FriendsLikeUs

Qualifications For Leadership

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 11:30:48 +0000

Laurie Kilmartin, Diandra Lyle and Meme Simpson visit Friends and talk about unqualified leaders, African Students in Ukraine, Co-parenting boundaries and more with host Marina Franklin.

Diandra Lyle is an American actress currently appearing in Disney Channel's Secrets of Sulphur Springs. She recently starred in Apple TV’s Beauty and the Baller, recurred on Paramount Network’s American Woman and on NCIS, and has had roles in Shameless, Bones, A24’s Moonbase 8 and General Hospital, among other shows. On the film front, she has appeared in Foster Boy, starring Matthew Modine and Always A Bridesmaid, among others.

Laurie Kilmartin is an Emmy-nominated writer, she was on staff for all ten years of CONAN on TBS, and has performed standup on CONAN, Late Late Show w/James Corden, and Comedy Central. She was a Top 10 finalist on season 9 of Last Comic Standing, and has been a guest on Marc Maron's WTF 3 times. Her first book, Shitty Mom, was a NY Times bestseller. Her Seeso (RIP) special, 45 Jokes About My Dead Dad, was named Vulture 's Top Ten Comedy Specials of 2016 and should be available on Amazon Prime soon. Her album Corset was released in Oct of 2021, available for purchase or stream.

MeMe Simpson is a writer, comedian, and producer who has performed at The Laugh Factory, The Comedy Store, The Comic Strip, and the Apollo Theater. She currently hosts Laugh Gas, a virtual comedy showcase. This June, she is headlining the Black Women In Comedy Laff Fest.

Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), TBS's The Last O.G, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Hysterical on FX, The Movie Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf

It's Women History Month!

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 11:30:15 +0000

Vanessa Fraction, Paula Bel, And Nonye Brow-West visit Friends and talk about living where politics align, the guilt of motherhood, the dating app swindler and more with host Marina Franklin.

Vanessa Fraction Currently, Ms. Fraction is a Co-host with the Nappy Boy Radio Podcast hosted by; Rapper, Producer TPain. She is also an Analyst for The Comedy Hype News Show. Additionally, Vanessa (aka Action Fraction) is a certified Self-Defense instructor and teaches a class, “Kicks & Comedy”, That empowers women with life-saving self-defense skills and lifts spirits by infusing comedy.

Born in St. Louis and raised in Chicago, this mother of two has over a decade of experience captivating fans around the world with her one of a kind storytelling talent. Whether you see her on stage, television or hear her on the radio, Vanessa is on a mission to empower her audience to overcome their struggles while laughing at hers. These can be hilarious tales of being a single mother paying child support or revealing anecdotes on the battle of being a strong, successful black woman. Her television credits include appearances on Comedy Knock Out and Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks (TruTV), Tales (BET), and a recurring role on BounceTV’s Mann and Wife. Vanessa’s hilarious and bold stand-up comedy has been showcased on many shows such as HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, 1st Amendment Standup (STARZ) and Mike Epps Live at Club Nokia. As a writer she has worked on The Arsenio Hall Show (CBS), 106 & Park and The Mo’Nique Show (BET). Her film roles include Barber Shop 2: Back in Business and Kim Field’s Holiday Love: The Rebirth. Her quick wit and sharp humor is featured when she guests hosts on entertainment shows like DishNation (FOX) When you "do the math" Vanessa Fraction equals One Very Funny Lady!

Paula Bel’s performances are hysterically dark...A Los Angeles native, her voice and delivery are undeniably strong, not your average female comic. The unexpected truths along with her delivery are hilarious. Currently you may have seen her on "Baskets" w/ Zach Galifinakis or you can watch her comedy on Showtime's Nasty Show Vol. II or Jenny McCarthy's "Dirty Sexy Funny" on HULU. Paula's numerous credits include The Tonight Show, The View, Showtime’s Full Frontal Comedy, Nickelodeon's Stand Up in Stilettos, and Comics Unleashed. Headlining numerous comedy festivals such as 'HBO" in Las Vegas, Montreal "Just for Laughs", "Smithwicks" in Dublin and Kilkenny, Ireland. Television and acting appearances include "VH1", "Real Husbands of Hollywood", music video starring Wiz Khalifa, and commercials for Google. Paula’s writing style and character make her one of the most unique female comics performing today.

Nonye Brown-West is a New York-based Nigerian-American comedian and writer. She has been featured in the Boston Globe's Rise column as a Comic to Watch, as well as in NPR, PBS, ABC, Sway In The Morning, and the New York Comedy Festival. In 2019, Nonye made her acting debut in The Sympathy Card. Look out for her two new web series, Fairytales with Nonye and Gayby Jesus.

Black History Is American History

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 11:00:09 +0000

Christina M. Greer, PhD is an Associate Professor of Political Science and American Studies at Fordham University (Lincoln Center Campus). She was the 2018 Fellow for the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research at New York University Silver School of Social Work, and co-host of the "What's in it for Us" podcast. Her primary research and teaching interests are racial and ethnic politics, American urban centers, presidential politics, and campaigns and elections. Her additional research interests also include transportation, mayors and public policy in urban centers. Her previous work has compared criminal activity and political responses in Boston and Baltimore as well as Baltimore and St. Louis. Prof. Greer's book Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream (Oxford University Press, 2013 ) investigates the increasingly ethnically diverse black populations in the US from Africa and the Caribbean and was the recipient of the WEB du Bois Best Book Award in 2014 given by the National Conference of Black Political Scientists. Professor Greer is currently working on a manuscript detailing the political contributions of Barbara Jordan, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Stacey Abrams. She recently co-edited Black Politics in Transition, which explores gentrification, suburbanization, and immigration of Blacks in America. She is a member of the board of The Tenement Museum in NYC, the Center for Community Change, and serves on the Advisory Board at Tufts University. She is also an ardent supporter of FIERCE in NYC and Project South in Atlanta, GA, and a former board member of BAJI (Black Alliance for Just Immigration), the Riders Alliance of New York, and the Human Services Council. She is a frequent political commentator on several media outlets, primarily MSNBC, WNYC, and NY1, and is often quoted in media outlets such as the NYTimes, Wall Street Journal, and the AP. She is the co-host of the New York centered podcast FAQ-NYC and co-host of the Black centered podcast What's In It For Us podcast, is the politics editor at thegrio.com, is the producer and host of The Aftermath and The Contender on Ozy.com as well as their editor-at-large, is a frequent author and narrator for the TedEd educational series, and also writes a weekly column for The Amsterdam News, one of the oldest black newspapers in the U.S. Greer received her B. A. from Tufts University and her M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University.

Dr. Janus Adams is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, historian, entrepreneur, bestselling author of eleven books, and host of public radio’s “The Janus Adams Show” and podcast.

A frequent on-air guest, she has appeared on ABC, BET, CBS, CNN, Fox News, NBC’s The Today Show, and NPR’s All Things Considered. With more than 500 articles, essays and columns to her credit, her work has been featured in Essence and Ms. Magazines, The New York Times, Newsday, USA Today, and The Washington Post. Her syndicated column ran in the Hearst Newspapers for sixteen years. Her commentary has been broadcast on CBS and NPR, and published in the Huffington Post.

It's Ok Cupid

Wed, 16 Feb 2022 11:30:54 +0000

Kelly M. Jenrette and Damona Hoffman visit Friends and talk about dating apps, making a list for the right person, wedding promises and the importance of inclusivity in acting with host Marina Franklin.

Kelly M. Jenrette, a native of Atlanta, now resides in Los Angeles with her husband, Melvin Jackson Jr. In 2018, she and her husband became the first African American married couple to be nominated for Emmy’s in the same year. Kelly’s Emmy nomination was for her portrayal of Annie in Season 2, Episode 4 of The Handmaid’s Tale. Her two latest films can be found on Netflix: Uncorked and All Day and A Night, where she stars alongside Jeffrey Wright and Ashton Sanders. Kelly is also in the second season of the hit anthology show Manhunt: Deadly Games (Lionsgate/Spectrum). She can currently be seen as Winona on the Facebook Watch Original LIMETOWN. Kelly has also been a series regular on the Fox comedy, Grandfathered, starring John Stamos; She's had recurring guest star roles on Here and Now (HBO), Pitch (FOX) and Graves (EPIX). You may also remember her from her twelve Kmart commercials as Kmart Kelly! Kelly was a part of the 13 time Ovation Nominated Musical, The Color Purple at Celebration Theatre, where her portrayal of Nettie earned her an individual Ovation Nomination for best featured actress. Other TV credits include: Mixed•ish (ABC), Fuller House (Netflix), Weird Loners (FOX), The Haunted Hathaways (Nickelodeon), Happy Endings (ABC), Frisky Dingo, VO (Cartoon Network) WEB SERIES: Mommy Uncensored Episode 2 (YouTube), Much Ado About Mr. GQ (YouTube/FunnyorDie) and Study Buddy (YouTube). Watch Kelly Jenrette on All American Homecoming premiering Feb 21^st on the CW network!

Damona Hoffman has been coaching singles on how to find love online and offline for over 15 years. Her articles appear regularly in The LA Times and The Washington Post. Plus, she’s a regular on-air contributor to The Drew Barrymore Show, NPR, and NBC’s Access Daily. Damona also starred in two A+E Networks’ TV shows: #BlackLove and A Question of Love. Her weekly podcast Dates & Mates has been featured in Cosmopolitan, Huff Post, Bustle and tops the charts in the Relationships category on the major podcast platforms. She is also the official dating coach for OkCupid.

Christina Anthony and Kenny Leu Visit Friends

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 11:30:30 +0000

Christina Anthony, Kenny Leu and Von Decarlo visit Friends and talk about the changing career paths, American history, and the importance of inclusivity with host Marina Franklin.

Kenny Leu is an actor, who is becoming one of the leading Asian American performers in the industry. He is widely recognized as Gohan from the webseries Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope (34 million views). He is the son of Chinese immigrants and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he graduated from UC Berkeley with an engineering degree. After founding several startups in the Silicon Valley, competing in martial arts tournaments around the world, joining the United States Wushu team, and selling one of his startups to Google, Kenny decided to pursue film and television. He quickly landed roles on NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles and The Player, performing all of his own stunts. Kenny has since starred in NatGeo’s The Long Road Home (2017), Roland Emmerich’s Midway (2019), and Yakuza Princess (2021). He also was invited to appear in the popular Chinese series The Impossible (奇迹) (2019).
Kenny's breakout role will be as the lead in A Shot Through the Wall (2022), which just had its theatrical release Jan 21 in North America and Jan 24 in the UK.. He plays a young Asian-American cop who is responsible for accidentally shooting and killing an innocent Black man, through a wall. Both Kenny and the film earned nominations for Best Actor & Best Narrative Feature at Beaufort International Film Festival. The film premiered to rave reviews at the New York Asian American Film Festival, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, Bentonville, and Whistler, to name a few.

Christina Anthony is a multi talented actress, writer, vocalist, and improviser. She is originally from the Chicago comedy scene and is best known as an alum of the Second City Chicago's resident e.t.c. stage, where she co-wrote three original sketch revues and performed thousands of shows for Chicago audiences. Most recently, Christina starred opposite Kristen Bell in the Netlix series, The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window, which dropped Jan. 28th. Christina is also a series regular on ABC's Mixed-ish, a Black-ish spinoff. Her favorite on-camera roles as an actress include Key & Peele (Comedy Central), Mash Up (Comedy Central), Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ (Seeso), Take My Wife (Seeso), Bunk'd (Disney), Why Women Kill (CBS All Access), ER (NBC) and The Dilemma (Universal). A charismatic theater performer and vocalist, she has also been seen off-Broadway in Found (Atlantic Theatre), Second City's Romeo + Juliet Musical (Chicago Shakespeare), The Art of Falling (Hubbard Street Dance Chicago + Second City – LA & Chicago), among many other credits.

Von Decarlo is a New York based stand up comedian with global ad campaigns, and national commercials for Disney, GNC, Match, and Carnival Cruise Lines. She performed at the Just For Laughs comedy festival for Kevin Hart’s LOL Network, as well as, the Lil’ Rel and Friends show, and has been a featured comedian on HBO’s innovative talk show Pause with Sam Jay, Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks on Tru TV and HBO Max, CNN’s talking head year end wrap up special, BuzzFeed, The Jerry O Show on FOX, Fox Soul, The Breakfast Club, and more. In addition to hosting The Power Hour and The Godfrey Complex on Sirius XM‘s Urban View, she was also the first woman, and first comedian, to host her own show on the SiriusXM NBA channel. Von Decarlo is the Executive Producer of the Patrice O’Neal documentary, Killing Is Easy, on Comedy Central, and the producer of three posthumous comedy albums Mr. P, Unreleased, and The Lost Files. Her debut comedy album, A Draggable Offense, is available on all major platforms, and can be heard on the She So Funny and Laugh Out Loud radio stations on Sirius XM.

Public Servants For Change

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 11:30:37 +0000

Karin Norington-Reaves, C. Zawadi Morris and Kenice Mobley visit Friends and talk about Karin's congressional run, gun violence, and the state of our children with host Marina Franklin.

Karin Norington-Reaves is a public servant and change agent with 30 years of experience in job creation, education, advocacy, and community development. A third-generation Chicagoan, Karin is the daughter of an Air Force veteran and sheet metal worker father and an entrepreneur and business coach mother. From an early age, she watched her mother advocate for, mentor, and serve others.
For the past decade, Karin has been the CEO of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, the nation’s most extensive and effective publicly-funded workforce development system. Under her leadership since it began in 2012, The Partnership has focused on connecting people to careers, and businesses to high-quality talent, impacting Chicagoland’s neighborhoods and business communities.
Among Karin’s leadership accomplishments in the past decade are the roughly 100,000 people placed into long-lasting careers, and her management of half a billion dollars of economic investments in job training and placement and business development. Karin recognizes and amplifies the unique, untapped potential of individuals and Chicagoland communities through job placement and occupational training, and has collaborated with more than 2,000 businesses to create jobs in underserved neighborhoods. She is a catalyst for change and leads by serving others, advocating for equity in all economic opportunities in every space she sits in.
Of all her roles Karin considers “Mama” her most noteworthy title. Karin and her crew — Alex, Rachelle, and two dogs — live in Chatham.

C. Zawadi Morris is an award-winning journalist and a Chicago native who moved to Brooklyn in 1997. Ms. Morris holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration (and a minor in Spanish) from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University. She has worked as the communications director for Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez (NY-12), a senior account executive for Shandwick Public Affairs and Cohn & Wolf Public Relations, and an editor of Bed-Stuy Patch. In 2013, Ms. Morris launched The Brooklyn Reader, an online news source covering the neighborhoods of Central Brooklyn, and in 2020, she launched its non-profit sister site Scriibe.org, a collaborative news source for investigative local journalism. Ms. Morris is also the executive producer of The COVID-19 Writers Project.

Kenice Mobley performs stand up comedy around the world and recently made her late-night debut on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. She appears regularly on SiriusXM and is a Finalist in the StandUp NBC Competition. This year, Kenice worked on the BET Awards and By Us For Us, a sketch comedy series presented by Color of Change. She hosts Complexify on ViceNews, Love About Town, an interview and relationship podcast, and Make Yourself Cry, available on Planet Scum.

Looking For Black Mecca

Wed, 26 Jan 2022 11:30:41 +0000

Subhah Agarwal and Karinda Dobbins visit Friends and discuss the search for equity, a black mecca, and care for mental illnes vs. police force.

Subhah Agarwal has brought an honesty to her comedy that is refreshing, and at times a bit disturbing... but in a good way. Trust me. Subhah has written for the "Plan B" movie on Hulu," and The Jim Jefferies Show"on Comedy Central, amongst others. You can also catch her jokes live at stand up comedy clubs across the country. If you don't want to leave your couch, you can see her late night debut on NBC's "A Little Late With Lilly Singh." She's also appeared on season three of HBO's "Westworld", on TruTv's sketch comedy "Friends of the People", and as herself on MTV2, Comedy Central, and Gotham Comedy Live.

Karinda Dobbins is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actor. Karinda has performed at comedy festivals across the country, including Comedy Central’s Clusterfest, SF Sketchfest, and Bridgetown Comedy Festival. Bitch Magazine said Karinda is one of “Six Hilarious Female Comedians You Don’t Know Yet – But Should.” She has opened for Dave Chappelle, Trevor Noah, Michelle Wolf, Roy Woods, Gina Yashere, and Arsenio Hall. You can hear her now on SiriusXM Radio. Her debut album, Black & Blue
Can be preordered now; it Drops on Feb 4th.

https://www.blondemedicine.com/bm073-black-blue

Early Detection Is Your Best Friend

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 11:30:00 +0000

Jenny Saldana, Onika McClean and Shauna Lane visit Friends and discuss Breast Cancer Prevention, celebrating survival, and more with host Marina Franklin.

Onika McLean, born in North Carolina, and raised in East New York Brooklyn, is a single mother of two, legal professional, and a sharp comedian whose no-nonsense perspective on life, love, single motherhood, and her mid life crisis is taking the comedy arena by storm. She was the fan favorite on Bravo Television's, The Single’s Project. She is the winner of the Sloshed Comedy Competition and the Rising Stars Comedy Competition in London. Onika preforms regularly at LOL and Times Square and passed at Comic Strip Live and has Dangerfield's, New York Comedy Club, New York Stand, Broadway Comedy, Village Underground, and the. She runs a monthly show entitled Cosmic Comedy.

Jenny Saldana is a writer, actress, and stand-up comedian and a Breast Cancer Rock STAR and all around hotness. She wrote, produced and starred in Happy Cancer Chick, a web series inspired by her own battle with breast cancer. She recently appeared in HBO’s High Maintenance. Her video series, The Little Brown Girl Show can be found on Youtube and Facebook Live.

Shauna Lane is a New York City based actor and comedian known for her goofy, lovable characters and comedy. As an actor she has been in several national commercials and is in the feature film Creedmoria on Netflix. As a comedian she has appeared on Comedy Central, MTV, and Sirius XM. Shauna studied acting with the legendary Wynn Handman and has graced the stages of the New York Comedy Festival, The 10,000 Laughs Festival in Minneapolis, The Ct. Comedy Festival, and the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal. She was the co-host of The Gone Girls Podcast (free on iTunes) from 2016-2020 and ran a monthly comedy show at New York Comedy Club called "We Share A Void."

Rob Kirkland From 'Mayor Of Kingstown' and 'Yellowstone'

Wed, 12 Jan 2022 11:30:00 +0000

Rob Kirkland visits friends and discuss his roles on ’Yellowstone’ and ’Mayor of Kingstown’ with Zainab Johnson, Nonye-Brown West and host Marina Franklin.

Robert Kirkland is an actor, author, and award winning film-maker. He is best known for his roles on Criminal Minds as Doug Fuller and the current season of Paramount Network’s mega-hit series Yellowstone as the no-nonsense ‘Bill Ramsey’. He also recurs opposite Jeremy Renner as ‘Police Captain Walter’ in the Paramount drama series Mayor Of Kingstown which follows the McLusky family, power brokers in Kingstown, Michigan, where the business of incarceration is the only thriving industry. Rob has also won writing and producing awards from the New York Ind. Film Fest. for his work on the film F8.

Zainab Johnson, a stand-up comedian, actress, and writer is being propelled as one of the most unique and engaging performers on stage and screen. In 2019, Zainab was named one of Variety’s Top 10 Comics To Watch. Recently, she was one of the hosts for Netflix's new show "100 Humans". You can also catch her as Aleesha on the new comedy series "Upload" on Amazon Prime. Zainab made her first late night stand up appearance on NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers, and has also had appearances on HBO’s All Def Comedy and NBC’s Last Comic Standing. Zainab is a regular at the Comedy Store, Laugh Factory, and Improv Comedy Clubs in LA and the Comedy Cellar in NY, and has performed in the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival as one of the 2014 New Faces of Comedy and returned numerous times since.

Nonye Brown-West is a New York-based Nigerian-American comedian and writer. She has been featured in the Boston Globe's Rise column as a Comic to Watch, as well as in NPR, PBS, ABC, Sway In The Morning, and the New York Comedy Festival. In 2019, Nonye made her acting debut in The Sympathy Card. Look out for her two new web series, Fairytales with Nonye and Gayby Jesus.

The Critic's Choice

Wed, 05 Jan 2022 11:30:00 +0000

Joyelle Johnson and Leighann Lord visit Friends and discuss Joyelle's Critic's Choice Award and Leighann's appearance on Showtime's "Even More Women Of A Certain Age" with host Marina Franklin

Joyelle Nicole Johnson is a Brooklyn-based stand-up comedian, writer, and actress. She made her network TV debut on Late Night with Seth Meyers and most recently performed as the warm-up act for Hasan Minhaj's Patriot Act. She wrote for the final season of Broad City, and has performed on Comedy Central’s digital series Comics to Watch, Wyatt Cenac’s Night Train for Seeso, Laff Tracks for TruTV as well as being a panelist for Refinery 29/Facebook Watch’s After After Party and MTV News. And while transitioning to the headliner that she is today she regularly features for Hannibal Buress and has opened for Dave Chappelle, Maria Bamford & Russell Peters. She also combines her dream of comedy and activism by touring with Daily Show creator Lizz Winstead’s Lady Parts Justice League. Her comedy special Love Joy on Peacock has been nominated for the Critic’s Choice Award Best Comedy Special

Leighann Lord is a veteran standup comedian who has appeared on HBO, Comedy Central, The View, and is a former co-host of the Emmy-nominated StarTalk with Neil de Grasse Tyson. She has performed for the troops in the Middle East and is a recipient of the AHA Humanist Arts Award. Leighann can be seen in her recent Dry Bar comedy special, I Mean Business and Showtime's Even More Funny Women of a Certain Age. She is the author of several humor books including: Dict Jokes and Real Women Do it Standing Up, available on Amazon.

A Pulitzer Prize Biography On The Life Of Malcom X

Wed, 29 Dec 2021 11:30:00 +0000

Tamara Payne visits Friends Like Us, in a one-on-one with host Marina Franklin, discussing her Pulitzer Prize biography on Malcom X Co-Authored with her father Les Payne.

Tamara Payne is the co-author of The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X written with her father, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Les Payne. Prior to working on the book, Tamara graduated from William Smith College, Geneva, NY. After graduating, she worked at McNeil/Lehrer News Hour on channel Thirteen for about a year. She then moved to China where she taught English for two years in Shandong Province.

After returning from China, Les Payne, her father, brought her on to work on the project about the life of Malcolm X. Tamara was the principal researcher while working in commercial real estate. After Les Payne’s sudden passing in 2018, Tamara made it her purpose to finish his life’s work. The Dead Are Arising has won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for biography, the 71st National Book Award for nonfiction and the 52nd NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work - biography. The Dead Are Arising is available wherever books are sold.

Tamara's Father -Les Payne - Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, columnist and former Newsday editor responsible for national/state/foreign and health & science news at the paper for a quarter century. Payne also served as the Editor of New York Newsday. His news staffs won every major award in journalism, including six Pulitzer Prizes. The Inaugural Professor for the David Laventhol Chair, at Columbia U. Graduate School of Journalism, Payne received 4 honorary doctorate degrees, including the 2012 honor from Old Dominion University; and from his alma mater, the University of Connecticut, where he delivered the Commencement Address. Some of Payne’s major investigations as a Newsday reporter included: migrant farm laborers on Long Island; involuntary sterilization of minority women; U.S. Atomic testing in Nevada; illegal immigrants; The Black Panther Party, the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Payne is also the author of the ``The Life and Death of the Symbionese Liberation Army,” the radical group that kidnapped newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst and terrorized the West Coast. As a correspondent for Newsday, Payne reported extensively from Africa, Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, and the United Nations. In the wake of the 1976 Soweto uprising, he traveled throughout South Africa and wrote an 11-part Newsday series that the Pulitzer Prize jury selected for the 1978 award in international reporting; it would have been his second Pulitzer in four years, an accomplishment unprecedented for a reporter at that time. The Review Board overturned the committee’s selection and, without explanation, gave it to the jury’s 4th choice, the New York Times.

As a founder, and the 4th president, of the National Association of Black Journalists, Payne worked diligently to improve media fairness and employment practices and to expand the coverage of black and Third World communities. He also co-founded the “TrotterGroup,” a national organization of newspaper writers of commentary. Payne served six years as a Ranger in the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of captain. He commanded a Nike-Hercules anti-aircraft missile battery, and during an assignment in Vietnam, ran the command newspaper as an army journalist, and wrote messages and speeches for Commanding Gen. William C. Westmoreland. Born in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Payne grew up in Hartford, CT, graduating from high school, with honors, and from the University of Connecticut, with a BA degree in English.

