My real name is Paul Giglia, but I performed and wrote under the name Paul Giles for many years, first in the Bay Area and then on the East Coast. While in San Francisco I was a regular performer and often booked at the Holy City Zoo, but was primarily a comedy writer, selling material to the local/national comics. After our two kids were born (1984 and 1988) I didn’t do much performing, although I still wrote.
In 1989 we moved East, where I stayed home to raise our kids. This gave me the opportunity to concentrate on writing as well as a new comedy career. I soon became a regular at clubs in the area, opened for music acts at a high-end music venue, and worked the road. However, I continued writing, selling many gags to Jay Leno, who used them on “The Tonight Show,” Bill Maher, who used them on his then Comedy Central Show, writing skits for an award-winning NPR radio comedy show, newspapers, magazines, etc. I was also a staff writer for two seasons on the A&E Network’s “Caroline’s Comedy Hour,” hosted by the late great Richard Jeni.
Eventually, though, kids grow up and so do comedians and decided I was getting too old for this…um, stuff. I was lucky enough to land a job in Cleveland at American Greetings, where I was the editor (and a writer) in their Alternative card lines, which are the funny, edgy style. We moved there in 1996. Great job, great people. Perfect for someone like me. However, hard times hit the greeting card industry, and after five years of fun and creativity I and 1,500 other were laid off one day.
From there I used my talents for other corporate jobs, finally settling on a position as a copywriter in the advertising department of a large regional bank based in Cleveland. I retired completely in 2019 and have been happy not having to get up in the morning ever since. I still keep busy working on photography and guitar as hobbies, and also stay in touch with many of the good and talented friends I made while working during that magical time in San Francisco comedy.,