comedy

comedy, los angeles, patreon

We, and by “we”, I mean just one person, Jake Kroeger, love supporting LA comedy and, by extension, the art form of comedy through efforts put forth here by The Comedy Bureau.

We’ve been doing for almost 7 years. It might almost be 7 years. We’ve kind of lost count because we haven’t taken a day off since 2010. That’s not hyperbole. “We” just a) love comedy and b) are workaholics.

Being a publicly funded resource is hard enough through official channels a la grants or funds handed out by governments or well known benefactors.

Rather than go that route, we’re looking to all of you fine folks that have dug us throughout the years to help us out by pledging on our Patreon page to not only keep our operations going, but help us expand possibly to NYC and improve and streamline the Bureau as a whole.

Any bit helps. If you can pledge $1000 or pledge even just $1, spread the word, etc., we can keep serving our community at large forever.

cheap, chris estrada, chris fairbanks, comedy, david gborie, echo park, ever mainard, los angeles, sam tallent, stand up, steph tolev

This is a great line-up of LA’s best and brightest. Also, some of the best views in LA are to be had on hills in Echo Park and should have your interest peaked.

Get more details here.

Vulture Made a “100 More Jokes That Shaped Modern Comedy” List

February 8, 2017

100 jokes, andrew dice clay, broad city, comedy, vulture cover story

Vulture Made a “100 More Jokes That Shaped Modern Comedy” List

Vulture’s comedy maven Jesse David Fox just made follow-up to their excellent 100 Jokes That Shaped Modern Comedy list in 2016. That list covered a lot of comedy’s heavy hitters throughout the decades of American comedy.

This 2017 list of 100 More Jokes That Shaped Modern Comedy covers more nuances that inform the landscape of the art form of comedy today.

We ought to know as we were lucky enough to contribute to it.

Included in the list are anything from Weird Al Yankovic to Jackie Chan to Dorothy Parker to Sam Kinison to Peanuts to Waiting for Godot to the Masturbating Bear on Conan.

Between both lists, you’ll get one amazing look at the threads that make up the incredibly tapestry that comedy is right now.

Jim Jefferies and Anthony Jeselnik Sit Down and Interview Each Other

August 17, 2016

anthony jeselnik, comedy, comics talk to comics, jim jeffries, tv, vulture

Jim Jefferies and Anthony Jeselnik Sit Down and Interview Each Other

As far as toeing the line of controversy in comedy goes, Jim Jefferies and Anthony Jeselnik have made very successful careers in pulling that off (even if they apparently cross it).

Their conversation, set up by Vulture, is an enlightening one that goes through their brands of comedy, mutual admiration, and how to continue to toe that controversial line.

Here’s the Line-Up for SXSW Comedy 2016

February 24, 2016

2016, cameron esposito, chris hardwick, comedy, dan harmon, gillian jacobs, horatio sanz, judd apatow, line-up, lucas brothers, natasha leggero, rory scovel, sxsw, thomas middleditch, todd barry, todd glass

Adam Cayton-Holland
Andrew Orvedahl
Andrew Santino
Anthony Atamanuik
Arden Myrin
Baron Vaughn
Ben Roy
Brendon Walsh
Brooke Van Poppelen
Cameron Esposito
Chris Cubas
Chris Gethard
Chris Hardwick
Colton Dunn
Dan Harmon
David Gborie
Doug Benson
Drennon Davis
Eddie Pepitone
Eliza Skinner
Emily Heller
Eric Andre
Gillian Jacobs
Horatio Sanz
Howard Kremer
Iliza Shlesinger
Joe Pera
Jon Gabrus
Jonah Ray
Judd Apatow
Kate Micucci
Kulap Vilaysack
The Lucas Brothers

