Adam Christing
Encyclopedia
Adam Christing is an American filmmaker, comedian-magician, author
and seminar leader. He is also a presenter for corporate events and meeting planners. Christing founded 'Clean Comedians', an association of professional comedians and variety artists who don't use obscene language or concepts in their routines.
Adam Christing was born in Inglewood, California
.
Baffled by the magic tricks his uncle showed him as a child, Christing bought a "finger chopper" illusion on Fisherman's Wharf
in San Francisco when he was nine. Soon after, he started performing magic shows for friends and family.
In 1981, 17-year-old Christing became a Junior Member of the famed Magic Castle
in Hollywood, California, where he performed comedy-magic shows for various audiences.
He received a degree in public speaking in 1986 from Biola University
in California. He was later named to the university's Alumni Hall of Fame.
He studied improvisation comedy with Sandy Holt of the famed Second City
in Chicago.
Christing combines his magic with interactive comedy, one-liners and ad-libbed humor involving audience members on stage.
In 2008, Christing took his comedy-magic to China, where he performed on the island of Sanya
.
In the summer of 2008, he was one of the headline comedians for the Great American Comedy Festival honoring Johnny Carson
in Norfolk, Nebraska
.
The “Clean Comedians” roster features dozens of curse-free comedians and variety acts that Christing booked into hundreds of events each year with the money-back guarantee: "If it isn't funny, we'll refund your money!"
In 1996, Random House
published Christing's book COMEDY COMES CLEAN: A Hilarious Collection of Wholesome Jokes, Quotes, and One-Liners.
A number of performers who started with Christing went on to make a splash in various entertainment outlets. Steve Bridges
became America's number one George W. Bush
impersonator as "Mr. President." Scott Derrickson
, who put himself through film school doing gigs for "Clean Comedians" became a film director (Change Your Life).
In 2005, Christing sold the "Clean Comedians" bureau to businessman Corey Ford.
2006–Present: Christing created a website for spiritual seekers called www.themeaningoflife.com to pursue his life-long interest in philosophy and religion. To launch the site, he offered a prize of $10,000 for the best answer to the question, "What is the meaning of life?" The site and contest made news at MSNBC.com
, and many people submitted thought-provoking entries.
Each week Christing e-mails his thoughts about meaning and motivation to individuals who sign up for his e-zine at www.TheMeaningofLife.com. His "e-luminators" offer readers inspirational ideas for leading a more meaningful life.
The response to these how-to-get-booked workshops led Christing to create several home study courses for performers.
In 2008, Christing teamed up with fellow entertainer and entrepreneur Robert Channing to launch a new seminar and coaching business called Getting the Gigs. These "bootcamps" teach speakers and entertainers how to get paid to give live presentations.
Christing teamed up with award-winning filmmaker Patrick Shen
, to co-direct the independent feature film, Change Your Life!
(2009). Written by Christing and Brian Godawa
, Change Your Life! is a comedy mockumentary
about multi-level marketing
and America's obsession with get-rich-quick schemes. The film stars Tony Plana
from NBC's Ugly Betty
and is narrated by Christing. The movie is currently in post-production.
With America experiencing what Christing calls a "Mormon focus moment", his Creek Park Pictures is in production on a historical documentary called A Mormon President: Joseph Smith and the Mormon Quest for the White House. Christing interviewed many of the top Mormon
and "anti-Mormon" experts in America. He shot the film in Independence, Missouri
and Nauvoo, Illinois
where the Latter Day Saints gave him unprecedented access to key locations connected to Joseph Smith
's life and death. (Christing is not Mormon, but is a member of the Mormon History Association).
"Recently I was in Los Angeles performing at an Animal Rights barbecue."
"If you live in America, and you aren't a millionaire yet, you didn't get the memo." (from the film Change Your Life!)
"I'd like to go to assertiveness training class. First I need to check with my wife."
"If you want a deeper experience of life, you need to start asking deeper questions."
