Comedians


Now a massive star in Ireland, native New Yorker, Des moved from Queens to Ireland in his mid-teens in 1990. He first came to prominence with his extraordinary TV series The Des Bishop Work Experience (2004), where he lived on minimum wage in a series of different jobs in Ireland. Mixing this documentary footage with stand-up, the series became one of the most talked-about of the year, and propelled Des into national stardom. In 2006, he embarked on his second critically acclaimed TV series, Joy In The Hood, where he taught stand-up comedy in disadvantaged areas in four major Irish cities. Another hugely successful live tour followed including invitations to the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal and the Melbourne Comedy Festival in Australia. Des’s most recent project took him to Beijing, China in 2013 to learn Mandarin and he has been living there for the past 18 months. He is now fluent and the show, Breaking China was another major hit for broadcaster RTE in 2014 and he also made a half hour radio documentary about the rise of Stand Up in China for the BBC World Service called “Stand up for China”. His live show again opened at the Edinburgh Festival where he played to over 5,000 people and included an invitation to perform at the Soho Theatre in London and a return to Barrow Street in New York.
Comedy veteran Steve Byrne has seemingly done it all and continues to push himself to accomplish even more. Starting over 20 years ago and cutting his teeth in all the major clubs in NYC, including the Comedy Cellar, he then ventured off to Los Angeles, began working at the Comedy Store and Hollywood Improv, and his career really took off. After becoming a regular on the late-night talk show circuit and even doing "The Tonight Show" ten times, Steve racked up multiple hour specials on Comedy Central, Netflix, and Showtime. In 2012, he starred in, produced and wrote the TBS hit show "Sullivan & Son", which ran for 3 seasons. Through the show, he cultivated a deep appreciation for storytelling, and in 2019 released his first film, "Always Amazing", a documentary about comic/magician the Amazing Johnathan. In 2020, Steve wrote and directed the indie feature "The Opening Act", his love letter to stand-up comedy, that garnered critic and audience ratings on Rotten Tomatoes at 82 and 83% Fresh. In 2022, he released his fifth hour special, "The Last Late Night", on Amazon Prime, his most innovative work to date and rated 5/5 stars – an hour special disguised as a late-night talk show. Steve continues to tour relentlessly, work on material, and is currently casting his next film that he wrote and will direct towards the end of this year.
Carmen Lynch has appeared on a string of late night TV shows including The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and Conan. She has also appeared on Inside Amy Schumer, That Damn Michael Che, Life & Beth and the documentary Hysterical. Carmen also tours doing stand up in Spanish, has a podcast on SiriusXM called The Human CentiPOD in English and another podcast in Spanish titled Podria Ser Peor. Her two comedy specials (one in English and one in Spanish) will be released later this year. For dates to her tapings and other road gigs check out carmenlynch.com/tour/ and IG/TikTok @carmencomedian.
Kate Sisk is a professional stand up comedian, amateur drag king, and retired soccer player from Massachusetts. Now based in Brooklyn, New York, Kate is an alumnus of UCB’s Harold Night, a contributing writer for The Onion, and a recent participant in the NBC Late Night Writers Workshop. Kate’s stand up comedy about life as a trans person and former member of the Puerto Rico Women’s National Soccer Team has earned Kate appearances in the HBO Women In Comedy Festival and the Finals of the Boston Comedy Festival. Kate was also the co-host of the award-winning podcast, We’re Having Gay Sex.
Mark Normand is one of the most in-demand comedians working today. His self-produced Youtube special, "Out to Lunch" has over 11 million views! He also co-hosts two very popular podcasts, "Tuesdays with Stories" with Joe List and "We Might Be Drunk" with Sam Morril. Mark has also done a Comedy Central HALF HOUR special, has appeared on TBS’s CONAN 4 times, Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Showtime’s “Live at SXSW”, INSIDE AMY SCHUMER, TruTv, Best Week Ever, MTv, Last Comic Standing, @Midnight and released an album with Comedy Central records titled “Still Got It” (it’s not bad).
