SHORT BIO Ben Rosenfeld creates smarter comedy for smarter people. Ben’s comedy blends his family’s experience as Russian Jewish immigrants in America with his philosophical beliefs, political observations and unique characters.  Ben has appeared on FOX’s Laughs, CBS This Morning, National Geographic’s Brain Games, Rooftop Comedy and been featured as TimeOut New York’s Joke of the Week.  He has twice headlined at Caroline’s on Broadway, hosted at the Lincoln Center and performs nightly in New York City.  Ben’s first comedy album, Neuro Comedy, is available on iTunes and Pandora.  Ben also created the illustrated coffee table book, Russian Optimism: Dark Nursery Rhymes To Cheer You Right Up, an Amazon Top 5 Best Seller in Humor. Download Ben’s Full Bio Here Download Ben’s Resume Here Download Ben’s Electronic Press Kit Here Download Ben’s HiRes Headshot Here FULL BIO Ben Rosenfeld creates smarter comedy for smarter people.  Ben’s comedy blends his family’s experience as Russian Jewish immigrants in America with his philosophical beliefs, political observations and unique characters. Ben was born in a country that no longer exists, the USSR, and in a city that has since changed its name, Leningrad.  Ben could no longer tolerate the Russian winters, so he convinced his parents to emigrate from Russia, to another frozen tundra, untouched by human kindness, Connecticut.  Like many American children, Ben’s best friend and babysitter was the television. Ben attended Rutgers University, where he co-founded Slutgers.com, a parody of the university’s website, for which he wrote humorous articles and created branded merchandise.  Ben graduated with a double major in Philosophy and Economics, so he knows how to make money, he just doesn’t see the point. After college, Ben began his corporate career as a Fortune 500 management consultant while moonlighting as a stand up comic.  He can’t explain his day job, but he was worth every penny.  After three years at Accenture, Ben entered a fully-funded PhD program in Neuroeconomics at California Technical Institute (CalTech), a school which boasts 31 Nobel laureates and 0 HBO Comedy Specials.  However, he quit grad school to dedicate full time to stand up comedy.  Ben’s family thinks that was his best joke ever.  Soon after quitting, Ben created the motivational seminar and e-book, How to Find Your Passion, which guides high school and college students towards their future career path. Ben has appeared on FOX’s Laughs, CBS This Morning, National Geographic’sBrain Games, FOX’s The Wendy Williams Show, TruTV’s All Worked Up, The Weather Channel, Rooftop Comedy and been featured as TimeOut New York’s Joke of the Week.  He has twice headlined at Caroline’s on Broadway, hosted at the Lincoln Center and performs nightly in New York City.  Ben has performed in Caroline’s “March Madness” contest, The Laugh Your Asheville Off Comedy Festival, The World Series of Comedy, The Laughing Devil Festival, The Devil Cup and the Ventura Comedy Festival.  He has performed all across the country including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Philadelphia, Washington, DC and even New Jersey.  Ben’s first comedy album, Neuro Comedy, is available oniTunes and Pandora. Ben regularly records on-air comedy sketches for various radio stations across the country.  His short film and sketch work has been featured in the 48 Hour Film Festival, The Williamsburg Film Festival, The Sparrow Film Festival and on the comedy website The Interrobang.  He writes, directs and edits short films and video sketches, found on BigBenComedy.com. Ben is also the creator of the illustrated coffee table book, Russian Optimism: Dark Nursery Rhymes To Cheer You Right Up, an Amazon Top 5 Best Seller in Humor.  Russian Optimism contains thirty of Russia’s most horrifically hysterical nursery rhymes, in English.  Each rhyme is 2-4 lines, with an innocent title and a horrible ending.  Each rhyme is accompanied by a brightly colored yet twisted illustration of the scenario described to add humor. For example, The Woods: “A little boy found a machine gun. Nothing lives in the woods anymore.”  Russian Optimism has been mentioned on Inc.,  BoingBoing, Elite Daily, Marginal Revolution, The Interrobang,  Stage Time Magazine,  Fan Girl Nation, The Family Farce, Publisher’s Weekly, The Political Carnival and The NY Post.