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and seminar leader. He is also a presenter for corporate events and meeting planners. Christing founded 'Clean Comedians', an association of professional comedians and variety artists who don't use obscene language or concepts in their routines.
Early years
Inglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. Its population stood at 109,673 as of the 2010 Census...
.
Baffled by the magic tricks his uncle showed him as a child, Christing bought a "finger chopper" illusion on Fisherman's Wharf
Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, California
Fisherman's Wharf is a neighborhood and popular tourist attraction in San Francisco, California. It roughly encompasses the northern waterfront area of San Francisco from Ghirardelli Square or Van Ness Avenue east to Pier 35 or Kearny Street...
in San Francisco when he was nine. Soon after, he started performing magic shows for friends and family.
In 1981, 17-year-old Christing became a Junior Member of the famed Magic Castle
The Magic Castle
The Magic Castle, located at 7001 Franklin Avenue in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, is a nightclub for magicians and magic enthusiasts, as well as the clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts. It bills itself as "the most unusual private club in the world."-Nightclub:The Magic...
in Hollywood, California, where he performed comedy-magic shows for various audiences.
He received a degree in public speaking in 1986 from Biola University
Biola University
Biola University is a private, evangelical Christian, liberal arts university located near Los Angeles. Biola's main campus is in La Mirada in Los Angeles County, California. In addition, the university has several satellite campuses in Chino Hills, Inglewood, San Diego, and Laguna Hills.-...
in California. He was later named to the university's Alumni Hall of Fame.
Performing career
Christing became a professional comedian soon after graduating from college. He has given live performances for over 3,000 separate audiences in 47 of the 50 U.S. States.He studied improvisation comedy with Sandy Holt of the famed Second City
The Second City
The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
in Chicago.
Christing combines his magic with interactive comedy, one-liners and ad-libbed humor involving audience members on stage.
In 2008, Christing took his comedy-magic to China, where he performed on the island of Sanya
Sanya
Sanya is the southernmost city in China and is a part of Hainan Province. In 2006, it had a population of 536,000, making it, after the provincial capital , the second most populous city on the island. The city is renowned for its tropical climate and has emerged as a popular tourist destination,...
.
In the summer of 2008, he was one of the headline comedians for the Great American Comedy Festival honoring Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
in Norfolk, Nebraska
Norfolk, Nebraska
Norfolk is a city in Madison County, Nebraska, United States, 113 miles northwest of Omaha and 83 miles west of Sioux City at the intersection of U.S. Routes 81 and 275. The population was 24,210 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth-largest city in Nebraska. It is the principal city of the...
.
Entrepreneur
1990-2005: Adam Christing began an organization called "Clean Comedians" in 1990.The “Clean Comedians” roster features dozens of curse-free comedians and variety acts that Christing booked into hundreds of events each year with the money-back guarantee: "If it isn't funny, we'll refund your money!"
In 1996, Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
published Christing's book COMEDY COMES CLEAN: A Hilarious Collection of Wholesome Jokes, Quotes, and One-Liners.
A number of performers who started with Christing went on to make a splash in various entertainment outlets. Steve Bridges
Steve Bridges
Steve Bridges is an American comedian, impressionist, and actor who has "developed a repertoire of over 200 impressions, including TV characters Barney Fife and Homer Simpson, broadcasters Tom Brokaw, Paul Harvey and Rush Limbaugh; his impressions of political leaders Bill Clinton, George W...
became America's number one George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
impersonator as "Mr. President." Scott Derrickson
Scott Derrickson
Scott Derrickson is an American screenwriter, producer, and director. He lives in Los Angeles, California.- Biography :Derrickson was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. He graduated from Biola University with a B.A. in Humanities with an emphasis in literature and philosophy, a B.A. in...
, who put himself through film school doing gigs for "Clean Comedians" became a film director (Change Your Life).