Michael is a Senior Correspondent on "The Daily Show". Previously, he hosted and was the co-executive producer on "The Comment Section" for the E! Network. He is well known from his numerous late night appearances on "The Tonight Show", "Conan", "Seth Meyers", and "@midnight". Michael co-hosted Fox Sports "1’s Crowd Goes Wild" opposite Regis Philbin, and was a regular Correspondent for "The Soup Investigates" with Joel McHale. His one-hour Comedy Central stand-up special, "Michael Kosta: Detroit. NY. LA." is now streaming on Paramount+ and YouTube. Michael is a former pro tennis player, and is now a frequent contributor on "The Tennis Channel" and hosts a weekly podcast called "Tennis Anyone with Michael Kosta". Watch his videos online at @MichaelKosta.
Comedian Tom Cotter has taken the comedy scene by storm since finishing as runner-up and becoming the Breakout Star from Season 7’s "America's Got Talent." He lost to a dog act, but don’t hold that against him; Tom was the first comedian ever to be a finalist on the show and was the highest finishing human being on the show that year. In August 2013, AGT asked Tom back to perform as a special guest star (along with Train) and then again to host “The Season 8 AGT Snapple Viewing Party.” In January 2019 Tom was again invited back to the AGT stage - this time to perform against the best of the best “Got Talent” performers from other years and around the world in “America’s Got Talent: The Champions.” In one the most talked about sets of the entire competition, Tom received a STANDING OVATION from the adoring crowd. Tom's other numerous television and radio credits include "The Tonight Show,” “Last Comic Standing,” his very own "Comedy Central Presents... Tom Cotter, "The Howard Stern Show, Comics Unleashed, multiple appearances on CBS’ "The Late Late Show" and Celebrity Host of “Gotham Comedy Live” on AXS-TV. You can find Tom headlining all of America's most famous comedy clubs including The Comedy Cellar, The Improv and Caroline's On Broadway just to name a few. Tom has also been featured at the Montreal "Just For Laughs" Festival, the HBO Comedy Arts Festival and headlining "America's Got Talent Live" show at the Palazzo, Las Vegas. And recently, Tom was on the dais and took part in the Friars Club Roast of Boomer Esiason at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. Tom is also a regular on Fox News Channel and co-starred on an episode of CBS’ “The Good Wife.” In addition, Tom has performed in a wide variety of venues from Alaska to China. His appeal is truly international as he was summoned to London to tour and perform on British Television, and won The Seattle International Stand-Up Comedy Competition and Boston Comedy Festival as The Boston Herald noted “winning by the largest margin of victory in the history of the event.” Tom came out with his first book, “Bad Dad: A Guide to Pitiful Parenting” (Willow Street Press) in February 2016 which is a collection of jokes, gags, one-liners and pithy bad advice for fed-up parents everywhere. It is this kind of versatility that has allowed Tom to excel in other areas of showbiz as well. So whether it be comedy, voice-overs, or acting, Tom Cotter gives it everything he's got. "If laughter is the best medicine, I yearn to be drugged."
A comedian since 2013, Raj Suresh tells jokes about cats, being Indian, race, politics and more and has performed in most of the United States and overseas, too. His debut album aired on SiriusXM and his new special will release mid-2023. He lives in New York City with his girlfriend and their cat/small tiger named Mr. Jack.
Alingon Mitra is a stand up comedian known for his tight jokes, original thoughts, and affable presence. Making his television debut on NBC's Last Comic Standing, Alingon finished first in the public vote 5 weeks in a row to win the comic comeback contest and perform on the finale. He has since been invited to do stand up on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Conan, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and Adam Devine's House Party on Comedy Central. In addition, he wrote for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and Adam Ruins Everything. Alingon went on to be named one of the "New Faces of Comedy" at Montreal's Just for Laughs Comedy Festival. He also won both the Boston Comedy Festival and the "Funniest Comic in New England" contest in the same year. Alingon was a writer for the humor magazine The Harvard Lampoon and can now be found on Twitter, on Facebook, or in bed.