Martha Kelly
Matt Besser
Matt Walsh
Megan Gailey
Mike Birbiglia
Mike O’Brien
Morgan Murphy
Moshe Kasher
Natasha Leggero
Nate Bargatze
Owen Benjamin
Paul F. Tompkins
Rhea Butcher
Ron Lynch
Rory Scovel
Scott Aukerman
Sean Patton
Shannon O’Neill
Tami Sagher
Thomas Middleditch
Todd Barry
Todd Glass
Zach Woods
@midnight
ASSSSCAT
the cast of Bajillion Dollar Propertie$
Comedy Bang! Bang!
Doug Loves Movies
HarmonQuest
The Hooray Show
The Imaginary Radio Program with Drennon Davis
improv4humans
The Laugh Button Live!
Loud Village
Maltin on Movies
Sexpot Comedy
Spontaneanation with Paul F. Tompkins
The Todd Barry Podcast
Trump Dump with Tony Atamanuik as Donald Trump
Who Charted?

All of the above and more will be present and performing at SXSW in Austin, TX starting Fri. Mar. 11th.

If this peaks your interest (and we’re guessing that it does), you can register for a badge here.

We’re Always Taking Submissions

December 7, 2015

comedy, improv, stand up, submissions, web series

Want to have your comedy web series, video, short film, podcast, album, special, book, audio book, essay, stand-up, improv, sketch, play, variety show etc. featured and/or listed at The Comedy Bureau?

Well, just send us your stuff at thecomedybureau@gmail.com for consideration! If we dig it, we’ll post about it or list it. We love discovering new folks, troupes, and more, so don’t feel intimidated in ever sending anything in.

Three things:

1) For now, we’re based in LA, so if you’re submitting a show for listing, please have it been within the Greater LA area. Otherwise, we’ll take in anything else to be potentially featured from anywhere else in the world.

2) Do keep in mind that we’re short staffed, so keep your submissions brief (i.e. don’t send EPK or extensive bios/descriptions) so we can get through submissions as quickly as possible.

3) Please submit recent work only i.e. anything that’s been posted or released from beyond two weeks of your submission. We like keep things fresh at the Bureau.

The 200 Best Things in Comedy We Were Witness To In No Particular Order Of 2011/2012

December 31, 2013

2013, best of, comedy, year end lists

Like we do every year on Jan. 1st, we make a year end list when the previous year has ended of the 100 things that we were lucky enough to catch/watch/hear/read/see/experience/were privy to etc. in comedy.

So far, we’ve done The 100 Best Things in Comedy We Were Witness To In No Particular Order Of 2011 and 2012 and we’ll have an edition for 2013, once 2013 is over.

Maybe you’ll be finished with revisiting everything great on those 200 items over the past two years and we’ll have the new one ready by that time.

Teaser for “I Am Road Comic”,the Follow Up to Jordan Brady’s “I Am Comic”

August 14, 2013

comedy, documentary, doug benson, i am comic, jen kirkman, jordan brady, tj miller

It’s been years since the great behind the mic documentary I Am Comic from director and comedian Jordan Brady; three years in fact. And now, after all that time, Brady is coming out with the follow up to I Am Comic in I Am Road Comic following the tales and travels of comedians that do the road and perform wherever they can get paid to talk into a microphone and discovering ultimately why they do it.

Watch this teaser with TJ Miller, Jen Kirkman, Judah Friedlander, and Doug Benson.

For Comedians, It Definitely Doesn’t Get Better, It Gets Worse

comedy, it gets better, it gets worse, psa

While the decision that DOMA is unconstitutional has made a promise from the “It Gets Better” campaign true, comedians don’t get the benefit of that maxim. Comedians Grant Lyon and Dave Waite have put together a web series of talking heads of several very funny people that you may or may not know, but hopefully do, like Andy Peters, Lachlan Patterson, Jim Hamilton, Ryan Singer, Tony Sam, Heidi Hayward talking about how doing comedy has almost never gotten better (losing jobs, relationships, getting various things thrown at you, being told you’re not funny etc.) except for the fact that they don’t want to do anything else.