Favorite Episode Of 2021: Against White Feminism with Rafia Zakaria

Wed, 22 Dec 2021 11:30:00 +0000

Marina talks with Rafia Zakaria about her book : Against White Feminism.

Rafia Zakariais an author, attorney, and human rights activist who has just released her newest book, Against White Feminism. Zakaria was born and raised in Karachi before moving to the United States. She formerly served as a board member for Amnesty International USA. An accomplished writer, she has two previous books, The Upstairs Wife, An Intimate History of Pakistan and Veil, and is a columnist for BafflerMag and Dawn in Pakistan. Her articles have also been featured in The Guardian, CNN, The Boston Globe, The Boston Review, and The Times of India.

Stop The Excuses

Wed, 15 Dec 2021 11:30:00 +0000

Von Decarlo and Onika McLean visit Friends and discuss people making excuses for bad behavior, Vaccine Mandates and more with host Marina Franklin.

Wave A Magic Wand

Wed, 08 Dec 2021 11:30:00 +0000

Troy A LaRaviere and Jon Laster visit Friends Like Us to discuss public school systems- Chicago public schools, unions, anti-union propaganda, and it’s beginning to a little like Christmas! Shop with BLAPP!

Troy A. LaRaviere is an American school administrator, educator and current President of the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association. Prior to assuming his role as president, LaRaviere served as a Chicago Public Schools (CPS) principal. He began his teacher career at CPS in 1997. LaRaviere received both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Education from the University of Illinois. LaRaviere served in the United States Navy in the late 80's. LaRaviere advocates for Progressivism and has appeared in ads for Bernie Sanders and was a candidate for the 2019 Chicago mayoral election.

Jon Laster is a New York City based comedian. He taped three season’s of BET’s Comic View, hosted the first and second Underground Comedy Festival held in New York City, appeared on Comedy Central. You can see John regularly at the world famous Comedy Cellar as well as check out his app! Shop Black Owned for this holiday with BLAPP!

Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Hysterical on FX, The Movie Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf.

Don't Quote Me On That

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 11:30:00 +0000

Marc Theobald and Nonye Brown-West visit Friends Like Us and discuss The Last OG, vaccine hesitancy, pharmaceutical companies, Holiday Spending and more with host Marina Franklin

Marc Theobald is a stand-up, writer, and producer known for The Last O.G. (2018), Delocated (2018), and the 2019 ESPY Awards. He has performed in a number of New York's hot spots, including the "New York Comedy Club", "Catch a Rising Star", "Stand-Up New York", and "Uptown Comedy Club", He also has been featured on "Comic View" and "The Chappelle Show". True to form, Theobald keeps the crowd in stitches with his sketch artist talents and physical style.

Democrats Message In A Bottle

Wed, 24 Nov 2021 11:30:00 +0000

Christina Greer, Abbi Crutchfield, and Zainab Johnson visit Friends and discuss democrats message issue, New York's new Mayor and more with host Marina Franklin

Abbi Crutchfield is the host of Up Early Tonight on Hulu and co-host of the podcast “Flameout” on Spotify. She's been on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee on TBS, Broad City on Comedy Central, and she hosted You Can Do Better on TruTV. Her jokes on Twitter are consistently featured on best-of lists by publications such as Paste Magazine and The Huffington Post, who named her one of the 18 comedians you must follow on Twitter. She has trained at the renowned Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre, taught at the People’s Improv Theater, and she tours nationally with her stand-up.

Christina M. Greer, PhD is an Associate Professor of Political Science and American Studies at Fordham University (Lincoln Center Campus). She was the 2018 Fellow for the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research at New York University Silver School of Social Work, and co-host of the "What's in it for Us" podcast. Her primary research and teaching interests are racial and ethnic politics, American urban centers, presidential politics, and campaigns and elections. Her additional research interests also include transportation, mayors and public policy in urban centers. Her previous work has compared criminal activity and political responses in Boston and Baltimore as well as Baltimore and St. Louis. Prof. Greer's book Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream (Oxford University Press, 2013 ) investigates the increasingly ethnically diverse black populations in the US from Africa and the Caribbean and was the recipient of the WEB du Bois Best Book Award in 2014 given by the National Conference of Black Political Scientists. Professor Greer is currently working on a manuscript detailing the political contributions of Barbara Jordan, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Stacey Abrams. She recently co-edited Black Politics in Transition, which explores gentrification, suburbanization, and immigration of Blacks in America.

She is a member of the board of The Tenement Museum in NYC, the Center for Community Change, and serves on the Advisory Board at Tufts University. She is also an ardent supporter of FIERCE in NYC and Project South in Atlanta, GA, and a former board member of BAJI (Black Alliance for Just Immigration), the Riders Alliance of New York, and the Human Services Council.
She is a frequent political commentator on several media outlets, primarily MSNBC, WNYC, and NY1, and is often quoted in media outlets such as the NYTimes, Wall Street Journal, and the AP. She is the co-host of the New York centered podcast FAQ-NYC and co-host of the Black centered podcast What's In It For Us podcast, is the politics editor at thegrio.com, is the producer and host of The Aftermath and The Contender on Ozy.com as well as their editor-at-large, is a frequent author and narrator for the TedEd educational series, and also writes a weekly column for The Amsterdam News, one of the oldest black newspapers in the U.S.
Greer received her B. A. from Tufts University and her M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University.

Zainab Johnson, a stand-up comedian, actress, and writer is quickly being propelled as one of the most unique and engaging performers on stage and screen. In 2019, Zainab was named one of Variety’s Top 10 Comics To Watch. Recently, she was one of the hosts for Netflix's new show "100 Humans". You can also catch her as Aleesha on the new comedy series "Upload" on Amazon Prime. Zainab made her first late night stand up appearance on NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers, and has also had appearances on HBO’s All Def Comedy (2017), NBC’s Last Comic Standing (2014), Arsenio (2014), BET’s Comic View (2014), AXSTV’s Gotham Comedy Live! She also just recently starred in a new web series titled Avant-Guardians. Zainab is a regular at the Improv Comedy Club in LA and the Comedy Cellar in NY, and has performed in the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival as one of the 2014 New Faces of Comedy and returned numerous times since.

Black Trans Lives Matter

Wed, 17 Nov 2021 11:30:00 +0000

B-Phlat and Violet Gray visit Friends Like Us and talk DIY, roleplaying games, and how Black Trans Lives Matter with host Marina Franklin.

B-phlat is a comedian with incredible credits like Showtime at the Apollo, Four seasons of BET's Comicview, a writer for ESPN Magazine, hosting several celebrity events such as the Russell Simmon's Phat Farm Fashion Show & Def Comedy Jam in Negril, Jamaica, FUBU International Okwaku Festival in Amsterdam.

Violet Gray is a stand-up comic, podcaster, and proud Dungeons & Dragons player based in Baltimore, MD. She has won the Pearl Next Superstar Comedian contest and was featured on Night Train w/ Wyatt Cenac. Her comedy is best characterized as observations about everything from race, gender and politics, to sci-fi, fantasy, and tabletop roleplaying games.

Timing Is Everything

Wed, 10 Nov 2021 11:30:00 +0000

Calise Hawkins, Masavia Greer, and Hollie Harper visit Friends and discuss timing in the business of comedy, paid family Leave, teacher/parent relationships and more with host Marina Franklin.

Calise Hawkins is a stand-up comedian and writer. She writes for "Doin The Most With Phoebe Robinson" on Comedy Central and wrote for season 1 and 2 of HBOmax "That Damn Michael Che " Show. She has performed her standup on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC), Russel Simmons Presents Live At The El Rey (Comedy Central), Gotham Live (Fox), Stand Up in Stilettos (TV Guide Channel), Nick Mom’s Night Out (Nickelodeon), among others. She has written for Comedy Central’s @midnight and Hood Adjacent, Adult Swim’s Soft Focus, AMC’s Unapologetic with Aisha Tyler, and MTV’s Totally Clueless, Girl Code, and Charlemagne’s Uncommon Sense. She was also a cast member of Oxygen’s Funny Girls.

Masavia Greer is a veteran of the New York comedy scene who has worked with some of the world’s biggest comedic talent. For over 20 years, Masavia managed multiple clubs in New York City, including the Boston Comedy Club and Stand Up New York. He was a Talent Coordinator for HBO’s Bad Boys of Comedy Season 2, and worked on the production side at Comedy Central, the Conan O’Brien Show, and more. Masavia prides himself on mentoring new and emerging comics, as well as advising seasoned veterans.

Hollie Harper is a comedy nerd from South Jersey. She is currently the creator and co-exec producer of Hella Late! with Hollie Harper on BRIC TV and a co-host of the nationally trending Twitter Storytelling Chat “BlerdDating.” Hella Late! with Hollie Harper was recently accepted into the 2021 NYC Web Fest. Hollie was a semi-finalist in the 2019 NBC Standup Competition and has been featured on NY1, and in Black Enterprise Magazine, Thrive Global and Confessional Magazine. Her popular sketch comedy show AMERICAN CANDY has played the Comic Strip, Gotham Comedy Club, BAM Café as well as the Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival. Time Out Chicago named them one of the five groups to watch. Hollie is a regular host for West Side Comedy Club in NYC and works with Gold Comedy and Stand Up Girls, two programs that empower young women by teaching them standup comedy. She was recently the talent coordinator and casting coordinator for “Blood Lassi” on Spotify, written by Pratima Mani, and moderated the panel for the Emmy Award winning, WOC editing team of Black Lady Sketch Show for The Black TV and Film Collective. She is also the Creative Director of the very successful Black Women in Comedy Laff Fest.

Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), Hysterical on FX, The Movie Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf

The Gossiping Heifers Visit Friends Like Us

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 15:23:04 +0000

Michele & Rochele Thompkins and Kenice Mobley visit Friends and discuss Marriage decline in America, Critical Race Theory, and more trending topics with host Marina Franklin

The Gossiping Heifers is hosted by sisters Michele & Rochele (aka Rocky). The show launched in 2007 as a podcast, which later lead to local radio stations in Houston, Memphis, California, Georgia and New York. The hosts have been featured on CW39 for the 2017 election coverage, a segment of the J Anthony Brown show "Political Scoop," featured commentary guests on the Michael Colyar show, and have hosted the Kevin Hart, Hart of the City, Houston screening. The Gossiping Heifers cover trending topics in news and entertainment with comical commentary. The TV show is in its second season with Indie Central TV. The one hour podcast airs weekly.

Kenice Mobley performs stand up comedy around the world and recently made her late night debut on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. She appears regularly on SiriusXM and is a Finalist in the Stand Up NBC Competition. This year, Kenice worked on the BET Awards and By Us For Us, a sketch comedy series presented by Color of Change. She hosts Complexify on ViceNews, Love About Town, an interview and relationship podcast, and Make Yourself Cry, available on Planet Scum.

The Gossiping Heifers Visit Friends Like Us

Wed, 03 Nov 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Michele & Rochele Thompkins and Kenice Mobley visit Friends and discuss Marriage decline in America, Critical Race Theory, and more trending topics with host Marina Franklin

Americans Are Quitting Jobs

Wed, 27 Oct 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Africa Miranda, Salone Monet, and Anna Gilchrist visit Friends and discuss being happy at work, introduction to reading for black children and more with host Marina Franklin

Africa Miranda's multifacetedness as the breakout star on Bravo TV’s reality television series The New Atlanta, host on the popular lifestyle talk show on Facebook Watch's The Africa Miranda Show, powerhouse beauty-entrepreneur, actress, and model has solidified her spot as one of the most on demand influencers in the beauty and digital media industries. With more than ten years in the game, all of her successes had come with their own challenges, which she shares in her book Step Up, Step Out, And Shine.

Salone Monet is the founder and creative director of her color-inclusive nude shoe brand, Salone Monet. After graduating with a Public Communications degree from The American University in Washington, DC, Salone developed the idea of her eponymous shoe brand while working in political PR creating digital content for the federal government and trade associations and simultaneously working at a shoes and accessories store. Realizing the need for color equity in the footwear space, Salone decided to nurture her passion for footwear through shoemaking classes in Brooklyn, where she made her first pair of nude heels from scratch. Salone Monet is a founding member of the CFDA and Bethann Hardison Designer’s Hub and in 2020 was a recipient of the Harlem Fashion Row ICON360 award. The color inclusive line has adorned the feet of Beyonce Knowles, Gabrielle Union, Keke Palmer and a host of other influential women.

Anna Gilchrist is an American author who grew up outside Washington D.C., in Alexandria, Va. Her love for writing formed when she wrote her first chapter book as part of a school project at the tender age of 10. Decades later, she received her MFA in Childhood Studies, at Swansea University, where she learned about global advocacy for children's rights and the human rights treaty known as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). It was during her studies that she decided to raise awareness about children's rights, choosing to write and illustrate a children's book about a girl who, along with her cat, fights for the right for children to play. The book titled The Extraordinary Day of Daffodil Grey was published in 2017, received rave reviews, and helped launch the Daffi and Friends book series.

Trauma Free Stories Of Color Matter

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Felischa Marye, Jeanne Sparrow, and Subhah Agarwal visit friends and discuss representation without trauma, Chicago radio and more with host Marina Franklin.

Felischa Marye is an American television writer and producer from Chicago. She is best known for her work as a writer and story-editor for the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, and as the creator and showrunner of Bigger on BET. She is a graduate of the UCLA MFA screenwriting program, during which she won various film fellowships, and writing competitions including; the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Streisand/Sony Fellowship, Film Independent’s Project Involve Award, and the Entertainment Weekly Award.

Jeanne Sparrow is renowned speaker, top consultant and 7-time Emmy-winning television and radio personality. She hosts a weekly radio show on #1 rated V-103, WVAZ Chicago, an iHeart Radio Station, and is also a graduate faculty instructor at Northwestern University. Jeanne helps people and organizations find more success and deliver their unique, authentic value through visionary leadership, effective sales and inspiring speaking.

Subhah Agarwal has brought an honesty to her comedy that is refreshing, and at times a bit disturbing... but in a good way. Trust me. Subhah has written for the "Plan B" movie on Hulu, and “The Jim Jefferies Show"on Comedy Central, amongst others. You can also catch her jokes live at stand up comedy clubs across the country. If you don't want to leave your couch, you can see her late night debut on NBC's "A Little Late With Lilly Singh." She's also appeared on season three of HBO's "Westworld", on TruTv's sketch comedy "Friends of the People", and as herself on MTV2, Comedy Central, and Gotham Comedy Live.

Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), Hysterical on FX, The Movie Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf

The Get It Done Initiative

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Kanesha Broadwater, Brittany Carney, and Von Decarlo visit Friends and talk Breast Cancer Awareness with host Marina Franklin

Kanesha Broadwater, age 44, has been an oncology nurse at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago for 18 years. Her nursing skills, background in oncology and personal experience with breast cancer have given her a newfound path to help others understand the importance of early cancer screenings, even during a global pandemic. As a Black woman and a cancer survivor, Kanesha understands the health disparities facing her community and wants to bring visibility to women of color when it comes to health care. She has been working with an initiative Pfizer started called Get it Done, which encourages people to speak with their doctor about how to continue routine cancer screenings and follow-up appointments during the pandemic. Her 5 advice for anyone diagnosed with cancer is to go sites like GetCancerScreened.com or Get It Done, write a checklist of appointments and daily tasks or needs, rely on your support system- you’ll need them, ask every question, and let your support system help you in the ways you really need

Brittany Carney began her standup comedy in Washington, DC, and now lives in New York City, where she performs at venues like the Comedy Cellar She's experienced in the festival circuit with appearances at Black Women in Comedy Laff Fest, New York Comedy Festival, Kennedy Center REACH Opening Festival, and many more. Check out her debut comedy set on Comedy Central this year!

Facing Your Fears To Succeed

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Dan Naturman is known to his fans as the "real winner" of NBC's Last Comic Standing season two a few years back where he was the favorite of celebrity "judges" Drew Carey and Brett Butler. Dan's charming combination of self-deprecation and outright grouchiness has earned him four appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, The Tonight Show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, his own "Comedy Central Presents..." Special, and a starring run on NBC's America's Got Talent. And now he’s written a book: Ira Spiro: Before Covid available now on Amazon and Barnes And Noble

Robb Leigh Davis is an artist, activist and creative educator residing in Brooklyn, New York. His plays include SYNDROME, The Homosexual Agenda, Friends & Lovers, The Glam Factor, We The People, and AMERICANBLACKOUT. He is the creator of the performance series Meditation on a Theme, co-host of the podcasts Takin U Back (with Jenn Wehrung),l and The Cookout Culture (with Kenya Claytor), and co-host of the live stream chat show Gray Matter, with David Maddalena, which can all be found on Instagram. He has performed as part of the National Network for Education Renewal Conference (NNER), was a selected playwright for the Tectonic Theater Project’s LGBT Theater Artists of Color Training Lab in NYC & was a featured performer for two performance art pieces commissioned by Brooklyn College, In the Eyes of God and Intolerable. He has worked as Director of Arts & Culture at the LGBT Center of NYC and as Grant Manager for the NYC Department of Education, overseeing arts education at a portfolio of NYC public schools and producer of the 21st Century Chronicles, a youth arts festival. He continues to record and create music at the intersection of gospel and soul, examine gender and masculinity through essays at The Good Men Project and develop artistic work at the crossroads of race, gender and sexuality

Emotional and Physical Wellness

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Aminah Imani is a stand-up comedian, host, and actor who lives in New York city, known for her featured appearance on Hulu’s late night television show, Up Early Tonight and Viceland Television. Her web content contributions include commentary on Buzzfeed and Scary Mommy. She has performed at the world’s famous Apollo Theatre, the 208 Comedy festival, the DC Comedy Festival, and the Stand Up comedy special, Ain't YA Mama Heat Wave featured in the Environmental Film Festival. Aminah is the host and producer of the Wine Before Nine podcast and is one host of Comedy at the Knitting Factory, a weekly comedy show in Brooklyn, New York.

Janice Pugh is a Boxing Fitness trainer, online virtual coach, and Certified Health and wellness coach inspiring women through workouts and internal self-care to live in their strongest and healthiest bodies now.

Vanessa Fraction Born in St. Louis and raised in Chicago, this mother of two has over a decade of experience captivating fans around the world with her one of a kind storytelling talent. Whether you see her on stage, television or hear her on the radio, Vanessa is on a mission to empower her audience to overcome their struggles while laughing at hers. These can be hilarious tales of being a single mother paying child support or revealing anecdotes on the battle of being a strong, successful black woman. Her television credits include appearances on Comedy Knock Out and Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks (TruTV), Tales (BET), and a recurring role on BounceTV’s Mann and Wife. Vanessa’s hilarious and bold stand-up comedy has been showcased on many shows such as HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, 1st Amendment Standup (STARZ) and Mike Epps Live at Club Nokia. As a writer she has worked on The Arsenio Hall Show (CBS), 106 & Park and The Mo’Nique Show (BET). Her film roles include Barber Shop 2: Back in Business and Kim Field’s Holiday Love: The Rebirth. Her quick wit and sharp humor is featured when she guests hosts on entertainment shows like DishNation (FOX) When you "do the math" Vanessa Fraction equals One Very Funny Lady! More info at www.vanessafraction.com

Against White Feminism With Rafia Zakaria

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Rafia Zakaria is an author, attorney, and human rights activist who has just released her newest book, Against White Feminism. Zakaria was born and raised in Karachi before moving to the United States. She formerly served as a board member for Amnesty International USA. An accomplished writer, she has two previous books, The Upstairs Wife, An Intimate History of Pakistan and Veil, and is a columnist for BafflerMag and Dawn in Pakistan. Her articles have also been featured in The Guardian, CNN, The Boston Globe, The Boston Review, and The Times of India.

Karinda Dobbins is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actor. Karinda has performed at comedy festivals across the country, including Comedy Central’s Clusterfest, SF Sketchfest, and Bridgetown Comedy Festival. Bitch Magazine said Karinda is one of “Six Hilarious Female Comedians You Don’t Know Yet – But Should.” She has opened for Dave Chappelle, Trevor Noah, Michelle Wolf, Roy Woods, Gina Yashere, and Arsenio Hall. You can hear her now on SiriusXM Radio, or come to her live recording of her comedy album, Tuesday October 5th & 6th at the Punchline in San Francisco!

Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing Ta F Wit

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Uyoata Udi is a Los Angeles-based actor who stars in HULU's new drama, “Wu-Tang: An American Saga”. Prior to this role, Udi has performed on Broadway and for the Obama White House. You may recognize him from HBO’s Watchmen and NBC’s This is Us and For the Record (2020) Udi has a number of Broadway credits under his belt. He was the only Nigerian cast member in the three-time Tony-winning musical Fela! on Broadway. The University of the Arts alum also appeared in Broadway’s Amazing Grace the Musical and performed for former President Barack Obama and his family at the White House.

Nina Kharoufeh is a Producer for various different platforms- Sirius XM, MSNBC’s Joy Ann Reid, and even Fox News. She has launched her very first children’s book called “I’m a Princess Too” available on Amazon. And recently, she partnered up with the Amazon app! Every week at 1pm, she’ll be going live to show all her favorite products! So check her out

Jon Laster is a New York City based comedian. He’s appeared on three season’s of BET’s Comic View, appeared in New York’s Underground Comedy Festival and you can see him weekly at the world famous Comedy Cellar. As well, Jon has started a new app called BLAP that’s right BLAP. And app designed to help you get black owned products near you!

The Banana Skirt

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Calise Hawkins is a stand-up comedian and writer. She has performed her standup on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC), Russel Simmons Presents Live At The El Rey (Comedy Central), Gotham Live (Fox), Stand Up in Stilettos (TV Guide Channel), Nick Mom’s Night Out (Nickelodeon), among others. She has written for Comedy Central’s @midnight and Hood Adjacent, Adult Swim’s Soft Focus, AMC’s Unapologetic with Aisha Tyler, and MTV’s Totally Clueless, Girl Code, and Charlemagne’s Uncommon Sense. She was also a cast member of Oxygen’s Funny Girls.

Autumn Rowe is a Singer/Songwriter/Producer/DJ from New York. Growing up in the South Bronx, she applied her musical talents in a range of roles, from bandleader to session singer. She later became a sought-after songwriter. She wrote the 2011 FIFA World Cup dance anthem “Happiness” featuring Alexis Jordan, and she has worked with Diana Ross, Dua Lipa, Tori Kelly, Ava Max, Jon Batiste, Naia Izumi, Jax Jones, Big Freedia, MK, Avicci, Zedd, Alesso, AfroJack, Deadmau5, Alex Newell, Leona Lewis, Digital Farm Animals, Boy George, Jon Bellion, The Knocks, Nick Jonas, Kali Uchis, Kacy Hill, Fifth Harmony, Rodney Jerkins, Sinead Harnett, Fka Twigs, Lindsey, Stirling, Becky G, and Macy Gray, among many other artists. She appeared on Season 2 of The X Factor, and as the only vocal coach on America’s Got Talent for five years, between the show’s eight and twelfth seasons. She has coached artists including America’s Got Talent winner Grace VanderWaal, Fifth Harmony, Bea Miller, Carly Rose Sonenclar, and Diamond White. She performs as the DJ act AFTR PRTY. She is currently signed to Stellar/Sony ATV as a writer and Ultra Records as an artist.

One Race, The Human Race

Wed, 25 Aug 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Robin Cloud is an award-winning writer and director working in television and film. As a member of the 2020 Class of the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop for Women, Robin wrote and directed the short film 2 Dollars that premiered at the BFI Flare Film Festival in London. During its festival run, 2 Dollars earned several audience and best of the festival awards. Her first narrative short, Out Again, was executive produced by Refinery29 as part of their Shatterbox Anthology and premiered in March of 2017. Out Again has screened at film festivals throughout the world. Her docu-series, Passing: A Family in Black & White, executive produced by Topic/First Look Media, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2019. In 2020, Robin wrote and directed This Old House which premiered on Hulu as part of their Bite-Size Halloween Series. Cloud is a 2021 Alliance for Women Directors Black Directors Advancement Initiative Fellow, a 2017 Kickstarter Creative Fellow, and a graduate of Lena Waithe's Hillman Grad mentee program. Robin has been featured in The New York Times, The LA Times, The Washington Post, Diva Magazine, and GO magazine’s “Top 100 Women We Love.” Her production company, Cloud Creative Media, was launched in March of 2016 and focuses on creating independent narrative and documentary films and series.