Alex Gardes performs in and has produced shows all over New York city. He currently produces Happy Time Apocalypse at New York Comedy Club Gramercy. Alex relies on his improv training and disarming jokes on a life of pain and privilege to entertain and endear comedy audiences wherever he performs. When not doing comedy, Alex can be found in his living room re-watching "Succession" with a glass of wine and his favorite slippers.
Jack Finnegan is an up and coming stand up comic originally from central New Jersey. He now lives in New York City and performs nightly all across the tristate area. When not on stage, you can catch Jack working mostly with beanstalks, candlesticks, and Jill.
Jiaoying Summers is a stand up comedian, Asian Hall of Fame inductee and social media comedy queen with over one billion online views and counting. She is a sold out national headliner. She recently starred in Netflix is a Joke Festival's Women in Comedy Show. Her 30-minute comedy special HOT GIRL SUMMERS is streaming on Peacock TV and Prime Video. Jiaoying is also an award-winning actress, CEO of Summers Group, and philanthropist empowering women and children and helping causes that touch Asian American communities. She was recently featured on BBC, CBS aNews, FOX News 5, NBC4, NBC Bay Area, KRON4, The LA Times, LA Confidential, San Francisco Chronicle, Yale Daily News, NHK World Japan and Vogue. She is the owner of The Hollywood Comedy in Los Angeles and focuses on producing shows that promote representation in comedy. “A major voice on the national comedy scene.” - Vogue International "Her name and survival story have one thing in common — a refusal to fade into the background." - The LA Times "[Summers is] amplifying the Asian American perspective through her work [with] uncensored, unapologetic comedic stylings." - San Francisco Chronicle Jiaoying Summers has been named one of “The Women Running The [Comedy] Scene in L.A.” -The LA Times
Harrison began performing stand-up comedy while studying psychology and English at Harvard. A summa cum laude graduate, Harrison was the co-founder of the Harvard College Stand-Up Comic Society (or "Harvard College SUCS," as the group's name is cheekily acronymized), the first organization at Harvard dedicated to the performance and appreciation of stand-up comedy and one still popular on campus today. Now living in Manhattan, Harrison has quickly become one of the most in-demand comedians in New York, performing in more than 600 shows a year and thus leading both Time Out New York and the NY Daily News to call him "the hardest-working man in comedy." One of Comedy Central's "Comics to Watch," Harrison has also received many awards and honors for his comedy, including the Andy Kaufman Award (2010) for creativity and originality in comedy, the Shorty Award in collaboration with Comedy Central and the New York Comedy Festival for "Best Emerging Comic" (2011), and the Magners Comic Stand-Off (2011). On television, Harrison was featured on NBC's Last Comic Standing (for a clip, click here), AXS.TV’s Gotham Comedy Live, and National Geographic Channel's Brain Games, and has appeared on MTV, SPIKE TV, the Discovery Channel, and the Science Channel. Behind the scenes, Harrison was a producer for Primetime: Would You Fall for That? on ABC (which premiered in 2013 to over 3.5 million viewers) and a story producer for VH1’s This is HOT 97, as well as the warm-up comic for Katie, Katie Couric's daytime talk show on ABC. Internationally recognized for his talent, Harrison was the head writer for Tu Nite con Lorenzo Parro, the first-ever late night show on NBCU/Telemundo; was a featured correspondent on the Japanese television show, Scooper, which was broadcast nationally on Nippon TV; appeared in the documentary, 10 Minutes in America, on France's Canal+; and was a featured act in the Magners Glasgow International Comedy Festival in Scotland. Harrison was also the co-host and featured performer of the official Times Square New Year’s Eve World Wide Webcast in 2010 and 2011, broadcasting live to over 250 million viewers around the globe. Harrison also headlines comedy clubs around the country, including sold-out shows at TBS Just for Laughs Chicago and the legendary Carolines on Broadway (leading Punchline Magazine to name Harrison one of the “Breakout Artists” of the year). Harrison has also been featured in a wide variety of national and international publications, including being highlighted for the "Joke of the Week" in TimeOut NY and being featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, and CNBC.com. Harrison's one-man show, Harrison Greenbaum: What Just Happened?, debuted at the legendary New York comedy hotspot, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, before commencing an Off-Broadway run and international tour that's included performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C, and the Magic Castle in Hollywood, CA. (For more information on the show, visit the show's official site here.) Harrison is a talented comedy writer as well. He is a nationally published author (with selections printed in the books, 50 Successful Harvard Essays, 2nd ed., and How They Got Into Harvard) and has been a writer for MAD Magazine since 2005. From colleges to comedy clubs, from talk shows to theaters, Harrison is bringing his unique style of comedy to audiences across the country and around the world, proving each night why publications such as Newsday have named him one of “today’s best.”
