you get more than 600 people, you know it's going to be a good show."
  
  This was Hofstetter's third time at Ball State University, but the first time he was booked by UPB to perform, he said.
  
  Freshman Kaela Burgess said this was the first live stand up comedy show she had attended, and enjoyed it very much.
  
  "I thought he was amazing," she said. "I had never seen anyone as funny as him in my life. It was a fun experience."
  
  UPB's last events for Welcome Week are Quad Bash and The Price is Right. They will be held on Friday and Saturday nights. UPB organizers said they plan to bring more comedians to campus during the semester. However, Maples said there are still no set dates.
  
  "Hofstetter was hilarious," Maples said. "I had a great time. It was a good start for the year, and Hofstetter was a really good fit for Ball State."
  

• Steve Hofstetter - Comedy With a Slant [+ Show ]
  

  Steve Hofstetter, now resides in Los Angeles but is a native of New York. He became involved in co...Steve Hofstetter, now resides in Los Angeles but
  is a native of New York. He became involved in
  comedy in a sort of convoluted way. “I have done
  improv since I was thirteen years old and then
  sort of fell out of it in college. I decided to give
  stand-up a try and it went well. I felt I had ‘exercised
  the demon’ so to speak, so I thought I would
  leave it alone. It was something I always wanted
  to try, so I did it and that was that.”
  Steve graduated from college as an American history
  major, with a writing minor. “It’s not exactly
  a marketable degree. All of my friends were picking
  up jobs in the finance world and I had nothing.
  I was unemployed for about six months.” In
  the meantime, he released a book that was doing
  reasonably well for an initial offering from a part
  time writer. “It wasn’t exactly a big release, so I
  decided to do stand-up to promote it.” Steve soon
  found out he was a better comedian than writer.
  “The book, called Student Body Shop,
  was an off-shoot from my column on
  collegehumor.com. It consisted of all
  manner of funny things about college
  life.” Steve had a distinct advantage
  over all the other comedians trying to
  get a start in the college market, that
  being the original columnist for collegehumor.
  com. “That site blew up so
  much since I first started writing for it
  that a lot of students already knew
  who I was. Even if people didn’t
  know my name, I could put ‘collegehumor.
  com’ on a poster and students
  would come to the show.”
  Steve obviously had a smooth and
  natural transition into the college market
  and unlike many comedians,
  made it his home right off the bat.
  “That is my base. I started out doing
  college shows, because I was the college
  humor guy. It turns out it was
  and is a great fit because old people
  don’t really find me funny. College
  students get what I am talking about.
  College students are smart and open
  enough to understand me.”
  Steve is known as “The Thinking
  Man’s Comic’ and for good reason.
  The attention and understanding he
  gets from college students comes as a
  natural reaction to his style. “My
  material is social criticism for the most
  part. Very few 55 year-old guys want
  to hear a 26 year-old kid tell them
  about the world. But, a lot of college
  students are open to new thoughts
  and different ideas... the idea of independence,
  the idea of rallying against
  consensus. Look at how many college
  students protest. A lot of my comedy
  is rebelling against consensus and that
  is exactly what college is about– finding
  out who you are and cherishing
  what makes you and everyone else
  different.”
  Steve took to the college market like a
  fish to water and vice versa. “The second
  time I ever did stand up was at
  the Columbia University bookstore,
  during my book release.” He soon got
  an invitation to perform at a comedy
  night at Meredith College in North
  Carolina. It was a meager trip with no
  financial gains for Steve, but it did
  provide him with valuable experiences
  and exposure. “The school just
  covered travel; I got paid no money. I
  figured I didn't need to get paid
  because it would be a great opportunity
  to sell books.” It didn’t take Steve
  long to realize he needed to make a
  shift in his priorities. “I finally realized,
  ‘Wait a minute, I should just do
  this!’ It was way more fun than promoting
  the book.”
  Steve is never forced to conform to
  one rigid character or personality, so
  his demeanor on stage can and often
  does change with his mood.
  “Sometimes I have a lot of energy. I
  will be on stage everywhere at once.
  Sometimes, I will do my whole act sitting
  down. It just depends on the
  mood I am in. Above all though, my
  delivery is honest. It is not recreated
  and I am not putting on any airs. It is
  just me being me.”
  Steve makes a conscious attempt not
  to detract from his message with
  flashy props or silly antics. “When I
  perform, I am in blue jeans and a black
  t-shirt. That way, people are concentrating
  on what I am saying, not what
  I am wearing or the way I am acting.”
  So, what is Steve saying? “A range of
  things,” he says, at which point he
  spouts off a list of topics common to
  his show at an alarming rate. “Race,
  religion, politics, body image, psychology,
  sociology, etc... One underlying
  and consistent thing I like to build
  all of my material around though is a
  positive message. I never want to go
  for the cheap laugh. I don't want my
  audiences to laugh at the wrong thing.
  If people are laughing at a joke in my
  act for the wrong reason and I realize
  it, I will drop the joke. I would rather
  not get the laugh than get a bad
  laugh.”
  Like many Americans, a lot of things
  about the current state of affairs in our
  world that get under his skin. It may
  be something as wide as global affairs,
  or something as small as striking out
