Corporate Booking:
Since 1975, thousands of organizations have come to Comic Strip Live to hire our comedians and make their event the best it can be. Whether you're looking for talent for a major television show or corporate event, Comic Strip Live provides the widest range of talent with the highest quality comedians out there. Our comedians specialize in the following areas: corporate events, charity fundraisers, college events, association banquet dinners, holiday parties, conferences, private parties and the list goes on. Award winning shows such as “Saturday Night Live,” “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “The Tonight Show,” “HBO,” “Comedy Central,” “VH 1” and “Conan O'Brien” have all handpicked their talent from our top of the line comedians. Now it’s your turn!
New York Magazine calls Comic Strip Live “The most expertly booked club in the city.” The Comic Strip is the longest running showcase comedy club in THE WORLD.
Booking Information:
JR Ravitz (Talent Booker)
office: 212-861-9386
cell: 516-244-0308
email: comicstripbooker@aol.com
Comedians:
(listed alphabetically)
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
I dropped out of West Point to become a comedian… probably the greatest service I will ever do for my country.”
The late 70’s were a different era, and West Point admitted a different kind of cadet when Ross Bennett was sworn in on July 8, 1975. But by 1977 Ross had decided that he wanted to take aim and fire jokes at nightclub audiences. So he undertook a giant career change, he dropped out of West Point, and landed right square in the middle of the comedy explosion that was taking America by storm.
For 30 years Ross has led a comedy attack. Armed with an expressive delivery and real life topics. Growing up with a Marine Colonel father (a nice mellow guy!), grade school snow days, disastrous golf games, and catastrophic water skiing outings. ROSS BENNETT is a high-powered performer who takes his act to the audience and comes back with a victory every-time!!
Jeff Caldwell is known to audiences nationwide as a clean, clever comedian with one of the brightest standup acts around.
Whether at a comedy club or a corporate event, Jeff delivers smart, funny jokes on topics ranging from the daily news to the daily grind, subtly tailoring his material to fit any crowd.
CBS got wise to Jeff, scooping him up to develop his own sitcom (which didn't get on the air, but that's a story for another day). He's made two appearances on "The Late Show with David Letterman," just made his third appearance on "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" and made his Comedy Central debut on "Live at Gotham." Jeff has also appeared with Keith Olbermann, Dennis Miller, on XM Radio, and is a regular on the nationally syndicated "Bob and Tom" radio show.
Wali Collins
New York City’s number one comedian. Born in Springfield, Massachusetts. Wali was and still is an accomplished drummer. Not only currently being a member of the Central Park Djembe drummers. Wali has played in R&B, Pop, Funk and Jazz bands. Wali toured with the award winning Lawrence Bagwell Gospel Choral before graduating High School. And he was the youngest to ever join the New England Jazz Society. After College, Wali was working on being the best Architect New England has ever known. But the calling for show business was too strong. He played in bands, did session work, but that wasn’t enough. He needed more.
Always having a keen sense of humor, his parents urged him to try stand-up comedy. His first time on stage Wali was convinced that he had bombed, but the manager paid him and asked him to come back every week as a featured act. Wali Collins has been going strong ever since. Wali moved to New York City to work on a show for Comedy Central called “Stand-up Stand-up”. He hosted the largest funniest, most varied collection of stand-up comedians in the world.
He was nominated three years in a row as “College Campus Entertainer of the Year”. Wali is also the most sought after comedian for corporate events. IBM, L’Oreal, and Johnson and Johnson, FEDEX are just four of the many companies.
Wali Collins is a regular at all of the main stream Comedy clubs in New York City and Los Angeles. He even headlines and tours at Comedy clubs in of all places, Holland.
Collins’ television stand-up credits include HBO, ABC’s “The View”, Comedy Central’s “Tough Crowd”, Commentary on VH1, to name a very few. David Letterman caught Wali’s act and recruited him to warm-up for his show. Later that season Wali was a featured performer on the “Late Show with David Letterman”. Quoted by GQ magazine “Wali’s true purpose becomes evident”.