Mark Ellis is a comedian, actor and host you’ve probably seen on tv, heard on the radio or at least clicked on the internet. A headlining stand-up that has played to sold-out shows all over the world and on television, Mark also has a monstrous online following as the co-host of the "Movie Trivia Schmoedown", his cinematic combat trivia show that has over 300K subscribers and over 350 million views on YouTube. Mark recently released his new stand-up hour special "Dog Stepfather" (produced by Bill Burr and All Things Comedy) as well as another tv set for an upcoming Comedy Central production...his acting has been showcased in film, television and numerous national commercials; he regularly appears as a commentator on NBC, MTV, VH1, MLB Network, CBS Sports, E!, Reelz and network programs as well. He also makes regular appearances on the "Heidi and Frank" LA morning show, "The Adam Carolla Podcast" and "Doug Loves Movies". Mark is set to release his brand new hour special (with Bill Burr back as a producer) "Alive & Well" in July! Mark co-created "Schmoes Know" with his buddy Kristian Harloff, a movie review show that took off on Youtube thanks to hundreds of millions of views…when the vids evolved into the "Movie Trivia Schmoedown", it became the most popular cinematic trivia game in the world, garnering a rabid online fanbase as the live show toured to packed theaters across the country. The perfect marriage of movie trivia competition and WWE sports- entertainment flair, "The Schmoedown" pits celebrities and internet personalities against each other in an exciting winner-take-all format. Mark’s proprietary hosting style, featuring quick-witted humor, in-depth knowledge and smooth delivery, has been showcased in numerous television, streaming and online projects, and he is currently the lead host at Rotten Tomatoes, including the top-rated weekly podcast "Rotten Tomatoes is Wrong", and his smash hit Peacock show Versus, which he also writes. A staple at conventions like Comic-Con, festivals such as South By Southwest and comedy clubs across the nation, Mark currently lives in Los Angeles, does not play second base for the Dodgers but has led the Comedy Store rec league basketball squad to 4 championships.
Krystyna Hutchinson is a stand-up comedian, actress and writer based in New York City. She is the co-host of the critically acclaimed GUYS WE F*CKED: The Anti Slut-Shaming Podcast with her comedy partner, Corinne Fisher. Together, the duo has been written up by Vogue, Esquire, The Huffington Post, Cosmo and Elle to name a few, as well as appearances on CNN, NBC and the TEDx Stage. Their debut comedy special, OUR SPECIAL DAY, was released in February of this year on YouTube. In addition to podcasting accolades, Krystyna has appeared on Netflix's Master of None and Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening.
Haitian Canadian comedian Che Durena was born and raised in British Columbia and is based in Toronto after spending time performing standup in Mexico. He is known for his work as a host and writer for My Most Amazing Top 10 (over 7.6 million subscribers) and he has amassed a social media following of over 7 million with over 197 million likes on his viral TikTok rants and commentary. Che has appeared on JFL All Access, Comedy Network, CraveTV, and recently dropped his debut comedy album Tales From My Butthole. His comedy offers an absurd angle on his experiences living abroad and his perception of matters like culture, race, relationships and drugs. Che has worked with brands like Coors Light, Herb, Vapen and many more. Catch him on tour in a city near you!
