John Moyer | |
---|---|
Born |
John Eastlack Moyer May 1, 1969 Camden, New Jersey |
Occupation | comedian, writer, director, actor |
John Moyer (born May 1, 1969 in Camden, New Jersey) is an American stand-up comedian, screenwriter, actor and film producer. Moyer co-wrote the screenplays for The Singles Ward, The R.M., and The Home Teachers. He also wrote, produced, directed, and acted in Mobsters and Mormons.
In 1991, while attending Brigham Young University to study Theater and Film, John Moyer first attempted stand-up comedy when he went to an Open Mike night at comedy club in Provo, Utah and decided to get on stage. After graduating from college in 1994, Moyer began to pursue a career as a stand-up comedian. Speaking of the experience, Moyer said in an interview:
Years later, after experiencing his first divorce, Moyer wrote a screenplay based on his own life experiences of being a divorced Mormon trying to make it as a stand-up comedian. He named the script The Singles Ward.
Eventually, Moyer showed the script to Kurt Hale, grandson of Ruth Hale (founder of the Hale Center Theater, a popular Utah Valley community theater). Hale and partner Dave Hunter decided to make the script into low-budget comedy aimed at members of the LDS Church. Hale re-wrote the script and directed the movie. Eventually, Hale and Hunter founded a company called Halestorm Entertainment to distribute the movie in 2002. Although panned by critics, The Singles Ward was a popular novelty for Mormon audiences, grossing $1,250,798 at theaters in Utah and other areas with heavy Mormon populations.