Harris Wittels was a writer and producer best known for his work on the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. He was also an actor, and made several appearances on Parks and Recreation as Harris, an animal control officer. By the end of the show’s run he had become a co-executive producer.
Wittels grew up in Texas, where he began performing stand-up comedy while he was still in junior high. After graduating from Emerson College, he moved to Los Angeles and sent a video of his stand-up act to the Upright Citizens Brigade in Hollywood. He landed a spot on its most popular show, Comedy Death Ray, followed by a promising gig at comedy club Largo. At Largo, comedian-actress Sarah Silverman saw him perform and offered him a job writing on her show, The Sarah Silverman Program, for which he also had small acting parts.
Harris Wittels was a writer and producer best known for his work on the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. He was also an actor, and made several appearances on Parks and Recreation as Harris, an animal control officer. By the end of the show’s run he had become a co-executive producer.
Wittels grew up in Texas, where he began performing stand-up comedy while he was still in junior high. After graduating from Emerson College, he moved to Los Angeles and sent a video of his stand-up act to the Upright Citizens Brigade in Hollywood. He landed a spot on its most popular show, Comedy Death Ray, followed by a promising gig at comedy club Largo. At Largo, comedian-actress Sarah Silverman saw him perform and offered him a job writing on her show, The Sarah Silverman Program, for which he also had small acting parts.
In addition to his work with Silverman, Wittels performed on comedy tours with Louis C. K. and Aziz Ansari. He also performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Wittels is credited with coining the term "humbebrag," and in 2012 he published a book, Humblebrag: The Art of False Modesty, centered around the idea of the supposedly modest boast.
He was a writer and producer on the TV comedies Eastbound & Down and Secret Girlfriend. In 2007 and 2008 he served as a consulting writer for MTV's VMA Movie Awards, as well as the VMA Video Music Awards, and the American Music Awards.
Wittels died February 19, 2015, in Los Angeles. The reported cause was a possible drug overdose. He was 30.
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