Take it as a PSA to not do or do comedy or something where you witness how delusional we all have to be to keep doing comedy, but watch It Gets Worse because it’s pretty great. Also, you can submit your own story of comedy getting worse; details at end of each video.

Here are parts one, two, three, and four.

Support This Kickstarter to Hear Great Comedians Explain People Being Offended at Comedy

comedy, documentary, greg proops, jackie kashian, kyle kinane, offensive, paul provenza

Paul Provenza, Kyle Kinane, Jackie Kashian, Greg Proops, and more have already been interviewed for this documentary in the making, That’s Not Funny. Director Mike Celestino is searching for answers as to where the “line” is, whether there should be a line at all, and more in this film.

Still, he needs funds to help finish the film and get more interviews in. This could be something really great and, at the very least, watch the interview bytes and then, hopefully donate because this is something that we want to watch.

LA Comedy Shorts Film Festival Recap: Days 3 and 4 + Awards

awards, comedy, downtown independent, los angeles

After well over 100 comedy short films have graced the screen of the Downtown Independent Theater, complete with plenty of laughter and applause, The 4th Annual LA Comedy Shorts Film Festival has come to a close. The blocks of films from days 3 and 4 along with the fascinating panels of comedy stars and comedy new media (Funny or Die, College Humor, and more) rounded out the second half of the festival just as well as the first half. On top of that, the festival had a legitimate awards ceremony hosted by Alonzo Bodden worthy of much bigger film festivals such as Tribeca, as presenter David Higgins (The Wrong Guy) initially “thought” it was when presenting an award.

Here’s a quick rundown of what happened for days 3 and 4 and the awards presentation:

-The “short” short (under 5 min.) still proved to be the crowd favorites as well as some of the films we enjoyed the most. Christopher Larsen’s Jesus Doppelganger (a man has to decide which Jesus to shoot) and Jeremy Brull’s Honourable Discharge (a infantry man’s fiance gets the worst news she could get) played their one joke brilliantly to uproarious laughter.

-Many of the shorts nailed the note of sheer absurdity. Award winner Speruchet Pan Tournegos by Stephen Cedars, Benji Kleiman, and Scott Yacyshyn, a sort-of absurd revenge action pho-drama, was intentionally done in a completely made-up language (we apologize in advance if it was an obscure Eastern European dialect that was being spoken). Frequent character in Christopher Guest films John Michael Higgins played an absolutely ridiculous cross-dressing therapist in Dave Rock’s very funny People People. Matt Smulker’s Hiccup also deserves a mention here for leading the audience down that path of a road movie that stops abruptly at the out-of-nowhere twist, which we’re not going to give away (just trust us, it was damn funny).

-There was a celebrity panel on Saturday morning of Carlos Alazraqui, EG Daily, Niecy Nash, John Michael Higgins, and Yeardley Smith, which was especially fascinating considering John Michael Higgins revealed that he wasn’t a big fan of doing improv and Yeardley Smith has been acting right out of high school all the way to her current job on The Simpsons.

-At the new media panel, featuring Funny or Die, College Humor, Fremantle Media, and Break Media, it was absolutely startling and engrossing to hear that they all collectively fear agents and unions more so than CISPA or SOPA.

–Other memorable quotes from the New Media Panel:
“We hope to contribute something to it and the story to hopefully make it not so much about dick jokes, when it’s really about boob jokes.” –Matt Johnson, Fremantle Media, Atomic Wedgie TV
“I know how to make a viral video: fake celebrity sex videos.” –Ally Hord, Funny or Die
“We’re hoping the over-40 demographic will die real soon. It’s a big part of our business plan.” –Spencer Griffin, College Humor

-We heard Funny or Die on HBO is in season 3 of production and the second season of Billy on the Street on FUSE is on its way.