  at an entertainment figure who he
  takes issue with. “Right now, one of
  the big things I am talking about is
  Larry The Cable Guy and the Blue
  Collar deal. I find Larry’s humor to be
  base and easy and racist and I am trying
  to rally against that. I find it to be
  endemic of a very ‘don’t think,
  just do’ culture. I talk about it and
  from that, a lot of other things sort
  of spring out.”
  He may wind up talking about everything
  from a Christian motorcycle
  rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma to the propaganda
  ads we have on television. “I
  try to have as many different experiences
  as possible. That bike rally was
  certainly different and interesting.”
  Concerning the ads on TV, Steve takes
  issue with some of the tactics used in
  the public service messages we all
  know so well. “One specific set are
  the propaganda ads aimed at stoping
  kids from smoking. I talk about how
  we are a very puritan company, no
  matter how much we pretend otherwise.
  I try to speak on interesting topics,
  then do a funny joke about it. I
  mean, let’s be honest, if the subject
  you are on isn’t very interesting, then
  who cares? It could be the best joke in
  the world, but if you are not interested
  in what the person is saying, then why
  bother paying attention?”
  Steve is not a dirty or “blue” act, but
  he can be sometimes on the border.
  “My act is not graphic. I use words
  sometimes that people don’t define
  as clean, but I can also do 100% clean
  shows. I understand my audiences
  and I understand that my job is to try
  and reach as many people as possible,
  so if I am uncensored, I will
  curse. If I understand that it is not
  appropriate, then I will adjust
  accordingly. I mean, I do synagogue
  fund raisers. I am not going to drop
  an F-bomb in front of a Rabbi.” He
  explains that his jokes do not rely on
  a naughty premise. “I have two or
  three jokes that are somewhat dirty
  in nature, but they rely on something
  scatological, whereas the meat of the
  matter lies elsewhere. I can edit two
  or three jokes out of my act, try not to
  curse as much as I do in normal conversation
  and I am a clean act.”
  Steve relates humorous irony at his
  being clean versus the amount of people
  he seems to be able to tick off.
  “The funny thing is I am clean but
  some people can find my material
  offensive, except it is only offensive
  when it is on stage. If I were to say
  any of the things I say in my act in a
  formal debate, they wouldn’t be
  found offensive in the least.” But, as
  with many people who do not take a
  jovial and carefree outlook on humor
  and life, the offense comes when he
  makes light of these very topics. “I
  think people hear words without
  meaning. They hear the topic, but not
  the humor. If I mention religion, some
  people out there will tighten up and
  not even bother to listen to what I am
  saying about it.”
  Steve says sometimes people get so
  caught up in the nuts and bolts of the
  subject that the humor in the situation
  flies right over their heads.
  “I have a seven minute bit about how
  much I hate racism. One time, I had a
  guy get up and walk out of my show
  because he thought I was being racist.
  He wasn’t really listening and he took
  away the wrong message. This same
  guy came to another one of my shows.
  I don’t know if he did it by accident or
  if he was someone’s guest, but I don’t
  think he intended watching my show.
  For some reason he did and he came
  over to me afterwards. He immediately
  apologized. He told me he left
  my show the last time because he
  heard what I said, but he wasn’t listening.
  He stayed the whole way
  through this time and really enjoyed
  the act. That was a good feeling. It is
  one of the better after-show moments
  that I have had.
  “I think if people open their minds
  and really listen, they will realize that
  everything I say comes from a place of
  love and understanding. Then they
  can’t possibly get offended. There are
  a number of times I have gotten in
  arguments with people after shows
  and there are a number of times those
  people have said something really
  moving to me. It is weird, because
  you kind of have to take it all lightly in
  stride. If you pay a lot of attention to
  the good, you have to give the bad the
  same credit. Say I get a glowing
  review in a newspaper, that is fantastic,
  but I can’t hang too much on that
  because if I do, then I am going to
  hang a lot on the next guy’s review
  which calls me a hack. As vindicating
  as it was at the time for this guy to
  approach me after the show, I almost
  have to ignore it. It is a weird give and
  take relationship.”
  Steve talks about any number of
  things and stays abreast of current
  events. Unlike most Americans however,
  when he hears a story, he goes to
  find the truth in the content, rather
  than relying on the spun and respun
  angles of major media outlets.
  “Whenever something interests me, I
  research it. I think that is the major
  difference between me and the way a
  lot of people take their news. Many of
  them get their news from one source
  and often those have interests outside
  of simply presenting you with a fair
  and balanced report. When I hear
  people talking about something, I listen.
  If it interests me, I go online and
  research it to find the truth for myself.
  I get the real sources and as close as I
  can to the truth, then I bring that on
  stage and slant it again with my
  views. It keeps me honest, open and
  on my toes, but above all, it keeps me
  in touch with my audiences and
  allows me to relate something to them
  that is deeper than just a laugh.”
  BOOK IT! For more information on
  bringing Steve Hofstetter to your campus,
  contact Kate at Sophie K.
  Entertainment at (877) 664-8559 or for
  a virtual link, log on to our website at
  www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