First and foremost, thank you for making the fantastic decision to read about me.  You must be very smart.  I am a comedian, actor, writer, producer, director...I have lofty goals, but they all lead to people's demise - my mission to make audiences cry and/or pee their pants (even a little), and leave holding their hands over their painful diaphrams from laughing so damn hard.  After 15 years of working in advertising, growing up in a dysFUNctional family, and a lifetime of being an adrenaline junkie with ADHD, I like to consider myself to be that individual you know you can count on for support, commitment, honesty (including plenty of TMI), and laughter. 

Described by Jeffrey Gurian as "also very funny," Elon Altman is a stand up comedian born and raised in NYC. In 2015, he was featured on AXS TV's "Gotham Comedy Live," he headlined Caroline's On Broadway, and he was runner up in NBC Universal's "Cozi TV Comedy Search." He can be seen regularly at clubs such as Caroline's On Broadway, Comic Strip Live, Broadway Comedy Club, and the New York Comedy Club. He also features and headlines at festivals, colleges and private events across the northeast.

Mike Verdi is a comedian and writer living and performing in New York City. He is the founder of Lone Bird Comedy and produces a monthly show at New York Comedy Club with his brother and fellow comedian, Paul Verdi. Mike also studies and performs improv comedy with UCB and is a member of the indy improv team, "Baby Haha". He works by day at a non-profit that was nice enough to continue employing him after he made the choice to shave a mustache. Mike is best known for his intelligent and often dark take on the world as an Italian-American from South Jersey struggling to be the good person his upbringing won't let him be.

Paul Verdi is a NYC-based comedian and writer. He co-founded Lone Bird Comedy with his brother and fellow comedian, Mike Verdi. Though he is the shortest in his family, Paul makes up for it with his large presence on and off stage. His comedy explores life as a small adult and what it was like to grow up in an Italian household with mirrored walls.

JAY NOG is a former elementary school teacher and has been entertaining audiences with his rambunctious stand-up comedy since 2004. At first Nog appears scruffy and blunt, but audiences quickly discover his soft side and feel at home with his playful sarcasm. Nog has been featured on MTV, MLB Network, in Talent in Motion magazine as one of NYC’s “top up-and-coming comics”, Nat Geo’s Brain Games, MSG Network, and as a guest host on AMC’s “Movie Date Night”. Nog has opened for national headliners Jim Florentine, Dom Irrera, Adam Ferrrara, Rich Vos and Patrice O’Neal. He was a writer for MTV2’s Guy Code, featured on AOL sports show 2 Point Lead, and is the man behind the viral video 5 Hours Walking around NYC as a Jets Fan. He is also the host of The Prank Call Podcast and co-hosts the live comedy show Paid or Pain

 This vivacious, outspoken New Mexican will tell it to you straight. From what it's like to be five-foot-twelve and dating in New York to why her sports teams are better than yours, the themes of her stand-up acts appeal to both guys and gals. Alexandra Castillo, aka AMarie has performed all over NYC including New York Comedy Club, Gotham Comedy Club, Broadway Comedy Club, and The Stand, worked with Howard Stern on Howard TV, and traveled with the Miserable Men on the East Coast for Ronnie's Block Party.

As a native New Yorker, Des Bishop moved from Queens to Ireland in his mid-teens in 1990. He has since carved out a highly successful career in stand up comedy in Ireland as well as having had three acclaimed television series on RTE, Ireland – The Des Bishop Work Experience (2004), Joy in the Hood (2006) and most recently, the award winning six episode comedy documentary series In the Name of the Fada (2008).  The openness and honesty of his presenting style combined with his restless imagination and insightful comic observations make Des Bishop a “must-see” for fans of unique, enquiring and entertaining comedy. Undoubtedly one of the most enigmatic forces on the international comedy circuit Des continues to travel the world over with his stand up shows. His most recent stand up show My Dad Was Nearly James Bond received its premiere at the 2010 Melbourne International Comedy Festival winning rave reviews and playing to packed audiences. Des has gone on to perform this confronting and personal show at the Montreal Just for Laughs, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe before embarking on a national tour of Ireland this winter. Des has released four stand-up DVDs including Des Bishop Live on DVD (2005), Tongues (2008) and Desfunctional (2009) which all secured positions in the top ten for the busy Christmas periods. As organiser and resident MC of the International Comedy Club in Dublin, Des has also penned two stage plays in collaboration with Arthur Riordan. Funny, erudite and effortlessly delivered The Scotsman, UK One of the finest performers at this years festival. Fast paced and clever. A sure-fire winner The Sunday Age, Melbourne Charismatic, sincere, eloquent and always seeking the angle Chortle Edgy material snappy never sappy Bishop has judged this one beautifully The Age, Melbourne