Leighann Lord is a veteran standup comedian who has appeared on ABC, HBO, Comedy Central, and is a former co-host of StarTalkwith Neil de Grasse Tyson. She has performed for the troops in the Middle East and was a national finalist in the American Black Film Festival-HBO Comedy Wings Competition. Leighann received the AHA Humanist Arts Award and recently re-released her comedy album, I’m Not Urban. I’m Urbane is available and streaming. Leighann is the author of several humor books including: Dict Jokes and Real Women Do it Standing Up, available on Amazon. Her special, "I've Got Connections" can be seen on Dry Bar Comedy.

Pat Brown has been seen on CBS’s Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Fuse’s Uproarious, Axis’s Gotham Live, NBC’s Comic’s Unleashed and BET‘s ComicView, TVOne’s made for TV movie-WHITE WATER, the independent film SOMEBODIES, and the web series UNREQUITED. Pat has won both the Las Vegas Comedy Festival and the She Devil Competition. She has been featured in Time Out Magazine, After-Ellen, Splitsider and Punchline Magazine. Her critically acclaimed album “The Pat Brown Sex-Tape” has been described as “provocative and conceptual” by Laugh and is streaming on all platforms. You can watch her on the Two Dope Queens on HBO!

The Importance Of Being Proactive

Wed, 18 Aug 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Suzette Simon is the founder of NYLaughs, a New York-based nonprofit that produces free comedy events in public spaces to inspire audiences, enrich the lives of New Yorkers, connect them through humor while deepening an appreciation of stand up comedy as a unique NYC cultural asset. Diagnosed with stage II breast cancer in January 2020, the Manhattan-based producer is now using laughter in her battle with the disease to raise awareness of the impact breast cancer — which kills Black women at a 42 percent higher rate than white women — has on the Black community. Suzette recently launched her awareness initiative called #STRONGBLACKBOOBS as a place to go for the intersection of her own breast cancer journey, information, comedy, self-esteem boosting, and support for communities of color. She is the self-appointed “Master of #CancerBadAssery” and considers herself to be in the running to be “America’s Next Top Cancer Survivor.” She hopes that being a #CancerBadass might shake things up and save black lives. She looks forward to reshaping Black Boob leadership and dominating boobs, cancer, and the whole world (in a good way, of course!) one fun-filled post at a time.

Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf

A Lift Me Up

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Wendy Liebman started her stand-up career in Boston in 1984. Since then, she has been a regular on late night television, with appearances on Carson, Fallon, Letterman, Kimmel, and Leno. In 1996, she won the American Comedy Award for Female Stand-up Comedian of the Year. Wendy has half-hour specials on both HBO and Comedy Central and her first hour, “Wendy Liebman: Taller on TV” premiered on Showtime in 2011. She recently appeared on the FX documentary, "Hysterical" and performs throughout the United States. She currently produces and hosts “Locally Grown Comedy”, a monthly show in Studio City, CA, featuring the best standups in town.

Erin Jackson is one of the fastest-rising comedians in New York City. She works nightly in the city’s top comedy clubs, and most recently made her Netflix debut as part of Season 2 of Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready. She’s also appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers, CONAN, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, truTV’s Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks, Last Comic Standing, and Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham. Erin's debut comedy album, Grudgery, was released in 2018 and debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes comedy charts.

Zainab Johnson, a stand-up comedian, actress, and writer is quickly being propelled as one of the most unique and engaging performers on stage and screen. In 2019, Zainab was named one of Variety’s Top 10 Comics To Watch. Recently, she was one of the hosts for Netflix's new show "100 Humans". You can also catch her as Aleesha on the new comedy series "Upload" on Amazon prime. Zainab made her first late night stand up appearance on NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers, and has also had appearances on HBO’s All Def Comedy (2017), NBC’s Last Comic Standing (2014), Arsenio (2014), BET’s Comic View (2014), AXSTV’s Gotham Comedy Live! She also just recently starred in a new web series titled Avant-Guardians. Zainab is a regular at the Improv Comedy Club in LA and the Comedy Cellar in NY, and has performed in the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival as one of the 2014 New Faces of Comedy and returned numerous times since.

Going Backwards

Wed, 04 Aug 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Mia Jackson is a New York based comedian originally from Georgia. In 2017, Jackson 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 in October 2018 as part of Unprotected Sets on EPIX. Jackson has appeared on NickMom's Night Out, Viceland, Comedy Central's This Week at the Comedy Cellar and was a semi-finalist on Season 9 of NBC's Last Comic Standing. Her Comedy Central half hour special debuted in November 2019.

Carmen Lynch is a NY based stand up comedian who’s been on a string of late night tv shows including The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and Conan. She is featured in the newly-released documentary Hysterical (Hulu) and on HA Festival: The Art of Comedy (HBO Max). Her new comedy album “Vertically Obese“ can be found on all mainstream platforms as well as her podcast “The Human CentiPOD” (which also airs on SiriusXM.) Carmen also tours doing standup in Spanish and has a plethora of ridiculous viral videos on TikTok at @carmencomedian.

Von Decarlo is a New York based stand up comedian with global ad campaigns, and national commercials for Disney, GNC, Match, and Carnival Cruise Lines. She performed at the Just For Laughs comedy festival for Kevin Hart’s LOL Network, as well as, the Lil’ Rel and Friends show, and has been a featured comedian on HBO’s innovative talk show Pause with Sam Jay, Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks on Tru TV and HBO Max, CNN’s talking head year end wrap up special, Buzz Feed, The Jerry O Show on FOX, Fox Soul, The Breakfast Club, and more. In addition to hosting The Power Hour and The Godfrey Complex on Sirius XM‘s Urban View, she was also the first woman, and first comedian, to host her own show on the Sirius XM NBA channel. Von Decarlo is the Executive Producer of the Patrice O’Neal documentary, Killing Is Easy, on Comedy Central, and the producer of three posthumous comedy albums Mr. P, Unreleased, and The Lost Files. Her debut comedy album, A Draggable Offense, is available on all major platforms, and can be heard on the She So Funny and Laugh Out Loud radio stations on Sirius XM.

The Method Of Acting

Wed, 28 Jul 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Bechir Sylvain is a quadruple-threat Haitian American actor, writer, director, and producer from Boston and Miami who can be seen in the second season of Netflix series BLACK SUMMER. Additionally, Bechir currently plays ‘EJ’ on the TNT’s hit comedic drama series, CLAWS and ‘Willy’ on BET+’s hit series, BIGGER currently streaming S2, and is executive-produced by Will Packer. Bechir’s television credits also include guest starring on This Is Us (NBC) Chicago, PD (NBC), Better Call Saul (AMC), Black-ish (ABC) Grace and Frankie (Netflix), Fuller House (Netflix) and The Mick (FOX). He was supporting lead in the Hallmark drama The Ultimate Life and had a supporting role in the Aubrey Plaza-headlined horror comedy film, Life After Beth.

Jerod Haynes is an award-winning actor from Chicago. He has appeared in multiple TV shows such as NBCs “The Village”, “Empire”, “Sense 8”, “Crisis”, and currently on the History Channel in Robert Zemeckis’s show “Project Blue Book” and on NBC alongside Christina Hendricks in "Good Girls". Haynes has appeared in such independent films such as “Consumed” and “Animals,” as well as Sundance hit “Southside with You”. Haynes co-wrote and produced “Blueprint” which tackles the trauma a young man encounters once his best friend is murdered by police. Jerod was honored in 2015 with the Jeff Award for his performance in a principal role in the Chicago play “Native Son,” in which he reprised his role at Yale Rep in Fall 2017. He recently starred in Netflix and Blumhouse Production “Benji.” In 2019 he also appeared in HBOs production of Richard Wright’s “Native Son,” directed by Rashid Johnson.

Subhah Agarwal has brought an honesty to her comedy that is refreshing, and at times a bit disturbing... but in a good way. Trust me. Subhah has written for "The Jim Jefferies Show"on Comedy Central, and "Comedy Knockout" on TruTv, amongst others. You can also catch her jokes live at stand up comedy clubs across the country. If you don't want to leave your couch, you can see her late night debut on NBC's "A Little Late With Lilly Singh." She will also be appearing on season three of HBO's "Westworld", as Ichtaca on TruTv's sketch comedy "Friends of the People", and as herself on MTV2, Comedy Central, and Gotham Comedy Live.

Effective Vaccine Conversations - Squashing Misinformation

Wed, 21 Jul 2021 13:00:00 +0000

Dr. Florencia Greer Polite is an Associate Professor of Clinical Obstetrics & Gynecology and Chief of the Division of General OBGYN at University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Dr. Polite is a native of Philadelphia and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. She completed her residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at NYU & Bellevue hospitals, where she served as the Administrative Chief Resident and received the Lyman Barton Memorial Chief Resident award. Upon graduation, Dr. Polite joined the faculty at NYU and served as the Associate Residency Program Director for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. In August 2010, Dr. Polite joined the LSU faculty as an attending in the Generalist Division of OBGYN, becoming Director of the Residency Program in 2012, Director of the Generalist Division in 2014, and the Director of Faculty and Resident Development in 2017. In September of 2018, Dr. Polite returned to the University of Pennsylvania as the Chief of the Division of General Obstetrics and Gynecology. In this capacity, Dr. Polite is responsible for the largest division in the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology including four clinical practice sites. Dr. Polite is board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), a member of the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO), and a member of the Society for Academic Specialists in General Obstetrics and Gynecology (SASCOG). She serves on the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Executive Board, Audit and Finance, and Budget Committees and the USMLE Test Development Committee. Dr. Polite has been the recipient of numerous mentorship and teaching awards including the coveted CREOG National Faculty Award, the APGO Excellence in Teaching Award, and the ACOG Mentorship Award. Dr. Polite has served as a medical expert for both plaintiffs and defense since 2011. She has reviewed medical cases and served as an expert in both depositions and trial work. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband (a partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP) and their 2 daughters.

Rafiq R. Kalam Id-Din II, Esq., a current resident of Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, is Founder & Managing Partner of Ember Charter Schools for Mindful Education, Innovation and Transformation (Ember). A social entrepreneur, activist, teacher, lawyer and nonprofit leader with over 25-years experience, Rafiq grew up in severe poverty in inner city Philadelphia during the height of the crack epidemic and violence of the 1980s and early 1990s. A two-time graduate of the University of Virginia (Bachelors in English and African-American Studies, and a Master of Teaching—English Education), Rafiq received his JD from NYU School of Law as a Thurgood Marshall Scholar, becoming an Editor of the Law Review and President of the Student Bar Association. Rafiq practiced law with Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP in New York and Hong Kong, before serving as Executive Director of the AnBryce Foundation in the Washington, DC area, a pioneering pipeline program focused on impactful education opportunities for socio-economically disadvantaged youth. In 2007 Rafiq received the prestigious Echoing Green Fellowship for Social Entrepreneurs for his innovative “Teaching Firm”, an innovative model for fully teacher-led schools managed like law firms, the first of which launched in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn in 2011. A co-founder and former Executive Board member of the NYC Coalition of Community Charter Schools, founder of the #BlackLedSchoolsMatter initiative and co-founder of the New York Black-Latinx-Asian Charter Collaborative, Rafiq also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Echoing Green, The Brooklyn Crescents, and President of the NYU Law Alumni of Color Association (LACA). Rafiq was recently honored as a recipient of the Black Voices for Social Justice Fund Award from the Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation.

Melissa Diaz - Bronx native Melissa Diaz (New York Comedy Festival, Laugh Your Asheville Off) is a unique and rising talent in the New York City comedy scene. Her sharp and quirky wit paired with an edgy attitude takes audiences through a funhouse of fatalism and hilarity that no amount of therapy will make you forget. Melissa is featured regularly at Caroline’s on Broadway, has placed in Devil Cup and Laugh Your Asheville Off competitions, appeared in the New York Comedy Festival and has been named one of NYC’s comics to watch.

BONUS NEW EP: Learn Critical Thinking With Dr. Wayman Merrill

Wed, 21 Jul 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Dr. Wayman Merrill -Dr. Merrill graduated from the University of Chicago Division of The Biological Sciences The Pritzker School of Medicine in 1974. Dr. Wayman Merrill has over 47 years of experience in the field of medicine Dr. Merrill works in Wilmington, CA and specializes in Family Medicine. Dr. Merrill is affiliated with Marina Del Rey Hospital

As a family doctor in California, Dr. Wayman Merrill offers comprehensive medical care for individuals & families. Family doctors may diagnose, treat, & manage a very wide range of illnesses, conditions, & diseases. As a family doctor, Dr. Merrill is generally the first point of contact for patients seeking general or primary medical.

A Fight Is A Fight: A Cause Is A Cause

Wed, 14 Jul 2021 10:30:00 +0000

SheAh Prince Eternal, of SheAh Prince Eternal Productions Inc. is a multi talented Intersex individual of the LGBTQ+ community who offers multi gifts to his community and all walks of life. He is a Personal Emotional Life Balancing Coach, with 20 + years of Shamanic Training, Holistic Healing., teacher of self love, self worth, equality,& self care through retreats, coaching, performances, writing, speaking engagements and art. He is also an ordained minister currently studying reiki healing and furthering his meta physical religious science credentials. He is featured in the documentary Senior Prom. www.speaksheah.com

Koko Mathis is the CEO of a LGBT 100% women owned business, called Guardian, [www.9guardian.com] a Tax Solution Company which, located in Pasadena CA. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Marketing and is currently studying to get her Enrolled Agent license from the Internal Revenue Department. Koko has helped small businesses and solopreneurs to grow their professional businesses, human-to-human and through zoom meetings. After spending her early life with her grandparents, she was always observing and listening to business conversations, this is where she developed her passion for numbers and business dealings. Being a fourth-generation accountant comes easy to her, which also led to a teaching career for nearly 20 + years. Teaching students about accounting and business. Koko knows what truly drives successful businesses, proper accounting financial statements and it is how well you connect with the heart-beating people you’re trying to help and communicate your understanding back to them. Koko also has written a book called “Plant Your Seeds of Prosperity’, which is available on Amazon. Koko is a co-host with her fiancé’ SheAh Prince Eternal on the YOUTUBE Channel, “The KoShe Show”. They talk about a variety of topics. SheAh and Koko have started an Organic online store [www.kosheorganics.com] because they wanted to live a healthier organic lifestyle. Koko has a passion for writing and cooking, there are three movie scripts in the works and one of them is about how she and SheAh meet, a true love at first sight kind of fantasy. SheAh has encouraged Koko to start a YouTube channel about cooking and this is still in the planning stages. She is featured in the PBS documentary Senior Prom.

Judy Gold is a prolific comedian, with stand-up specials on HBO, Comedy Central and LOGO and appearances on FX's Better Things, TBS' Search Party, CBS' Madame Secretary, and more. She has written and starred in two critically acclaimed, Off-Broadway hit shows: The Judy Show – My Life as a Sitcom, which earned an Outer Critics Circle Nomination and 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother, which won a GLAAD Media Award and a Drama Desk Nomination. Judy received rave reviews for her performance in The Public Theater’s all female production of The Taming of The Shrew for Shakespeare in the Park, and has also co-starred in Off-Broadway’s Clinton! The Musical, and Disaster! The Musical. Judy is the host of the hit podcast, Kill Me Now. From 1999-2010, Judy was the host of HBO’s At the Multiplex with Judy Gold. She also won two Emmy awards for writing and producing The Rosie O’Donnell Show. Since then, Judy has made numerous appearances on The View, The Today Show, The Wendy Williams Show, and The Steve Harvey Show. She often pops up on The Food Network, but please do not mention Chopped All Stars to her, or Rachel vs. Guy for that matter. Recently, Judy can be seen on the new FX Documentary HYSTERICAL directed by Andrea Nevins. Judy’s newest comedy album, Conduct Unbecoming, as well as her previous albums, Kill Me Now and Judith’s Roommate Had a Baby are available wherever you get your music. Judy Gold is the author of YES I CAN SAY THAT – When They Come for the Comedians We’re All in Trouble, which was released in 2020.

Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), Hysterical at FX on Hulu, Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf.

Setting The Table For Bipartisan Talks

Wed, 07 Jul 2021 10:30:00 +0000

MODI was voted one of the top 10 comedians in New York City by The Hollywood Reporter and is one of the comedy circuit’s most sought after performers. Featured on HBO, CBS, NBC, ABC, Comedy Central, Howard Stern, and E! Entertainment, MODI has received rave reviews in The New York Times, Time Out NY and The New York Post. Born in Israel, MODI moved to the United States at the age of seven. After attending college at Boston University, MODI worked as an investment banker and had no plans to become a stand-up comedian until one open mic night changed everything. MODI has appeared in several feature films and played leading roles in two: Waiting for Woody Allen, which won the LA Film Festival, and Stand Up, a feature-length film. According to Variety, MODI delivers a “naturally funny performance with a tremendous amount of energy on screen.” A regular performer at the New York and Los Angeles comedy clubs, MODI also headlines around the country and across the globe. He has toured in the United Kingdom, Holland, and Israel and performs in comedy festivals and special venues, including Montreal’s Just for Laughs Comedy Festival and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

Hatem Gabr is an Egyptian/American producer who has served as the producer for some of the biggest live stand up comedy shows , including “Up close and Personal", " Live from Broadway”, "The New York Show", and “Crazy Sexy Comedy”. He is also the creator/producer of The Times Square Comedy Festival. He has appeared in many shows including Comedy Central’s “Tough Crowd” with Colin Quinn, Race Wars, MLC, and more.

David Alan Grier And Gina Yashere Visit Friends

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Gina Yashere is a stand-up comedian, actress, and voice artist from London. She has appeared on Live At the Apollo, Last Comic Standing (where she made the final ten!), The Tonight Show, and Crashing. Gina is the British correspondent on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and has voiced numerous characters such as Keisha from Bromwell High and Gravelle in Early Man. She has three stand-up specials out, including Skinny B*tch on Showtime and most recently was in The Standups on Netflix.Yashere appears in a supporting role on the 2019 Chuck Lorre CBS sitcom, Bob Hearts Abishola, which Lorre created with Yashere. Her memoir "Cack Handed" is out now in the U.S. and available for pre-order in the UK.

David Alan Grier Countless theater, television, film and comedic endeavors have pushed David Alan Grier's career to remarkable heights and his ability to excel across all mediums and contexts is a testament to his inherent sense of comic timing and creative drive. The three-time Tony and GRAMMY Award nominee was trained in Shakespeare at Yale where he received an MFA from the Yale School of Drama. Grier has enjoyed many accolades and awards throughout his career, not the least of which was his inclusion on Comedy Central's list of the “100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time.” On the big screen, David Alan Grier was recently seen starring in PEEPLES, produced by Tyler Perry, opposite Kerry Washington and Craig Robinson. Grier made his film debut in STREAMERS (1983), directed by Robert Altman for which he won the Golden Lion for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival. He also appeared in the Wayans Brothers' spoof movie DANCE FLICK (2009). Grier's television work is highlighted by a turn as principal cast member on the Emmy Award winning In Living Color (1990–1994) where he helped to create some of the show's most memorable characters, DAG (2000–2001) and Life with Bonnie (2003) which earned an Image and Golden Satellite nomination. David created, wrote and executive produced a show for Comedy Central called Chocolate News (2008). Last fall, David starred in THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM, a Hallmark Channel adaptation of Paul Curtis' 1996 Newbery Award-winning novel by the same name. Grier recently wrapped shooting a starring role as ‘Principal Carl Gaines' in a new series for CBS, Bad Teacher. Grier began his professional career on Broadway as Jackie Robinson in The First, for which he earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and won the Theatre World Award (1981). He then joined the cast of Dreamgirls before going on to star opposite Denzel Washington in A Soldier's Play, for which both actors reprised their roles in the film adaptation, A SOLDIER'S STORY (1984). In 2009/2010 Grier starred in David Mamet's acclaimed play RACE opposite James Spader and Kerry Washington at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway for which he received his second Tony Award nomination. Grier received the third Tony Award nomination of his career in 2012 for his performance in the "stand-out role of the rakish, drug-dealing Sporting Life" (NY Times) in The Gershwin's Porgy & Bess. Grier received his first GRAMMY nomination when the cast recording of The Gershwin's Porgy & Bess received a 2013 GRAMMY Award nomination for Best Musical Theater Album. Since then, his most notable screen credits include "Baadasssss!," "The Woodsman," "Crank Yankers," "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz," "Bewitched," "Dance Flick," "Astro Boy," "Bones," "Peeples," "The Watsons Go to Birmingham," "Bad Teacher," "Comedy Bang! Bang!," "The Carmichael Show," "A Series of Unfortunate Events," and "Queen Sugar," among many others. Grier has also delved into the world of live televised musicals, starring as the Cowardly Lion in NBC's "The Wiz Live!" in 2015 and appearing as Santa Claus in Fox's "A Christmas Story Live!" in 2017. He returned to Broadway for Roundabout Theatre Company, once again revisiting the Pulitzer Prize-winning A Soldier's Play, to star as Sergeant Vernon C. Waters in its Broadway premiere at the American Airlines Theatre from December 27, 2019 through March 15, 2020. He also stars in the film Coffee & Kareem which is now available on Netflix. And in 2021 he reunites with Jamie Fox in “Dad Stop Embarassing Me” on Netflix

Critical Race Theory Matters

Wed, 23 Jun 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Jessica Kirson is a powerhouse comedian known for her silliness, vulnerability, and ridiculous characters. Jessica recently produced FX’s Hysterical, a feature-length documentary that explores the changing landscape of women in stand-up comedy. The documentary features Margaret Cho, Nikki Glazer, Chelsea Handler, Fortune Feimster, and other notable comedians (including myself!). Her one-hour special, "Talking to Myself" debuted on Comedy Central and was executive produced by Bill Burr. She is a regular on This Week at the Comedy Cellar, and has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The View, and Kevin Can Wait. Last year, Jessica was featured on the HBO series Crashing. She also recently acted in and served as a consultant, producer, and writer on the Robert De Niro film The Comedian. Jessica’s characters come to life in her podcast, Disgusting Hawk. Through her other podcast, Relatively Sane, Jessica has interviewed the likes of Bill Burr, Jim Gaffigan, and Rosie O’Donnell. She was recently awarded “Best Female Comic” by the MAC association in New York City and received the prestigious Nightlife Award for “Best Stand-up Comedian.” In her spare time, Jessica is a regular contributor to The Howard Stern Show, where she produces and stars in prank calls for the program.

Hollie Harper is a writer/comedian/actress from Cape May, New Jersey. She's currently the creator and co-exec producer of Hella Late! with Hollie Harper on BRIC TV and a co-host of the nationally trending Twitter Storytelling Chat “BlerdDating”. She's the creator of the popular sketch comedy show AMERICAN CANDY. They have played the Comic Strip, Gotham Comedy Club, BAM Café as well as the Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival. Team CANDY is presently editing a pilot they shot last winter and Time Out Chicago named them one of the five groups to watch. She's a regular host for West Side Comedy Club. Since the pandemic started she's produced three smash shows on Zoom. As an actress, she recently starred in the Off-Broadway production of Melanie Maria Goodreaux's "The White Blacks". And she works with Gold Comedy and Stand Up Girls, two programs that empower young women by teaching them standup comedy.

A One-On-One With Dr. Judith Joseph And Keith Price

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Judith Fiona Joseph M.D., M.B.A is a Board Certified Psychiatrist, with additional expertise in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Family Therapy, in New York City. Dr. Judith helps people from all stages of development including childhood, adolescence, and adulthood in a collaborative treatment to identify and achieve individual and family goals. Dr. Joseph is a clinical assistant professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NYU Langone Medical Center. She is a television consultant, career coach and a sport's therapist. You can see her regularly on the Dr. OZ show!

Keith Price: Out Comedian, Actor, Writer, radio personality, Keith Price is a dynamic and diverse comic energy who brings every aspect of himself to the stage for the purpose of laughter and understanding. He was the first out, African-American personality on Sirius XM Satellite Radio. He produces and performs in comedy shows in and outside of New York City. He also is the host and executive producer of his own podcast, Keith Price’s Curtain Call available on Broadway World, ITunes, Google Play Music, as well as, MOCHAA with Bobby Rivers Being the first generation American son of Honduran immigrants, growing up gay in Texas, and seeking comedic glory in NYC is enough for any sitcom. His first one man show, EBONY CHUNKY LOVE: Bitch Can’t Get a Date!” is the subject of an award winning documentary of the same name. His follow up second show, Heartaches and Hardons, was a circuit hit, and he is currently working on the 3rd installment of Ebony Chunky Love.