• Comedy For The Kids [+ Show ]
  

  Saturday, March 8 marked the return of comedian Steve Hofstetter to Rose-Hulman’s campus. Pi Kappa A...Saturday, March 8 marked the return of comedian Steve Hofstetter to Rose-Hulman’s campus. Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity hosted the comedian at Hatfield Hall, in efforts to assist Big Brothers Big Sisters of Vigo County. The event was marketed to all of campus and also to the entirety of the Wabash Valley, selling tickets at five dollars for Rose-Hulman students and seven dollars for non-Rose-Hulman students.
  
  The event, designed to assist the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Vigo County, coincided with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Vigo County “Bowl-for-Kids’-Sake,” an annual event that comprises one of the organization’s largest fundraising drives. This year the goal had been set to $50,000 in funds in order to further assist the youth in Vigo County. This goal was through the contributions of all who attended Saturday night’s performance by Steve Hofstetter.
  
  Hofstetter’s performance appeared to be well received, with approximately four hundred people in attendance. The audience had few moments in which they weren’t wide-mouthed with laughter. One such person in attendance was freshman computer engineer, Alex Cobb. Alex said, “Hofstetter was one of the funniest comedians I have heard in a long time. None of his jokes were lewd or a cheap laugh. They were actually intelligent and witty remarks on our society today. And the great thing is that it benefited a great cause, Big Brothers Big Sisters. I am definitely looking forward to him coming back next year.”
  
  Contributions did not just end there, David King, the event coordinator and junior mechanical engineer, also recognized the contributions of Alpha Tau Omega for the donation of $150, the Residence Hall Association for the donation of seventy-five tickets to the student body, and the Hatfield Hall staff. The event raised approximately $1,200 for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Vigo County. David said, “I was absolutely ecstatic about how smoothly the event went. It’s always nerve-wracking putting on a big event.”

• Steve Hofstetter: The Dark Side of the Room [+ Show ]
  

  Monday, 3/3/08 by Dylan P. Gadino March 3, 2008 Steve Hofstetter’s latest offering, The Dark ...Monday, 3/3/08
  
  by Dylan P. Gadino
  March 3, 2008
  
  Steve Hofstetter’s latest offering, The Dark Side of the Room, pulls triple duty: of course first it’s a comedy album—and, at that, a consistently funny one. And since so many of Hofstetter’s punch lines arrive from roads paved with ultra-timely, ultra specific pop-culture nods (e.g. Bob from the Enzyte ads, Kevin Federline, American Girl dolls), the album acts as an audio time capsule.
  
  Finally, the nearly 50-minute set recorded at the Comedy Caravan in Louisville, KY, Hofstetter presents his audience with a travelogue of sorts, humorously recounting his experiences in the small pockets of America that most comics wouldn’t touch, fearful of those locales’ inherently drab nature. But Hofstetter has the chops to maker it otherwise.
  
  Like the way Tom Rhodes expertly carved out Europe-inspired jokes on his 2006 album Live in Paris, Hofstetter does so on Dark Side; but the New York City native keeps it domestic.
  
  He allows us to tag along with him to Indiana (who, up until recently, ignored the rest of the country’s rules on daylight saving time), Pittsburgh (where there are stop signs on Interstates), Dahlonega, GA (where he was introduced to Christian country music) Phoenix (where he performed at a strip club for Penthouse), Las Vegas (where a stripper recognized him from MySpace), Tulsa (where he attended a biker rally for God) and Northfield, VT, which is such a small town that Mapquest’s directions to Hofstetter were simply, “Take a right out of my driveway and go fuck myself.”
  
  There was also the gig he did for High Times: “I didn’t want to do the show at first because when I was a kid, all I learned about pot was that it was a gateway drug. And if I started telling pot jokes, I could end up telling heroin jokes. I’ll start doing jokes about cocaine and end up in an alley sucking dick for punch lines.”
  
  Throughout the album, Hofstetter – also known for his online columns for Sports Illustrated, and his work with CollegeHumor.com and National Lampoon, masterfully maintains a powerful stage presence wherein he’s adopted a sort of bob-and-weave approach; he’ll ask the crowd a leading question, but he doesn’t give them excess rope. He’s always in control.