Judah Friedlander was born on March 16, 1969 in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA. He is an actor, known for 30 Rock (2006), The Wrestler (2008) and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). I'm a comedian. I do mostly mainstream rooms and I do alternative rooms too, and I don't change my act at all. I'll do black rooms, I'll do Latino rooms. I've done gay rooms, I've done Asian nights, and I'll always just do my thing. I try to make my act so it works for everybody. It's not exclusionary. I'm not in any clique. I'm an outsider. I'm a comedian for the people. I'm not big on preachy. If I'm sending out any message, I like people to find it. I don't like to shove it down their throats. So my act's changed over the year, but it's certainly a comment on just how self-involved many people are.

Born in Queens and raised on Long Island, Dave Attell got into stand-up comedy in the late eighties after graduating from New York University with a degree in Film and Television. Attell used this prestigious degree to land amazing jobs in the food service industry - as a waiter. At night he would hit the "open mic" circuit in Manhattan. After many years, Attell worked his way up through the club scene onto the road, touring across America as a national headliner and developing a huge following among fans and the industry alike. Dave Attell is currently the creator and host of “Dave’s Old Porn” on Showtime. He was named one of the “25 Funniest People in America” by Entertainment Weekly Magazine. His caustic wit, rapid-fire delivery and his choice of material that can best be described as "very adult" has earned him the reputation as a "comic's comic." But if you ask Attell, he’d say, "I’m just trying to get some laughs and sell some drinks." In 2001, Attell used this love of booze and laughter to create and host the hit series, "Insomniac with Dave Attell" for Comedy Central. A travelogue show in which Attell goes from city to city looking for late-night fun, The New York Times called the show, "a doubly rare beast, a comedy without rancor and a travel show about the virtues of the American underdog." To Attell, the Insomniac show is more of a cross between "Girls Gone Wild” and “Cops”. After four seasons of “Insomniac,” Attell taped several hour-long “Insomniac” specials overseas in Japan, Germany, England and Brazil. Once back in the states, he headed out on a thirty-five city theatre tour ending in Vegas, where he hosted a two-hour special for Comedy Central featuring Sean Rouse, Greg Geraldo and Dane Cook, some of the biggest comics in the country. Dave Attell has made numerous appearances on “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Late Night with Conan O'Brien,” “The Howard Stern Show,” “Last Call with Carson Daly” and “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”. He also appeared in Chris Rock’s cult film "Pootie Tang”. Other television credits include FOX's "Arrested Development," NBC's "Ed," HBO, Comedy Central’s "Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn" and his own half-hour stand-up special "Comedy Central Presents Dave Attell”. When not on the road, Attell makes regular appearances at the Comedy Cellar in New York City.

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. Many talented comedians can make you laugh but it’s difficult to find a comedian who rises to a level of middle brow brilliance finding comic expression in cultural/racial disparities, his mischievous past, and political absurdities, which leads to a further probing deep beneath Keith Robinson’s hardened pseudo-street exterior to expose his geeky indisputable-intellectual interior. It is within the comedic improvisation of standup where his strident honesty and confrontational style expose the conspicuously concealed obvious – spilling to observations that masterfully make him a skillful teller-of-tales. 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 recently seen in Kevin Hart's record-breaking movie, "Laugh at My Pain." 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.

