FAQ:

Who are you?

I am an American from New York who has been living in Tokyo since July 2001.

What do you do?

I am a writer and comedian among other things.  I say other things because the list of work I do is huge.  I have  difficulty even keeping track of it all myself.  But to explain just some of them.  I perform English and Japanese stand-up comedy, most often with my group the Tokyo Comedy Store.  I appear regularly as a reporter on Tokyo Eye, a travel show about Tokyo life and culture, broadcast on NHK World (available globally on satellite TV).  I wrote a half hour sitcom called “Personal Comedy” for NHK Channel 1, making me the only foreign TV comedy writer in Japan. I helped write a series of cartoons about a gaijin slug living in a world of Japnaese ants called “TokyoPunch.” I also write scripts for other animations with the same company, mostly for corporate clients.  I do narration for an english study podcast.  I write “The Negi” a political satire mock newspaper for “Metropolis Magazine” as well as contributing a weekly essay to their podcast “The Metpod.”   I write a monthly english study advice column for Shinbyo magazine.  I coach an english language drama team at Rikkyo University.  I teach at a fashion Junior college.  I run a small english school called “Funny English” focusing on studying english through comedy.  I make videos for YouTube, and some of my pieces are aired on the Discovery Network’s Travel Channel for  a program called “What’s Your Trip?” 

Why are you in Japan?

Originally I came to Japan simply to get some experience traveling abroad.  However, after a year in Tokyo I decided I wanted to get a bit deeper into the culture and langage study.  At the same time I was beginning to find more and more opportunities to do the work I love, comedy and writing.  Now since I am doing what I want to be doing professionally, and enjoying my life socially I see little reason to replant myself back home.

How can I move to Japan?

There is a glut of information available on the internet.  I was able to find everything I needed using Google.  You can too.  But to help you in that process, I recommend checking out my videos titled “F.Y.I.” on my YouTube channel.  Also there are excellent links for more information in the video description section of those videos.  There are also many available forums, in addition to my own I suggest “Dave’s ESl Cafe.”

What kind of camera set-up do you use?

My earlier videos were recorded on a Sony cassette camera and edited on a PC using Premiere Pro.  I have since switched to a Mac desktop using Final Cut Pro and a Sanyo Xacti HD 700 camera which uses an SD card and H.264 compression.  The switch was made mostly because all of the media companies I work with use Macs.  I also use a gorilla pod, a larger tripod and my freakishly long and spindly arms.

Who is Kenji, and is he dead?

Kenji is my pet goldfish.  He is alive and well until you see a video reporting otherwise.  I got caught him at a festival on July 27th 2006.  Because I am jealous of the fact people like him more than me I rarely let him on camera anymore.