Biography
Mike Dugan has written on television series, pilots, or specials for a long list of comedians, including Dennis Miller, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Tom Arnold, Paul Rodriguez, Stephanie Miller, Rich Hall, and even George Hamilton. He received, along with five other writers, an Emmy Award for writing on the first season of 'Dennis Miller: Live' on HBO. The show's writers were also nominated for Cable Ace and Writers Guild of America Awards. While in London Mike also co-created with Rich Hall the BBC TV show "Rich Hall's Badly Funded Think Tank".
Mike has performed extensively throughout America, appearing at comedy clubs, colleges, corporate events, and as an opening act for musical artists such as Roy Orbison, Ricki Lee Jones, Chuck Berry, Harry Belafonte, Todd Rundgren, John Hiatt, Kenny G, and Shawn Colvin. Dugan spent two years touring his comedy throughout Europe and the UK while developing Men Fake Foreplay, and has had the privilege of performing 'Men Fake Foreplay' in London, Paris, Amsterdam, and at The Assembly Rooms at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland.
Mike grew up in Ramsey, New Jersey and began performing stand up comedy as a regular at New York's famed 'Catch a Rising Star' Comedy Club in 1985. In early 1987 he set out for San Francisco's 'Holy City Zoo' Comedy Club to experience what was then the "hands down best comedy scene in the country", and by the end of 1988 he had won the prestigious San Francisco International Stand-up Comedy Competition, capping off the month-long event with two shows for six thousand comedy fans at Davies Symphony Hall. A move to Los Angeles quickly led to a shot on 'The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson'. Johnny raved, and that debut has led to over seventy national television appearances, including one more spot on "Johnny" before his retirement and another appearance with Jay Leno - making Mike one of only a handful of comics to have appeared on 'The Tonight Show' with both Johnny and Jay.
Mike's stand up and hosting has been a favorite at corporate events for companies the likes of Oracle, Xerox, Christian Brothers, The U.S. Air Force, Vintners International, California Homebuilders Association, Bank of America and Visa, to name just a few. Mike has also lent his talents to many great causes, having performed or hosted at benefits for Heal the Bay, The American Red Cross, Stanford University Neonatal Foundation, Katrina Relief, Pepsi All Stars for Sickle Cell Anemia, The Guardians Jewish Home for the Aging, San Jose Ballet, Jewish Community League, United Cerebral Palsy, The Peace Alliance, Bread & Roses, Quake Relief w/ Crosby Stills and Nash, and American Cancer Society. Most recently Mike performed, at Paula's request, at The Nevada Ballet Tribute to Paula Abdul at The Wynn Hotel Las Vegas.
Dugan lives in Princeton, New Jersey where he's daddy to three little girls who are the great, great, great, great, great grand nieces of Mark Twain!