What about acting? Wali’s one of the lead actors in Independent films, “Clair Makes It Big” and the award winning “Maybe Means No”. He’s also landed a role in the Jerry Brucheimer film “Coyote Ugly”. Walialso was featured in the hit sitcom “Spin City” and is the host of the new PBS series special, “Wild TV”. If Wali’s face looks familiar to you it’s because you’ve seen him in endless amount of national television commercials.
In the words of Robert Klein, “Wali Collins is versatile, smart and very, very funny.” Wali is headed only one way, Stardom. If you haven’t seen Wali do his thing in either stand up or acting, you’re missing out on one gifted man.
Growing up in North Carolina, David played Phyllis Diller and Jonathan Winters records until they were ruined and voraciously read Mad Magazine, even creating his own comedy magazine entitled "Icky." He made his stage debut at age 9 as a Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz, and by college had appeared in over 50 plays.
After attending Furman University and Southern Methodist University, he moved to New York, appeared in several Off-Broadway and Regional theater productions, and did commercials and voice-overs. His New York theater career led him to remark, "I came to New York to be in the theater, but the theater said, 'we don't see you as an actor, we see you as an usher.'" However, he did appear on Broadway in the musical The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public in 1994, directed by Tommy Tune and Peter Masterson.
He became a director and directed plays (among them Candide, The Skin of Our Teeth, Waiting for Godot, Dark of the Moon, Noises Off, Jesus Christ Superstar and Molière's The Learned Ladies Off-Broadway) and taught theater in high schools and community theaters. In 1986 he became a stand-up comedian full-time.
David's comedy, a free-form conversational style featuring characters, stories, one-liners and social and political comment, has been seen at many venues worldwide. He has performed at many comedy festivals including Montreal's Just For Laughs Festival,HBO's US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado, and the TBS Comedy Festival in Las Vegas.
He is featured as one of the stars of Laughing Liberally, a political comedy show that made its debut at New York's Town Hall in 2006.
His one-man show for the theater, "South Pathetic," in which he played himself and 10 characters, detailed his experiences directing the worst community theater in the South in a production of A Streetcar Named Desire. It was performed at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Williamstown, Massachusetts, as well in New York and other regional theaters.
He has appeared on many television comedy shows, most notably his special Comedy Central Presents Jim David, and a two-year stint on Comedy Central's Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn. The show featured many of the performers he worked with at the Greenwich Village club Comedy Cellar and is based on the freewheeling political arguments they had off-stage at the "comedian's table" at the Olive Tree Cafe, the restaurant above the club. Often featuring as much of the comedians "roasting" each other as discussions of current events, the show was cancelled in November 2004 despite a large cult following.
David also appeared on many television shows as a comedian or commentator, among them Comedy Central's Out On The Edge, Comic Cabana, USO Comedy Tour, Comic Remix and Friar's Club Roast Of Rob Reiner, Bravo's Queer Eye For The Straight Guy and Greatest Things About Being Queer, ABC's The View, A&E's Caroline's Comedy Hour and An Evening at the Improv.
Al Ducharme
Al Ducharme has been entertaining audiences of all ages for over a decade.
Al offers a combination of observational humor, comical characters and celebrity impressions. His unique standup act, often enhanced with organic sound effects, packs a powerful punch.
This versatile artist hosted the first season of a show called “Mission: Organization” on HGTV (Home and Garden) and now takes on the hosting duties of a new show called “Comedy Cooks”. He has also starred in several television commercials including Heineken Beer, Papa Gino’s, Ford Motor Co. and GTE. His film work includes the Miramax film “Next Stop Wonderland” and “Original Sin” (CBS). Mr. Ducharme has also been featured on voiceovers for radio, television and animated CD-Rom software.
Whether performing at a comedy club, college or suburban country club, he is able to contour his standup act to fit each occasion. Al has also delighted the folks at “Morgan Stanley”, “Pfizer” and “Apple Computer” by appearing at private corporate events. He has hosted everything from popular game shows like “The Dating Game” and “Liars Club” to a coast-to-coast Swing Dance tour with “Big Bad Voo Doo Daddy.”
His comedic talent has been tested internationally in Europe (Amsterdam, Paris, and Barcelona) and Africa receiving rave reviews- his ability to make people laugh needs no translation in any part of the world.
