Marist Alum Takes on John Oliver
When John Oliver took jabs at the city of Danbury, Connecticut on “Last Week Tonight,” Marist alumnus Casey Bryant ‘17 realized an opportunity. Playfully mimicking Oliver’s show, with his own creative flare, Bryant used his position as director of communications for the Danbury Hat Tricks—the city’s minor league hockey team—to gain some social media points.
And he scored.
Bryant’s first video response to Oliver’s digs garnered approximately 95,000 views. Danbury’s Mayor Mark Boughton issued his own comical retort, announcing his intent to rename the city’s sewer plant the John Oliver Memorial Sewer plant.
Oliver rallied in the friendly feud, suggesting the city change its nickname “from the Hat City to the-young-people-who-seem-more-than-capable-of-taking-over-my-job city.”
Screenshot taken by Casey Bryant in his video discussing John Oliver’s jab at Danbury.
He then offered to donate $55,000 to various charities—$25,000 to Connecticut Food Bank, $25,000 to Danbury’s teachers on DonorsChoose and $5,000 to the ALS Association’s Connecticut Chapter, a cause Bryant highlighted in his response video. His family history with ALS disease made this a cause particularly close to Bryan’s heart. Several of his family members have struggled with ALS, but his mother just found out that she is free of the disease.
“My thought process in including ALS in this is to try to pay it forward the best I can, to repay this life gift that we have been giving for sparing my mother. For my aunt and uncle who went through a terrible, terrible fight. People don’t really grasp until they see it from themselves just how debilitating and taxing ALS is.”
Oliver gave Danbury mayor one week to respond and even offered to provide the new sewage plant sign himself. On Sunday, Boughton agreed, on one condition: Oliver must be present for the sewage plant’s ribbon cutting. This new development sent Bryant to work, brainstorming for his next video, which will hinge on Oliver’s response to Boughton’s condition.
“I really hope for [the mayor’s] sake that it works, because this is the biggest political lay-up in history where you’re being offered free money to hang a sign up outside of a sewer plant,” Bryant said.
Bryant graduated from Marist in 2017 with a major in sports communication and a minor in theatre. He worked at Madison Square Garden after graduation, following internships with the company, and joined the Hat Tricks in the summer of 2019. In his dream job, Bryant would be broadcasting play-by-plays for professional hockey, and this video series is a step toward that goal.
In response to Danbury’s backlash, Oliver said, “The truth is, things have been so bleak recently, I needed something like this.”
Screenshot taken by Casey Bryant of John Oliver joining the friendly feud.