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Paul Chaplin
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Paul Chaplin (born Paul Schersten) is an American writer and comedian, known for his work on the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000, for which he wrote and played the recurring characters of an Observer, Ned the Nanite, Pitch the Demon, and Ortega, along with several other bit roles.
Key Information
Early years
[edit]After earning his master's degree from the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, Schersten became a community organizer in Saint Paul, Minnesota. After finding little reward in his work he decided to pursue a career in comedy.[1] It was during this time that Schersten took the stage surname Chaplin.
Mystery Science Theater 3000
[edit]While working the comedy club circuit in Minneapolis, Chaplin met Michael J. Nelson and Mary Jo Pehl. During the third season of MST3K, Nelson approached Chaplin and asked him about becoming a writer on Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K). Nelson tested Chaplin by giving him ten minutes of footage from the movie Daddy-O, which Chaplin was to take home and give the "MST3K treatment". Chaplin passed the test with "flying colors", and was hired by Best Brains as a writer.
During his tenure on MST3K, Chaplin portrayed several characters in addition to his writing duties, most notably an Observer, Pitch the Demon (originally portrayed in the movie Santa Claus), Ned the Nanite, and Ortega (originally portrayed in the movie The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies).[2]
Work since MST3K
[edit]Since MST3K ended its eleven-year run in 1999, Chaplin has collaborated with his former MST3K colleagues on projects such as Edward the Less and Timmy Big Hands, and has also written for NPR and Elysian Fields Quarterly.
In the 2007 MST3K online animated series, Chaplin provided the voice of Crow T. Robot in addition to writing the show.[3] He also guest starred in the show's 11th season.
References
[edit]- ^ ""MST3K|MST3000 The Brains"". Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
- ^ ""Guest Starring Roles: Paul Chaplin"". Archived from the original on 2007-06-08. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
- ^ Erhardt, on August 23rd, 2013. "Satellite News". Mst3kinfo.com. Retrieved 2013-09-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
Paul Chaplin
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Early life and education
Paul Chaplin was born Paul Schersten [4] on December 1, 1955, in Illinois, USA [1]. He grew up as a Chicago-area native in the northwest suburbs [5] [4]. He relocated to Minnesota, where he earned a master's degree from the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota [5] [4]. He worked as a community organizer in Saint Paul, but found the role unrewarding [5]. During his transition away from public service and toward comedy pursuits, he adopted the stage name Chaplin [5].Comedy beginnings
Minneapolis comedy circuit
After leaving his career as a community organizer in St. Paul, Paul Chaplin transitioned to stand-up comedy and began performing on the Minneapolis comedy club circuit. [6] He made his initial foray into comedy by participating in an open mic night at the Minneapolis Comedy Gallery. [7] While working the local comedy scene, Chaplin met fellow comedians Michael J. Nelson and Mary Jo Pehl. [7] These connections formed through the Minneapolis comedy circuit would later lead to his opportunity with Mystery Science Theater 3000. [7]Mystery Science Theater 3000
Joining and writing
Paul Chaplin joined Mystery Science Theater 3000 as a writer during the show's third season in 1991.[7] While working the Minneapolis comedy scene, he met writer and performer Michael J. Nelson, who approached him about contributing to the series and provided a writing audition: ten minutes of footage from the film Daddy-O to create MST3K-style riffs.[7] Chaplin passed the test and joined the writing staff starting that season.[7] He contributed to the original series from 1991 to 1999, covering Seasons 3 through 10, and received writing credits—including as writer, contributing writer, or "written by"—on 145 episodes.[1] His writing role occasionally overlapped with on-screen appearances.[1]Characters and performances