Gary Gulman has had remarkable success in every pursuit he has put his boundless energy and determination into. He was a three-sport varsity athlete at Peabody Veterans Memorial High School as well as a member of the National Honors Society. After high school Gary received a full scholarship to play for the perpetually bowl-bound football program at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. He also was a Dean’s List student in the rigorous accounting program at B.C.’s renowned Carroll School of Management. A young man of varied interests, one constant was his love for all forms of comedy. A dedicated fan of late night comedy, his accommodating mother allowed him to stay up to watch Saturday Night Live from the time he was six. (He rarely stayed awake past Weekend Update.)
After graduating in the mid-nineties Gary worked for the C.P.A. firm then called Coopers & Lybrand. He also decided this was the opportune time to pursue his child hood dream of “telling jokes on tv.” He would work a 12-hour day as an accountant and then spend his nights on a quest for performance time at every comedy venue in New England. For years he would often drive six hours or more in exchange for most times nothing more than five minutes with a stage and a microphone. Gary would perform in rock clubs, used book stores, bars, dance clubs and anywhere else that would indulge his fervor for comedy.
After two years Gary left his accounting job and subsequently worked as a substitute high school teacher and Starbucks Coffee employee in order to allow himself more time to devote to his growing passion for writing and performing jokes. (Also he was bored of being an accountant) He spent those years on a relentless mission to become a professional stand-up.
In 1999, after thousands of open-mike shows and countless hours writing and rewriting jokes in what became piles of composition notebooks, Gary was selected to perform in the prestigious Montreal International Comedy Festival. Within six months of his performances at this showcase, attended by hundreds of comedy industry elites he reached milestones that many entertainers never reach. That fall, he performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, and secured a deal to write and star in a biographical situation comedy for Twentieth Century Fox.
Since 1999 Gary has maintained his uncommon devotion and work ethic and continued on his path of excellence. He has made many more television appearances, starred in two more pilots and appeared in his own half hour special on Showtime. Always striving for greatness, Gary continues to refine his act and in a short time has become one of the most unique, charming voices in contemporary American Stand-up Comedy.
A native of Oxford, Alabama, Henley graduated from Auburn University and headed to Phoenix for a career as a stockbroker. His attention turned from finance when he entered and won a comedy contest at a local nightclub. He began working the comedy club circuit and eventually moved to New York which led to his first television appearance on the CBS "Morning Program". From there, he became a two-time winner on "Star Search" and has had numerous appearances on "Comic Strip Live", A&E’s "Evening at the lmprov", "Caroline’s Comedy Hour", and "Stand-up Spotlight" with Rosie O’Donnell. Other credits include: Late Show with David Letterman, the BBC's Stand Up in London, the Montreal Comedy Festival, HBO's U.S Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen and the Edinburgh Comedy Festival in Scotland.
When not on the road, Henley resides in New York with his wife, and currently pursues his interests in acting and writing.
You probably know Cory best from Season One of Last Comic Standing (NBC), but she’s been pretty busy since then. Take a look at the numbers; 3 appearances on the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS), 2 Comedy Specials (Comedy Central & HBO), 7 Tough Crowd appearances (Comedy Central), 4 Politically Incorrect appearances (ABC), and she’s a regular on the Big Idea with Donny Deutch (MSNBC).
Currently Cory is a appearing on tour in off-Broadway’s critically acclaimed The J.A.P Show. The J.A.P. Show is a multi-media homage to the brilliant Jewish comediennes who paved the way for all women in stand up, presented by the top Jewish comediennes of today. You can also see Cory in the independent feature film Making Trouble, produced by the Jewish Women’s Archives. .
Cory conceived and developed The Radio Rita’s a nationally syndicated talk radio show for Greenstone Media; a company created by Gloria Steinem and Jane Fonda to provide radio programming for woman.
She was featured in the 2005, 2001 & the 1998 Just For Laughs festival in Montreal. Her one-person show Having it all and other Myths premiered at the 1999 US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen and was later produced as a half hour special for HBO. This lead to development deals with Warner Brothers and CBS.
