Carmen Ciricillo

Carmen Ciricillo has been touring nationally since 1990 as The Construction Comic. He has created a humorous routine about life as a contractor which everyone can understand. “My act plays well for every group” says the comedian. In fact, XM and Sirius Satellite Radio has been playing Carmen’s Construction Comedy CD to their audiences of over 10 million subscribers since 2005.

In 2003 Carmen received rave reviews after performing with Richard Lewis at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts for the Gilda Radner charity, Gilda’s Club. Carmen also has recently opened for Michael Bolton and Englebert Humperdinck. Carmen’s act plays well for all groups because anyone can relate to it, but his core groups are those affiliated with the construction industry.

Here’s how it all began. Carmen won a comedy competition in 1986 at The Cleveland Comedy Club and started to receive bookings at clubs nationally. In 1989 Carmen had the opportunity to stay at the home of Bob Hope’s business manager Mark Anthony, a friend of the family. Carmen quickly caught Hollywood fever and moved there in 1990, where almost immediately he was cast on the television game show Hold Everything with Pat Bullard. He also became a regular at the Santa Monica Improv. After being encouraged by Mark Lonow, one of the clubs’ owners, Carmen wrote a unique routine on his family’s construction business which propelled his career to a new level.

In 1991, after an appearance at the Laugh Factory near Chicago, Carmen was asked to perform for the Northern Illinois Home Builder’s Association.

In 1999 Carmen portrayed the humorous tool man on The Discovery Channel’s “Your New House” television show and by 2000 he was a regular. Carmen wrote and performed almost 60 segments which aired daily until 2001. The show currently is in syndication. He went on to travel with NASCAR that season for The Michael Holigan Racing Team doing driver interviews and entertaining at the hospitality events.

Bill Grundfest, a writer and producer on the NBC sitcom “Mad About You”, wrote a pilot for a sitcom based on Carmen’s Construction Comedy routine. In July of 2005 Carmen went out to L.A. and shot the pilot and is hoping for the best!

His family life is wonderful – three awesome kids, Shannon, Stephanie and Domenic, and his beautiful wife Kelly of 15 years who has been with him and encouraging his career since 1987. “Kelly is my sounding board,” says Carmen. “No joke ever hits the stage without first being tried on her!”