In 2005, Christing sold the "Clean Comedians" bureau to businessman Corey Ford.
2006–Present: Christing created a website for spiritual seekers called www.themeaningoflife.com to pursue his life-long interest in philosophy and religion. To launch the site, he offered a prize of $10,000 for the best answer to the question, "What is the meaning of life?" The site and contest made news at MSNBC.com
Msnbc.com
msnbc.com is a news website owned and operated as a joint venture by NBCUniversal and Microsoft.In addition to original content from its news staff, msnbc.com is the news website for the NBC News family, with content from the cable television news channel MSNBC, NBC shows such as Today, NBC Nightly...
, and many people submitted thought-provoking entries.
Each week Christing e-mails his thoughts about meaning and motivation to individuals who sign up for his e-zine at www.TheMeaningofLife.com. His "e-luminators" offer readers inspirational ideas for leading a more meaningful life.
Seminar Leader
Hollywood publicist Michael Levine once approached Christing after a seminar Christing was teaching for performers and speakers about how to get booked. Levine told him, "Adam, at your core, you are a teacher."The response to these how-to-get-booked workshops led Christing to create several home study courses for performers.
In 2008, Christing teamed up with fellow entertainer and entrepreneur Robert Channing to launch a new seminar and coaching business called Getting the Gigs. These "bootcamps" teach speakers and entertainers how to get paid to give live presentations.
Films
Christing launched a film company called Creek Park Pictures with the goal of "engaging ideas on screen" in 2007.Christing teamed up with award-winning filmmaker Patrick Shen
Patrick Shen
Patrick Shen is an American writer and award-winning director and producer of Flight from Death, a seven-time Best Documentary award-winning film.-Documentaries:...
, to co-direct the independent feature film, Change Your Life!
Change Your Life!
Change Your Life! is a 2009 comedy mockumentary directed by Patrick Shen and Adam Christing and written by Christing and Brian Godawa. The film, starring Tony Plana, Ada Maris, and Taylor Negron, satirizes multi-level marketing and "get-rich-quick" schemes....
(2009). Written by Christing and Brian Godawa
Brian Godawa
Brian Godawa is an American screenwriter and author. He wrote the screenplay for To End All Wars and The Visitation, and co-wrote Change Your Life! with Adam Christing....
, Change Your Life! is a comedy mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
about multi-level marketing
Multi-level marketing
Multi-level marketing is a marketing strategy in which the sales force is compensated not only for sales they personally generate, but also for the sales of others they recruit, creating a downline of distributors and a hierarchy of multiple levels of compensation...
and America's obsession with get-rich-quick schemes. The film stars Tony Plana
Tony Plana
Tony Plana is a Cuban-American actor and director. He is well known for playing Betty Suarez's father, Ignacio Suarez, on the ABC show Ugly Betty.-Personal life:...
from NBC's Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
and is narrated by Christing. The movie is currently in post-production.
With America experiencing what Christing calls a "Mormon focus moment", his Creek Park Pictures is in production on a historical documentary called A Mormon President: Joseph Smith and the Mormon Quest for the White House. Christing interviewed many of the top Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
and "anti-Mormon" experts in America. He shot the film in Independence, Missouri
Independence, Missouri
Independence is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Clay. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
and Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...
where the Latter Day Saints gave him unprecedented access to key locations connected to Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith was founder of what later became known as the Latter Day Saint movement or Mormons.Joseph Smith may also refer to:-Latter Day Saints:* Joseph Smith, Sr. , father of Joseph Smith...
's life and death. (Christing is not Mormon, but is a member of the Mormon History Association).
Quotations
"It doesn't have to be filthy to be funny!""Recently I was in Los Angeles performing at an Animal Rights barbecue."
"If you live in America, and you aren't a millionaire yet, you didn't get the memo." (from the film Change Your Life!)
"I'd like to go to assertiveness training class. First I need to check with my wife."
"If you want a deeper experience of life, you need to start asking deeper questions."