Lessons Learned From Trauma

Wed, 09 Jun 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Pat Brown has been seen on CBS’s Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Fuse’s Uproarious, Axis’s Gotham Live, NBC’s Comics Unleashed and BET‘s ComicView, TVOne’s made for TV movie-WHITE WATER, the independent film SOMEBODIES, and the web series UNREQUITED. Pat has won both the Las Vegas Comedy Festival and the She Devil Competition. She has been featured in Time Out Magazine, After-Ellen, Splitsider and Punchline Magazine. Her critically acclaimed album “The Pat Brown Sex-Tape” has been described as “provocative and conceptual” by Laugh and is streaming on all platforms. You can watch her on the new season of Two Dope Queens on HBO!

MeMe Simpson is a writer, comedina, and producer who has performed at The Laugh Factory, The Comedy Store, The Comic Strip, and the Apollo Theater. She currently hosts Laugh Gas, a virtual comedy showcase. This June, she is headlining the Black Women In Comedy Laff Fest.

Gina Brillon is a standup comic born and raised in the Bronx, New York. Her first one hour special, ‘Pacifically Speaking,‘ was produced by Gabriel Iglesias. She’s made appearances on Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham, E!’s Chelsea Lately, AXS’ Gotham Comedy Live, The View, and was the first Latina winner of NBC’s Stand up for Diversity Showcase. Gina is also an accomplished singer, writer, and poet, with pieces in the New York Post and Daily News among others. Her most recent comedy special: "The Floor Is Lava" is available on Amazon and check out her audition on America’s got talent!

Who Needs Integration?

Wed, 02 Jun 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Eman El-Husseini A Canadian, a Palestinian, a Muslim, and a lesbian walk into a bar … ladies and gentlemen, it’s just Eman El-Husseini. Yes, she’s all those catastrophic identities rolled into one — her life is a current event. From the Muslim ban to Palestinian rights and marriage equality to the ice cream truck that insists on parking in front of her building, it’s all happening and it’s happening to her, especially. Strap in and get comfortable, Eman has a lot to work through. In her decade-long comedy career, Eman has headlined across Canada, opened for Patton Oswalt, and recorded her first comedy album, “Unveiled,” which can be heard regularly on SiriusXM Radio. She currently lives in New York City, legally, thank you very much.

✅ Nonye Brown-West is a New York-based Nigerian-American comedian and writer. She has been featured in the Boston Globe's Rise column as a Comic to Watch, as well as in NPR, PBS, ABC, Sway In The Morning, and the New York Comedy Festival. In 2019, Nonye made her acting debut in The Sympathy Card. Look out for her two new web series, Fairytales with Nonye and Gayby Jesus.

Joyelle Nicole Johnson is a Brooklyn based stand up comedian, writer and actress. She made her network TV debut on Late Night with Seth Meyers and wrote for the final season of Broad City. She has performed on Comedy Central’s digital series Comics to Watch, Wyatt Cenac’s Night Train for Seeso, Laff Tracks for TruTV as well as being a panelist for Refinery 29/Facebook Watch’s After After Party and MTV News. And while transitioning to the headliner that she is today she regularly features for Hannibal Buress and has opened for Dave Chappelle, Maria Bamford & Russell Peters. Check out her most recent performance on the The Tonight Show with Jim Fallon!

Happy Living

Wed, 26 May 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Lois Thompson - Savvy, witty and utterly devoted to her clients, Lois Thompson is on a mission to make real estate enjoyable. Her ability to ease concerns and dissipate fears is lauded among her clients who appreciate her ability to "talk them off the ledge" with informed guidance, deep knowledge of market data, and transparency. As a Certified Negotiation Specialist, Lois has successfully navigated complex and contentious transactions. The aim of her firm yet compassionate approach is to ensure everyone leaves the table with their dignity intact. She consistently goes above and beyond, developing deep bonds of trust with clients that last well beyond the transaction itself. Lois is not ashamed to admit that she sometimes walks out of a pitch without the exclusive. "Sometimes people don't actually need to sell, they just don't know what else to do," she explains. "Maybe their kids have moved away and have no idea what is happening in the Brooklyn market. I get on the phone and teach them how they can convert the value of their childhood home into a larger legacy. So many things are possible. People just need good information, which I'm happy to provide." Lois came to Brooklyn in 1985 to study at the Pratt Institute, where she earned a BFA, and she's been dedicated to the borough ever since. She is a proud homeowner in Bedford-Stuyvesant and serves all areas of Brooklyn. Prior to real estate, Lois spent 20 years in all facets of film and television production. When not helping her clients find their place in the world, Lois is an in-demand comedian. She is the host and producer of the all-female Blacklight Comedy Show at her brother's Fort Greene restaurant, Brooklyn Moon, and she produces and hosts the comedy portion of the Brooklyn Pride celebration.

Vanessa Gonzalez started improv, sketch, and stand up comedy in Austin, TX. She was voted “Best Stand-up Comic” in The Austin Chronicle before her move to Los Angeles in 2018. She was one of the “New Faces” of the 2017 Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal and has been featured on; TruTV’s “Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks,” HBO Latino’s “Entre Nos,” and has a half-hour “Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents” special. Vulture named her one of their “Comedians You Should and Will Know in 2019” and she made her late night debut on “A Little Late with Lilly Singh” on NBC earlier this year.

Songwriters Matter

Wed, 19 May 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Autumn Rowe is a Singer/Songwriter/Producer/DJ from New York. Growing up in the South Bronx, she applied her musical talents in a range of roles, from band leader to session singer. Later, she became a sought after songwriter, working with some of the world’s biggest artists and record labels. She wrote the dance anthem behind the 2011 FIFA World Cup “Happiness” featuring Alexis Jordan, and has worked with Dua Lipa, Stargate, Jax Jones, Netsky, MK, Avicci, Zedd,Alesso, AfroJack, Deadmau5, Alex Newell, Leona Lewis, Digital Farm Animals, Boy George, Jon Bellion, The Knocks, Nick Jonas, Kali Uchis, Kacy Hill, Fifth Harmony, Rodney Jerkins, Sinead Harnett, Lindsey Stirling, Becky G, and Macy Gray, among many other artists. She performs as the DJ act AFTR PRTY. She is currently signed to Stellar/Sony ATV as a writer and Ultra Records as an artist. Autumn is also a celebrated vocal coach. She appeared on season 2 of The X Factor, and as the only vocal coach on America’s Got Talent for five years, between the show’s ninth and thirteenth seasons. She has coached artists including America’s Got Talent winner Grace VanderWaal, Fifth Harmony, Bea Miller, Arin Ray, Carly Rose Sonenclar and Diamond White. Currently living in Los Angeles, Autumn continues to write and mentor both established and emerging artists. She most recently collaborated with Jon Batiste, Ava Max, Naia Izumi, Tkay Maidza, and P!nk, while continuing to work on her own projects as an artist and producer.

Carlton Spence, Veteran Celebrity Fashion Stylist Establishes a New Brand of “Classic Avante-Garde” By Merging The Classic With The Unique To Create Eye Catching Looks That Transcend Time And Trend. Carlton Spence recently rejuvenated the image of Grammy Award nominated gospel artist Jonathan McReynolds. “McReynolds is an amazing and inspiring artist who was more concerned about his music than his personal style”, states Spence. Once he began styling McReynolds for red carpets and award shows, he started to get more comfortable with his style and graduated from wearing jeans and sneakers on stage to a more contemporary chic look. “Carlton knows how to make you look like you belong in a room, like you belong on a stage, like you belong in the moment. He is a five star dude”, said Grammy® Award nominee, McReynolds. That is the joy of having someone like Carlton Spence on your team, he’s a master at creating a new look for you without totally taking you out of your element. “I really pursue creative freedom”, explains Spence, on how he develops his clients’ personal style. Marking his 21st anniversary as a highly sought after fashion stylist, Spence continues to capture the attention of celebrities, executives and contemporaries with his brand of “classic avant-garde” style on stage, television and red carpets. Whether it is in the classroom, the boardroom or the red carpet, no look he creates is ever the same. His versatility as a fashion guru is what makes him unique.

This Is America

Wed, 12 May 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Nitika Chopra is the founder of Chronicon, a media and events company, dedicated to elevating the lives of those living with a chronic illness. Nitika was diagnosed with psoriasis at the age of 10 and psoriatic arthritis at the age of 19 and lived over 17 years of her life being defined by her conditions. In 2010 she decided to take all of the lessons her health journey had taught her and use it to help others with the creation of her online magazine Bella Life. Since the start of her entrepreneurial journey Nitika has hosted her own TV talk show on Z Living called Naturally Beautiful, hosted over 40 events with hundreds of guests in attendance and has created dynamic partnerships with over 150 brands in the wellness space. After 10 years in event creation, Nitika launched Chronicon in the fall of 2019, focused on those living with a chronic illness. The event sold out, had over 2,000 livestream viewers, high-level brand sponsors, and has plans to expand in 2020. Follow her for daily inspiration @NitikaChopra + @ChroniconOfficial.

Nina Kharoufeh is a Producer for various different platforms including Sirius XM, MSNBC’s Joy Ann Reid, and even Fox News. She also recently launched her very first children’s book called “I’m a Princess Too” available right now on Amazon. Nina has MC’ed events big and small from Charity Galas to Fashion Shows! You’ve recently seen her on the Food Network's "Worst Cooks in America w/ Bobby Flay," but you can watch her perform on stages all across America.

Mindy LaVergne - Mother, health and fitness teacher, student, and change advocate in Brooklyn, NY. My life is dedicated to helping individuals of any age become both physically and mentally healthier.

Ready For The World To Open

Wed, 05 May 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Nonye Brown-West is a Nigerian-American comedian and writer. She has been featured in the Boston Globe's Rise column as a Comic to Watch, NPR, PBS, ABC, Sway In The Morning, and the New York Comedy Festival. In 2019, Nonye made her acting debut in The Sympathy Card. Look out for her two new web series, Fairytales with Nonye and Gayby Jesus, coming in winter 2020.

Vanessa Fraction - Born in St. Louis and raised in Chicago, this mother of two has over a decade of experience captivating fans around the world with her one of a kind storytelling talent. Whether you see her on stage, television or hear her on the radio, Vanessa is on a mission to empower her audience to overcome their struggles while laughing at hers. These can be hilarious tales of being a single mother paying child support or revealing anecdotes on the battle of being a strong, successful black woman. Her television credits include appearances on Comedy Knock Out and Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks (TruTV), Tales (BET), and a recurring role on BounceTV’s Mann and Wife. Vanessa’s hilarious and bold stand-up comedy has been showcased on many shows such as HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, 1st Amendment Standup (STARZ) and Mike Epps Live at Club Nokia. As a writer she has worked on The Arsenio Hall Show (CBS), 106 & Park and The Mo’Nique Show (BET). Her film roles include Barber Shop 2: Back in Business and Kim Field’s Holiday Love: The Rebirth. Her quick wit and sharp humor is featured when she guests hosts on entertainment shows like DishNation (FOX) When you "do the math" Vanessa Fraction equals One Very Funny Lady! More info at www.vanessafraction.com

Representation In Books Matter

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Author of the bestselling mythically-inspired YA fantasy A Song Below Water series, Bethany C. Morrow also writes for adult audiences, in genres ranging from speculative literary to historical fiction. In addition to penning novels like Mem and A Chorus Rises, she is a contributor to the young adult anthology Take the Mic, which was the 2020 ILA Social Justice in Literature award winner. A California native now living in north country New York, she hopes to “abolish winter but not in a climate emergency way,” and enjoys spending quality time with her pet lizard and dog.

Alvin Irby is a former kindergarten teacher turned award-winning social entrepreneur, international speaker, comedian, and author. He is Founder and Chief Reading Inspirer at Barbershop Books, a literacy program that creates child-friendly reading spaces in barbershops and provides early literacy training to barbers. His work connecting reading to male-centered spaces and involving men in boys’ early reading experiences earned him the National Book Foundation’s 2017 Innovations in Reading Prize. Irby’s popular TED Talk "How to inspire every child to be a lifelong reader," has been viewed over 1 million times. Irby’s nationally-recognized cultural competency workshops help school districts, library systems, and education organizations create relevant and engaging learning experiences for all students. His Diversity & Inclusion trainings have been described as informative, inspiring, engaging, and humorous. Ir by helps educators better understand and address the systemic and personal challenges that inhibit children’s intrinsic motivation to read and learn. His debut children’s book, Gross Greg, combines Irby’s passion for early literacy and comedy. Gross Greg is a laugh-out-loud story that captures the hilariously gross behavior of kids everywhere. As a stand up comedian, Irby's fresh perspective and smart brand of humor shine through in his comedy album "Really Dense." His clever social commentary and funny observations have not gone unnoticed. Irby won the Clean Comedy Showcase at the 2019 San Diego Comedy Festival and won 2nd place at NYC’s 2019 Laughing Devil Comedy Festival. One of the highlights of Irby’s comedy career was being selected as a national finalist for the StandUp NBC competition and performing at the legendary Hollywood Improv in Los Angeles. Alvin Irby holds a Masters of Science (MS) in Childhood Education from Bank Street Graduate School of Education, a Masters of Public Administration (MPA) from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service, and a Bachelors of Arts (BA) in Sociology from Grinnell College.

Chasing The Dream While Black

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Retha Jones has been tickling funny bones across America for nearly 20 years. She started her career as a model and actress, and discovered her talent for comedy after touring with Shelly Garrett’s hit stage play, Beauty Shop. From there, she hit the comedy club circuit and felt at home making audiences erupt in laughter. In addition to performing at several comedy clubs and venues across the U.S., she has performed on several television comedy shows, including HBO's Def Comedy Jam, BET’s Comic View, and Comedy Central’s Premium Blend, among others. Jones has won several comedy competitions including the 1st Annual California Comedy Festival and California's Funniest Female Contest. She was also named the first runner up in the Bay Area Black Comedy Competition and won the hearts of America as one of the Season 5 semi-finalists of NBC's hit show, Last Comic Standing. Most recently Retha was a featured guest on ABC's The View where she was invited by her friend Sherri Shepherd to showcase her hilarious comedy.

Erin Jackson is one of the fastest-rising comedians in New York City. She works nightly in the city’s top comedy clubs, and most recently made her Netflix debut as part of Season 2 of Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready. She’s also appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers, CONAN, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, truTV’s Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks, Last Comic Standing, and Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham. Erin's debut comedy album, Grudgery, was released in 2018 and debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes comedy charts.

Dawn Boatman “Dawn B” is a comedian, host, actress, and radio personality. Hailing from Chicago Il., Dawn B began her career over 20 years ago performing at local comedy clubs and bars around the country and internationally. She joined an improvisational group called "The Forgotten City". Dawn B honed her comedic career when she decided to move to the east coast while working for the clothing company Sean John as a district merchandiser. She later moved to New York City and performed at clubs like Caroline’s and The Improv. Dawn B started travelling internationally and performing for the military. She has told jokes in Japan, the United Kingdom, and Haiti. Dawn B’s raw talent and quick wit for comedy, has always been in her soul.

A Move Towards A Just City

Wed, 14 Apr 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Toni L. Griffin is a Professor in Practice of Urban Planning at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and leads The Just City Lab, a research platform for developing values-based planning methodologies and tools, including the 2017 Just City Index and a framework of indicators and metrics for evaluating social justice in public space. The 2015 Public Life and Urban Justice in NYC's Plazas study developed an elaborate framework of indicators and metrics to assess how the conditions of civic life and social justice in several New York City Public plazas. Toni is also co-editor of and contributor to The Just City Essays: Volume One, a collection of 26 essays by thought leaders representing 22 different cities and 5 countries, offering their propositions for ways to acknowledge injustice and promote greater justice in cities. Toni is also the founder of UrbanAC, based in New York, specializing in leading complex, trans-disciplinary planning and urban design projects for multi-sector clients in cities with long histories of spatial and social injustice. Recent urban planning projects that showcase how the practice transforms legacy issues of population and economic decline into innovative places for inclusion, prosperity and equity include Detroit Future City and MKE United: A Greater Downtown Action Agenda. The practice has also served as a strategic advisor to mayors and civic leaders in Washington, DC., Memphis, and St. Louis looking to design comprehensive urban planning frameworks through inclusive engagement. Additionally, Toni has served as program advisor and facilitator to the Kresge Foundation, Surdna Foundation and Heinz Endowments for integrating policies that promote social and spatial justice into their program areas and investments. Most recently, Ms. Griffin was a Professor of Architecture and the founding Director of the J. Max Bond Center on Design for the Just City at the Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York. Toni has also held several public sector positions including, Director of Community Development for Newark, New Jersey; Vice President and Director of Design for the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation in Washington, DC; and Deputy Director for Revitalization and Neighborhood Planning for the DC Office of Planning. She began her career as an architect with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP in Chicago, where she became an Associate Partner. Ms. Griffin received a Bachelors of Architecture from the University of Notre Dame and a Loeb Fellowship from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. In 2014, Toni was the Visiting Associate Professor and Theodore B. and Doris Shoong Lee Chair in Real Estate Law and Urban Planning, in the Department of City and Regional Planning at University of California, Berkeley. Toni has published several articles and book chapters on the just city, legacy cities, and urban planning and design and her work has been featured in publications including Metropolis and Next City. She has lectured extensively in the United States, Europe, Africa, and South America and has a 2015 TED Talk on Detroit. In 2016, President Barack Obama appointed Toni to the United States Commission of Fine Arts.

What's Age Got To Do With It?

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 10:30:00 +0000

“Lady” is an advocate for social change, vibrant businesswoman, internationally trained makeup artist, celebrity costumer/clothier, style icon, former model, and Mother of two. She is known to many as the empowering facilitator of her classic and signature Return of the Lady (ROTL) tea party seminars, established in 2003. ROTL, a division of Inner Makeup Enterprises (INRME), is a program suited for all ages, genders, ethnicities, and cultures. In June of 2016, ROTL was invited to the inaugural White House United State of Women (USOW) Summit, hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama, President Barack Obama, and Oprah, and honored as a “Nominated Change Maker.” This honor was achieved based on the work the ROTL organization had accomplished in its advocacy work in the areas of IPV/domestic violence and teen pregnancy. It was a honor only bestowed to leading activists, academics, journalists, public officials, and business leaders across the country. Currently, The Lady is working on her first book, with future plans to shop a television show entitled, The Return of the Lady. The Lady can also be seen as a subject in PBS’s new documentary Fast Forward.

L'Oréal McCollum, LSW, MSW, M.Ed., (she/her) is an internationally accomplished multihyphenate--artist, wellbeing practitioner, and educator--on a journey to inspire radical joy, authenticity, empathy, and healing. Born in Richmond, Virginia and raised in Landstuhl, Germany and Atlanta, Georgia, her interests in sociology, the performing arts, and the inner workings of the brain blossomed during her early adolescent years where she drew inspiration from her father (a then-mental health counselor in the Air Force) and mother (a then-spokesmodel/brand executive for an international cosmetics company). Through the years, she has gained unique experience in the areas of community health & wellness, training & education, the healing arts, nightlife/restaurant hospitality, social activism, public affairs, communication media, and entertainment. She currently serves as the Black Mental Health & Healing Justice Training Coordinator/Trainer for BEAM (The Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective). In addition to her work with BEAM, she cultivates joy through expressing her artistry as a commercial actor/model and vinyl DJ. She is a graduate of Widener University where she completed an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Human Sexuality Studies (i.e. all but dissertation), as well as a M.Ed. in Human Sexuality Studies and MSW in Clinical Social Work. She also earned a BS degree in Communications (with a concentration in Media Studies) from Kennesaw State University. She can also be seen as a subject in PBS’s new documentary Fast Forward.

"TK" Dutes is a nurse turned audio producer and co-host of TK in The AM, recently celebrating 1000 episodes of live streaming morning radio on Bondfire Radio. With experience spanning terrestrial radio (WBAI-NY) , online, podcast (Buzzfeed's "Thirst Aid Kit", Function with Anil Dash, Hear to Slay) and audio drama, her life in audio is all encompassing. TK's has a passion for Black audio drama, having produced W.E.B DuBois' The Comet, and The Weeksvile Project, a story about a free Black community Brooklyn, N.Y. She also spreads the gospel of radio and podcasting through workshops and mentorship, and was recently listed on Current.org's "Black Talents in Public Media You Should Know." Currently, she is on the board of the Association of Independents in Radio, and an Executive Producer at Spoke Media at the helm of Good Words with Kirk Franklin and more.

Allow Asian Joy

Wed, 31 Mar 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Jammie Patton is a storyteller and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY where she enjoys working both in front of and behind the scenes. Some notable, theater credits include FLYNT (Shadowland Stages), East Side Stories (Metropolitan Playhouse) The Call (Vermont Stage), A Midsummer Night's Dream, To Kill a Mockingbird (Northern Stage), The Blacks (Classical Theater of Harlem, *off Broadway at the Classic Staging Company), Freeda Peoples, Faith OnLine (Billie Holiday Theater) in which Patton played the title roles. TV Credits include Dr. Death (NBC) Justified, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX), God Friended Me (ABC), Inventing Anna (Netflix) as well as many national commercials (AFLAC, Dunkin' Donuts, Nike, Walgreens...). Currently, Jammie stars as 'Keena' in the digital series Compersion. Season 2 of Compersion is now available on YouTube's Enchant TV.

Chewy May is a comic born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She has over 20 years of social awkwardness under her belt which fuels her comedy mind and her perspective on life.

JEN KWOK is a Chinese-American writer/performer from Palmdale, CA who is currently based in NYC. Armed with a velvety voice and razor-sharp wit, Jen combines music, comedy and improv to create a refreshing spin on daily life. Jen’s work has been featured by The New York Times, PBS, ComedyCentral, BuzzFeed, and Rolling Stone Magazine. Most recently, Jen can be seen on Netflix’s Friends From College. Other film and television work include Band Leader/Keytarist of MTV's Middle of the Night Show, ABC's Quantico, HBO’s High Maintenance, Showtime’s Nurse Jackie, PBS’ Asian America, and the film Eat, Pray, Love. She has also appeared in several viral web videos – including her own music video, “Date an Asian”, College Humor's “Zordon Is a Racist” and “Subway Panhandler”. A versatile live performer, Jen was a national finalist in NBC's Stand-Up for Diversity and has appeared at such venues as: The Kennedy Center, Joe’s Pub, Caveat, WNYC’s Greene Space, Highline Ballroom, Le Poisson Rouge, Ars Nova, Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (UCBT), The People’s Improv Theatre (PIT), and more. She has also performed and hosted events everywhere from colleges across the country (featured at NACA Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and South), to fundraising and corporate events for Asian-American Women’s Giving Circle, American Cancer Society, TimeWarner, and Ogilvy & Mather. An active member of the Asian-American performing community, Jen has hosted Kollaboration NY & DC, as well as curated and co-hosted the Asian-American Writer’s Workshop’s Mouth to Mouth series. Jen's most recent live music project, Songs for One, was a unique, intimate experience where she performed concerts for over 100 people, one single person at a time. The Songs for One EP is available on all streaming platforms, and features music videos made in collaboration with women animators. www.jenkwok.com

For The Love Of Feline

Wed, 24 Mar 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Christina M. Greer, PhD is an Associate Professor of Political Science and American Studies at Fordham University (Lincoln Center Campus). She was the 2018 Fellow for the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research at New York University Silver School of Social Work. Her primary research and teaching interests are racial and ethnic politics, American urban centers, presidential politics, and campaigns and elections. Her additional research interests also include transportation, mayors and public policy in urban centers. Her previous work has compared criminal activity and political responses in Boston and Baltimore as well as Baltimore and St. Louis. Prof. Greer's book Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream (Oxford University Press, 2013 ) investigates the increasingly ethnically diverse black populations in the US from Africa and the Caribbean and was the recipient of the WEB du Bois Best Book Award in 2014 given by the National Conference of Black Political Scientists. Professor Greer is currently working on a manuscript detailing the political contributions of Barbara Jordan, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Stacey Abrams. She recently co-edited Black Politics in Transition, which explores gentrification, suburbanization, and immigration of Blacks in America. She is a member of the board of The Tenement Museum in NYC, the Center for Community Change, and serves on the Advisory Board at Tufts University. She is also an ardent supporter of FIERCE in NYC and Project South in Atlanta, GA, and a former board member of BAJI (Black Alliance for Just Immigration), the Riders Alliance of New York, and the Human Services Council. She is a frequent political commentator on several media outlets, primarily MSNBC, WNYC, and NY1, and is often quoted in media outlets such as the NYTimes, Wall Street Journal, and the AP. She is the co-host of the New York centered podcast FAQ-NYC and co-host of the Black centered podcast What's In It For Us podcast, is the politics editor at thegrio.com, is the producer and host of The Aftermath and The Contender on Ozy.com as well as their editor-at-large, is a frequent author and narrator for the TedEd educational series, and also writes a weekly column for The Amsterdam News, one of the oldest black newspapers in the U.S. Greer received her B. A. from Tufts University and her M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University.

