Paul Verhoeven (broadcaster)
Paul F. Verhoeven | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 15, 1983 Sydney, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Broadcaster, writer, blogger, comedian, television presenter |
| Known for | Presenter of Steam Punks on ABC3; host on Triple J radio; co-creator of Planet Nerd |
Paul F. Verhoeven (born 15 January 1983) is an Australian media personality known for his roles as a broadcaster, writer, blogger, comedian, and the presenter of Steam Punks on ABC3.
Early life
Raised along Sydney's northern beaches, Verhoeven relocated to Melbourne after completing a Bachelor of Film Studies at the University of New South Wales. His father, John Verhoeven, worked as an officer with the New South Wales Police Force.
Radio
Verhoeven’s reputation largely stems from his contributions to Triple J, where he hosted the "Nerdy By Nature" segment on The Breakfast Show alongside Tom Ballard and Alex Dyson. He spent four years leading The Mid-Dawn Show and also produced The Graveyard Shift with Dave Callan. Beyond these, he has presented The Breakfast Show, Weekend Arvos, and Triple J’s Weekend Breakfast Show, in addition to guest hosting on ABC Radio Melbourne.
Television
As host and co-writer, Verhoeven leads Steam Punks, a narrative-based game show broadcast on ABC 3 and produced by Beyond Entertainment. He frequently appears on Channel 10’s The Project, ABC Me’s Studio 3, and has been featured on Good Game. His television presence extends to Melbourne’s community channel Channel 31, where he co-hosted two seasons of the gaming program Save Point on ONE HD.
He also co-created and co-hosted Planet Nerd, a geek-themed comedy show on Channel 31 Melbourne, which earned a nomination for Best Comedy Program at the 2008 Antenna Awards. Additionally, Verhoeven developed and presented Curiageous, an online comedic mythbusting series for the Australian news website The Vine.
Comedy
Verhoeven debuted his solo stand-up show, Tell Me Lies, at the 2014 Melbourne Fringe Festival and brought it back for the 2015 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, where it was awarded four stars by The Sydney Morning Herald. He also took part in the 2014 Melbourne Fringe Festival production of Watson: Who's Afraid of the Dark, which won the Fringe Award for Best Comedy.
Online and other work
As a senior contributor to The Vine, Verhoeven also created the weekly syndicated webcomic Lessons for Children. His writing credits include pieces for Yen Magazine, pop culture critiques for Junkee, game reviews for MMGN, as well as articles in Filmink, Triple J Magazine, and Horse and Hound. In 2015, he co-developed and co-hosts the gaming podcast 28 Plays Later with artist and comedian Kris Straub.
His YouTube channel centers on the BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who, providing reviews and commentary that cover topics such as equality in video games. His TEDx presentation titled 'Sexism in Gaming' garnered widespread attention upon its release in 2014.
Verhoeven gained acclaim with his 2018 true crime publication Loose Units, which shares stories from his father John Verhoeven’s tenure in the New South Wales Police Force along with other accounts. Since 2018, he has hosted an accompanying crime podcast featuring dialogues between himself and his father. His subsequent book, Electric Blue, was published in 2020.
Personal life
In 2011, Verhoeven earned the distinction of being the second runner-up in Cleo's annual Top 50 Bachelors list. He entered into marriage with Tegan Higginbotham during a civil ceremony held in Paris in July 2019.