Amber Preston

Amber Preston
Born
Fargo, North Dakota
Occupation(s)Stand-up comedian
Actor

Amber Preston is a stand-up comedian originally from North Dakota and Minnesota and now living in Los Angeles.[1]

In 2011, comic Marc Maron named her one of his five top comedians to watch, calling her a "brassy gal ... who could play a one-nighter at a bowling alley or a 1,000-seat theater and just nail it."[2] In 2018, entertainment website Thrillist named her one of the best undiscovered comedians in America.[3]

Her debut album, Sparkly Parts, was released April 17, 2020, on Stand Up! Records, debuting at No. 1 on both the Amazon and iTunes comedy charts.[4][5]

Early life

Preston grew up in Fargo, North Dakota and graduated from West Fargo High School in 1996.[6] She is related to television accordionist and bandleader Lawrence Welk, a topic she has joked about in her standup.[7] She moved to Minneapolis in the late 1990s, where she earned a theater degree from the University of Minnesota.[8] In 2014, she moved to Los Angeles to concentrate on her standup and acting career.[9]

Career

Preston began performing standup shortly after college.[9] Her comedy is often autobiographical,[10] and includes topics such as her Upper Midwest accent and Fargo upbringing.[8] A lifelong fan of pop group New Kids on the Block, Preston will sometimes read aloud onstage from a series of novels published in the early 1990s in which the group has adventures in the mode of the Hardy Boys.[1]

She was the 2011 winner of the Best of the Midwest competition at Gilda's Laughfest in Grand Rapids, Michigan.[11] She was a finalist in the 2012 Great American Comedy Festival competition held in Norfolk, Nebraska, hometown of Johnny Carson.[12] In 2011, she was named one of the top 100 creative people in Minneapolis by City Pages.[13]

Preston and comic Andy Erikson (a fellow Minnesota transplant) co-host a weekly comedy showcase, Punchline Punchout, at the Hollywood Improv in Los Angeles; similar to a game show in format, the showcase gives comics 10 minutes to come up with punchlines on a given topic.[14]

Discography

Because of the coronavirus quarantine, Preston livestreamed a comedy set from her home in lieu of a traditional record-release show for Sparkly Parts.[15]

Reviewer Richard Lanoie, writing on The Serious Comedy Site, called Sparkly Parts "a hoot to listen to" with "no weak moments."[10]

Filmography

Preston starred in the 2019 short film The Poacher, which screened at the 2020 Los Angeles Short Film Festival,[16] Culver City Film Festival,[17] and Yucca Valley Film Festival.[18]

Other work

Podcast appearances

  • WTF with Marc Maron, Episode 1132: Amber Preston, J-L Cauvin (June 18, 2020)[19]
  • Stuffed Animal Party, Episode 3: Erik Allen is a Real Doctor (March 22, 2013)[20]
  • WTF with Marc Maron, Episode 292: Live From Gilda's Laughfest (June 28, 2012)[21]
  • WTF with Marc Maron, Episode 576: Whitney Cummings, Shelby Fero, Pamela Adlon, Desi Jedeikin, Amber Preston (Feb. 12, 2015)[22]
  • Magnotronic, Episode 315: Amber Preston (June 11, 2015)[23]
  • The Dork Forest with Jackie Kashian, Episode 293: Live From the Bridgetown Comedy Festival (June 10, 2015)[24]
  • Lady to Lady, Episode 130: Outrage Du Jour ft. Amber Preston (June 24, 2015)[25]
  • Probably Science, Episode 178 with Amber Preston! (Sept. 9, 2015)[26]
  • Obsessed with Joseph Scrimshaw, Episode 92: Amber Preston on New Kids on the Block (Jan. 7, 2016)[1]
  • Magnotronic, Episode 626: Amber Preston (March 11, 2017)[27]
  • Middle Of Somewhere, Winnipeg Vance and Amber Preston (March 30, 2020)[28]