• Serious comedy - Steve Hofstetter takes his act to the edge. [+ Show ]
  

  Friday, 12/28/07 By Doug Janz Press Tempo Writer Steve Hofstetter, comedian and columnist, au...Friday, 12/28/07
  By Doug Janz
  
  Press Tempo Writer
  
  Steve Hofstetter, comedian and columnist, author and radio personality, is proud of the fact he’s evolved his standup act from “silly” (his words) to “edgy.” At 28 he’s still connected to young audiences but has enough social awareness to inject his material with cultural references both obscure and of worldwide importance.
  
  Perhaps the most cutting-edge thing Hofstetter has done is put his new comedy album for sale online — at whatever price people feel like paying for it.
  
  What’s that? Let the consumer name the price?
  
  “In March, we’ll have physical copies in stores, but for now it’s digital download and you pay what you want,” Hofstetter said. “I liked when Radiohead did it. It sort of says art is worth what you’re willing to pay for it. Each individual person can decide what it’s worth for them.
  
  “It’s been a week, and I’m averaging over $6 an album. If I take away freeloaders it goes up higher. Actually, with a record deal I wouldn’t even get that much. This way, people can get the album instantly, they get a better price and I get more than if it were royalties. I really think this is the next wave. I think a lot of artists are going to take their art back. The future is now, and people in the business are still trying to sell records like it’s 1960 when that won’t work anymore.”
  
  The album is called “The Dark Side of the Room” and is taken from a live show in Louisville, Ky. Hofstetter said he’s pleased “at the way my material has grown since the last album. My first one was very silly, the second album was half edgy, half silly, and this one definitely graduated to edgy. I don’t sit there and talk about relationships anymore. I only have 45 minutes of a show to say something.”
  
  Hofstetter comes to Johnson City this weekend, doing two shows tonight and two more Saturday night at The Comedy Zone, 101 Springbrook Drive in the Holiday Inn. Shows each night are at 8 and 10:15. Dennis Donohue is the opener. Admission is $8 per show.
  
  Hofstetter, a Columbia University graduate, has what he calls “a spidered career because it has many legs to it, but I’m a standup first and foremost. I love performing live.” His comedy style has many influences, including Jerry Seinfeld and the late Bill Hicks as two of the biggest.
  
  “It’s a mix of the silly streak of Jerry Seinfeld and the social commentary of Bill Hicks, although I’m not as angry as he was,” Hofstetter said. “And some of the storytelling of Bill Cosby. My dad rasied me on Cosby.”
  
  He’s a busy man in show business, doing about 250 live performances a year and a series of syndicated radio shorts called “The Sports Minute (Or So.)” Hofstetter has released three albums (“Cure For The Cable Guy” in 2006, “Tastes Like Bliss” in 2003) and written humor books, including his latest, National Lampoon’s “Balls!” He has a love of sports, as well, having served as an online columnist for Sports Illustrated and covering the NHL.
  
  Hofstetter has appeared on ESPN’s “Quite Frankly,” Showtime’s “White Boyz in the Hood” and VH1’s “Countdown,” and served as associate producer on a Barbara Walters special.
  
  His journey into standup comedy occurred by osmosis, going from athlete to sports writer to humorist.
  
  “It really helped to have no other marketable skills,” he said with a luagh. “As soon as I figured out I couldn’t pitch, I always wanted to be a writer.” But he ended up covering high school baseball in Shreveport, Ill., an unfulfilling situation that led him to doing standup routines.
  
  “I didn’t know I wanted to be a standup until I’d been doing it for months,” he said. “But getting up in front of people is something I always did naturally. I wasn’t the lead in the school play, but I wanted a part with a good role where I didn’t have to work as hard as the lead role. I was kind of comic relief.
  
  “When I was 13 there was a girl I had a crush on a girl who was in the improv club. There was a meeting, so of course I went. Two weeks later she quit the club, but I was hooked.” He pauses. “The good news is she eventually got fat, but I had a career and didn’t have to deal with her.
  
  “I really love doing this. I cannot imagine not doing this.”
  
  For more on Hofstetter, visit www.stevehofstetter.com. His new album is available at www.Stevesnewalbum.com.
  
  For Comedy Zone information, call 283-0074.

• Media & Festival List [+ Show ]
  