Liz Miele, originally from New Jersey, started doing stand-up at 16 in New York City. At 18 she was profiled in The New Yorker Magazine, at 22 she appeared on Comedy Central’s “Live at Gotham.” She recently appeared on Comedy Central’s “This Week at the Comedy Cellar,” NPR’s “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me,” Hulu’s “Coming To The Stage,” AXS TV’s “Gotham Comedy Live,” and was profiled in the March 2015 issue of Runner’s World. She has several viral videos on Youtube, Instagram and Tiktok including jokes “Feminist Sex Positions,” “F*ck Finland,” and “London Cops Are Better Than American Cops” She regularly tours internationally and has three albums out on spotify and itunes and released her first special “Self Help Me” in May 2020 free on youtube. Her first book, “Why Cats Are Assholes” is available everywhere March 30th 2021. She wrote and produced season one of her animated web series “Damaged,” voiced by great comics including Maz Jobrani, Hari Kondabolu, Ted Alexandro, Jermaine Fowler, Dean Edwards, DC Benny, Joe Machi and so many more. She also co-produced and co-starred in 40 episodes of a web series called “Apt C3” with fellow comic, Carmen Lynch and fashion photographer, Chris Vongsawat. Her podcast “2 Non Doctors” airs weekly.

JACKIE FABULOUS, is a gut-busting, writer, producer, speaker, and headlining comedian who uses comedy to simultaneously entertain, encourage and empower audiences. Having survived her fair share of loves, tragedies, lessons and embarrassing moments, Jackie channels all of that energy into hilarious sets and inspiring keynotes. More than just a funny lady, she is on a mission to inspire and empower women all over the world to Find The Funny In Their Flaws. When Jackie is not on tour, you will find her giving amazing keynote speeches and breakout sessions at corporate events and conferences or as a semi-finalist on season 14 of America’s Got Talent. A lawyer in her past life, she understands the plight of the working woman. Her signature talks and upcoming book within her hilarious “Find Your Fabulous” series will leave audiences feeling encouraged, uplifted, and inspired to conquer the ups and downs of life and work. Her diverse style of comedy has allowed her to work with comedy legends like Roseanne Barr and Wanda Sykes and on the OWN Network, NBC, CBS, and FOX to name a few.

When I Think Of Home

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Zainab Johnson, a stand-up comedian, actress, and writer is quickly being propelled as one of the most unique and engaging performers on stage and screen. Zainab was named one of Variety’s Top 10 Comics To Watch in 2019, she hosted one of the Netflix's new show "100 Humans", she can be seen as a series regular on the new Greg Daniels half hour comedy titled “Upload” an Amazon original series premiering May 1st, and she made her first late night stand up appearance on NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers. Zainab had a breakout appearance on HBO’s All Def Comedy (2017) and has made appearances on NBC’s Last Comic Standing (2014), Arsenio (2014), BET’s Comic View (2014), AXSTV’s Gotham Comedy Live! and starred in a new web series titled Avant-Guardians. She is a regular at the Improv Comedy Club in LA and the Comedy Cellar in NY. Zainab has performed in the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival as one of the 2014 New Faces of Comedy and returned numerous times since. She also had a breakout performance at the Melbourne Comedy Festival in 2018.

Subhah Agarwal has brought an honesty to her comedy that is refreshing, and at times a bit disturbing... but in a good way. Trust me. Subhah has written for "The Jim Jefferies Show"on Comedy Central, and "Comedy Knockout" on TruTv, amongst others. You can also catch her jokes live at stand up comedy clubs across the country. If you don't want to leave your couch, you can see her late night debut on NBC's "A Little Late With Lilly Singh." She appeared on season three of HBO's "Westworld", as Ichtaca on TruTv's sketch comedy "Friends of the People", and as herself on MTV2, Comedy Central, and Gotham Comedy Live.

Conversations On The Patrice O'Neal Documentary

Wed, 10 Mar 2021 11:30:00 +0000

Von Decarlo is a New York based stand up comedian, producer, and author, with appearances in global ad campaigns, and national commercials for GNC, Disney’s Aladdin, Match, and Carnival Cruise Lines. She performed at the Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal for Kevin Hart’s LOL Network, as well as, the Lil Rel and Friends show, and has been a featured comedian on Tru TV’s Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks, the Jerry O Show on FOX, Buzz Feed’s Hella Opinions, CNN’s year end wrap up special, Essence Live, Essence Now Slay or Shade, BET, Angela Yee’s Lip Service, Comedy Central, Uban View, FOX Soul, The Breakfast Club, and more. She is a graduate of the UCB improv program, as well as a UCB diversity scholarship recipient, and her one woman show Lasagna debuted at The People’s Improv Theatre to a full crowd and rave reviews. She was the first woman, and first comedian to host her own show on the Sirius XM NBA channel, and you can listen to her podcast Friend In Your Head to get a dose of practical advice for everyday life. Von Decarlo is the Executive Producer of the official Patrice O’Neal documentary, Killing Is Easy, with partners Comedy Central, All Things Comedy, and Director Michael Bonfiglio. Her comedy mixtape, A Draggable Offense, is available on all major platforms, and can be heard on the She So Funny and Laugh Out Loud radio stations on Sirius XM.

Jenny Saldana is a writer, actress, and stand-up comedian and a Breast Cancer Rock STAR and all around hotness. She wrote, produced and starred in Happy Cancer Chick, a web series inspired by her own battle with breast cancer. Her video series, The Little Brown Girl Show can be found on Youtube and Facebook Live.

Dean Edwards is an American actor, comedian and writer. Most notably recognized for his two year tenure as a cast member of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, Edwards is best known for his multitude of remarkable celebrity impressions that include Denzel Washington, Dave Chappelle, Jay-Z, Mo’Nique, Chris Rock, 50 Cent, and Eddie Murphy. Recently, Dean showcased his amazing talents in his first comedy special, Netflix’s Tiffany Haddish Presents: THEY READY, Season 2. Edwards’ filmography includes supporting roles in Top Five, Spiderman 3 and Tony ‘n’ Tina’s Wedding. He has had guest appearances on Hulu’s supernatural comedy series, Deadbeat, as well as HBO’s The Soprano’s. Dean also helped workshop and create the character of Donkey for nearly 2 years in Dreamworks’ SHREK THE MUSICAL on Broadway. This led to his being chosen as Eddie Murphy’s vocal double, voicing the role of Donkey in Dreamworks’ animated Halloween special, Scared Shrekless. Most recently, Dean wrapped filming the independent film, Write It Black and after voicing Corey Booker, Common and various roles on season two and three of Showtime’s television series, Our Cartoon President. In the world of stand-up comedy, Dean headlines comedy clubs across the country as well as internationally, with his 2019 tour making stops overseas in Qatar, China and Saudi Arabia. On the horizon, Dean’s new podcast, The Dean Edwards Show, is the flagship show on the new Digital Podcast Network, which launched in February, 2020

Sick And Tired Of Being Sick And Tired

Wed, 03 Mar 2021 11:30:00 +0000

Charla Lauriston is a Los Angeles based stand-up comedian, television writer, producer, and podcast host who’s written for The Last OG, Ghosted, People of Earth, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and the upcoming Hoops on Netflix. As a standup, she’s appeared on ‘The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail’ on Comedy Central, has performed with Jonathan Van Ness and Team Coco. Hailing from New York by way of Boston by way of Haiti, Charla’s sharp observations on everything from family to race to pop culture and the absurd minutia of everyday life are delivered with a matter-of-fact punch to the gut. Her 2014 web series, Clench & Release, garnered critical acclaim that described her as “self-assured and gleefully sarcastic” (WNYC) and “one of the most exciting and original voices in comedy” (Splitsider). Yes, she’s very tired and plans to retreat to the woods in 2035.

Dr. Janus Adams is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, historian, entrepreneur, bestselling author of eleven books, and the host of public radio’s “The Janus Adams Show” and podcast. A frequent on-air guest, she has appeared on ABC, BET, CBS, CNN, Fox News, NBC’s The Today Show, and NPR’s All Things Considered. With more than 500 articles, essays and columns to her credit, her work has been featured in Essence and Ms. Magazines, The New York Times, Newsday, USA Today, and The Washington Post. Her syndicated column ran in the Hearst Newspapers for sixteen years. Her commentary has been broadcast on CBS and NPR, and published in the Huffington Post. Her book, Glory Days: 365 Inspired Moments in African American History, was licensed by McDonald’s and reached more than 3 million readers. A pioneer of issue-oriented African-American and women’s programming she has hosted her own radio and television talk shows for more than ten years. Her series, “Milestones in African-American Business History,” ran on public radio’s Marketplace. Her 19-hour International Women’s Day marathon broadcasts brought her to NPR as the network’s first National Arts Correspondent and opened the New York News Bureau. An entrepreneur, as founder of BackPax (a children’s publishing company) and Harambee (the first national book club for African American literature), she changed the publishing landscape for authors and audiences. A dynamic speaker and passionate storyteller, she is known for her unique perspectives on current events through the lens of history. Indeed, Dr. Adams has been engaged by history and culture since childhood. A northern school desegregation pioneer at 8, she was one of the four children selected to break New York’s de facto segregation in the public schools in the wake of Brown v. Board of Education. A classically-trained pianist, she is a graduate of New York’s High School of Performing Arts. Her master’s is the nation’s first graduate degree in Black Studies. Her doctoral chair was author and composer Shirley Graham Du Bois (widow of Dr. W. E. B. Du Bois, the “Father of Pan-Africanism” and co-founder of the NAACP). Her honors include Doctor of Humane Letters degrees from Shaw University and the State University of New York. March 10^th – April 30^th Check out her SISTER DAYS MOTHER/DAUGHTER* BOOK CLUB: a timely, life-affirming, leadership-building, intergenerational 7-week virtual retreat for mothers, daughter, sisters, sistas, and sisterfriends rooted in her groundbreaking book, Sister Days: 365 Inspired Moments in African American Women's History*.

Hollie Harper is a writer/comedian/actress from Cape May, New Jersey. She’s a co-host of the nationally trending Twitter Storytelling Chat “BlerdDating”. Her blog “Hollie Harper INK” on Medium has Top Writer status in Parenting, Black Lives Matter and Racism. She's the creator of the popular sketch comedy show AMERICAN CANDY. They have played the Comic Strip, Gotham Comedy Club, BAM Café as well as the Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival. Team CANDY is presently editing a pilot they shot last winter and Time Out Chicago named them one of the five groups to watch. She's a regular host for West Side Comedy Club. Since the pandemic started she's produced three smash shows on Zoom with them. As an actress she recently starred in the Off-Broadway production of Melanie Maria Goodreaux's "The White Blacks". And she works with Gold Comedy and Stand Up Girls, two programs that empower young women by teaching them standup comedy.

Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf

Black History Month Ain't Over

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 11:30:00 +0000

Vladimir Caamano -With the name “Vladimir,” few people expect a Dominican from The Bronx to take the stage. His comedic style is the fruit of an immigrant Dominican family living in the cultural mecca that is New York City and is described as an elegant combination of urban grit and intellect. He began polishing his wit in the concrete jungles of The Bronx and Washington Heights and after graduating from Wesleyan University launched into Standup Comedy. After his stand out performance at Just for Laughs (JFL) in 2015, Vlad entered into a put pilot development deal to co-write, and star in a pilot based off of his comedy for NBC with Bill Lawrence and WB supervising. Vlad co-wrote the script with UNDATEABLE writer, Adam Styzikiel and recently shot the pilot directed by Phill Lewis. Vlad was the only one of his New Faces class to be chosen to perform as part of the CW Gala hosted by Howie Mandel. In 2016, Vlad was named one of the Top 10 Comics to Watch by Variety and was honored at JFL. In 2017 Vlad made his late-night standup debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and performed again at the prestigious Just for Laughs Gala hosted by Lilly Singh. Vlad has been seen on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Marvel’s Runaways, and NBC’s Superstore. He is currently developing television shows with top comedy producers and networks.

On The Record's Drew Dixon Visits Friends Like Us

Wed, 17 Feb 2021 11:30:00 +0000

Drew Dixon is an accomplished record executive, having served as a former Vice President of A&R at Arista Records, a former Director of A&R at Def Jam Recordings, the former General Manager of John Legend's independent label Homeschool Records, and the former manager of recording artist Estelle. She has produced hits for Method Man, Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, Whitney Houston and more, and has been a voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences since 2001. In December 2017, Dixon broke her silence in The New York Times, shining a light on sexual assault and harassment in the music industry. As the main subject of HBO Max’s film On the Record, she discusses the difficult decision to speak out publicly about being assaulted by music mogul, Russell Simmons.

Dr. Leighann Lord (VeryFunnyLady.com) is a veteran stand-up comedian and the author of Dict Jokes and Real Women Do It Standing Up. She is the creator of the People with Parents podcast and has been a co-host on StarTalkRadio,with Neil de Grasse Tyson. She has been seen on Comedy Central, HBO, and The View, and was recently seen on Netflix in the Def Comedy Jam25th Anniversary Special. She was also one of the five national finalists in the 2018 ABFF-HBO Comedy Wings Competition. She’s the winner of the 2019 Humanist Arts Award. Leighann is a proud member of House Ravenclaw (with a dash of Slytherin).

Living With ADHD

Wed, 10 Feb 2021 11:30:00 +0000

Ralinda Harvey Smith is a freelance writer and author who writes about mental health, wellness, business, and cultural issues. Her writing has been featured in L.A. Times, Huffington Post and The Washington Post. You can follow her on twitter @ralinda.

Nina Daniels is a comedian, producer, host, content creator, writer and actress originally from Long Island, NY. Where most musical comedians play your standard guitar, piano, accordion, ukulele, Nina sets herself apart from the pack with her sidekick, Gerry, the cello. She’s wow’d the internet audiences with her absorbing act featuring stand-up, singing and rapping. Nina’s viral video, “My Man Is a Jewmaican” has been featured on Funny or Die, Whohaha, Youtube and Instagram. Director/Actress/Writer Elizabeth Banks tweeted, “The Jewmaican Jam You Didn't Know You Needed…Jewmaican cello jam. You read that right.” Nina’s TV appearances include Maron IFC, Shameless, and The Last O.G. with Method Man and Tracy Morgan. Nina can be seen regularly at The Stand NYC, Hollywood Improv, Carolines on Broadway, and clubs all over the country. Nina's podcast, Models Diet, a lifestyle podcast covering every diet on the planet, fashion, home organizing, travel and so much more is dropping in February 2021 and is Executive Produced by Fallon Jethroe (Westbrook Inc.).

Rachel Feinstein is a nationally touring comedian and actress. Huffington Post called her “the only comedian we’ve seen who can go from embodying her grandmother in one breath and a predatory guy on the street in the next and be equally convincing at both.” She has had three Comedy Central specials, including the most recent one hour special ‘Amy Schumer Presents Rachel Feinstein: Only Whores Wear Purple’. Netflix's "The Stand Ups". Rachel recently recurred on the Steven Soderbergh Amazon series RED OAKS and on Judd Apatow’s HBO comedy CRASHING. Her past credits include TRAINWRECK, TOP FIVE, THE NIGHTLY SHOW WITH LARRY WILMORE, HBO’s LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER, co-hosting THE VIEW on multiple occasions and several appearances on INSIDE AMY SCHUMER. You may also remember Rachel co-hosting alongside Shaq on UPLOAD WITH SHAQUILLE ONEAL. Feinstein has also lent her voice to Adult Swim’s VENTURE BROTHERS and the phenomenally successful GRAND THEFT AUTO video game franchise.

Effective Vaccine Conversations

Wed, 03 Feb 2021 11:30:00 +0000

America's Follower Problem

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 11:30:00 +0000

Harry Enten is a Senior Writer and Analyst for CNN Politics, where he specializes in data-driven journalism, covering politics with a focus on poll numbers and electoral trends. Prior to joining CNN, Enten was a senior political writer at FiveThirtyEight. There he became known as 'FiveThirtyEight's 'Whiz Kid' for his sharp analysis of politics using polling data combined with demographics and history. He also previously worked at The Guardian. Enten graduated Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude from Dartmouth College with a degree in Government. He is a diehard Buffalo Bills fan from the Bronx, NY.

Joyelle Nicole Johnson is a stand up comedian, writer and actress. Joyelle can be seen on the final season of HBO’s Crashing, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and warmed up the crowd for Netflix’s Hasan Minhaj’s Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj and she has written for the final season of Broad City.

She has performed on Comedy Central’s digital series Comics to Watch, Wyatt Cenac’s Night Train for Seeso, Laff Tracks for TruTV as well as being a panelist for Refinery 29/Facebook Watch’s After After Party and MTV News. Joyelle was selected for the 2018 FOX Comedy Showcase, was a finalist in NBC’s Stand Up for Diversity Showcase and has performed at festivals like Sketchfest, Bonnaroo, The New York Comedy Festival and Bumbershoot. And while transitioning to the headliner that she is today she has featured for Hannibal Buress, Dave Chappelle, Maria Bamford & Russell Peters. She also combines her dream of comedy and activism by touring with Daily Show creator Lizz Winstead’s Lady Parts Justice League.

Vanessa Fraction -Born in St. Louis and raised in Chicago, this mother of two has over a decade of experience captivating fans around the world with her one of a kind storytelling talent. Whether you see her on stage, television or hear her on the radio, Vanessa is on a mission to empower her audience to overcome their struggles while laughing at hers. These can be hilarious tales of being a single mother paying child support or revealing anecdotes on the battle of being a strong, successful black woman. Her television credits include appearances on Comedy Knock Out and Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks (TruTV), Tales (BET), and a recurring role on BounceTV’s Mann and Wife. Vanessa’s hilarious and bold stand-up comedy has been showcased on many shows such as HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, 1st Amendment Standup (STARZ) and Mike Epps Live at Club Nokia. As a writer she has worked on The Arsenio Hall Show (CBS), 106 & Park and The Mo’Nique Show (BET). Her film roles include Barber Shop 2: Back in Business and Kim Field’s Holiday Love: The Rebirth. Her quick wit and sharp humor is featured when she guests hosts on entertainment shows like DishNation (FOX) When you "do the math" Vanessa Fraction equals One Very Funny Lady! More info at www.vanessafraction.com

Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf

It's A Republican Problem

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 11:30:00 +0000

Tara Setmayer focuses her "tell it like it is" commentary and analysis on political issues that impact America's future. Tara Olivia Setmayer is currently a CNN Political Commentator, Contributor to ABC News and former GOP Communications Director on Capitol Hill. She has appeared on ABC’s The View, ABC’s Good Morning America, and on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher. In addition to her work with The Lincoln Project, Setmayer is also the host of the podcast, Honestly Speaking w/Tara.

Jon Laster is a veteran New York City based comedian originally from Denver, Colorado. He graduated with a BA from Colorado State University. Shortly after, Jon moved to New York City to realize his dream of being a comedian. Jon quickly moved up the comedy hierarchy and established himself as one of the funniest comedians and most sought after host. After just six years, Jon has taped three season's of BET's "Comic View," hosted the first and second Underground Comedy Festival held in New York City, completed a one year tour with the NACA showcase, and appeared on Comedy Central's "Premium Blend." He is a regular at clubs throughout New York City.

Joanna Briley. Brooklyn born, Connecticut raised. Hilarity ensued. Joanna’s work for the MTA made her one of the friendliest Token Booth Clerks! Her love of stand up and job allowed her to write and produce “Swipe This: My Life in Transit!” In 2014, Joanna held a residency at Inkwell Jazz and Comedy Cafe in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn where she produces and books the monthly unlimited “Laff Tracks Comedy Showcase”. Joanna is the proud creator of Black Women in Comedy Festival NYC 2019 and will have her second festival this June 16th-June 20th 2021!

Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf

What A Nation We Are

Wed, 13 Jan 2021 11:30:00 +0000

Christina M. Greer, PhD is an Associate Professor of Political Science and American Studies at Fordham University (Lincoln Center Campus). She was the 2018 Fellow for the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research at New York University Silver School of Social Work. Her primary research and teaching interests are racial and ethnic politics, American urban centers, presidential politics, and campaigns and elections. Her additional research interests also include transportation, mayors and public policy in urban centers. Her previous work has compared criminal activity and political responses in Boston and Baltimore as well as Baltimore and St. Louis. Prof. Greer's book Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream (Oxford University Press, 2013 ) investigates the increasingly ethnically diverse black populations in the US from Africa and the Caribbean and was the recipient of the WEB du Bois Best Book Award in 2014 given by the National Conference of Black Political Scientists. Professor Greer is currently working on a manuscript detailing the political contributions of Barbara Jordan, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Stacey Abrams. She recently co-edited Black Politics in Transition, which explores gentrification, suburbanization, and immigration of Blacks in America. She is a member of the board of The Tenement Museum in NYC, the Center for Community Change, and serves on the Advisory Board at Tufts University. She is also an ardent supporter of FIERCE in NYC and Project South in Atlanta, GA, and a former board member of BAJI (Black Alliance for Just Immigration), the Riders Alliance of New York, and the Human Services Council. She is a frequent political commentator on several media outlets, primarily MSNBC, WNYC, and NY1, and is often quoted in media outlets such as the NYTimes, Wall Street Journal, and the AP. She is the co-host of the New York centered podcast FAQ-NYC and co-host of the Black centered podcast What's In It For Us podcast, is the politics editor at thegrio.com, is the producer and host of The Aftermath and The Contender on Ozy.com as well as their editor-at-large, is a frequent author and narrator for the TedEd educational series, and also writes a weekly column for The Amsterdam News, one of the oldest black newspapers in the U.S. Greer received her B. A. from Tufts University and her M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University.

Erin Jackson is one of the fastest-rising comedians in New York City. She works nightly in the city’s top comedy clubs, and has appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers, CONAN, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, truTV’s Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks, Last Comic Standing, and Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham. Erin's debut comedy album, Grudgery, was released in 2018 and debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes comedy charts.

Friends Favorite Episode Of 2020

Wed, 06 Jan 2021 11:30:00 +0000

Diane Latiker is a community activist in Chicago. Latiker is the founder of the nonprofit, Kids Off the Block (KOB), which provides recreational activities and educational opportunities for young people in Chicago, focusing on the neighborhood of Roseland. She has made appearances on STEVE, Steve Harvey’s show on Facebook Watch, and The Kelly Clarkson Show to discuss KOB and her work. Latiker has also received awards such as a 2011 CNN Heroes Awards, where she was among the top ten of recipients, and has been honored as a 2016 “Women of Worth” from L’Oreal Paris USA and as a 2020 “Frontline Hero” from Variety Magazine. In 2020, Latiker was among a group of community leaders in Chicago to receive accolades from President Obama. Her book, Kids Off the Block: The Inspiring True Story of One Woman's Quest to Protect Chicago's Most Vulnerable Youth is now available on Amazon.

Hollie Harper is a writer/comedian/actress from Cape May, New Jersey. She’s a co-host of the nationally trending Twitter Storytelling Chat “BlerdDating”. Her blog “Hollie Harper INK” on Medium has Top Writer status in Parenting, Black Lives Matter and Racism. She's the creator of the popular sketch comedy show AMERICAN CANDY. They have played the Comic Strip, Gotham Comedy Club, BAM Café as well as the Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival. Team CANDY is presently editing a pilot they shot last winter and Time Out Chicago named them one of the five groups to watch. She's a regular host for West Side Comedy Club. Since the pandemic started she's produced three smash shows on Zoom with them. As an actress she recently starred in the Off-Broadway production of Melanie Maria Goodreaux's "The White Blacks". And she works with Gold Comedy and Stand Up Girls, two programs that empower young women by teaching them standup comedy.

Erica Watson is an actor, stand-up comedian at clubs around the country, and film/television/theater director. She was born and raised in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood, and received a BA and MA from Columbia College Chicago. She currently hosts a dating podcast called "Get in The Game" and stars in the short film “BlacKorea”. She has appeared in the Oscar nominated film “Precious,” as well as “ChiRaq,” “Top Five,” and “Side Effects" and “Dirty Laundry.” Erica's had guest-star roles on Showtime's "The Chi" and Fox's "Empire". She has also been featured on TLC’s,The Dr. Phil Show, The Oxygen Network, The WE Channel, (BET), MSG-TV, The TV Guide Network and is a recurring correspondent for ABC7's “Windy City Live,” and WCIU's “The Jam.”