Paul Chaplin appeared in 37 episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 from 1992 to 1999, contributing puppetry and voice work to portray a range of characters while primarily serving as a writer for the series. [1] He is best known for several recurring roles, including Ortega, an inarticulate minion with notable hygiene issues originating from the episode featuring The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies; an Observer, a pale, large-brained alien from a race known for detached philosophical commentary; Ned the Nanite, a personified nanite entity from later storylines; and Pitch the Demon, a mischievous devil character from the episode based on the film Santa Claus. [6] [8] Chaplin also performed various bit roles and minor characters throughout his tenure, enhancing the show's ensemble of on-screen figures. [9] These performances added variety to the host segments and inventive sketches that defined the original series. [10]Specials and the movie
Paul Chaplin contributed writing to several Mystery Science Theater 3000 specials and the feature film during the show's original era.[1] He is credited as "written by" on Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996), the theatrical release that adapted the series' format of riffing on a bad film for cinema audiences.[1] Chaplin also wrote the MST3K Little Gold Statue Preview Special (1995), a television special previewing awards-related content.[1] He served as writer for the 1st Annual Mystery Science Theater 3000 Summer Blockbuster Review (1997) and the 2nd Annual Mystery Science Theater 3000 Summer Blockbuster Review (1998), both TV movies reviewing summer films in the show's distinctive style.[1] Additionally, Chaplin wrote Mystery Science Theater 3000: Academy of Robots' Choice Awards Special (1998), a TV special parodying awards ceremonies.[1] Following the main series, he wrote several home video compilations of shorts, including Mystery Science Theater 3000: Shorts Volume 2 (1999), Mystery Science Theater 3000: Shorts Volume 3 (1999), Assignment: Venezuela and Other Shorts (2000), and Mr. B's Lost Shorts (2001).[1]Revival involvement
Chaplin returned to Mystery Science Theater 3000 for the 2017 Netflix revival (Season 11), contributing as a writer on 4 episodes and appearing in 1 episode as the Hive Mind Manager while also reprising an Observer role.[1]Later career
Post-1999 projects
Following the conclusion of the original Mystery Science Theater 3000 run in 1999, Paul Chaplin collaborated with several former cast and crew members on independent comedy projects. [6] He contributed as a writer and provided the voice of Primatene in the animated fantasy comedy web series The Adventures of Edward the Less (2001). [11] [12] Chaplin also worked on the comedy project Timmy Big Hands around the same period. He provided writing for additional MST3K-related shorts compilations, including Assignment: Venezuela (2000) and Mr. B's Lost Shorts (2001). [1] Chaplin has additionally contributed writing to NPR and Elysian Fields Quarterly. [6]MST3K revivals
Paul Chaplin returned to Mystery Science Theater 3000 for its 2007 online animated revival, serving as a writer on three episodes and providing the voice of Crow T. Robot in three episodes. He later contributed to the 2017 Netflix revival in Season 11, writing for four episodes and appearing on-screen as the Hive Mind Manager in one episode. These revival appearances built on his earlier tenure with the original series. Chaplin has received no credited involvement in any subsequent MST3K projects after 2017.Recognition
Awards and nominations
Paul Chaplin has received six award nominations for his work on Mystery Science Theater 3000, with two for Primetime Emmys and four for CableACE Awards.[13] He earned two Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Variety or Music Program, specifically for the series in 1994 and 1995; these were shared with head writer Michael J. Nelson and other contributing writers including Trace Beaulieu, Frank Conniff, and additional staff.[2][14] The CableACE nominations also related exclusively to Mystery Science Theater 3000 and a related special, reflecting his contributions during the show's run on cable television.[13]| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | CableACE | Writing a Comedy Series | Mystery Science Theater 3000 | Nominated |
| 1994 | CableACE | Writing a Comedy Series | Mystery Science Theater 3000 | Nominated |
| 1994 | CableACE | Comedy Series | Mystery Science Theater 3000 | Nominated |
| 1994 | Primetime Emmy | Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Variety or Music Program | Mystery Science Theater 3000 | Nominated |
| 1995 | Primetime Emmy | Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Variety or Music Program | Mystery Science Theater 3000 | Nominated |
| 1995 | CableACE | Writing an Entertainment Special | MST3K Little Gold Statue Preview Special | Nominated |