  Television: CBS’s The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson E! True Hollywood Story Showtime’s Whit...Television:
  CBS’s The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
  E! True Hollywood Story
  Showtime’s White Boyz in the Hood
  VH1’s Countdown
  ABC’s Barbara Walter’s Special
  ESPN’s Quite Frankly
  NBC News' Tribute to Johnny Carson
  NBC’s Law & Order
  NBC’s Ed
  NBC’s Last Comic Standing
  Street Smarts - Standup Smarts Week
  NESN’s Comedy All-Stars
  MyNetworkTV’s Comics Unleashed
  CW’s The Daily Buzz
  CNN's CNNDotCom
  Sundance’s On The Road In America
  Comic’s Unleashed
  G4’s Attack of the Show
  Over two dozen local TV news appearances, including New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Miami, and more
  Radio:
  Host of National Lampoon Radio Sports Minute (Or So), syndicated on 170+ stations (2006-Present)
  Regular guest on various Sirius Satellite Radio programs
  Played frequently on XM and Sirius Satellite Radio
  Former host of 4 Quotas – Sirius Satellite Radio (2004-2006)
  Frequent guest on the CBC
  The Bob and Tom Show
  BBC Radio
  Guest Host on NYC's WFAN Radio
  Regular guest on over 100 stations across the country
  Books:
  National Lampoon’s Balls!
  Observational Humor
  Student Body Shots
  Contributor to over a dozen others
  Numerous appearances at college book stores
  Columnist:
  New York Times
  Maxim Magazine
  Sports Illustrated (former weekly)
  NHL (former weekly)
  Collegehumor.com (former weekly)
  Press:
  Stuff Magazine
  Maxim
  Washington Post
  New York Times
  Time Magazine
  The Economist
  Wired
  ESPN Magazine
  Sports Illustrated
  More than 100 local newspapers
  More than 200 college newspapers
  
  
  Awards:
  Nominee, Comedian of the Year, Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities (2008, 2007)
  Nominee, Performer of the Year, Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities (2008)
  Pick of the Week, Milwaukee Express (January, 2008)
  DC Pick of the Week, The Onion (August, 2007)
  Pick of the Week, DC City Paper (August, 2007)
  Nominee, Best Comedy Act, Winthrop University (2007)
  Album Cover of the Month, Stuff Magazine (June, 2006)
  Nominee, Comedian of the Year, Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities (2006)
  20 Under 40, Columbia University (2004)
  Best New Face, Two Drink Minimum Magazine (2004)
  
  Comedy Festivals:
  New York Underground Comedy Festival (2005, 2006, 2007)
  Boston Comedy Festival (2006)
  Calgary Comedy Festival (2006)
  Las Vegas Comedy Festival (2006)
  Comedy Clubs and Venues:
  Comic Strip (Edmonton, AB)
  Stardome (Birmingham, AL)
  Improv (Brea, CA)
  Comedy District (Culver City, CA)
  Improv (Irvine, CA)
  Comedy Store (Hollywood, CA)
  Improv (Hollywood, CA)
  Laugh Factory (Hollywood, CA)
  Ha Ha Cafe (North Hollywood, CA)
  Comedy Store (La Jolla, CA)
  Comedy Union (Los Angeles, CA)
  Downtown Comedy Club (Los Angeles, CA)
  Mixed Nuts Comedy Club (Los Angeles, CA)
  Fat Cat (Modesto, CA)
  Ice House (Pasadena, CA)
  Rooster T. Feather’s (Sunnyvale, CA)
  JR’s Comedy Club (Valencia, CA)
  Loonee’s (Colorado Springs, CO)
  Wits End (Denver, CO)
  Riot Act (Washington, DC)
  Atlantic Theatres (Jacksonville, FL)
  Bonkerz (Orlando, FL)
  Comedy Zone (Tallahassee, FL)
  Improv (Tampa, FL)
  Funny Farm (Atlanta, GA)
  Penguin’s (Bettendorf, IA)
  Bear’s Place (Bloomington, IN)
  One Liner’s (Greenwood, IN)
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  Comedy on State (Madison, WI)
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  Cozzy’s Comedy Club (New Port News, VA)
  Richmond Comedy Club (Richmond, VA)
  Theatres:
  Union Theatre (Fayetteville, AR)
  Port Theatre (Nanaimo, BC)
  Eclectic Company Theater (Los Angeles, CA)
  Music Theatre (Pomona, CA)
  4th & B (San Diego, CA)
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  Student Union Theatre (Storrs, CT)
  Carnival Center for the Performing Arts (Miami, FL)
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  Chicago Center for the Performing Arts (Chicago, IL)
  Herrin Civic Center (Herrin, IL)
  CAC Theater (Wichita, KS)
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  McKinnon Theatre (Flint, MI)
  Ontonagon Theatre (Ontanagon, MI)
  Wilkins Theatre (Union, NJ)
  Bouck Hall Theatre (Cobleskill, NY)
  Farrell Hall Theatre (Delhi, NY)
  Cultural Centre Theatre (Hempstead, NY)
  Gerald W. Lynch Theatre (New York, NY)
  Triad Theater (New York, NY)
  Comix Café (Rochester, NY)
  Sears Theatre (Dayton, OH)
  Leady Theatre (Annville, PA)
  Kaleidescope Theatre (Collegeville, PA)
  Janikies Theatre (Smithfield, RI)
  Haymarket Theatre (Blacksburg, VA)
  Grafton-Stovall Theater (Harrisonburg, VA)
  Strasburg Theater (Strasburg, VA)
  Alexander Twilight Theatre (Lyndonville, VT)
  Wilson Theater (Beloit, WI)
  Gluck Theater (Morgantown, WV)
  

