Comedians


Ryan Brown is a comedian and writer raised in North Carolina, currently based in New York where he resides on the Upper East Side. Ryan disarms audiences with a playful, casual demeanor and wins them over with well-crafted jokes fueled by his child-like curiosity. His humor doesn’t go over your head but will get inside it. He can be seen performing at bars and clubs around the city including Comic Strip Live, Broadway Comedy Club, Carolines on Broadway and more. Outside of NYC, Ryan tours the east coast as one of the founders of the Escape From New York Comedy Tour and has been featured in numerous festivals including Cape Fear, Laugh Your Asheville Off and Oak City. His stand up clips and sketches have made him a recurring finalist on the comedy streaming app Laugh Exchange and over the course of his career he’s worked with such notable comics as Dave Attell, JB Smoove, TJ Miller, Charlie Murphy & more. Ryan also writes for the advertising agency EP + Co, creating broadcast, digital and social media content for major brands like PUMA, Denny’s, Men’s Wearhouse, Lenovo and more.
Writer from original cast of Saturday Night Live, Co-creator of the groundbreaking “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show”, has collaborated with everyone from Gilda Radner to Rob Reiner to Billy Crystal. Author of new book “Laugh Lines, My Life Helping Funny People Be Funnier”
NBC recently crowned Franqi French the 2019 winner of their National Standup Up Comedy competition! Out of thousands of submissions and auditions Ms. French was an undeniable stand out. Franqi’ an award-winning talent, who regularly performs coast to coast with appearances at The DC Improv, The Kennedy Center, the Hollywood Improv and the world-famous Comedy Store. Ms. French has shared the stage with Donnell Rawlings, Fortune Feimster, Todd Glass, D.L. Hughley, Nicole Byer, among other talented comedians. She has made guest appearances on WeTV, TVOne’s “The Roland Martin Show,” and she will be a featured comic on season 3 of “Laugh After Dark” on Amazon Prime. Franqi has headlined The Bentzen Ball as well as The Black Women in Comedy Festival in Brooklyn. She is currently based in Los Angeles, CA and will be a featured headliner on the Stand Up NBC Summer Tour!
Rufat Agayev is a New York-based stand-up comedian, writer, and actor. His incisive style and dynamic approach drive the observations and stories that make up his comedy. Rufat was a finalist in New York's Funniest at the New York Comedy Festival. You can see Rufat perform all over the country at clubs such as Carolines on Broadway and DC Improv. He's been featured on popular live comedy shows like Comedy at the Knitting Factory and Comedians You Should Know.
Vic Dibitetto has over 2 million followers on social media with over 1 billion digital and linear worldwide views. He is a regular cast member on Amazon Prime's "Gravesend". You can hear his album, "Working Class Zero" on SiriusXM radio and Pandora. Vic has created many viral video characters: Uncle Vic’s Garage, Tony Gaga, That Guy, Frankie Pentangelli, Scarface, Rocky, Fool by the Pool and Ticked Off Vic. His Yankee and Giant locker room and press conference satires are now legendary. And his "Bread and Milk" video is like a Christmas Carol that comes back on TV, radio and news outlets every time it snows worldwide!
From playing “Cousin Louie LaRusso” on the hit Netflix show Cobra Kai, to his 25+ years in standup comedy, Bret Ernst is considered one of the best standups in the business. Regarded by his peers as a “comic’s comic,” his honest, edgy storytelling is a must-see for fans of raw standup. Bret first came on the national scene via Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show, a theatrically released documentary where he performed alongside Vince, Sebastian Maniscalco, Ahmed Ahmed and John Caparulo. His first standup album, American Comic, landed him a spot on the iTunes top ten album chart. Bret has performed standup on CBS, Showtime, and several Comedy Central shows including Premium Blend, This Is Not Happening and Comedy Central Presents – where Bret’s episode was voted #5 on the network’s Standup Showdown. Bret’s acting credits also include Artie Lange’s BEER LEAGUE, “Captain Sal Palantonio” on truTV’s Tacoma FD, two seasons of the hit show WEEDS, CSI:NY, and of course, Cobra Kai. His special Principal’s Office (4 million views, Men’s Health magazine’s top comedy special of 2018), is groundbreaking for being the first self-distributed, online, one-hour comedy special by a standup comedian, a successful path fellow comedians such as Andrew Schulz, Mark Normand and Shane Gillis have followed. His latest special, Domesticated Animal, showcases his authentic observations – both streetwise and vulnerable – proving audiences can’t get enough of his sharp commentary. Variety listed Bret as one of the Top 5 Comics to Watch and heckler.com/TBS voted him in the top 20 Funniest Comedians Working Today!
