Looking for the next big stand-up star? Comedy Dynamics' new NoHo festival has you covered

Nate Jackson

March 14, 2023 at 1:35 p.m.·2 min read

A new local comedy festival spotlighting up-and-coming talent is coming to North Hollywood next month.

Comedy Dynamics, the production and distribution company behind specials for such comedians as Kevin Hart, Ali Wong, Pete Davidson will debut its inaugural Stars of Tomorrow festival at the El Portal Theatre from April 5-9.

The 18 comedians on the lineup were handpicked to perform for live audiences during the five-day festival and will have their sets filmed with the intention to license and distribute them in late 2023.

As the largest independent comedy production and distribution company in the U.S., Comedy Dynamics has spent the last decade releasing award-winning comedy specials for hundreds of comedians including major names like Tiffany Haddish, Tom Segura, Iliza Shlesinger, Jimmy O. Yang, Jim Gaffigan, Ilana Glazer, Eddie Izzard, Joel McHale, David Cross and more.

Each of the festival’s specials will be directed by Brian Volk-Weiss, founder and chief executive of Comedy Dynamics’ parent company, Nacelle. Volk-Weiss is also the longtime producer/director known for "The Toys That Made Us," "The Movies That Made Us," "Disney’s Behind the Attraction," and "Icons Unearthed."

“We’re thrilled to be putting on our first-ever festival, and we’re thankful to the city of North Hollywood, and the El Portal Theatre for providing a great venue for the celebration,” Volk-Weiss said in a press statement.

In 2019, Nacelle was nominated for an NAACP Spirit Award in 2019 for "Kevin Hart’s Guide to Black History" and an Emmy Award for "Down to Earth With Zac Efron" in 2021. Twenty-one of Comedy Dynamics' releases have been Grammy-nominated (with four wins), including all five in the comedy album category for the 61st Grammy Awards in 2019.

The comics chosen for the Stars of Tomorrow festival include Samantha Ruddy, Billy Sorrells, Kevin James Thornton, Cara Connors, Subhah Agarwal, Hank Chen, Jose Velasquez, Malik Bazille, Rachel Scanlon, Kim McVicar, Sarah Hester Ross, Nicole Burch, Mary Basmadjian, Leah Rudick, Laurie Kilmartin, Sierra Katow, Big Mickey Tha Comedian and Kylie Brakeman. For set times and tickets, click here.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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