• Stand-up comedian kicks off Stevens' school year [+ Show ]
  

  Steve Hofstetter is not one to play down to his retinue of young adults. He finds that people his ag...Steve Hofstetter is not one to play down to his retinue of young adults. He finds that people his age and older who come to his shows are usually distracted by the monotony of their lives. But young people are eager to learn and, therefore, laugh, he reasons.
  “Happiness is the only thing they care about, so they’re more likely to be open to my ideas,” he said.
  The 30-year-old college comic is playing two shows tomorrow night at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken to kick off the fall semester.
  Despite growing up in Queens, Hofstetter is not a stranger to New Jersey. He lived in Montclair from 2007 to 2009 before moving to New York City, but he still frequents Arthur’s Tavern in Hoboken about twice a year.
  Hofstetter has recorded three live comedy albums, including 2006’s “Cure for the Cable Guy,” and three sports humor books, including “National Lampoon’s Balls!” He formerly was a weekly columnist for SportsIllustrated.com and NHL.com.
  Foraying into television, he is serving as the host and executive producer of “Trial by Laughter,” a new stand-up comedy competition airing on Comcast on Demand in late December. The show tapes in November at Morty’s Comedy Joint, a club in Indianapolis that Hofstetter co-owns. Thirty-six comedians square off over the course of five days, but this is not Last Comic Standing, he said.
  The voting is divided 50-50 between the audience and the judges. The trite reality show conventions involving contestants living in a big house were omitted from the design of Hofstetter’s new show.
  “No one wants to watch two comedians fighting over the same pretzel,” Hofstetter said. “Offstage, we’re an incredibly annoying breed. I don’t want to put that on camera. This isn’t the Real Housewives of Comedy.”
  To promote the show, Hofstetter is giving away 1 million free downloads of one of his comedy albums. Those who download it have a chance to win a round-trip flight to Indianapolis, five-day hotel stay and a weeklong job introducing Hofstetter at the beginning of each episode.
  On top of that, he recently sold a feature-length comedy screenplay about poker, which he co-wrote, to Silver Lion Films.
  Hofstetter’s touring schedule this year has consisted largely of mid-size venues for rock concerts, ranging from palatial to seedy. Sometimes, the concert hall has a drain in the floor, so the room can be hosed off afterward, he said.
  Hofstetter has no problem with that, considering 90 percent of his audiences are well-versed in his material, he estimates.
  “Comedy is the only art form where people show up without bothering to check what they’re watching beforehand,” Hofstetter said.
  Jim Oliver, senior account executive at the comedian’s management firm Next Round Entertainment, said Hofstetter’s smart, witty style caters to college audiences.
  “In an industry where potty humor and cheap jokes are all too frequent, Steve’s show provides intelligent and hilarious social commentary that keeps his audiences coming back for more,” Oliver said.
  In the case of Stevens, Hofstetter has no worries about the composition of the crowd. Ever since he played Michigan Technology University, he said he is braced for a potential guy-to-girl ratio of 499 to 1.
  “With tech schools, I usually play for a smarter base of students,” Hofstetter said. “They’re definitely nerdier, which is great because so am I.”
  Hofstetter blogs at http://chinesefoodandtv.blogspot.com/.
  What: Steve Hofstetter
  Where: Stevens Institute of Technology, DeBaun Auditorium, 1 Castle Point on the Hudson in Hoboken, N.J.
  When: Saturday at 6 and 8 p.m.
  Details: Free

• Comedian Steve Hofstetter opening comedy club in Long Island City [+ Show ]
  

  BY DANIEL PRENDERGAST DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Sunday, October 16, 2011 Comedian Steve Hofstetter ...BY DANIEL PRENDERGAST
  DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
  Sunday, October 16, 2011
  Comedian Steve Hofstetter thinks Long Island City needs a sense of humor - or at least a space to showcase it.
  
  That's why he's opening The Laughing Devil Comedy Club - the latest and smallest, addition to the city's comedy scene - in the heart of the up-and-coming Queens neighborhood.
  
  "The general idea is to make it a very intimate show where every seat is a fantastic seat, where the back row is the front row," Hofstetter said.
  
  The 760-square-foot space on Vernon Blvd. is set to open in December and seat about 50, making it the smallest club in the city, if not the world - a fact Hofstetter plans to contest with the Guinness Book of World Records.
  
  
  
  It would also be the only full-time comedy club in the city outside of Manhattan.
  
  Despite the club's diminutive size, Hofstetter expects it to draw big talent to Queens.
  
  In addition to being a comedian, Hoffstetter, 32, is the chief operating officer of Paragon, a company that has a stake in three other comedy clubs around the country and has worked with comedians such as Margaret Cho and Dave Attell.
  
  "We have some great connections," he said. "Since I'm a comedian myself, a lot of these guys are buddies that came up at the same time as me."
  