Cory is the recipient of the ‘BACKSTAGE’ Bistro Award for best Comedian in NYC and Manhattan Association of Cabaret Award for 'Outstanding Female Comedian'
Andrew Kennedy
Andrew Kennedy was born in Bogota, Colombia. He spent most of his formative years in South America, the Caribbean and the Far East. Andrew's mother is Colombian and father British. Completely Fluent in Spanish, Andrew resides with his family in the New York area and has found it quite helpful in making friends and influencing the people of the very bi-lingual metropolitan area. He lives with his wife and three young children just over the Connecticut border, about an hour from New York City were he has become a staple on the Manhattan comedy scene..
By the time he was thirteen Andrew had lived in Colombia, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Hong Kong and the United States (twice...). Andrew uses his worldly upbringing as a platform to launch his unique observations on life and family. While living in Hong Kong as a child his family outings consisted of traveling to tiny islands off the coast of Malaysia and hunting for poisonous crabs at four in the morning (for example...) and with reference points of normalcy like this; it is easy to understand why he became a comedian.
As a child he also vacationed in Europe many times but Liverpool was always his favorite. His father was born there and most of the family still lived in or around the famed city. After becoming a professional comedian, he has gone back to England to perform as well as two other European countries: Ireland and Holland.
A few years ago he helped develop, produce and star in a sitcom pilot for CBS which was based on his life and comedy. This was the pilot in which Rita Moreno played his mother along with an all star cast that included: Johnathan Ratzenberger (Cheers), Christa miller (Scrubs, Drew Carey), Anne Guilbert (The Dick Van Dyke Show), Julia Duffy (Bob Newhart) and Henry Goodman more... Though the pilot was excellent, the timing was not right and Andrew continues expounding on his mult-cultural family, knowing that the right time and connection will take place.
From the moment he was born, Macio has had a sense of humor. He had to! Being short, having a Caribbean accent, wearing his father’s clothes, and being made fun of at school, all attributed to Macio’s comedic personality. Once he lost his Caribbean accent and received some hip clothes from his cousin, things started to happen- A unique and animated comedian was born.
Macio began to observe and imitate people as well as his own idiosyncrasies. In his material, Macio, now, a father of three, confronts everything from raising his own children to his controversial views on religion. “Jesus did drink a lot of wine. You see the size of the cups in the picture of the Last Supper? --I would’ve thought I saw Jesus walk across water too,… after hanging out all night with Jesus!”
This intellect has been instrumental in leading him to starring roles in the hit syndicated comedy series, the “Uptown Comedy Club” which he wrote and produced, hosting NBC’s late night talk show “Later”, and starring in his self-entitled television pilot, “The Macio Show”, produced by Quincy Jones and David Salzman. Macio has also performed with other great comics including Chris Rock, Damon Wayans, Dave Chappelle, Wanda Sykes, and DL Hughley.
Since 1994, Macio has written and starred in award winning television ads for major corporations such as Burger King, Pepsi, Lincoln, and AT&T. He is responsible for the popular 1 800 CALL ATT ads starring DL Hughley, Marlon Wayans, and Charles Barkley.
“There is no doubt that Macio is a great talent. I feel that children will be his ultimate audience, but he must first finish the job of entertaining his peers.” -Bill Cosby
Whatever the subject matter, Macio always delivers. His conversational style of humor has enough color and wit to take his audiences on a ride of fascinating observational intellect.
Dan began performing stand-up comedy several years ago in, believe it or not, law school. After graduation he decided to devote himself to stand-up full time. Comedy, he discovered, was his true passion. Besides, his grades were bad and nobody would hire him.
Dan's charming combination of self-deprecation and outright grouchiness has had audiences howling from coast to coast and has earned him spots on Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O'Brien as well as his own Comedy Central Presents special.
Born in the Great State of New Jersey, my comedy comes in large part from my unique background of being the only son of a Palestinian father and a Sicilian mother. Both my parents have provided me with an enormous amount of material, usually unintentionally.
I was a practicing lawyer for several years until the other lawyers I worked with suggested I perform in the New Jersey Bar Association's funniest lawyer show. I am pretty sure that was their way of telling me to find a new career.
I recently had one of my proudest moments as a comic when I was awarded the first annual "Bill Hicks Spirit Award," for "thought provoking comedy" from the NY Underground Comedy Festival and the Hicks' family. The late Bill Hicks was a comedian who challenged the audience and made them actually think about political and social issues while making them laugh.