Troy Bond is a comedian and writer based in New York City, known for his sharp crowdwork skills, first-rate joke writing and tongue-in-cheek impressions that helped to build his fast-growing audience of more than 3M across social platforms. His blend of nuanced comedic writing and on-stage charisma landed him on the 2023 Just for Laughs New Faces of Comedy lineup, following the likes of Kevin Hart, Taylor Tomlinson, Kumail Nanjiani and more. Beginning his impressive rise in stand-up at 17, the now-27-year-old is booked nightly in the city on his days off from selling out headlining shows across the United States. Tackling everything from capitalism and the presidential race to superheroes and the wizarding world, Bond is a versatile comic to watch. In addition to his work on camera and on stage, Troy co-hosts the BONDING podcast with fellow comic Torey Cole.
Shayne Smith is a Utah-born comedian, writer, podcaster, and musician whose raw, story-driven comedy has earned him a devoted following. After launching his stand-up career in 2014, he quickly amassed accolades including runner-up in Wiseguys' 2015 Funniest Person in Utah” contest and "Best Alternative Comedian" of 2016 by "City Weekly." He went on to release a string of acclaimed specials: "Prison for Wizards" (2018), "Alligator Boys" (2019), "The Animal" (2021), "Banned from Karate" (2023), and, most recently, "Ghosts Are Real" (January 2025). Alongside his specials, Shayne contributes to "One Blade Magazine" and fronts the band Painted Devils all while touring sold-out venues nationwide.
Matthew Friend is an old soul living inside a 23-year-old comedian/actor/impressionist's body. Matthew graduated from NYU’s Gallatin School in 2020, but his love of comedy and entertainment was sparked when he was four years old. He had watched Austin Powers (yes, as a four-year-old) and started mimicking the characters’ voices—and the rest was history. To date, Matthew has over 420K followers on TikTok. He has appeared on the Today Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, NBC’s New York Live TV, Good Day LA, Good Day NY, Good Morning Washington, and WGN. In 2019, Matthew won Kenan Thompson’s Ultimate Comedy Experience at Carolines on Broadway. His professional experience includes hosting HQ Trivia, performing at corporate events, and doing stand-up comedy throughout the country. Matthew’s repertoire includes more than 250 impressions ranging from Rami Malek to Timothee Chalamet. His favorite impression at the moment is Jennifer Coolidge. Matt recently headlined a sold out crowd at Carolines on Broadway as part of Carolines' Breakout Artist Series.
Alex English is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. Alex has written for such shows as The Rundown with Robin Thede on BET and The Fix with Jimmy Carr on Netflix. He has made appearances on Night Train with Wyatt Cenac on STARZ and Funny How? on Viceland.
Tu Rae is two words: Exceptional. Comedian. Tu Rae is a stand up comedy artist and a veteran of the stage. Beginning at Philadelphia’s famed Laff House Comedy Club, Tu Rae is an accomplished comedian & writer. A Stand Up NBC Finalist & HBO’s Comedy Wings Champion, with numerous television appearances including Comics Unleashed, “Gotham Live” on Comedy Central, HBO’s “All Def Comedy” Starz “First Amendment Standup” & Fox’s “Laughs Tv”. Tu Rae’s performances expanded to the realm of streaming with appearances on Tidal’s “No Small Talk”, Kev’s On Stage’s “Keep Your Distance Comedy ” , & Laughs TV’s “Comedy After Dark”, The Sommore produced, “All The Queen’s Men” introduced Tu Rae to the worldwide streaming platform of Netflix. TuRae has been selected to entertain crowds annually on numerous comedy festivals including the Atlantic City Comedy Festival & the Martha’s Vineyard Comedy Fest. Also appearing on celebrity cruises such as the “Soul Train Cruise” and Tom Joyner’s “Fantastic Voyage” cruise. ComedyByTuRae Events; his production company, created a record label and produced two live comedy albums -Tu Rae “Live at the Atlanta Comedy Theater” -Tu Rae “A Comedy Album”. ComedyByTuRae produces the successful weekly comedy showcase @SoulComedy; & the Throwback Comedy Jam. Tu Rae is the lead instructor of Philadelphia Comedy College. Tu Rae’s quick wit and sharp point of view makes him a favorite on television shows like Fox’s “The Q” Podcasts like “Dope Dealers” “Music Is The Love Language” “Talk Heavy Podcast” and his comedy is heard on SiriusXM and Tidal, Pandora & the LOL Network daily.