  But before he can deliver the laughs, Hofstetter and his partners must get the community to share in their vision.
  
  "Community boards are almost always hostile with businesses like this," said Rob MacKay, a spokesman for the Queens Economic Development Corp. "They say, 'Uh-oh, there's going to be less parking, there are going to be drunk people,' " he said. "It's not always easy."
  
  Hofstetter said he's drumming up support from Community Board 2 for a liquor license. He said he has a petition with 845 signatures so far and has received 27 letters of support from fellow business owners in the neighborhood.
  
  "Believe me, we are not out to get our patrons drunk," Hofstetter said. "Drunk people ruin comedy shows."
  
  The community board discussed the license at a hearing Wednesday. Because there are already many establishments in the area that serve liquor, the board plans another hearing to deliberate further.
  
  Even with community support, The Laughing Devil may be at a disadvantage by setting up shop in an outer borough. Unlike some of its Manhattan counterparts, the club will likely not have the luxury of tourists wandering in off the street for a show.
  
  Hofstetter's partner, Jacob Morvay, acknowledged that the club's success depends on building a local clientele.
  
  "The people in the neighborhood are very fierce supporters of local businesses," Morvay said. "What we are hoping to do is build a club that people want to come to once or twice a month and make it kind of a neighborhood place."
  
  Being in Queens puts the club in a position to become a hot-spot in an increasingly wealthy neighborhood with relatively few entertainment options compared with Manhattan, Morvay said.
  
  The median household income in the Hunter's Point section of Long Island City is more than $100,000 according to the latest Census figures. According to Morvay, local households spend an average of $4,600 annually on entertainment - a fact he learned during local market research.
  
  
  
  "A lot of entertainment dollars [from Long Island City] go into Manhattan because there just aren't as many options in Queens," he said. "We feel that being in Queens could be one of our biggest strengths."
  
  Hofstetter said he is confident his club will thrive.
  
  "It's got such a great neighborhood feel right now," he said. "I think people in this community will say to themselves, 'Hey, these guys are local. Let's support them.' "

• No laugh off-limits for Steve Hofstetter [+ Show ]
  

  The Chicago Maroon caught up with Hofstetter, who discussed the counterculture of comedy, Chicago’s ...The Chicago Maroon caught up with Hofstetter, who discussed the counterculture of comedy, Chicago’s stand-up comedy scene (or lack thereof), and the strength of its tradition in improv.
  
