“Billy on the Street” star Billy Eichner finds home on truTV.
What do Billy Eichner and Oprah have in common?
Well, not much really, but that doesn’t mean a person who channels a lovably manic personality can’t dream. Eichner, a 37-year-old comedian, spends many of his days editing his show “Billy on the Street” at the Funny or Die office in West Hollywood, Calif., which is adjacent to Oprah’s OWN network headquarters.
“The fact that Oprah is next door is like a beacon,” Eichner said. “It’s just showing me the way, you know. Like, should I yell at this old lady in this episode or should I save that for another episode? I do whatever I think she (Oprah) would do.”
In the past few years, Eichner has become something of a pop culture phenomenon. In addition to his well-received time on NBC’s sitcom “Parks and Recreation” and his recent original series on Hulu, “Difficult People,” the New York native also appeared in this year’s Emmys Awards’ opening number. “Billy on the Street” recently moved from Fuse to truTV, part of the Turner networks, where it will reach a much broader audience.
The show chronicles the adventures of Eichner’s Billy character, an eccentric, loud and passionate guy who runs around the streets of New York City surprising pedestrians with quick-witted, rapid-fire questions on pop culture. Topics have included “Dead or Boring?” and “Name 20 White People in 30 Seconds.”
Celebrities also frequently tag along. A clip of Paul Rudd running with Eichner as he asks New Yorkers “Would you have sex with Paul Rudd for a dollar?” has racked up more than 1.3 million YouTube views.
After graduating Northwestern University with a degree in theater, he moved back to New York to pursue an entertainment career. He created his own live show, “Creation Nation,” which helped shape his persona for “Billy on the Street.”
After several years, his videos caught the attention of Mike Farah, president of production at Funny or Die, a popular comedy website.
“A few people sent me his videos, and I loved them,” said Farah, who serves as executive producer of “Billy on the Street.” “We exchanged a few emails in June of 2010, and then he said he would be in L.A. in August, and that’s when we met.”
Eichner has a slightly different memory of their first exchange.
“Mike said if I was ever in L.A. to come and meet him, and I played it all cool, but like literally the next day I bought a plane ticket,” he recalled.
Soon, Fuse offered Eichner 10 episodes right off the bat after seeing a sizzle reel of “Billy on the Street.”
“They really believed in my vision for the show and allowed me to keep the voice that I had already been discovering,” Eichner said of Fuse. “My comedic voice, my strange perspective on pop culture and the world in general. That’s how my TV career started essentially.”
But after three seasons, Eichner and Funny or Die decided it was time to move to another network. Fuse had new ownership, and the show wanted to expand its viewership. That’s when Turner-owned truTV began courting the comedian.
“We started stalking him basically,” said Marissa Ronca, senior vice president of development and original programming at truTV.
“TruTV wants to work with creators who have visions,” added Chris Linn, president and head of programming for truTV. “Billy is 100 percent committed and all-in. Nobody puts in greater effort than him. These types of authentic creators are hard to find.”
In addition to airing on truTV, sister network TBS will present encores of each episode after initial airings.