Ride It Out For A New Year

Wed, 30 Dec 2020 11:30:00 +0000

Rachel Feinstein is a nationally touring comedian and actress. Huffington Post called her “the only comedian we’ve seen who can go from embodying her grandmother in one breath and a predatory guy on the street in the next and be equally convincing at both.” She has had three Comedy Central specials, including the most recent one hour special ‘Amy Schumer Presents Rachel Feinstein: Only Whores Wear Purple’. Rachel recently recurred on the Steven Soderbergh Amazon series RED OAKS and on Judd Apatow’s HBO comedy CRASHING. Her past credits include TRAINWRECK, TOP FIVE, THE NIGHTLY SHOW WITH LARRY WILMORE, HBO’s LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER, co-hosting THE VIEW on multiple occasions and several appearances on INSIDE AMY SCHUMER. You may also remember Rachel co-hosting alongside Shaq on UPLOAD WITH SHAQUILLE ONEAL. Feinstein has also lent her voice to Adult Swim’s VENTURE BROTHERS and the phenomenally successful GRAND THEFT AUTO video game franchise.

Von Decarlo is a New York based stand up comedian, producer, and author of the book, Speak Fluent Man. She performed at the Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal for Kevin Hart’s LOL Network, JFL Present’s LOL Live, and has been a featured comedian on Tru TV’s, Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks, the Jerry O Show on FOX, and CNN’s year end wrap up special, All the Best/All the Worst, BET, Comedy Central, and more. She is a graduate of the UCB improv program, as well as a UCB diversity scholarship recipient, and her one woman show Lasagna debuted at The People’s Improv Theatre to a full crowd and rave reviews. She was the first woman, and first comedian to host her own show on the Sirius XM NBA channel, and you can listen to her Coach Von Podcast as well as her Grown AF Podcast to get a dose of uncensored truth with lots of giggles.

Hope For New York And Year

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 11:30:00 +0000

ROY WOOD JR. joined The Best F#@ing News Team in 2015 as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s Emmy-nominated, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. In 2017, he was named the new host of Comedy Central’s storytelling series, This is Not Happening. His first Comedy Central one-hour stand-up special, Father Figure, debuted in 2017, followed by his second Comedy Central one-hour stand-up special, Roy Wood Jr.: No One Loves You, which aired in 2019. Both are the highest rated original specials on the network in that same time. Wood can also be seen in a recurring role on the current seasons of the new Netflix comedy ‘Space Force’, as well as ‘Better Call Saul’ & ‘The Last O.G.’

In development with Comedy Central, Roy is currently in production on his first sitcom, Jefferson County: Probation. As Executive Producer, he is also working with HBO Max on a new project, 1% Happy, starring Dani Fernandez. Roy’s comedy has entertained millions across stage, television and radio. Entertainment Weekly has described the thought-provoking comedy of Roy Wood Jr. as “. . . charismatic crankiness.” And Variety Magazine named him ‘One of 10 Comics To Watch in 2016’. Prior to The Daily Show, Roy co-starred for three seasons on TBS’s Sullivan & Son, and he remains a regular guest on various ESPN show and the MLB Network.

A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Roy began his comedy career in 1998 at the age of 19 while attending Florida A&M University. In 2006, Roy debuted in network television on The Late Show with David Letterman. In 2008, he appeared on HBO’s historic Def Comedy Jam and was later selected by America as one of the top three finalists on Last Comic Standing, on NBC. Roy has appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyer, Conan, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He also performed on numerous USO Tours for our Troops stationed everywhere from Guam to Iraq, to the Philippines.

James Altucher I’m an entrepreneur and angel investor. I’ve achieved the rank of chess master. And I’m the author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling book “Choose Yourself.” I’ve started 20 companies, 17 of which have failed. But I’ve learned a lot along the way. If you’ve ever been stuck—in a job you hate, in a house you can’t afford, in a life you don’t want, in your own depressed mind, anything—I want to help you. Why? Because I get it. I’ve been there. And I wantto tell you how I freed myself so maybe you can start to free yourself, too.

Home For The Holidays?

Wed, 16 Dec 2020 11:30:00 +0000

Zainab Johnson, a stand-up comedian, actress, and writer is quickly being propelled as one of the most unique and engaging performers on stage and screen. Zainab was named one of Variety’s Top 10 Comics To Watch in 2019, she hosted one of the host for Netflix's new show "100 Humans", she can be seen as a series regular on the new upcoming series from Greg Daniels a half hour comedy titled “Upload” an Amazon original series premiering May 1st, and she made her first late night stand up appearance on NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers. Zainab had a breakout appearance on HBO’s All Def Comedy (2017) and has made appearances on NBC’s Last Comic Standing (2014), Arsenio (2014), BET’s Comic View (2014), AXSTV’s Gotham Comedy Live! and just recently starred in a new web series titled Avant-Guardians. She is a regular at the Improv Comedy Club in LA and the Comedy Cellar in NY. Zainab has performed in the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival as one of the 2014 New Faces of Comedy and returned numerous times since. She also had a breakout performance at the Melbourne Comedy Festival in 2018.

Thirst Trap For Wellness

Wed, 09 Dec 2020 11:30:00 +0000

Joyelle Nicole Johnson is a Brooklyn based stand up comedian, writer and actress. She can be seen on the final season of HBO’s Crashing and is currently the warm up comic for Hasan Minhaj’s Patriot Act on Netflix. Joyelle made her network TV debut last year on Late Night with Seth Meyers and most recently wrote for the final season of Broad City. She has performed on Comedy Central’s digital series Comics to Watch, Wyatt Cenac’s Night Train for Seeso, Laff Tracks for TruTV as well as being a panelist for Refinery 29/Facebook Watch’s After After Party and MTV News. Joyelle was selected for the 2018 FOX Comedy Showcase, was a finalist in NBC’s Stand Up for Diversity Showcase and has performed at festivals like Sketchfest, Bonnaroo, The New York Comedy Festival and Bumbershoot. And while transitioning to the headliner that she is today she regularly features for Hannibal Buress and has opened for Dave Chappelle, Maria Bamford & Russell Peters. She also combines her dream of comedy and activism by touring with Daily Show creator Lizz Winstead’s Lady Parts Justice League.

Autumn Rowe is a Singer/Songwriter/Producer/DJ from New York. Growing up in the South Bronx, she applied her musical talents in a range of roles, from band leader to session singer. Later, she became a sought after songwriter, working with some of the world’s biggest artists and record labels. She wrote the dance anthem behind the 2011 FIFA World Cup “Happiness” featuring Alexis Jordan, and has worked with Dua Lipa, Stargate, Jax Jones, Netsky, MK, Avicci, Zedd,Alesso, AfroJack, Deadmau5, Alex Newell, Leona Lewis, Digital Farm Animals, Boy George, Jon Bellion, The Knocks, Nick Jonas, Kali Uchis, Kacy Hill, Fifth Harmony, Rodney Jerkins, Sinead Harnett, Lindsey Stirling, Becky G, and Macy Gray, among many other artists. She performs as the DJ act AFTR PRTY. She is currently signed to Stellar/Sony ATV as a writer and Ultra Records as an artist. Autumn is also a celebrated vocal coach. She appeared on season 2 of The X Factor, and as the only vocal coach on America’s Got Talent for five years, between the show’s ninth and thirteenth seasons. She has coached artists including America’s Got Talent winner Grace VanderWaal, Fifth Harmony, Bea Miller, Arin Ray, Carly Rose Sonenclar and Diamond White. Currently living in Los Angeles, Autumn continues to write and mentor both established and emerging artists. She most recently collaborated with Jon Batiste, Ava Max, Naia Izumi, Tkay Maidza, and P!nk, while continuing to work on her own projects as an artist and producer.

The Democratic Divide

Wed, 02 Dec 2020 11:30:00 +0000

Lindsey Boylan is a public servant, a former government official, and mom to her 6-year-old daughter. Lindsey most recently ran for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives, in New York's 10th district in the 2020 elections. Lindsey previously served as Deputy Secretary for Economic Development and Housing, as well as Special Advisor to NY Governor Andrew Cuomo. Her portfolio of oversight included Empire State Development (ESD), the state’s chief economic development agency, for which she previously served as Chief of Staff and Executive Vice President. During her time in government, Lindsey secured hundreds of millions of dollars for underfunded public housing, led the state's efforts to provide assistance for the people of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, and pushed to enact a $15 minimum wage and Paid Family Leave for New Yorkers. She received her degree from Wellesley and an MBA from Columbia. Lindsey is currently a full-time democratic candidate running for Manhattan Borough President. Her platform includes solutions for issues regarding the extreme inequality her borough is facing, a bold plan to increase affordable housing, and support for expanded open spaces to make Manhattan more secure, vibrant, and livable. Check out https://lindseyfornewyork.com to learn more!

Tremaine S. Wright is an attorney, entrepreneur, small business owner and activist who is a second-generation Bedford Stuyvesant resident invested in preserving the rich legacy of her community and building a strong foundation for the future. Tremaine was elected to the New York State Assembly on November 8, 2016. She serves the 56th Assembly District of Brooklyn, NY which represents the Bedford-Stuyvesant and Northern Crown Heights neighborhoods. She is Chair of New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus and Chair of the Assembly Subcommittee on Foster Care. She is a graduate of Duke University and the University of Chicago Law School. She has practiced law at Brooklyn Legal Services and private law firms. While working as an attorney at major law firms, Tremaine served as a pro bono lawyer for the Volunteers of Legal Services’ Incarcerated Mothers Project. Through this project, Tremaine advised mothers regarding their parental rights to protect their families. As a volunteer with the City Bar Association’s Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project (NELP), Tremaine assisted small business owners and organized the Tompkins Avenue Merchants Association (TAMA). Tremaine also owned and operated Common Grounds: a Neighborhood Coffee House from March 2006 to September 2015. Tremaine realized that her neighborhood lacked an adequate number of eateries and gathering places. Her vision for that space gave birth to Common Grounds A Neighborhood Coffee House with an innovative prize winning business plan lauded by the Brooklyn Public Library. She set out to create a place that would answer that need as well as foster community, provide economic opportunity and enhance commercial activity. Common Grounds did it – it employed local talent, provided stability on a block that was riddled with illicit commerce and provided a place for various segments of our community to intersect and connect. The greatest success of Common Grounds is the impact it has had on the lives of the people who came through its doors in need, and departed full and encouraged. Common Grounds created tangible change in individuals, as well as in community economics. As a Safe Space, Common Grounds was widely recognized as a partner in community empowerment and social justice. As the former Chairwoman of Community Board 3, Tremaine fostered longstanding relationships with past and current elected officials, community leaders and a cross section of local residents committed to improving Central Brooklyn. She has served on CB3 for 13 years and previously held positions as the Executive Secretary, Treasurer and Budget Coordinator. Tremaine still lives on the same block where her grandparents raised their family. She has dedicated her career to empowering and creating opportunities for her neighbors and her community.

The Impact Of Sisterhood

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 11:30:00 +0000

Amanda Seales is a comedian and creative visionary. You know her as, “Tiffany DuBois” of HBO’s Insecure and her debut stand up special, “I Be Knowin”. She is a former cohost on daytime talk show, “The Real”, host of NBCs “Bring the Funny,” and hosted the groundbreaking 2020 BET Awards. She is the creator/host of the hella successful touring and now virtual, variety game show, “Smart Funny & Black” owner of its namesake Smart Funny & Black Entertainment, and recently launched the membership community app, “SFB Society” which through vibes, jokes, and facts provides a safe space for folks to be their whole black selves. A Jedi Khaleesi with a patronus that’s a Black Panther with wings, Amanda Seales continues to keep audiences laughing, thinking, and living in their truth!

Aminah Imani is a stand-up comedian, host, and actor who can be seen nightly at reputable comedy clubs and venues in New York city. Aminah’s notable performance at her alma mater, Howard University's Homecoming Comedy Show paved the way for career highlights including; 2018 Carolines on Broadway March Madness Comedy competition, the DC Comedy Festival, Skankfest Comedy Festival, online content with Buzzfeed and television appearances on Viceland. Aminah currently produces the Wine Before Nine podcast and hosts a weekly comedy show in New York, Comedy at the Knitting Factory.

Fascism Done Poorly

Wed, 18 Nov 2020 11:00:00 +0000

Dominique Witten- What is there to know about Dominique Witten? Well, if you’re interested in high-powered comedy, everything. From headlining comedy clubs, to showing-out on television, Dominique is a seasoned face of funny in America. She’s created laughs on stages across the world, including NBC’s Last Comic Standing, HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, Comedy Central’s “The Chappelle Show,” O.W.N’S “Herlarious,” the Adult Swim television shows “Black Jesus” and “Tropical Cop Tales,” and in the film Tyler Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween. Her stand-up special “Stop Me When I’m Lying” (2017) is available on Amazon Prime. After switching careers from postal work to comedy, Dominique quickly gained notoriety for telling it like it is, raw and uncut. In the pre-internet world, Dominique’s fan-base grew quickly and word of her talent drew attention from HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam.” After a strong performance on Def Jam, Dominique moved to New York City to perform amongst the best of the best. Before long, Dominique became a fixture of New York’s comedy scene, performing alongside comics like Chris Rock and Dave Chapelle. During a chance encounter at a small comedy club, Dominique impressed “30 Rock” and “SNL” star Tracy Morgan, who immediately made Dominique the opening act for his “Caroline’s on Broadway” show. Since then, Dominique has wowed audiences all over the world, and is now based in Los Angeles, California. In addition to stand-up and television, Dominique has drawn laughs from radio audiences across America during a regular segment on the “Tom Joyner Morning Show.” From this platform, Dominique became known as the “people’s champ,” a comedian who speaks for the common man and woman of America.

A Chicago Shero

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 11:00:00 +0000

Bonus Ep For Your Election Stress

Fri, 06 Nov 2020 11:00:00 +0000

After switching careers from postal work to comedy, Dominique quickly gained notoriety for telling it like it is, raw and uncut. In the pre-internet world, Dominique’s fan-base grew quickly and word of her talent drew attention from HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam.” After a strong performance on Def Jam, Dominique moved to New York City to perform amongst the best of the best. Before long, Dominique became a fixture of New York’s comedy scene, performing alongside comics like Chris Rock and Dave Chapelle. During a chance encounter at a small comedy club, Dominique impressed “30 Rock” and “SNL” star Tracy Morgan, who immediately made Dominique the opening act for his “Caroline’s on Broadway” show. Since then, Dominique has wowed audiences all over the world, and is now based in Los Angeles, California.

In addition to stand-up and television, Dominique has drawn laughs from radio audiences across America during a regular segment on the “Tom Joyner Morning Show.” From this platform, Dominique became known as the “people’s champ,” a comedian who speaks for the common man and woman of America.

Election 2020 Chat With Friends Like Us

Wed, 04 Nov 2020 11:00:00 +0000

Dr. Christina Greer is a writer and professor of political science at Fordham University Lincoln Center, and was the 2018 McSilver Institute Fellow at NYU. She is the author of Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream, and has been published in several print outlets and academic journals, including theGrio, where she is the politics editor. She is the featured educator in six Ted-Ed lessons, one of which, “Does Your Vote Count? The Electoral College Explained,” has over two million views, as well as videos on Ida B Wells Barnett, James Baldwin, and Bayard Rustin. She is the host of The Aftermath and The Counter on ozy.com, and cohost of FAQ-NYC, a NYC centered podcast. She also makes appearances on MSNBC and NPR's WNYC.

Aparna Nancherla is a comedian, writer, and actress who can currently be seen on Comedy Central's Corporate and Space Force on Netflix. Additional acting credits include roles on A Simple Favor, You’re Not a Monster, Crashing, High Maintenance, Master of None, Two Woke Girls, and Inside Amy Schumer. In 2016, she released her debut album, Just Putting It Out There and was named one of The50 Funniest People Right Now by Rolling Stone in 2017. In 2018, she was featured on Netflix’s The Standups and co-hosted the Women’s March Rally in New York City. Nancherla has written for Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell and Late Night with Seth Meyers. She is the voice of Meena on Mira, Royal Detective, Hollyhock on BoJack Horseman, and Moon on The Great North.

Breast Cancer Awareness Saves Black Lives

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Dr. Kathie-Ann Joseph is a surgeon and researcher at New York University Langone Health where she specializes in breast surgery and oncology surgery. Joseph is also the chief of breast surgery at Bellevue Medical Center, where she was recognized in 2015 as Bellevue's Physician of the Year. Joseph works to reduce disparities in cancer care in order to improve health care for individuals in need. Specifically, Joseph focuses on developing programs that will help African-American women to address their needs in breast cancer prevention and care. She is also studying the effects of a cell surface receptor molecule called RAGE which appears to play a role in tumor growth.

Dr. Joseph is the first African-American woman to be appointed to the faculty at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center in the Department of Surgery. She has presented before the President's Cancer Panel, an advisory board to the President of the United States. and has advised the New York State Cancer Consortium on the development of its cancer control plan. In 2009, Essence magazine included her among the year's 25 Most Influential African Americans.

Dr. Kelly Bay is a functional medicine practitioner in Midtown Manhattan with an evidence based, comprehensive approach to improve health and wellness.. She received her Doctor of Chiropractic, Master's in Human Nutrition with a focus in Functional Medicine and Bachelor of Science in General Studies: Natural Sciences & Mathematics degrees from the University of Bridgeport. Dr. Bay has additional licenses as a clinical nutrition specialist and certified dietician nutritionist. She has worked with various HIV nonprofit organizations, providing functional protocols for HIV patients with health issues such as: diabetes, IBS, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, cancer and several other HIV related comorbidities. Dr. Bay received an award from the LGBT Network, along with congressional recognition, in December 2019, for her innovative functional medicine approaches aimed at improving the health status of HIV+ individuals. She also recently co-founded a non-profit organization aimed at continued functional and regenerative medicine research and education, called The Foundation of Regenerative and Functional Medicine.

Shauna Lane is a New York City based actress and comedian known for her appearances on Comedy Central, MTV, and Sirius XM. Shauna studied with the legendary Wynn Handman and has graced the stage at the New York Comedy Festival, The 10,000 Laughs Festival in Minneapolis, The Ct. Comedy Festival and the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal.

A Malcom X 'By Any Means Necessary' Episode

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Tamara Payne is the co-author of The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X written with her father, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Les Payne. Tamara was the principle researcher for her father (while working in commercial real estate). After Les Payne’s sudden passing in 2018, Tamara made it her purpose to finish his life’s work. The Dead Are Arising has been selected as a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award and will be released on October 20th wherever books are sold.

Veniece Antoinette is a Podcaster, Content Creator, and Influencer. Veniece found herself on her first podcast, Talk Hvy, in 2014, where she joined fellow co-hosts to discuss pop culture, music, relationships, debate controversial topics, and interview entertainers. Since then, Veniece went to birth “Sip & Spill” in 2016 with her best friend. They Sip on drinks while Spilling the tea on dating and relationships. Veniece and her co-host, Amber, discuss dating from 2 single black millennial women's perspectives and interview men in the entertainment industry to get their honest (tipsy) opinions. Veniece is also known for her infamous TikTok, where she's managed to go viral several times and gained over 200K fans who love to watch her reactions and other comical content. Veniece is known for her passionate, opinionated, and comical point of views. She has been interviewed and guest starred on several shows talking abut current events, dating, hip-hop, sports, sex, and more! While obtaining her Master's in TV & Media Management, she had the opportunity to work with several podcasts production and marketing efforts. The most notable being the “Confronting: O.J. Simpson” podcast which went on to list as the No. 1 podcast for Apple Podcasts.

Suzette Simon is the founder of NYLaughs (NYL), a 501(c)3 performing arts nonprofit dedicated to enriching the lives of New Yorkers through laughter and deepening an appreciation of stand up comedy as a unique NY cultural asset by producing free comedy programming in public spaces. For the past 13 years, NYL has offered live comedy performances to diverse audiences in welcoming, accessible public spaces to target populations that might not otherwise have access to or experience with premier live artistic comedic entertainment. It's signature summer series, "Laughter in the Park," is the only program of its kind and NYL estimates having entertained over 25,000 New Yorkers and visitors. Each year it creates a vital space for residents to come together using comedy to explore the most critical issues of our city and times. Though, “Laughter in the Park 2020” was postponed due to Covid-19, NYL was still able to host an online, accessible show called “Laughter in Lockdown.” Connecting through comedy improves the mental and physical health of New Yorkers and acts as a community-building opportunity for those who need it most while also encouraging comedy's next generation and providing greater opportunities for comedic artists to grow their audiences and influence. Suzette also created the #STRONGBLACKBOOBS initiative as a place for others to go for breast cancer information based on her experiences, comedy, self-esteem boosters and support for communities of color. After losing her mother to breast cancer 30 years ago and then being diagnosed herself she has made it her goal to use this comedic, empowering approach on social media to raise awareness for communities of color and breast health.

Cancel Comedian Culture

Wed, 14 Oct 2020 10:30:00 +0000

Judy Gold has had stand-up specials on HBO, Comedy Central and LOGO. She has written and starred in two critically acclaimed, Off-Broadway hit shows: The Judy Show – My Life as a Sitcom (Outer Critics Circle Nomination), and 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother (GLAAD Media Award – Outstanding NY Theater, Drama Desk Nomination – Actor). Judy received rave reviews as Gremio in The Public Theater’s all female production of The Taming of The Shrew for Shakespeare in the Park. She also co-starred in Off-Broadway’s Clinton! The Musical, and Disaster! The Musical. Judy plays the role of Chaya on FX’s Better Things. She guest starred on CBS’ Madame Secretary and on the Showtime series I’m Dying Up Here. She has had recurring roles Netflix’s Friends from College and TBS’ Search Party. Judy is the host of the hit podcast, Kill Me Now. She has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Tonight Show. From 1999-2010, Judy was the host of HBO’s At the Multiplex with Judy Gold. Judy also won two Emmy awards for writing and producing The Rosie O’Donnell Show. Judy has made numerous appearances on The View, The Today Show, The Wendy Williams Show, and The Steve Harvey Show. She often pops up on The Food Network, but please do not mention Chopped All Stars to her, or Rachel vs. Guy for that matter. Judy’s newest comedy album, Conduct Unbecoming, and her previous albums, Kill Me Now and Judith’s Roommate Had a Baby are available wherever you get your music. Judy Gold is the author of YES I CAN SAY THAT – When They Come for the Comedians We’re All in Trouble, released this July from Dey Street Books.

Nika King’s talents as a comedian and actor are versatile and dynamic. King is best known for her comedic abilities but in her new breakout role playing Leslie, on the Emmy winning HBO series Euphoria opposite Zendaya and Storm Reid, King showcases a much more dramatic side of herself. In this role, King pulls from her early life in the projects of Liberty City watching her mother and uncles battle addiction and triumphantly overcoming. It is from that resolve and resilience that King offers a dramatic perspective and newfound depth in this role. Watching her mother work hard as a postal worker while battling and defeating addiction shaped King’s perseverance. Her passion for performance started at the early age of five years old. Armed with a silly sense of humor, King started reciting cheeky poems by Langston Hughes. After graduating from the University of Florida (Go Gators!) with a degree in Theatre Performance, King went on to hone her comedy improv skills at the Groundlings Improv School. King’s comedy has landed her roles on Kevin Hart’s Guide to Black, 2 Broke Girls and the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal, Canada. She's also produced and wrote on the hilarious web series Funny Married Stuff and her podcast King Confessions. Striving to be more than just an actor, King created Jeli, a technology company that reimagines Hollywood through diversity and inclusion. It’s a platform for people of color to navigate the entertainment industry in a supported way by connecting with industry leaders to develop their personal roadmap to success. For more information, visit www.jeli.life

Bonus Episode: Straddling Justice

Fri, 09 Oct 2020 10:30:00 +0000

Irene Bremis is a comedian, radio host and podcaster. A regular on Sirius XM, she also is the cohost of Mother May I Podcast With Frank & Irene on youtube & #Suckittt with Jennifer Esposito & Irene Bremis everywhere where pods live. You can also get her album Unladylike out now everywhere! http://800pgr.lnk.to/Irene

Isis Millward is a former investigator of police misconduct. For six years she owned and operated a small hotel in the Afro-Caribbean town of Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. Today she is a social worker in Chicago and working toward having a private psychotherapy practice.