  by Lindsay Warren - Nov 11, 2011 2:54 am CDT
  photo: courtesy of next round inc.
  Bestselling comedian Steve Hofstetter will be appearing at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago on Tuesday If you’ve ever taken a good look at the society around you and thought, “Your stupidity offends me,” then you are not alone—comedian Steve Hofstetter went so far as to put this phrase on a shirt and sell it on his website. Dubbed by The Queens Tribune as “The Thinking Man’s Comic,” Hofstetter chooses to combat “good idea[s] done wrong” with witty commentary on everything from Larry the Cable Guy to abortion to Twilight.
  A native New Yorker, Hofstetter went to college at Columbia University (but don’t hold it against him). It was near Columbia that Hofstetter had his first on-stage opportunity. You may have seen Hofstetter on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson or a Barbara Walters special, or you may be more familiar with his work in sports broadcasting. In addition to his live shows, Hofstetter was the original writer of collegehumor.com.
  The Chicago Maroon caught up with Hofstetter, who discussed the counterculture of comedy, Chicago’s stand-up comedy scene (or lack thereof), and the strength of its tradition in improv.
  So if you’re intrigued by what you see below (and can pry yourself away from the Reg/Harper/alternative study space), check out Steve Hofstetter’s performance at the Illinois Institute of Technology this Tuesday.
  Chicago Maroon: Young children dream of being doctors and firefighters. College students dream of finding a job. What made you want to get started in the comedy business, and how did you make it happen?
  Steve Hofstetter: Part of it was a lack of marketable job skills…. It was something I kind of stumbled into. [After trying stand-up,] I kind of became hooked very quickly…. The first place I ever performed was this little weekend club right near Columbia. I helped pass out flyers to get on stage.
  CM: Why do you think comedy is important in today’s society? Where is it going, and how will it remain relevant in the future?
  SH: There are two responses to tragedy: You can laugh at it, or you can let it break you, so I think laughing is the healthier decision. Comedy is counterculture, so, right now, because there is this anti-intellectualism out there, comedy has become fairly intellectual. I don’t know what the future will hold. Comedy is a response. I think that, hopefully, comedy as an industry and an art will always be allowed to thrive.
  CM: Some people often find themselves bringing their work home, so to speak. How does being a comedian affect your non-work life?
  SH: I guess I’m probably funnier than the average person. Being a comedian, years of being on stage have given me two things: one, self-confidence that I did not have before, and two, patience. I’m a very impatient person…. Being on stage, you have to be patient with how the situation is unfolding.
  CM: You are in the process of opening a comedy club in Queens, and you attended Columbia University. As someone so entrenched in New York, and as someone who travels quite a bit, what do you think of the Chicago comedy scene? How do you fit into it?
  SH: The Chicago comedy scene…. It’s a decent scene. The Chicago improv scene is the best in the country. It’s hard to really launch the stand-up scene when improv is so much better. [With regard to fitting in,] you’re not really in the scene if you’re just coming in for a few days. It’s only if you’re really a regular…. You really have to be there at least a month or two.
  CM: Doing 300 shows a year seems very intense. Can you do a quick run-through of a typical day, if you have one?
  SH: It seems intense, but, when you think about it, most people work 300 days a year. My day, usually, it really depends on if I’m on the road or at home…. [I] usually spend most of the day answering e-mails, [working as part-owner of other comedy clubs]… go to the club at night. Do it all over again. If I’m doing a couple colleges in a row, [there’s time on the road]. There is no typical day.
  CM: There are countless things to poke fun at and find humor in. What inspires your new material? Is anything off-limits?
  SH: Bad ideas and poor execution. You can find that everywhere right now. I’m talking about everything from airport security to [shows like “House Hunters”]…. I think the victim in real life should never be the victim of a joke. There are no subjects that should be off-limits…. It’s your perspective that’s offensive.
  CM: You were the original writer of collegehumor.com, and many of your shows are at college campuses. What do you consider your target audience?
  SH: I think anyone with a willingness to hear an opinion that differs from his or her own is my target audience. College students tend to [be] a more willing crowd.
  CM: One of your online merchandise items is a t-shirt that reads “Your stupidity offends me.” How does this speak to your particular brand of comedy?
  SH: That is my brand of comedy. One of the things that I’m discussing now…has been good ideas that are screwed up, and how frustrated I get when I see a good idea done wrong. It’s because of stupidity; people don’t think things through.
  CM: Being published at 15, co-founding a website at 18, and working in web content for the New York Yankees at 20 all sound impressive. Any words of wisdom for precocious U of C students?
  SH: You make your own luck. There is no such thing as the word “no”; when someone tells you no, they mean not now or not this way. So either be patient or find a way to get around it.
  CM: We are in the midst of our very long midterm season at the U of C. What are the top three reasons every student should forget about studying and head to your show?
  SH: I don’t think people should forget about studying. I just think they should get their work done in a timely fashion and then go…. Take a break, see a show, have a meal…. You’ve still got to be a human being.
  lindsay warren

• Comic Steve Hofstetter returns to Forest Hills [+ Show ]
  

  MAXINE SIMPSON Thursday, May 31, 2012 Comedian Steve Hofstetter, 32, is taking his "stand-up routi...MAXINE SIMPSON
  Thursday, May 31, 2012
  Comedian Steve Hofstetter, 32, is taking his "stand-up routine on the road for a return benefit performance at the Forest Hills Jewish Center on Sunday at 4 p.m.
  
  “I started enjoying standup as a kid. I was raised on comedy records,” he said. “I had no idea I wanted to be a professional standup comedian until six months after I had been doing comedy.”
  
  "Hofstetter says his family lived in Forest Hills when he was a teenager.
  
  “We live in Parker Towers when I was 15, which is when we started going to Forest Hills Jewish Center. My mother is still a member,” he said. “A lot of ti!me was spent in a pool hall on Austin St., a baseball card store, and a comic book store. The neighborhood is very different! from when I lived there.
  
  
  
  “I travel too much to be a member of a synagogue, but consider Forest Hills Jewish Center to be my home.”
  
  Hofstetter "now lives in Long Island City "and is the owner of the Laughing Devil Comedy Club,! on Vernon Blvd., a venue for comedians.
  
  He has appeared on “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” and “Clay Aiken’s E! True Hollywood Story ” (Steve Hofstetter). He" says he’s also been on “everything from CNN’s Campbell Brown to ESPN’s "‘Quite Frankly"’ to Sundance Channel: "‘On the Road in America."’”
  
  "But his hope is to “appear in an HBO special and "‘Late Show with David Letterman.’”
  
  "Hofstetter says he has been influenced equally by Bill Hicks and Jerry Seinfeld. “My favorite"s working today are Bill Burr, Eddie Izzard, and Tom Simmons,” he said.
  
  “I am not taking a dime for this show "— this is my way of saying thank you for putting up with me when I was a teenager.”
  
  The show will be held in synagogue’s Heller Ballroom at 106-06 Queens Blvd.
  
  General admission $25. Priority seating $36, includes snacks and soft drinks.
  
  For ticket information, call (718) 263-7000; fhjc.org
  
  “I spent most of my life thinking that the goal was to leave Queens. Now that I am an adult, I finally realized the goal is to help Queens live up to its potential.”
  
  
  
  

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One 60 minute set

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