My new one man show entitled, "I Come in Peace," which is a comedic and truthful look at my life as an Arab-American in the post 9/11 world, recently ran as part of the 2006 NY Fringe Festival and had a successful Off-Broadway run as well.
Erik Rivera's "boy next door" good looks and unique perspective make him one of New York's fastest rising young comedians. His quick wit along with his commanding stage presence, charisma and infectious smile make him a favorite act at comedy clubs throughout New York City.
Rivera is a regular on the New York comedy scene and can be seen nightly at The New York Comedy Club, The Comedy Cellar, The Original New York Improv and Boston Comedy Club. When in Los Angeles Rivera has played The Comedy Store and The Laugh Factory. In the summer of 2007 Rivera won the Diamonds in the Rough Award at The Latino Laugh Festival in Hollywood and had the honor of performing to a packed house at the Kodak Theatre along side Carlos Mencia and many other top Latino comedians.
Erik’s television credits include Funny People After Dark on MTV Networks, SiTV’s Urban Jungle 2 and Comedy Central’s The Watch List. Rivera also was a series regular on season 16 and 17 of the Emmy Award winning Montel Show as a special correspondent going under cover on humorous adventures. On the big screen he can be seen in the feature films “My Brother” as well as “Stand Up” by award winning director Michael Rainin. Currently, Rivera has a sit-com in development with Montel Williams’s Production Company. Erik’s recognizable face can be seen in several National commercials and public service announcements. In the winter of 2008 Erik will be releasing his long awaited debut comedy album “For 75 cents a Day!”
Originally from the suburbs of New York, his humor takes you on a journey of growing up in a Latino family in a very WASPY neighborhood. In an age of Reality Television, Rivera's autobiographical humor is like peering over the back yard fence into an insanely funny world, making the Osborne's seem mundane. His over-the-top descriptions and sarcastic twists leave you wanting more. Erik's squeaky-clean material and unique delivery make him a pearl in the sea of ordinary comedy.
Erik is single and currently still submersed in the Suburbs that he makes fun of, living in the insanity he affectionately calls home.
Tom Ryan
Tom Ryan has been a full time standup comedian for over fifteen years. He will soon make his third appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman (tentatively scheduled for July 16, 2004).
Since he was about 10 years old, Tom wanted to be a standup comedian. The first standup comedy he ever heard was Bill Cosby's debut album that contained the famous Noah routine. Over the next few years, he also became a fan of David Brenner, Woody Allen and George Carlin. He listened to Carlin's "FM and AM" album over and over again until he had it completely memorized. He used to recite the entire album to whoever would listen.
At 26, he left an insurance job in his hometown of Philadelphia to move to Florida where he got a job at a local golf course. The job lasted only 3 weeks. Ryan says, "Losing that job was the best thing that ever happened to me because it forced me to confront exactly what I wanted to do with my life." He took a job as a doorman at the newly opened Comedy Corner in West Palm Beach. It was the lowest paying but most valuable job he ever had. It provided him with a complete comedy education watching acts such as Jerry Seinfeld, Dennis Miller and Bill Hicks.
It was not long before Tom made his stage debut. Within two years he was working full time as a comedian. Since then Tom Ryan has worked steadily at comedy clubs, concert venues, corporate functions and colleges across the U.S. In addition to his Letterman appearances, he has also been featured on Showtime, A&E, Comedy Central and NBC. He has performed as the opening act in concert for B.B. King, Natalie Cole, Jeff Beck, Earth, Wind and Fire, Aretha Franklin, Tim Allen, Steven Wright, Jerry Seinfeld, and Dennis Miller just to name a few.
His original style makes it easy for him to write for special events. He has contributed monologue jokes to the award winning "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher" and regularly headlines corporate events including Continental Airlines, Compaq, Morgan Stanley and Church and Dwight.
Tom believes that the best comedy comes from the most unlikely sources. Here is an example from his act: "I was driving around the other day and my oil light came on. But that little symbol looks nothing like an oil can. When it first came on I thought well, apparently my car is low on gravy."