Stand Up Comedy And Healing Spaces

Wed, 07 Oct 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Tasmania’s own Hannah Gadsby stopped stand-up comedy in its tracks with her multi award winning show, Nanette, which played to sold out houses in Australia, the UK and New York. Its launch on Netflix, and subsequent Emmy win, took Nanette (and Hannah) to the world. Hannah’s difficult second album (which was also her eleventh solo show) was named Douglas after her dog. Hannah walked Douglas around the world, selling out the Royal Festival Hall in London, the Opera House in Sydney and the Kennedy Center in DC, a sit down run in New York and shows across the US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Douglas was an Emmy nominated smash hit, moving beyond the trauma at the centre of Nanette and instead letting the world see the view from Hannah’s brain – one that sees the world differently but with breathtaking clarity. The show covered Hannah’s autism diagnosis, cleared up some confusion regarding a penguin, lectured some great masters, and saw the patriarchy needled with various levels of vigour. Douglas is available throughout the world on Netflix, recorded in Los Angeles. Hannah has done plenty of other things over the course of more than a decade in comedy, but that will do for now.

Lisa Renee Pitts is an actress with many credits to her name. Her off-Broadway and Regional Theater credits include The Father (Pasadena Playhouse) starring Alfred Molina, Tiny Beautiful Things and Doubt (Portland Center Stage / Critics Circle Award) A Raisin in the Sun (Virginia Stage Company / NAACP Theater Award Nominee), Intimate Apparel (San Diego Rep / Critics Circle Award), and more. On Broadway she appeared in the Tony nominated play Sweat by Lynn Nottage. On film and television she’s taken on roles and projects like Dr. Dre’s mother, Verna, in Straight Outta Compton (Dir. F. Gary Gray) True to the Game 1 & 2 (Dirs. Preston Whitmore & Jamal Hill); Baselines (Dir Nate Parker) XX (Dir. Karyn Kusama); and Her (Dir. Spike Jones). And up next, Lisa will appear in Stephen King's "The Stand" based on his best selling novel starring Whoopi Goldberg. As a multi-award winning narrator Lisa has narrated well over 100 audiobooks spanning all genres. Lisa holds a BFA degree from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. LisaReneePitts.com "victory"

Keisha Zollar is a writer-actress-comedienne who is a writer on Sketchy Times with Lilly Singh. She's previously been staffed as the Writing Supervisor at Busy Tonight and as a writer on The Opposition with Jordan Klepper on Comedy Central. In addition, her comedy group Astronomy Club had a sketch show on Netflix and a digital series with Comedy Central (Vulture Best New Comedy Series 2018). As an actor Keisha has been seen on Netflix’s Orange is the New Black, Comedy Central, Nightcap, Middle of the Night, The Today Show, CollegeHumor, TVLand, FunnyorDie, IAF.tv, AboveAverage, MSNBC, MTV, and UCBComedy. As an actress, Keisha played the role of Sarah in Believe Her, a short about the moments after sexual assault. She has been featured by Glamour magazine, Fast Company, Paste magazine, etc, and has written for Bitch Flicks, FemSplain, and more.

Do It Till You're Satisfied

Wed, 30 Sep 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Zainab Johnson, a stand-up comedian, actress, and writer is quickly being propelled as one of the most unique and engaging performers on stage and screen. Zainab was named one of Variety’s Top 10 Comics To Watch in 2019, she hosted one of the host for Netflix's new show "100 Humans", she can be seen as a series regular on the new upcoming series from Greg Daniels a half hour comedy titled “Upload” an Amazon original series premiering May 1st, and she made her first late night stand up appearance on NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers. Zainab had a breakout appearance on HBO’s All Def Comedy (2017) and has made appearances on NBC’s Last Comic Standing (2014), Arsenio (2014), BET’s Comic View (2014), AXSTV’s Gotham Comedy Live! and just recently starred in a new web series titled Avant-Guardians. She is a regular at the Improv Comedy Club in LA and the Comedy Cellar in NY. Zainab has performed in the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival as one of the 2014 New Faces of Comedy and returned numerous times since. She also had a breakout performance at the Melbourne Comedy Festival in 2018.

Africa Miranda is an author, actress, host, digital personality, and beautyprenuer who fuses her vast cultural encounters and uncommon creativity to bring the world her unique perspective. She was the first brand ambassador to partner with international hair company Creme of Nature. This opportunity afforded Africa several international campaigns as a model and actress plus partnerships with major brands such as Refinery29, Macy’s, TJ Maxx, and Kia Motors America to name a few. Since then, she has written her first book titled Step Up, Step Out, and Shine in which she encourages individuals to tap into their higher selves. In addition, Africa landed a highly-coveted partnership with Facebook Watch in which she hosted and executively produced The Africa Miranda Show. She has been featured in a myriad of popular media outlets such as Vanity Fair, iOne Digital, BUILD Series, XO Necole, Womensweardaily.com, Ebony.com, and Essence.com. Africa’s global travels coupled with her 15-year beauty career as the face of major brands prompted her to bring the world Beauty by Africa Miranda. This glamorous, yet affordable beauty lifestyle line was designed with the everyday woman in mind. Each product or “beauty souvenir” is inspired by a specific stop on Africa’s travel journey. In just a short amount of time, Beauty by Africa Miranda has garnered the attention of many including features in Essence Magazine, Rollingout.com, Yahoo Style & Beauty, and BET.com. Africa was born in Boston, Massachusetts and raised in Montgomery, Alabama. She graduated from Alabama State University.

Salone Monet is a New York City-based entrepreneur. Salone studied shoe making in Brooklyn where she made her first pair of nude heels. This then propelled into Pedestals NY, Salone’s clothing company specializing in nude heels for women of color. Each pair of Salone Monet heels is designed in New York and handcrafted in Italy.

Anti-Bullying Campaign With Makaila Nichols

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Makaila Nichols - At age 22, Makaila is a best-selling author of “Blatantly Honest: Normal Teen, Abnormal Life.” In her book, she shares her personal struggles with issues teens may encounter such as: bullying, body image, sexual assault, peer pressure and more. To meet the needs of her younger audience, she has also created two children's coloring books focused on anti-bullying and positive body image: "Buddies Don't Bully" and "Every Body is Beautiful." Thanks to generous sponsors from Central Florida, Makaila and her sponsors have donated over 10,000 coloring books to over 18 elementary schools. In 2021, Makaila’s anti-bullying organization, The Blatantly Honest Foundation will be participating in a mission to the moon to help end bullying at home. To reach an even larger audience, Makaila has developed a YouTube & podcast channel that focuses on changing the stigmas behind teen social issues. She is able to accomplish this by chatting with celebrities, influencers and experts about their own struggles and triumphs. Makaila also shares her story in person. She travels the country to speak to elementary, middle and high school students about bullying, body image, sexual assault, mental health and suicide prevention. Aside from working with the youth, she also hosts events to provide insight for parents, teachers, organizations and more.

Sydnee Washington (@Justsydnyc) is a comedian, actor, and very hot model based in New York. She co-hosts both The Unofficial Expert podcast and Comedy at the Knitting Factory on Sundays. She also recently completed the Comedy Central Digital Creators Program and appeared on Comedy Central’s 2018 Up Next stand-up showcase series.

Your Black Friends Are Tired

Wed, 16 Sep 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Terence Rosemore - Born in Great Falls Montana and raised in New Orleans, Mr. Rosemore is an Actor and Filmmaker who has over 150 TV/Film credits both in front of and behind the camera. His TV credits include Queen Sugar, Treme, True Detectives, Outer Banks and Roots. His film credits include Triple 9, The Nice Guys, Guardians of The Galaxy Vol 2 and Just Mercy. Recent projects include directing and producing the feature film Different Worlds, a joint U.S./Nigerian production. Upcoming producing projects include 3rd World, Karma, The Smiths, and the horror/thriller Maw-Maw.

Jerod Haynes is an award-winning actor from Chicago. Haynes has appeared in multiple TV shows such as NBCs “The Village”, “Empire”, “Sense 8”, “Crisis”, and currently on the History Channel in Robert Zemeckis’s show “Project Blue Book”. Haynes has appeared in such independent films such as “Consumed” and “Animals,” as well as Sundance hit “Southside with You”. Haynes co-wrote and produced “Blueprint” which tackles the trauma a young man encounters once his best friend is murdered by police. Jerod was honored in 2015 with the Jeff Award for his performance in a principal role in the Chicago play “Native Son,” in which he reprised his role at Yale Rep in Fall 2017. He recently starred in Netflix and Blumhouse Production “Benji.” In 2019 he also appeared in HBOs production of Richard Wright’s “Native Son,” directed by Rashid Johnson.

For The Love Of Algorithms

Wed, 09 Sep 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Daphnique Springs is a Stand-Up Comedienne who has featured For Martin Lawrence and Toured with Katt Williams on his Born Again...Again Tour. A 2018 JFL Montreal “New Face Repped” She is the 2015 Winner of the She-Devil Festival in New York City, NY. 2016 ABFF Comedy Wings Sponsored by HBO Winner. Multi-talented comedienne, Daphnique Springs, is a Florida native living in LA. She is bursting onto the comedy scene with wit and versatility. Intelligent and biting, Daphnique's comedy is dark, honest, and still relatable. Ranging from personal experiences/subjects to social commentary, she has a unique blend of witty and pointed sarcasm which makes her a favorite among audiences. From the stage, Daphnique conveys ease and a confidence that engages audiences and leads to an unpredictable, unprecedentedly hilarious show. Springs has been featured in a variety of roles on shows such as, Inside Jokes (Amazon Prime), This Joka (Quibi) And The Comedy Get Down (BET).

Yamaneika Saunders has been captivating audiences with her dynamic stage presence for over a decade and across the entire country. Born and raised in Baltimore, MD, Yamaneika has since tackled both the New York and LA comedy scene by combining her high energy improv skills with a unique vulnerable perspective on life. This mix forces her to go beyond the typical humor one would expect to hear, and allows her to connect to audiences from any background. A semi-finalist on Last Comic Standing, one of the stars of Funny Girls on Oxygen and panelist on The Meredith Vieira Show, Yamaneika is finally bringing her talents to the world stage; let’s just hope they can handle her….Prior to that Yamaneika was a series regular on Comedy Central's animated online series In Security. Yamaneika has been a guest star on shows including but not limited to HBO’s Crashing, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Comedy Central's The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, and TruTV shows Comedy Knockout and Friends of the People. Her voiceover work can be heard on Inside Amy Schumer. Her stand-up has been featured on Netflix and Season 2 of Jeff Ross's Roast Battle on Comedy Central. Yamaneika has comedy specials on Comedy Central and Netflix’s “Degenerates,” and you can get her new comedy album: “Damsel In Distress!” You can also hear her on her weekly podcast Rantin' and Ravin'.

Kim Coles Visits Friends Like Us

Wed, 02 Sep 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Kim Coles - As a beloved multifaceted actress, comedian, author and speaker, Kim Coles has delighted audiences all over the world for over 32 years including ground-breaking shows like In Living Color and Living Single. A sought after online academy teacher and intuitive strategic coach, Kim also guides women on the incredible healing journey Broadcasting their Brilliance by telling and leveraging their own authentic stories to inspire others to learn, laugh and leave their own powerful legacy. Her 3rd book “Open Your G.I.F.T.S” is an Amazon Bestseller. Website: www.kimcoles.tv

Sam Jay - Originally from Boston, stand-up comic Sam Jay is an Emmy Nominated Writer for “Saturday Night Live” and frequently appears in sketches. In 2018 she made her Netflix debut on “The Comedy Lineup” and released her Debut Album “Donna’s Daughter.” She wrote for the “2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards” and has a recurring role on TV Land’s “Nobodies”. In 2017, Sam was a standout of the “Just For Laughs: New Faces.” She was the host of “Ricking Morty”, the Rick and Morty post-show on Adult Swim and she was a cast member of MTV’s “SafeWord.” Sam made her late night television debut on ABC’s Late Night with Jimmy Kimmel and her half-hour stand-up special premiered on Comedy Central. She was named to the Comedy Central “Comics To Watch List” in 2015, and has since performed at the Vodafone Dublin Comedy Festival, Bumbershoot Festival, 208 Comedy Festival, New York Comedy Festival, Portland’s Bridgetown Festival, The Laugh Your Asheville Off Comedy Festival, Boston’s Women In Comedy Festival, and the list goes on.

Her credits also include a part in the award-winning film “Pinsky”, Starz’ “Take My Wife”, Comedy Central’s “White Flight”, “The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail”, as well as Viceland’s “Party Legends” & “Flophouse.” Her hour-long stand-up special “3 in the Morning” is now available on Netflix.

Kyle Grooms has his own half-hour special on Comedy Central. He’s made multiple appearances on VH1, NBC, BET, CBS HBO, the famed “Chappelle’s Show.” and the film, “I Feel Pretty” with Amy Schumer. In 2019, Kyle suffered a seizure, which led to emergency brain surgery. However he did not let that detour him, He released a standup special 2020 documenting his ordeal. “Kyle Grooms: Brain Humor” is receiving stellar reviews Amazon Prime. His first album, “The Legend of the Jersey Devil,” was named one of iTunes “Top 100 Comedy albums of 2009”. He was also voted “Best Comedian of 2018” by Miami News Times. Kyle delivers an honest and intelligent view of the world, while giving an intimate look into his own life experiences growing up in the American melting pot. With his many accomplishments as Comedian, Actor and writer, he continues to perform at some of the top comedy clubs in the world including, Gotham, The Comedy Cellar, the Comic strip, and Caroline’s in New York. Laugh Factory, Improv, Comedy Store, Los Angeles. Borgata Casino, Atlantic City. The Stand, Scotland. Kung Fu Komedy, China. Comedy Masala, Singapore and Pakistan.

The Vagina Mask

Wed, 26 Aug 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Chaunte Wayans - As seen on her 2019 Netflix comedy special ‘They Ready’ produced by Wanda Sykes and Tiffany Haddish, Chaunte Wayans is a voice to be heard. Wayans is a nationally touring headlining comedian and actor and has toured with Tiffany Haddish, Katt Williams, Russell Peters, and appeared on AJ and The Queen on Netflix, Wild N’ Out, and Laff Tracks. As a stage performer, Wayans was in the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway production, Collective Rage: 5 Betties In A Play alongside Lea DeLaria, Dana Delaney, Ana Villafane, and Adina Verson. She has appeared on WTF with Marc Maron, The Breakfast Club, The Lez Factor, Riffin with Eric Griffin, Girl Talk and more. She’s been featured in Essence, Forbes, The Los Angeles Times, The Grio, to name a few. Wayans is a proud member of the Wayans family legacy. She grew up in New York City and currently resides in LA with her dog Shiva. Follow them on Instagram @cwayans.

Kenice Mobley is a standup comedian and filmmaker who lives in Brooklyn, New York. Kenice performs stand up comedy around the world and recently participated in the Women in Comedy Festival, 10,000 Laughs Festival and the Brooklyn Comedy Festival this year. She also appeared on Laughs on FOX and SiriusXM and was recently featured as the comedian of the week in Vulture. She hosts Love About Town, an interview and relationship podcast available as part of the Women In Comedy Podcast Network and the Brain Machine Network. She produces The Pasta Show, The Lab, and Nothing Important stand up shows in Brooklyn.

New Hope For Public Safety

Wed, 19 Aug 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Pamela Villa Kundu is a Bloomberg Public Health Fellow at Johns Hopkins and the Director of Development at BronxConnect. Pam focuses on strategy, development, and cross-functional initiatives to reduce youth incarceration and advance community-based, humane models of juvenile and criminal justice. In her free time, Pam loves spending time with her husband and their new rescue dog, a black Borador from Puerto Rico.

Nina Kharoufeh is a Producer for various different platforms including Sirius XM, MSNBC’s Joy Ann Reid, and even Fox News. She also launched her very first children’s book called “I’m a Princess Too” available right now on Amazon. Nina has MC’ed events big and small from Charity Galas to Fashion Shows! You’ve seen her on the Food Network's "Worst Cooks in America w/ Bobby Flay," but you can watch her perform on stages all across America.

Amy Schumer Visits Friends Like Us

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Amy Schumer is an Emmy-winning and Golden Globe-nominated standup comedian, actress, writer, producer and director. In 2013, Schumer created, starred, wrote and executive-produced the award-winning Comedy Central show “Inside Amy Schumer”. In 2015, Schumer’s Universal Pictures film Trainwreck dominated the worldwide box office as the hit summer comedy and in 2018 she starred in the STX comedy I Feel Pretty.

In 2016, Schumer was nominated for a Tony for her role in Steve Martin’s “Meteor Shower.” In 2017, she became a The New York Times bestselling author and Grammy nominee with the release of her first book The Girl with The Lower Back Tattoo.

She has released a variety of comedy specials including “The Leather Special (Netflix),” “Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo (HBO),” and most recently the Emmy-nominated “Amy Schumer: Growing (Netflix).” Often touring theaters and arenas all over the world, Schumer is the only female comic to headline Madison Square Garden. Her podcast, Amy Schumer Presents: 3 Girls, 1 Keith premiered its fifth season on Spotify this past March and she also premiered a new cooking show, Amy Schumer Learns to Cook, with her husband Chris Fischer who is an award-winning chef on the Food Network this past May. The show will also premiere additional episodes on The Food Network this August.

Most recently, Schumer’s documentary Expecting Amy premiered on HBO Max. The docuseries takes viewers behind-the-scenes as Amy battles through an extraordinarily difficult pregnancy, while documenting the formation of her latest comedy special.

Next up, Schumer will star in Stephen Karam’s The Humans and Hulu’s comedy series Life and Beth, which she will star in, write, direct and executive produce.

Abbi Crutchfield has been seen on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee on TBS, Broad City on Comedy Central, and she hosted You Can Do Better on TruTV. Her jokes on Twitter are consistently featured on best of lists by publications such as Paste Magazine and The Huffington Post. She has trained at the renowned Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre, taught at the People’s Improv Theater, and she tours nationally with her stand-up.

Gratitude For The People

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Prachi Gupta is a journalist based in New York City. According to Bill O'Reilly, she writes for morons, and Donald Trump says she's a "non-intelligent reporter." Her book about Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is out now. She's interviewed Ivanka Trump on her paid leave policy proposal, interviewed former First Lady Michelle Obama on her first solo trip to the Middle East, and traveled to Jordan to report on the refugee crisis. Her work has been covered by outlets like the Columbia Journalism Review, Vox.com, Adweek, and featured in a Channel 4 Documentary. Her essay "Stories About my Brother" in Jezebel won a 2020 Writers Guild Award.

Eman El-Husseini - A Canadian, a Palestinian, a Muslim, and a lesbian walk into a bar … ladies and gentlemen, it’s just Eman El-Husseini. Yes, she’s all those catastrophic identities rolled into one — her life is a current event. From the Muslim ban to Palestinian rights and marriage equality to the ice cream truck that insists on parking in front of her building, it’s all happening and it’s happening to her, especially. Strap in and get comfortable, Eman has a lot to work through. In her decade-long comedy career, Eman has headlined across Canada, opened for Patton Oswalt, and recorded her first comedy album, “Unveiled,” which can be heard regularly on SiriusXM Radio. She currently lives in New York City, legally, thank you very much.

In Honor Of John Lewis's Good Trouble

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Dr. Janus Adams is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, historian, entrepreneur, bestselling author of eleven books, and the host of public radio’s “The Janus Adams Show” and podcast. A frequent on-air guest, she has appeared on ABC, BET, CBS, CNN, Fox News, NBC’s The Today Show, and NPR’s All Things Considered. With more than 500 articles, essays and columns to her credit, her work has been featured in Essence and Ms. Magazines, The New York Times, Newsday, USA Today, and The Washington Post. Her syndicated column ran in the Hearst Newspapers for sixteen years. Her commentary has been broadcast on CBS and NPR, and published in the Huffington Post. Her book, Glory Days: 365 Inspired Moments in African American History, was licensed by McDonald’s and reached more than 3 million readers. A pioneer of issue-oriented African-American and women’s programming she has hosted her own radio and television talk shows for more than ten years. Her series, “Milestones in African-American Business History,” ran on public radio’s Marketplace. Her 19-hour International Women’s Day marathon broadcasts brought her to NPR as the network’s first National Arts Correspondent and opened the New York News Bureau. An entrepreneur, as founder of BackPax (a children’s publishing company) and Harambee (the first national book club for African American literature), she changed the publishing landscape for authors and audiences. A dynamic speaker and passionate storyteller, she is known for her unique perspectives on current events through the lens of history. Indeed, Dr. Adams has been engaged by history and culture since childhood. A northern school desegregation pioneer at 8, she was one of the four children selected to break New York’s de facto segregation in the public schools in the wake of Brown v. Board of Education. A classically-trained pianist, she is a graduate of New York’s High School of Performing Arts. Her master’s is the nation’s first graduate degree in Black Studies. Her doctoral chair was author and composer Shirley Graham Du Bois (widow of Dr. W. E. B. Du Bois, the “Father of Pan-Africanism” and co-founder of the NAACP). Her honors include Doctor of Humane Letters degrees from Shaw University and the State University of New York.

Charla Lauriston is a Los Angeles based stand-up comedian, television writer, producer, and podcast host who’s written for The Last OG, Ghosted, People of Earth, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and the upcoming Hoops on Netflix. As a standup, she’s appeared on ‘The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail’ on Comedy Central, has performed with Jonathan Van Ness and Team Coco. Hailing from New York by way of Boston by way of Haiti, Charla’s sharp observations on everything from family to race to pop culture and the absurd minutia of everyday life are delivered with a matter-of-fact punch to the gut. Her 2014 web series, Clench & Release, garnered critical acclaim that described her as “self-assured and gleefully sarcastic” (WNYC) and “one of the most exciting and original voices in comedy” (Splitsider). Yes, she’s very tired and plans to retreat to the woods in 2035.

Keisha "TK" Dutes is an independent audio producer and co-host of TK in The AM, recently celebrating 1000 episodes of live streaming morning radio on Bondfire Radio. With experience spanning terrestrial radio (WBAI-NY) , online, podcast (Buzzfeed's "Thirst Aid Kit") and audio drama, her life is in audio is all encompassing. TK's has a passion for Black audio drama, having produced W.E.B DuBois' The Comet, and The Weeksvile Project, a story about about a free Black community Brooklyn, N.Y. She also spreads the gospel of radio and podcasting through workshops and mentorship, and was recently listed on Current.org's "Black Talents in Public Media You Should Know." Currently, she is on the board of the Association of Independents in Radio, and works with Roxane Gay and Tressie McMillan-Cottom as an Executive Producing Consultant on their podcast, Hear To Slay on Luminary.

And Yet, Here We Are

Wed, 22 Jul 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Violet Gray is a stand up comic and podcaster based in Baltimore, MD. Featured on Night Train w/ Wyatt Cenac, her comedy is characterized by bizarre observations on everything from race, gender and politics, to sci-fi , fantasy and tabletop role-playing games. She has won the Pearl Next Superstar Comedian contest and is proud to be North Baltimore’s ONLY Dungeons & Dragons player.

Matteo Lane is a New York-based comedian whose stand-up special can be seen on Netflix’s THE COMEDY LINEUP. He has performed stand up on THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT, LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS, Comedy Central’s ADAM DEVINE’S HOUSE PARTY, THIS WEEK AT THE COMEDY CELLAR and THE COMEDY JAM, as well as HBO’s CRASHING. Fluent in five languages and with a singing range of six octaves, Matteo lived in Italy as an oil painter and opera singer before starting his comedy career.

Robb Leigh Davis is a writer/performer, residing in Brooklyn, New York. He is the former Director of Arts & Culture for the LGBT Center of NYC, and continues to work at the intersection of spirituality, sexuality and racial identity. He is creator of the performance series Meditation on a Theme (www.meditationonatheme.com), co-creator of the podcast Takin U Back, and has worked extensively with the NYC Department of Education overseeing arts education across the five boroughs. He continues to work as a consultant for community-based organizations providing arts education with a social justice lens, while developing new artistic works reflecting arts and politics.

Soy Boricua!

Wed, 15 Jul 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Sara Contreras, a top female comedian, actor, and writer since 1995—and one of Showtime’s 2008 ALMA-nominated (Best Comedy Special) Original Latin Divas of Comedy—continues to be a comedic showstopper at premier comedy clubs and venues across the country. Sara will be touring as part of the Latin Divas of Comedy 10th Anniversary tour in Florida in June and a Texas tour is yet to be announced. She will be sharing the stage with legendary comedian Paul Rodriguez and Last Comic Standing Winner Felipe Esparza in Honolulu. Sara regards her performance as part of the Not That Time of the Month all-female comedy tour in Iraq/Kuwait in March 2011 as the most rewarding experience of her professional life.