Originally from New Jersey, veteran stand-up comedian Artie Lange rose to prominence as a contributor to The Howard Stern Show. More recently seen on Judd Apatow's HBO series Crashing, Artie has also made appearances on MADTV, Norm MacDonald's film Dirty Work, Mystery Men and The Jim Gaffigan Show.

Laurie Kilmartin was a Top Ten finalist in season 7 of NBC's Last Comic Standing. She has been seen on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Comedy Central and Showtime, plus appeared as a talking head on The Rachel Maddow Show, Fox 'n Friends, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, VH1's Best Week Ever and Oprah. She is currently a writer on CONAN at TBS and has performed at the Montreal, Aspen and Edinburgh comedy Festivals. Her CD, Five Minutes to Myself, was named by Punchline Magazine as one of the top ten comedy CDs of 2009.

Besides regularly performing in many a New York City comedy club, Kurt Metzger's credits include performing on Comedy Central's "Live at Gotham," Showtime's "White Boyz in the Hood" and as a regular on VH1's "Best Week Ever." Kurt has filmed a half-hour special for "Comedy Central Presents" and appeared on Comedy Central's "Important Things with Demetri Martin," IFC's "Z-Rock" and will be a regular on the new Comedy Central program "Ugly Americans." Previously, he was the stand out comedian at the Montreal Comedy Festival's New Faces showcase. He has also wrote for "Chappelle's Show" on Comedy Central and several other SpikeTV, VH1 and Comedy Central programs.  

Described as a high energy comic, Chris Distefano acts out a variety of characters derived from his life, typically leaving you on the edge of your seat wondering “Who the hell is that he’s talking about?” Chris has worked at all of the top comedy clubs across New York City including but not limited to Gotham Comedy Club, Broadway Comedy Club, Caroline’s on Broadway, and the Laugh Lounge. Chris still lives in Brooklyn, NY with his Mom (punch line). Chris has a Bachelors degree in Psychology to impress his mom’s friends, and a Doctorate in Physical Therapy to impress his Moms friend’s Moms. That kind of thinking got him on the SNY network as the host of the 2010 Fencing Masters at Hammerstein Ballroom. It also got him all the way to the Final 4 of the 2011 March Madness Comedy Competition at the world famous Caroline’s on Broadway. Chris also headlined at Caroline’s this month and recently opened for Gilbert Gottfried & Dustin Diamond. When he’s not making witty remarks (like the ones you’ve just read) or transforming into various personas on stage, you can find him stretching people’s hamstrings and getting yelled at to clean his room.

Sherrod was a regular on VH1's The Best Week Ever and serves as a regular guest, occasional ombudsman, and stand-in host of Fox News's late-night satire program Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld. He has appeared on Tough Crowd, Premium Blend, and The Chris Rock Show. He can also be seen with John Mayer on the parody cover of Tay Zonday's "Chocolate Rain" and on the G4's International Sexy Ladies. In 2009, Small was a guest commentator on both VH1's 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the '80s and 100 Most Shocking Music Moments. From 2012 to 2014, Sherrod was an infrequent guest on the Opie and Anthony radio show. Following Anthony Cumia's firing on July 3, 2014 Small took a more regular role on its successor, Opie with Jim Norton. On July 27, 2016, he and comedian Christian Finnegan debuted as co-hosts of Black and White, a comedy/talk show on A&E that explores issues of race relations in America. The show was cancelled in September 2016.

Andrew Schulz was a comedy prodigy, beginning to perform when he was still in college and jumping into the public eye on Guy Code. In addition to touring the country, Schulz co-hosts the popular podcast The Brilliant Idiots, appeared in IFC's Benders and will appear on the upcoming series There's... Johnny!