-Something you probably won’t get to see at many other film festivals that was great to see at LA Comedy Shorts was webisodes. David Morgasen’s David Blaine’s Street Magic (spoof of Blaine’s street magic), Hayden Black’s Goodnite Burbank (an attempt at local news in Burbank out of a garage), and Jon Stahl’s Teechers (The Office meets an elementary school) [which should be a web series] gave a great look into the possibilities reality of episodic comedy on the web.

-Dark comedy had an interesting showing during the festival. Both Bob Ray’s Sacked and Darrell C. Hazelrig’s The Dark Companion really walked the line quite cleverly of not being a gritty drama by having puppets be the subject to psychological afflictions or gruesome murder and revenge. James Logan’s Terminator: Termination also pulled the humor off quite well by its spoof of Terminator featuring a toy robot.

Thugs the Musical Trailer

–The Winners of the 2012 LA Comedy Shorts Film Festival Awards
Commie Award (Honorary Award in Comedic Excellence)-Scott Thompson
Best Comedy Short Script-Mary & Louise-Amy Staats
Best Half-Hour Pilot-Rooster & Sons-Drew Mackintosh
Best Comedy Feature Script-White’s Trash-Gregory Porter
Best Animated Comedy Short-Stuper Powers-Rise of the Chipmunk-Greg Bro
Best Comedy Student Film-Mr. Bear-Andres Rosende
Best Comedy Short Shortie (5 min. and under)-Comedy Jam-Bryan Robbins
Best Comedy Short-Speruchet Pan Tournegos by Stephen Cedars, Benji Kleiman, and Scott Yacyshyn
Audience Award-Thugs the Musical-Kevin Avery
State Tax Credit Exchange’s Best of Fest-The Immigrant-Josh Levy

December 6, 2011

comedy, how is something funny, podcasts

thisbetterbefunny:

In the inaugural episode of the “This Better Be Funny” Podcast, host, creator, writer/comedian Jake Kroeger, co-host, writer/comedian Jeremy Paul, comedienne and Cristiana delve into deep conversation involving the pitching of jokes/sketches/bits to each other and the subsequent approval or rejection of them. Taking place at some cafe in Hollywood, the three go down the comedy rabbit hole and wonder if they just walked one of the coffee shop’s patrons.

Many folks wanted us to start a podcast talking comedy. In our opinion, there are way too many of those and, honestly, we can’t do better than Marc Maron and WTF. Instead, we’re doing what hasn’t been done by any other comedy podcast (if it has, then please let us know as we’d love to hear it), which is get to the crux of the comedic creative process. It’s the process that Jerry Seinfeld’s documentary Comedian gave a brief glimpse of, but never fully explored.

Specifically, the This Better Be Funny Podcast will have comedians pitching what they think is funny to each and going down the comedy “rabbit hole” in search for the truly funny. In the spirit of the podcast, it’s not recorded at someone’s efficiency apartment in Echo Park where someone has to apologize for the mess and offer milk. This is recorded wherever comedians actually huddle together like dive bars, coffee shops, taco stands, and more and ask each other “Is this funny?”

Hosted by Jake Kroeger, the Director of the Comedy Bureau along with comedian Jeremy Paul who claims the only credit he needs is that he’s from Peoria, Il every week and a myriad of guests that range from “big time” to “about to break” to “funniest person that no one knows”, but ones that will always be funny.

Listen, laugh, be enlightened at horrible comedians can be to each other.

TJ Miller is on Yowie right now.

September 20, 2011

cnu, comedy, live show, tj miller, yowie

TJ Miller is on Yowie right now.

comedynerdsunited:

go ask him something!

September 12, 2011

comedy, edinburgh fringe, rick overton, set list, standup

Rick Overton opened almost every show at the Edinburgh Fringe, and gained a following for his mad Set List skills. Rick will also be opening the shows at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank EVERY Sunday at 9pm starting Sept. 18.

Hear that? Set List is back in town after touring the world and Rick Overton’s opening every show at Flappers on Sundays. It’s improvised stand-up the way it should be done and none of you should miss it.