She is the Head Writer for Manhattan Neighborhood Network’s Colors of Rhina and has appeared as a commentator and writer for MTV3. Sara received an impressive N.Y. Times review for her work as a writer/monologist in the off-Broadway production Jose Can Speak in 2005. Her first screenplay Searching for Sosie is under consideration as a 6-part television mini-series, and her highly regarded one-woman show Lifelines was part of the NYC ONE Festival in 2012. She was also a creator and writer for Lugar Heights, a Latino animated series featured on Galavision.

Sara was cast for the television web-series All My Children in 2013. Television credits include Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle, 4 episodes on NBC’s Law & Order: SVU, Third Watch, and Conviction; Comedy Central’s Comic Groove; Metrochannel’s New Joke City; A& E’s American Comedy: What’s So Funny; ABC’s The View and New York Comedy Festival; SiTV’s Funny is Funny; and TNC’s Que Loco. Sara taped with Marlo Thomas for the web-series Auntie Marlo & Kate and Univision’s Spanish-language stand-up comedy special Los Locos y Revueltos. Film credits include Nick the Doorman (2012) with Nick Turturro and Close Your Eyes (2013), which was part of the Tribeca Film Festival.

Sara was a featured radio personality for the WRKS 98.7 Kiss Morning Show and has been a featured comedian for nationally syndicated radio personalities Luis Jimenez and Wendy Williams. Commercial work includes Mastercard and Fleet Bank. She can be seen performing on The Comedy Jump-Off and Only in The Hood DVDs, as well as Original Latin Divas of Comedy on Netflix. Sara was a participant in the Latin Producers Academy of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP). Sara has performed at the New York Comedy, Marshalls Women in Comedy, Urban Comedy, and the Toyota Comedy Festivals. She has been critically acclaimed for her work with the N.Y.-based “Sistas Doing Comedy,” D.C.-based “DiverCity,” and the L.A.-based “Hot & Spicy Tamales” comedy troupes.

The Comedy Express

Wed, 08 Jul 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Keith Robinson is the quintessential comedian’s comedian, admired by his fellow artists – his great art of inherently subverting his audience, shaking them out of their cozy assumptions to fresh perspectives sustains his comedic prominence. His commanding stage presence has gained him appearances on MTV, VH1, HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, TBS’s family comedy series Are We There Yet, The Chelsea Lately Show on E! and Late Night with Conan O’Brien. In his teens, Keith began cultivating his wit with his "back of the bus funny," subsequently working the comedy circuit in his hometown Philadelphia and securing a spot as one of the finalists on Ed McMahon’s Star Search. He did not take home the $100,000 prize, but his career as a comic and actor mushroomed. He now merits a coveted comedic and acting career on the stage, screen, and television. Keith’s impressive record of accomplishments include his self-titled special on Comedy Central, a standout regular on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, writer and central performer on The Wanda Sykes Show and writer for the Chappelle Show. He was seen in Kevin Hart's record-breaking movie, "Laugh at My Pain.” Most recently he can be seen in Judd Apatow’s movie “The King of Staten Island.” One of New York Comedy Cellar’s elite, where he frequently hosts, Keith Robinson has a reputation, best described by Cringe Humor for "being the best at impromptu zingers and one-liners that annihilate his colleagues." His first hour special, recorded live in New York at The Gramercy Theater: Kevin Hart presents Keith Robinson in Back of the Bus Funny, is now released on iTunes, Hulu, Amazon, and Google Play.

Zainab Johnson, a stand-up comedian, actress, and writer is quickly being propelled as one of the most unique and engaging performers on stage and screen.

Zainab was named one of Variety’s Top 10 Comics To Watch in 2019, she hosted one of the host for Netflix's new show "100 Humans", she can be seen as a series regular on the new upcoming series from Greg Daniels a half hour comedy titled “Upload” an Amazon original series premiering May 1st, and she made her first late night stand up appearance on NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers. Zainab had a breakout appearance on HBO’s All Def Comedy (2017) and has made appearances on NBC’s Last Comic Standing (2014), Arsenio (2014), BET’s Comic View (2014), AXSTV’s Gotham Comedy Live! and just recently starred in a new web series titled Avant-Guardians. She is a regular at the Improv Comedy Club in LA and the Comedy Cellar in NY. Zainab has performed in the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival as one of the 2014 New Faces of Comedy and returned numerous times since. She also had a breakout performance at the Melbourne Comedy Festival in 2018.

Ralph Harris is one of today’s hottest comedic and acting talents! He made his feature film debut in "Dreamgirls," a film that has struck gold (of the Golden Globe variety). Ralph’s jump to the big screen comes after years of successful television work, including appearances on "Seinfeld," "Parenthood," "Nick Freno," "Living Single" and "In Living Color." No stranger to late night, Ralph has been featured on "The Tonight Show Starring Jay Leno" and "Late Night with Conan O’Brien." However Ralph is probably best known for his starring role in the ABC-TV sitcom “On Our Own,” which aired during the immensely popular TGIF block on Friday nights, and which currently airs in syndication on TV One. You can also catch Ralph on TV in airings of his two previously recorded Cable TV specials – "Comedy Central Presents" and the "HBO Half-Hour Comedy Special." He also served as the Host of the Culinary Competition, “My Momma Throws Down” on the TVOne network. When he’s not filming, Ralph continues to tour the country and perform to sold-out audiences as a stand-up comedian, his first career and love.

The Firecrackers

Wed, 01 Jul 2020 10:00:00 +0000

She has performed on Comedy Central’s digital series Comics to Watch, Wyatt Cenac’s Night Train for Seeso, Laff Tracks for TruTV as well as being a panelist for Refinery 29/Facebook Watch’s After After Party and MTV News. Joyelle was selected for the 2018 FOX Comedy Showcase, was a finalist in NBC’s Stand Up for Diversity Showcase and has performed at festivals like Sketchfest, Bonnaroo, The New York Comedy Festival and Bumbershoot. And while transitioning to the headliner that she is today she regularly features for Hannibal Buress and has opened for Dave Chappelle, Maria Bamford & Russell Peters.

She also combines her dream of comedy and activism by touring with Daily Show creator Lizz Winstead’s Lady Parts Justice League

Yamaneika Saunders has been captivating audiences with her dynamic stage presence for over a decade and across the entire country. Born and raised in Baltimore, MD, Yamaneika has since tackled both the New York and LA comedy scene by combining her high energy improv skills with a unique vulnerable perspective on life. This mix forces her to go beyond the typical humor one would expect to hear, and allows her to connect to audiences from any background. A semi-finalist on Last Comic Standing, one of the stars of Funny Girls on Oxygen and panelist on The Meredith Vieira Show, Yamaneika is finally bringing her talents to the world stage; let’s just hope they can handle her….Prior to that Yamaneika was a series regular on Comedy Central's animated online series In Security. Yamaneika has been a guest star on shows including but not limited to HBO’s Crashing, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Comedy Central's The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, and TruTV shows Comedy Knockout and Friends of the People. Her voiceover work can be heard on Inside Amy Schumer. A former panelist on The Meredith Vieira Show, her stand-up has been featured on NBC's Last Comic Standing and Netflix, Season 2 of Jeff Ross's Roast Battle on Comedy Central. Yamaneika has comedy specials on Comedy Central and Netflix’s “Degenerates” , and you can get her new comedy album: “Damsel In Distress”! You can also hear her on her weekly podcast Rantin' and Ravin'.

Candidate Lindsey Boylan Visits Friends Like Us

Mon, 22 Jun 2020 21:55:16 +0000

Lindsey Boylan is a political activist and leader, running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. House of Representatives, in New York's 10th district in the 2020 elections. Boylan received her B.A. in Political Science from Wellesley College and then received her MBA from Columbia Business School.

Most recently, Boylan was Deputy Secretary for Economic Development and Special Advisor to NY Governor Andrew Cuomo, appointed by the governor. While there, she worked on some of the biggest issues facing New Yorkers, from helping to pass $15 minimum wage and paid family leave to developing workforce programs, creating jobs, and investing in small businesses. She also has experience dealing with emergency situations, and the economic aftermath. Part of her job in the Governor’s office was managing the Office of Storm Recovery. She led disaster relief in New York in Puerto Rico after Maria. The housing portfolio was also part of her responsibility. She fought for hundreds of millions of dollars of funding for NYCHA in the state budget after the federal government walked away.

Check out https://lindseyboylan.com to learn more!

All That Disparity and Inequality

Wed, 17 Jun 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Dominique Witten What is there to know about Dominique Witten? Well, if you’re interested in high-powered comedy, everything. From headlining comedy clubs, to showing-out on television, Dominique is a seasoned face of funny in America. She’s created laughs on stages across the world, including NBC’s Last Comic Standing, HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, Comedy Central’s “The Chappelle Show,” O.W.N’S “Herlarious,” the Adult Swim television shows “Black Jesus” and “Tropical Cop Tales,” and in the film Tyler Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween. Her stand-up special “Stop Me When I’m Lying” (2017) is available on Amazon Prime.

Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime), Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf

Time For Change Is Now

Wed, 10 Jun 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Michelle Buteau- Born in New Jersey to Caribbean parents, actress/comedian Michelle Buteau brings her unique perspective and big personality to stage and screen. Michelle has had stand-up specials on Netflix and Comedy Central, as well as an album called "Shut Up!", which was released on Comedy Central Records. She was also a featured comedian on the "2 Dope Queens" special for HBO. Last year, she shot the Netflix feature "Always Be My Maybe" with Ali Wong and Randall Park, a recurring role on "Tales of the City" for Netflix, and a leading role in the TV remake of "First Wives Club" for BET. Her other TV credits include "The Tick" on Amazon, "Broad City" and "Key & Peele" on Comedy Central, and "Enlisted" on FOX. In the podcast space, she produced and hosted the talk show "Late Night Whenever" for WNYC. She and Jordan Carlos’s popular live show "Adulting" will be a podcast for WNYC this year.

Charla Lauriston is a Los Angeles based stand-up comedian, television writer, producer, and podcast host who’s written for The Last OG, Ghosted, People of Earth, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and the upcoming Hoops on Netflix. As a standup, she’s appeared on ‘The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail’ on Comedy Central, has performed with Jonathan Van Ness and Team Coco. Hailing from New York by way of Boston by way of Haiti, Charla’s sharp observations on everything from family to race to pop culture and the absurd minutia of everyday life are delivered with a matter-of-fact punch to the gut. Her 2014 web series, Clench & Release, garnered critical acclaim that described her as “self-assured and gleefully sarcastic” (WNYC) and “one of the most exciting and original voices in comedy” (Splitsider). Yes, she’s very tired and plans to retreat to the woods in 2035.

Dominique Witten - What is there to know about Dominique Witten? Well, if you’re interested in high-powered comedy, everything. From headlining comedy clubs, to showing-out on television, Dominique is a seasoned face of funny in America. She’s created laughs on stages across the world, including NBC’s Last Comic Standing, HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, Comedy Central’s “The Chappelle Show,” O.W.N’S “Herlarious,” the Adult Swim television shows “Black Jesus” and “Tropical Cop Tales,” and in the film Tyler Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween. Her stand-up special “Stop Me When I’m Lying” (2017) is available on Amazon Prime.

America Can't Take Four More Years of Stupid

Wed, 03 Jun 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Subhah Agarwal has brought an honesty to her comedy that is refreshing, and at times a bit disturbing... but in a good way. Trust me. Subhah has written for"The Jim Jefferies Show"on Comedy Central, and "Comedy Knockout" on TruTv, amongst others. You can also catch her jokes live at stand up comedy clubs across the country. If you don't want to leave your couch, you can see her late night debut on NBC's "A Little Late With Lilly Singh." She will also be appearing on season three of HBO's "Westworld", as Ichtaca on TruTv's sketch comedy "Friends of the People", and as herself on MTV2, Comedy Central, and Gotham Comedy Live.

Dr. Christina Greer is a writer and professor of political science at Fordham University Lincoln Center, and was the 2018 McSilver Institute Fellow at NYU. She is the author of Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream, and has been published in several print outlets and academic journals. She is the featured educator in six Ted-Ed lessons, one of which, “Does Your Vote Count? The Electoral College Explained,” has over two million views, as well as videos on Ida B Wells Barnett, James Baldwin, and Bayard Rustin. She is the host of The Aftermath and The Counter on ozy.com, and cohost of FAQ-NYC, a NYC centered podcast. She also makes appearances on MSNBC and NPR's WNYC.

David Alan Grier, George Wallace, and Gina Yashere visit Friends Like Us

Wed, 27 May 2020 02:38:19 +0000

George Wallace By the age of six, George Wallace knew he wanted to be a comedian. He always enjoyed making people laugh, but he also knew the importance of an education. He attended the University of Akron, Ohio and upon graduating with degrees in Transportation, Marketing/Advertising, plus advance studies in Radio and Television from Columbia School of Broadcasting. Literally, a rags-to-riches story, Wallace went from selling rags to VP of Advertising. Still, his dream of being a comedian had a strong hold on him. Within a week of leaving the advertising field, he began to perform stand-up comedy and was offered a job writing for “The Redd Foxx Show.”

Wallace is currently pursuing dual coursework at University of Phoenix and DeVry.

With his writing and stand-up experience, Wallace began landing television appearances. Wallace was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2013 Soul Train/Centric Comedy All-Star Awards; and won Best Stand Up Comedian at the prestigious American Comedy Awards after four consecutive nominations.

As a veteran radio personality, he has also made appearances on “The Steve Harvey Morning Show” and is a charter member of “The Tom Joyner Morning Show.” In 2004 Wallace appeared as the headlining star of his own show at The Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas for a 30 day run. Sin City showed its admiration by extending Wallace’s contract indefinitely and nicknaming him “The New Mr. Vegas.” Unlike any other comedy show in Las Vegas, Wallace gave away a number of prizes every night including CDs, DVDs, diamond necklaces, dinner at prestigious restaurants, gourmet chocolates, tropical cruises and even a new car. He celebrated his 10th Anniversary headlining at the Flamingo in March 2014, announced he was closing the show to head back out on the road. Wallace regularly performs in comedy clubs across the country and is an ambassador for the United States government, performing at military bases all over the world. His first book, LAFF IT OFF (Chaite Press) was published in 2014. A tome of life wisdom, humor and insight from a lifetime of observation, the book is in its third printing.

Wallace’s most recognized material is his “I Be Thinkin’” lines and jokes about everything from conversational thoughts to political aspirations. Each show he engages members of the audience in comical banter. If provoked, he might even throw out a few of his signature “Yo Mama” jokes. He shows his gratitude to the audience by signing autographs and taking photos after every show. Audience members never know what will happen at the George Wallace show. Wallace is an evolving comedian, which is why his show is different every night. He’s always thinkin’. Fans can now get a taste of what Wallace be thinkin’ on Twitter @MrGeorgeWallace.

David Alan Grier -Countless theater, television, film and comedic endeavors have pushed David Alan Grier's career to remarkable heights and his ability to excel across all mediums and contexts is a testament to his inherent sense of comic timing and creative drive. The three-time Tony and GRAMMY Award nominee was trained in Shakespeare at Yale where he received an MFA from the Yale School of Drama. Grier has enjoyed many accolades and awards throughout his career, not the least of which was his inclusion on Comedy Central's list of the “100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time.”

On the big screen, David Alan Grier was recently seen starring in PEEPLES, produced by Tyler Perry, opposite Kerry Washington and Craig Robinson. Grier made his film debut in STREAMERS (1983), directed by Robert Altman for which he won the Golden Lion for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival. He also appeared in the Wayans Brothers' spoof movie DANCE FLICK (2009).

Grier's television work is highlighted by a turn as principal cast member on the Emmy Award winning In Living Color (1990–1994) where he helped to create some of the show's most memorable characters, DAG (2000–2001) and Life with Bonnie (2003) which earned an Image and Golden Satellite nomination. David created, wrote and executive produced a show for Comedy Central called Chocolate News (2008). Last fall, David starred in THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM, a Hallmark Channel adaptation of Paul Curtis' 1996 Newbery Award-winning novel by the same name. Grier recently wrapped shooting a starring role as ‘Principal Carl Gaines' in a new series for CBS, Bad Teacher.

Grier began his professional career on Broadway as Jackie Robinson in The First, for which he earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and won the Theatre World Award (1981). He then joined the cast of Dreamgirls before going on to star opposite Denzel Washington in A Soldier's Play, for which both actors reprised their roles in the film adaptation, A SOLDIER'S STORY (1984). In 2009/2010 Grier starred in David Mamet's acclaimed play RACE opposite James Spader and Kerry Washington at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway for which he received his second Tony Award nomination. Grier received the third Tony Award nomination of his career in 2012 for his performance in the "stand-out role of the rakish, drug-dealing Sporting Life" (NY Times) in The Gershwin's Porgy & Bess. Grier received his first GRAMMY nomination when the cast recording of The Gershwin's Porgy & Bess received a 2013 GRAMMY Award nomination for Best Musical Theater Album. Since then, his most notable screen credits include "Baadasssss!," "The Woodsman," "Crank Yankers," "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz," "Bewitched," "Dance Flick," "Astro Boy," "Bones," "Peeples," "The Watsons Go to Birmingham," "Bad Teacher," "Comedy Bang! Bang!," "The Carmichael Show," "A Series of Unfortunate Events," and "Queen Sugar," among many others. Grier has also delved into the world of live televised musicals, starring as the Cowardly Lion in NBC's "The Wiz Live!" in 2015 and appearing as Santa Claus in Fox's "A Christmas Story Live!" in 2017.

He returned to Broadway for Roundabout Theatre Company, once again revisiting the Pulitzer Prize-winning A Soldier's Play, to star as Sergeant Vernon C. Waters in its Broadway premiere at the American Airlines Theatre from December 27, 2019 through March 15, 2020. He also stars in the film Coffee & Kareem which is now available on Netflix.

Gina Yashere -Gina was born & raised in London UK, of Nigerian parents, and previously worked as an elevator engineer for Otis. Gina has been a stand up and TV star in the UK for numerous years now, with appearances on iconic TV shows such as Live At The Apollo & Mock The Week, as well as creating & performing the hugely popular comedic characters, Tanya & Mrs. Omokerede on The Lenny Henry Show. She broke onto the American comedy scene with her appearances on Last Comic Standing (NBC), where she made it to the final 10, and then never went home! Gina went on to be named one of the top 10 rising talents in the Hollywood Reporter. She is also known in the US for being the only British comedian to ever appear on the iconic Def Comedy Jam, as well as for her hilarious appearances on The Tonight Show (NBC) & Crashing on HBO. Gina self produced 3 separate 1 hour Stand Up Specials, Skinny B*tch, Laughing To America, & Ticking Boxes, two of which are currently streaming on Netflix. Gina's 4th stand up special is also streaming on Netflix, as part of The Stand Ups, season 2, and is garnering rave reviews on the network. She is also regularly featured on Comedy Central as the British Correspondent on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Gina is also an in demand voice artist. She has voiced characters in various animations, including Keisha in the British cult hit, Bromwell High, & Gravelle in the latest movie from the makers of Wallace & Gromit & Chicken Run, Early Man! She can be currently heard playing a starfish called Gareth, on the Children's ITV show, The Rubbish World of Dave Spud. (UK) Gina has performed for audiences not just in Europe, the US & Australia, but she is in fact, a highly sought after comedian in Asia, making numerous sold out appearances in Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia & Hong Kong. It’s a wonder she found the time to pick up her 4th award in a row for “Best Comedian” at the recent Black Entertainment & Comedy Awards (UK). Gina has performed numerous times at the prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal and Toronto. Feature films appearances have included Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Mr. in Between, and she has also appeared on the West-End stage in The Vagina Monologues.

Gina currently resides in Los Angeles where she is producing, writing and acting on the new sitcom Bob hearts Abishola, which she co-created with Chuck Lorre, & is currently airing on CBS.

Protective Face Masks With Wrapperoo

Wed, 20 May 2020 10:00:00 +0000

P.J. McGuire - as a child, P.J. McGuire dreamed of creating new products and selling them on television, much like the home shopping shows she watched while spending time with her grandmother. In 2016, she made that dream come true when she appeared on the Home Shopping Network (HSN) as a finalist for the HSN/Good Housekeeping “American Dreams” contest. She introduced her invention, the Wrapperoo®, a unique all-in-one T-Shirt Hair Towel & Protective Styling Cape, selling out the product on the first show. HSN customers loved the Wrapperoo so much that PJ was invited back to appear on the network a second time.

Before she came to realize her entrepreneurial dream, P.J., a native of Lima, Ohio who holds a degree in biological sciences from Ohio University, worked in the corporate sector in sales and management roles. In 2006, she founded her first independent business venture, Modet Inc., a professional development, business etiquette, and international protocol consulting firm. P.J. also developed the P-to-P Success Skills training program, which she taught to employees at Procter & Gamble, The Boston Consulting Group, Kraft Foods, Marriott, and Miller Coors, along with students from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, as well as numerous small businesses and individuals.

Fueled by her annoyance with the mess of her hair and beauty routine – and the final straw being the morning she ruined her favorite silk blouse with hair product – P.J. created the Wrapperoo in 2015 by cutting a towel and gluing on some Velcro. After tinkering with her idea for a single product that would be useful for multiple hair, skincare, makeup, and other grooming tasks, she secured a patent on her invention in 2017.

Today, the Wrapperoo is a favorite among a diverse customer base that includes natural hair and curly hair advocates, hair and beauty digital influencers, professional makeup artists, hair stylists, barbers, and DIYers. P.J. and her products have been featured on Good Housekeeping, ABC’s Good Morning America, MSN.com, Entrepreneur, Forbes.com, and WGN News, among others.

After initially sourcing materials in China and beginning the process of moving her manufacturing operation there, changes to international trade agreements negatively impacted P.J.’s ability to create product, forcing her to rethink her entire supply chain in 2018. While turning to alternative materials sourcing and resuming production in Chicago with a small home-based sewing team, the COVID-19 global pandemic hit, slamming micro businesses like Wrapperoo especially hard. Pivoting once again, in March 2020 P.J. started home-sewing and donating protective face masks, using leftover Wrapperoo fabric and N99 filters she had on hand. She was spurred to action after hearing the anguished stories of her healthcare professional friends treating COVID-10 patients in Chicago-area hospitals. To meet soaring demand for both donated and for-sale masks, P.J. launched a “buy one, give one” sale that has generated donations of more than 1,000 high-quality, multifunctional, reusable masks to medical workers in the Chicago region.

Danielle “Diva” Williams -media personality, stage 4 lung cancer warrior as a non-smoker and a motivational speaker.

Danielle's "Divafied" stage presence captivates the audience. In 2013 Danielle stepped on stage at an open mic in Arizona and she never looked back. Audiences have embraced Danielle through her unique take on wearing wigs, being a Diva and her search for a good man, the struggle is REAL! Danielle brings an upbeat best girlfriend bubbly kind of fun to her stage performances. Audiences have taken notice of Danielle with performances in Arizona, New Mexico, Salt Lake City, Ohio, Florida and California. Danielle has performed at some of the top comedy clubs including Funny Bone, Tempe Improv, Stand up Live, The Comedy Spot, Crack Ups Comedy Club, ACES comedy club, Stir Crazy and Rick Bronson's House of Comedy. Danielle's stage presence, comic timing and enthusiastic energy has made her a popular comic among audiences.

Hear how Diva is beating cancer with a positive outlook, hiking, laughter, and dressing flawlessly for chemotherapy because she's single and there are hot, available doctors at the hospital. Check Diva Williams out online, she's making funny videos to inspire others battling cancer! Diva Danielle Williams: https://www.youtube.com/user/DEntertainmentDIVA

Funny Friends And Onions

Wed, 13 May 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Her television credits include appearances on Comedy Knock Out and Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks (TruTV), Tales (BET), and a recurring role on BounceTV’s Mann and Wife. Vanessa’s hilarious and bold stand-up comedy has been showcased on many shows such as HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, 1st Amendment Standup (STARZ) and Mike Epps Live at Club Nokia. As a writer she has worked on The Arsenio Hall Show (CBS), 106 & Park and The Mo’Nique Show (BET). Her film roles include Barber Shop 2: Back in Business and Kim Field’s Holiday Love: The Rebirth. Her quick wit and sharp humor is featured when she guests hosts on entertainment shows like DishNation (FOX) When you "do the math" Vanessa Fraction equals One Very Funny Lady! More info at www.vanessafraction.com