Ardie Fuqua is a comedian and actor from New York. He has made appearances on BET’s Comic View and BET News. A veteran of the NYC stand up scene, he can be seen regularly at the city’s finest clubs, including Comedy Cellar, Caroline’s on Broadway, and Stand Up NY. Fuqua has given hilarious commentary as himself on VH1’s shows and Comedy Central’s Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn. He has also worked as a writer and performer on the P. Diddy Presents The Bad Boys of Comedy series. In 2009, Fuqua made over a dozen appearances on TruTV’s The Smoking Gun Presents: World’s Dumbest, a popular long running series. Recently, Fuqua appeared on the 1st season finale of the critically acclaimed FX series, Louie, co-starring with comedian, Godfrey. Fuqua made a return appearance in the 2nd season of Louie, appearing as the Comedy Cellar emcee, a role he regularly fills with the club.

T.J. Miller (Erlich) has been named one of Variety’s “Top 10 Comics to Watch,” as well as one of Entertainment Weekly’s “Next Big Things in Comedy.” Miller was most recently seen hosting the first season of Comedy Central’s ‘Mash Up,’ a series that combined stand-up and sketch comedy. Miller also co-starred in the Fox’s ‘The Goodwin Games’ opposite Becki Newton and Scott Foley. In addition to his television work, Miller has a popular podcast, ‘Cashing in with T.J. Miller,’ on Nerdist.com. The show finds host Cash Levy failing to get any other guest except Miller on the show...every single episode. Miller has been seen in a number of major film releases, recently ‘Seeking a Friend for the End of the World,’ opposite Steve Carell and Keira Knightley, and in 80s rock musical ‘Rock of Ages,’ opposite Tom Cruise. Miller’s additional film credits include: ‘Our Idiot Brother,’ ‘Yogi Bear,’ Gulliver’s Travels,’ ‘Unstoppable,’ ‘She’s Out of My League’ and ‘Get Him to the Greek.’ Miller’s voice-over career has included roles in ‘How to Train Your Dragon,’ Cartoon Network’s ‘Dragons,’ Disney’s ‘Gravity Falls’ and Fox’s ‘High School USA!’ Miller first appealed to a wide audience in 2008 when he starred in J.J. Abrams’ blockbuster ‘Cloverfield.’ Soon after, he appeared in Mike Judge’s ‘Extract’ and ABC’s comedy series ‘Carpoolers.’ Miller currently resides in Los Angeles, where he struggles to find meaning in an uncertain world.

Dante Nero is a comedian, born and bred in Brooklyn, New York. A trained martial artist, Nero dabbled in various fields before turning to comedy. He earned a fencing scholarship to SUNY New Paltz, before working for a phone company and serving as a bouncer and an exotic dancer. In 2001, Dante turned to a different sort of performance: stand up comedy. He quickly made a name for himself, working with established and successful comics like Tracy Morgan and Mike Epps. He co-hosted The Black Phillip Show with Patrice O’Neal, a relationship advice show on Sirius XM Radio. Dante has appeared on The Opie & Anthony Channel, Hot 97, and Chappelle’s Show. An accomplished actor, Dante has appeared on Z Rock on IFC, Damages on FX, and the popular series Fringe on FOX. Recently, Nero had a role in the NBC crime drama, The Blacklist.

Late show with Stephen Colbert Conan Album: Dance Like You Don't Need the Money (on NY Times list of "5 to stream")

Since moving to New York City to pursue comedy Joe Machi has: ‐ Finished 4th on season 8 of NBC’s Last Comic Standing ‐ Performed stand up on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon ‐ Became a regular on Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld on Fox News ‐ Won the 2013 NY Comedy Festival’s Funniest Comedian Competition ‐ Won the 2010 NY Underground Comedy Festival’s Emerging Comics Competition.

Rory Albanese is the Executive Producer and Writer of Comedy Central’s next great late night franchise, “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore.” Previously, Albanese was Executive Producer and Writer of “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” from 2009-2013 where he held various posts for over a decade and won nine Primetime Emmy® Awards. Outside of his television career, Albanese is an accomplished stand-up comedian. Beyond touring the country as a headliner, he has been a featured performer on Comedy Central’s “John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show,” starred in his own Comedy Central half-hour special and entertained the American troops in a two-country, morale boosting USO/Armed Forces Entertainment tour in the Middle East. Albanese spends his free time keeping the streets of New York City safe by employing the lost art of “Vigilante Justice.”