September 13th. Eric Andre.

September 9, 2011

holyfuckcomedy:

Really, You Should Try Jokes Out on a Megaphone Under a Floodlamp

September 8, 2011

burbank, comedy, comedy news, los angeles, megaphone, open meg, open mics, verdugo park

If you are a comedian in LA (or even if you’re not and you just wanted to say things amplified and people have to listen) at an outdoor public arena on a megaphone, now you can.

Thanks to Jason Van Glass and Rob Schultz and the Verdugo Park in Burbank, the Floodlamp Open “Meg” is one of the newest open mics in LA for comedians to try out their material. According to the Todd Glass parameters of comedy venues (see: I Am Comic), “the Floodlamp” breaks nearly every rule, which understandably worries anyone thinking about trying their material at an “Open Meg”.

Photo by Megan Baker

There are no ceilings or walls. There is no stage. There is no mic or mic stand. There are passing pedestrians that sometimes have strollers with babies in them. There is passing traffic as well as kids that ride by on their BMX bikes. Also, it’s completely outside (in case you haven’t figured that out by now). The single floodlamp does, however, provide a pretty decent light for the performer.

Still, Jason and Rob have managed to put together an open mic that’s both more attentive and supportive than most. In fact, some of those kids stop riding their bikes and quietly listen to the person on the “meg”.

There is no cover, minimum, and the peaceful element of the park brings sort of a calm that isn’t often found in dive bars, coffee shops, laundry mats, or any other unconventional place where there’s a comedy open mic. Sure, a tent and a stage and more would be nice, but an attentive crowd watching the performer are the basis for a good comedy open mic.

The Floodlamp’s 5th show is at sundown this Friday around 7PM at 3201 W. Verdugo Ave., Burbank, CA. Sign-up is by lottery. Alloted time is determined by how many people sign-up. If you’re really making a go at comedy, “welcoming” shouldn’t be a word that you should always looking for, but the Floodlamp Open Meg is indeed a welcoming and safe place for comedians to expand themselves artistically.

Also, it’s really nice to be outside in LA at night, or in our case, outside in general.

September 8, 2011

comedy, free show, improv, jon daly, posters, seth morris, show, the11thhourshow

the11thhourshow:

Show tonight!!!!

TRANSSIBERIAN BBQ – Patrick Dailey, Sasha Feiler, Colleen Lindt, Jeremy McKiernan, Jaffer Rai, Samm Rasnake, and Ethan Rosenberg

JUNGLE JOE – Casey Feigh, Joe Hartzler, Johnny Meeks, Dave Theune, and Jim Woods

and very special guests…

JON & SETH – Jon Daly and Seth Morris

followed by The Midnight Jam (get on stage and play!)

Hosted by Imaginary Friends

Artworks Theatre & Studios6583 Santa Monica Blvd. (Studio A)Los Angeles, CA11pm

FREE ADMISSION
FREE BEER & WATER
FREE PARKING (in our lot)

**we run on your donations, so please give what you can**

Poster designed by Danny Cohen. If you would like to order one please visit our Etsy Store

September 5, 2011

chris hardwick, comedy, FYF Fest, photography, steve agee

Hardwick, Comedy Tent, FYF Fest – Los Angeles 2011

The Laugh Button: Zach Galifiankis Heckles Queens Of The Stone Age

September 2, 2011

comedy, humor, Josh Homme, Michael Shuman, queens of the stone age, stand up, Troy Van Leeuwen, tumblrize, zach galifianakis

The Laugh Button: Zach Galifiankis Heckles Queens Of The Stone Age

thelaughbutton:

According to EW.com, Queens Of The Stone Age got more than they bargained for at a recent Zach Galifianakis stand-up show. The band had apparently asked the comedian/Hangover star’s manager for free tickets to his sold out show in LA Wednesday night (August 31). While Josh Homme, Troy…

September 6th. Baron Vaughn.

