'AGT' Season 17: Who is Don McMillan? Comedian helped design the world's first 32-bit microprocessor
So far, the Season 17 of 'America's Got Talent' has managed to surpass its viewers' expectations by airing one solid performance after another. This week's episode, too, will have a slate of entertainers trying to impress the judges with their acts. Among them will be Don McMillan, a comedian who does believe in the 'standard' 45-60 minute stand-up set. Instead, he uses graphs, charts, and indexes to get his point across.
Performers from all over the world compete in 'AGT' to exhibit their skills in front of an American audience. Some do complex mentalism tricks, while others perform death-defying stunts. Then there are the 'AGT' comedians, those amazing entertainers who can make an audience burst out laughing with just a microphone and a few props.
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Who is Don McMillan?
When you cross an engineer with a stand-up comedian, what do you get? A Don McMillan! This former chip designer has been entertaining audiences with his one-of-a-kind, PowerPoint-driven comedy performance for almost 20 years — and now, he's appearing on 'America's Got Talent'!
Don was an engineer-turned-comedy writer before he decided to utilize PowerPoint presentations to deliver punch lines! Now, he's the only comedian who uses "Avogadro's Number" and "XML" in his jokes - and he beta tests all of them.
The journey from Silicon Valley to 'Star Search'
Don earned a Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. He went on to work at AT&T Bell Labs, where he was a member of the team that created the world's first 32-bit microprocessor. He then relocated to Silicon Valley, where he assisted in the formation of the start-up business, VLSI Technology. He saw a show while living in San Jose in the late 1980s, during the Bay Area's comedy boom. The emcee suggested an open-mic night in which anyone could do a five-minute set. Don volunteered and he enjoyed it. Thereafter, he worked as an engineer during the day and as a stand-up comedian at night. His big break came in 1993 when he won $100,000 on Ed McMahon's 'Star Search'. He informed his boss that he was leaving. He grinned broadly, grasped Don's hand, and said, "I am so happy for you! That is great!".
He began utilizing Microsoft PowerPoint in his show in 1998. It added a new dimension to his performance. He began using his years of engineering problems, and solving experience to issues such as relationships, children, pets, and family. He has charts and graphs on everything from what to expect while making microwave popcorn to finding the best thermostat setting for him and his wife. Don McMillan demonstrates that engineers can be amusing, especially when creating PowerPoint presentations. He argues that engineers are not boring just because they enjoy doing tedious things.
Don is a writer and actor best known for his work in 'Life Without Dick,' 'Don: Plain & Tall,' and 'Star Trek: Voyager.' He has been on Comedy Central, HBO, and 'The Tonight Show'. Don now spends the majority of his time developing and performing customized corporate comedy performances for Exxon/Mobil, Ford Motors, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, and Google. He has performed over 800 corporate shows in the last 20 years and has been crowned the CBS Business Network's 'Number 1 Corporate Comedian'. Besides, he has been in 15 Budweiser commercials, as well as those for 7-Eleven and Little Caesar's Pizza. You can currently find him on YouTube at YouTube.com/DonMcmillanComedy.
America's Got Talent’ Season 17 airs every Tuesday at 8 pm ET on NBC. Viewers without cable can use streaming services like Sling TV, fuboTV, Hulu with Live TV, AT&T TV, or YouTube TV to catch the show.