    References

    1. ^ a b c Joseph Scrimshaw (2016-01-07). "Episode 92: Amber Preston on New Kids on the Block". Obsessed with Joseph Scrimshaw (Podcast). Art19. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
    2. ^ Flaherty, Mike (2011-08-22). "The Vulture Pages: Marc Maron's Five Comedians To Watch". New York Magazine. Vol. 44, no. 26. New York. p. 166.
    3. ^ "The Best Undiscovered Comedians From Every State". Thrillist. 2018-10-25. Archived from the original on 2018-11-06.
    4. ^ "Stand Up! Records". Facebook. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
    5. ^ "Stand Up! Records". Facebook. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
    6. ^ Lamb, John (2014-02-12). "Look who's laughing now: West Fargo graduate returns to headline comedy club opening". Forum. Fargo, North Dakota. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
    7. ^ Carlson Gustafson, Amy (2010-06-16). "Comedy: Preston almost got to go with the Flo". Pioneer Press. St. Paul. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
    8. ^ a b Brown, Heather (2013-08-15). "Good Question: Where Does The Minnesota Accent Come From?". WCCO-TV. Minneapolis. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
    9. ^ a b Wilson, P.F. (2014-07-29). "Standup Amber Preston on new adventures in Los Angeles". City Pages. Minneapolis. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
    10. ^ a b Richard Lanoie (2020-04-17). "Sparkly Parts – Amber Preston". The Serious Comedy Site. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
    11. ^ "2020 Headliners Announced!". Gilda's Laughfest. 2019-11-19. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
    12. ^ "Past Headliners". Great American Comedy Festival. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
    13. ^ Armbruster, Jessica (2011-05-19). "100 Creatives: Amber Preston". City Pages. Minneapolis. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
    14. ^ Justin, Neal (2018-01-12). "Former Minneapolis comics Andy Erikson and Amber Preston making their mark in Hollywood". Star Tribune. Minneapolis-St.Paul. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
    15. ^ Lamb, John (2020-04-16). "West Fargo native releases first comedy album, saying, 'If people don't need a laugh now, when do they?'". Forum. Fargo, North Dakota. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
    16. ^ "2020 Schedule". Los Angeles Short Film Festival. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
    17. ^ "2019 Schedule". Culver City Film Festival. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
    18. ^ "2019 Program". Yucca Valley Film Festival. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
    19. ^ Marc Maron (2020-06-18). "Episode 1132: Amber Preston, J-L Cauvin". WTF with Marc Maron (Podcast). Retrieved 2020-06-18.
    20. ^ "Episode 3: Erik Allen is a Real Doctor". Stuffed Animal Party (Podcast). 2013-03-22. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
    21. ^ Marc Maron (2012-06-28). "Episode 292: Live From Gilda's Laughfest". WTF with Marc Maron (Podcast). Retrieved 2020-04-20.
    22. ^ Marc Maron (2015-02-12). "Episode 576: Whitney Cummings, Shelby Fero, Pamela Adlon, Desi Jedeikin, Amber Preston". WTF with Marc Maron (Podcast). Retrieved 2020-04-20.
    23. ^ Maggie Faris (2015-06-11). "Episode 315: Amber Preston". Magnotronic (Podcast). Retrieved 2020-04-20.
    24. ^ Jackie Kashian (2015-06-10). "Episode 293: Live From the Bridgetown Comedy Festival". The Dork Forest with Jackie Kashian (Podcast). Retrieved 2020-04-20.
    25. ^ Barbara Gray, Brandie Posey, Tess Barker (2015-06-24). "Outrage Du Jour ft. Amber Preston". Lady to Lady (Podcast). Retrieved 2020-04-20.{{cite podcast}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
    26. ^ Matt Kirshen, Andy Wood (2015-09-09). "Episode 178 with Amber Preston!". Probably Science (Podcast). Retrieved 2020-04-20.
    27. ^ Maggie Faris (2017-03-11). "Episode 626: Amber Preston". Magnotronic (Podcast). Retrieved 2020-04-20.
    28. ^ "Winnipeg Vance and Amber Preston". Middle Of Somewhere (Podcast). 2020-03-30. Retrieved 2020-04-20.

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