Colbert's 'Sikh friend' might be yours, too

Not every Penn student gets to go out drinking with Steven Colbert, chat it up with Diane Sawyer or hobnob with Russell Crowe.

But for Puneet Singh, it's just another day at work.

On a day-to-day basis, the Wharton junior deals with complaints about the future of Hey Day - he is the junior class president - and accounting homework.

But over the course of three years at Penn, Singh has broken into the entertainment industry in a big way.

He has worked on an impressive array of shows and movies ranging from The Colbert Report to Good Morning America and American Gangster and is in talks to star in his own cable show that would be "a sort of Oprah meets Ellen DeGeneres for South Asian kids."

But Singh himself will tell you that his path was littered with numerous rejections and brush-offs.

"I had no connections," Singh recalled. "So I just called up every show on every network or cable channel and asked them for an internship."

During his sophomore year, Singh became fascinated with Comedy Central's up and coming offshoot of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart - The Colbert Report.

He sent in a resume to both The Daily Show and The Colbert Report and was granted an interview with both.

"But I liked The Colbert Report much more," Singh said. "And then they offered me a position literally two or three days later."

So that summer, Singh traveled to New York where he joined the staff of The Colbert Report. It wasn't quite what he expected.

He had to make copies, run errands, and, one time, he ended up in New York City's Harlem searching for props.

But he got the chance to write. And he was there when The Colbert Report was nominated for four Emmys. And, perhaps most notably, he was showcased as Colbert's "Sikh friend" - one of the host's "ethnic" friends, which include a "black friend" and "Muslim friend."

From then on, Singh says he "became more aggressive." He started doing stand-up - several of his routines can be found on Youtube.com - and scoured New York for opportunities to act.

"I had no training in acting - I'm taking Finance and Accounting [in Wharton]. I didn't know anything about being an actor," Singh said.

Not only did he have a normal workload as a Wharton student, but Singh has served as president of his class since he was a freshman.

"He does a lot for our class. . A lot of days, he just runs from one meeting to another," said College junior Sebastian Dassouli, who has known Singh since freshman year.

But his tenacity paid off. He was offered a position as a stand-in on the movie American Gangster, starring Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington. While you won't actually see him in the movie - slated to be released in early 2007 - he got to be on set.

He has served as an extra on Law & Order, and he occasionally models as well.

Most recently, he auditioned for a spot as a VJ on an MTV satellite channel called MTV Desi, aimed at South Asian youth.

And judging from reactions on campus, Singh would have no trouble finding viewers.

"I've seen Puneet, and I thought [his act] was extremely funny," Wharton junior Mike Kiser said. "He really takes advantage of his background to make really good jokes."

Singh is reflective about his view of his past and his future in the entertainment industry.

"I've been rejected a lot by 95 percent of agencies, 95 percent of shows, 95 percent of people.

"The way I look at this is: I'm a nobody . but, at the same time, I've made a lot of steps in a lot of industries, met some celebrities, been on a couple of shows," Singh said. "Now is the time for the next step."

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