Akeem Woods is the funny little brother you always (never) wanted — his comedy style will have you on the edge of your seat reeling from laughter! No topic is safe from discussion, whether it be the KKK or the hardships of growing up poor. Akeem was a semi-finalist on Stand Up NBC, has been seen on Kevin Hart’s LOL Network and just recently made his television debuts on The Late Late Show with James Corden and season two of Pause with Sam Jay on HBO.
Rafi Bastos - UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY TOUR Rafi Bastos is a 6’7” tall Jewish-Brazilian comedian with an accent like Dracula and a rapidly growing social media presence of stand up clips in English, mostly filmed from the prestigious Comedy Cellar in New York. In his home-country of Brazil, Rafi is a trailblazer of comedy, media and is one of the first comedians to pioneer the art of stand up comedy as we know it in Brazil. His17-year comedy and acting career before coming to the United States garnered many firsts and was covered in an interview on TheJoe Rogan Experience. Rafi set records, created controversy through freedom of speech and used the power of the internet to reach an astronomical social media following. Rafi’s videos with stage performances, music videos, interviews and sketches have now more than 370 million views on his Youtube channel alone. In 2011, he was considered by the NEW YORK TIMES as the Most Influential Man on Twitter, at the time with 7 million followers, now at 11.4 million. In 2013, Rafi won the SHORTY AWARDS, also known as the “Oscars of Social Media”, for Best Comedian. Both in English and Portuguese, Rafi continues to prove that he is among the most talented artists of Latin America - always setting the bar higher for innovation, quality and influence. Rafi’s quick-witted observational humor has made him a hit online and the first Brazilian comedian to become a regular at the most renowned comedy clubs globally, including COMEDY CELLAR in New York, LAUGH FACTORY, and THE HOLLYWOOD IMPROV in California. He is also the first Brazilian comedian to headline at JUST FOR LAUGHS, the largest comedy festival in the world, hosted in Montreal, Canada. Among his many credits, Rafi has three comedy specials on Netflix:, A Arte do Insulto, Péssima Influencia, and Ultimato. He has starred in movies, had his own controversial talk show, been an in-field journalist and hosted reality shows (Ultimate Beastmaster for Netflix). He is the Co-Founder and owner of Comedians, the largest comedy club in South America. Let’s just say Rafi has done almost everything in Brazil and now he’s in the USA to do it all with a fresh perspective - in UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY.
Jessica Levin is an NYC comedian. The daughter of a sanitation worker, with longshoreman genes, she has a blue collar mentality with white color taste. When she's not in the clubs, she attempts to go to the gym but mostly ends up co-producing her shows "Tough Love Comedy" , "Fowl Mouth Comedy", and performing all around the city.
"Erin Harkes has only been on the comedy circuit for a few years, but her dry wit and sarcasm coupled with audience rapport has made her very successful in a short amount of time. She’s won local contests and performed all over New York State and beyond. In 2014-21 she has been voted Albany’s Best Local Comedian by several local newspapers and arts and entertainment magazines. Erin recently opened for Demetri Martin on part of his “Let’s Get Awkward” tour and has also opened for Jeff Dye, Tommy Davidson and Bobby Collins. She also produces her own shows on a monthly basis featuring local and nationally touring comedians. She finds that her musical career (that spans well over a decade) has prepared her for any and all stage settings and she performs with the ease and comfort of a comedic veteran. "
Mia Jackson is a Georgia peach (that's Georgian for “native”), currently living in New York. In 2017, she was selected as a New Face by the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival and Atlanta's Creative Loafing named her the Critic's Choice Best Stand-Up in the city. She has toured nationally with Amy Schumer and is a featured comic at festivals and clubs across the country. Her first stand up special aired as part of Unprotected Sets on EPIX in 2018. Mia has appeared on Comedy Central's This Week at the Comedy Cellar, NBC's Last Comic Standing and HBO Max. Her Comedy Central half hour special debuted in November 2019.