September 2, 2011

holyfuckcomedy:

The Comedian’s Guide to Feeling Better About Trying To Make It In Comedy

September 1, 2011

comedy, dan harmon, fx, guide to, inspiration, ira glass, louis c.k., marc maron, patton oswalt, self help, wtf podcast

It’s no secret that there is a great deal of personal mental strain that comedians go through, often self-inflicted, despite having “making people laugh” in their job description. While self-help books are often a popular topic for jokes and I’ve surprised other comedians by not having ever entered therapy, any person legitimately doing comedy would tell you that any whisper of encouragement, even if not specifically directed at them, is more than welcome.

Over the last few months, such symbolic “pats on the back” and sincere echoes of “keep at it and believe in yourself” have popped up online and have given credence to the aforementioned claim of insecurity by comedians. The following is a collection of those metaphorical motivational posters in the form of podcasts, quotes, videos, etc. that might make you more feel comfortable along the road to answering the question:

What the fuck am I doing trying to make strangers laugh?

1) Marc Maron’s Just For Laughs Montreal Comedy Festival Keynote Address

2) Louis C.K. and the Joan Rivers episode of Louie

3) Dan Harmon (Creator of NBC’s Community) on meeting George Gallo, writer of Midnight Run, the dilemma of being creative, and nominations.

4) “It took me until my 40s to realize it: There’s no destination. There’s no getting anywhere. There’s just the going. The key to life is to make the going really fun. Because people that are like, “If I just get to this, then boom!” And then they get there and there’s this dawning of an afterwards. Whereas I’m just always in the going. And it’s not a frantic going like, “I gotta keep going or I’m gonna go nuts!” I can not do anything for weeks or months if I need to and just sit and read books or watch movies. I’m just as fine consuming and absorbing new art as I am trying to make it. But it’s all in the going.”

–Patton Oswalt in A.V. Club Interview

5) Ira Glass, though not strictly talking about comedy, encourages new artists.

The Laugh Button: Bon Iver Slams MTV VMAs Using Bill Hicks

August 30, 2011

bill hicks, Bon Iver, comedy, humor, mtv, music, stand up, tumblrize, VMAs

The Laugh Button: Bon Iver Slams MTV VMAs Using Bill Hicks

thelaughbutton:

This weekend marked the 2011 version of the MTV Video Music Awards. Where the former music network celebrates music videos, giving out moonmen to those that managed to get their video played. The flannel-bearded indie rocker known as Bon Iver who’s gone on record for hating MTV in the…

In the name of Bill Hicks?

A few very fun things…

Stripped Stories is now a podcast! Listen to episode 1: boundaries with Erin Judge, TuRae, Jessica Delfino, our sidekick producer Zach Dressler, and your hosts Margot Leitman & me! Subscribe at iTunes.

Also we’re starting up our fall tour, Monday Aug 29, we’re at Zanies Chicago and Thursday Sept 1, UCB NYC. For tickets, info and other tour dates visit strippedstories.com. And yes, we did get fancy new photos by Anya Garrett, thanks for noticing!

Lastly, I’m headlining Mottley’s Comedy Club in Boston THIS WEEKEND Fri Aug 26 & Sat Aug 27. Get tickets here and please spread the word.

You are the best! No really, YOU ARE THE BEST!

August 23rd. Duncan Trussell.

August 20, 2011

comedy, free, tiger woods will not save you

holyfuckcomedy:

August 19, 2011

comedy, LOL, Panels, politics, sxsw

thecomedystore:

Please vote for our SXSW panel. The future of the country is at stake!

In an election year that is as divisive as any in recent memory, a snarky, slightly jaded and unflinching group of funny folk are taking action and making an impact on the political scene. Learn how the internet empowered comedians and comedy writers and how funny folk are wielding their online prowess to affect some real-world change. Join comedians and staff from The Daily Show, Huffington Post,and Wonkette in an in-depth discussion that may very well save the world!