Winners Hall of Fame
Brett Davis 2015
Brett Davis performs comedy under the guises of his many twisted characters, who all host the televised variety show The Special Without Brett Davis (after he was gunned down in the first episode). The Special features characters like lonely poetry professor John Gentle and small-time wrestling superstar Bobby Blayze.
He co-hosts the monthly extravaganza erroneously titled The Macaulay Culkin Show at Shea Stadium in Brooklyn and other various shows around NYC. He was behind the infamous “SmithGate” incident on The Chris Gethard Show, and has also appeared on MTV’s Weird Vibes, New York Noise, The Best Show on WFMU, numerous music videos and his punk rock mockumentary, BANANAZZZ. He was picked as one of Comedy Central’s “Comics To Watch” in 2015.
Dru Johnston 2014
“Dru Johnston performs sketch and improv at the UCB Theatre in New York and is a performer and head writer at The Chris Gethard Show on Manhattan Public Access. He’s toured the country with the Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company and performs at the UCB Chelsea every Saturday night with his improv team Grandma’s Ashes. Along with Don Fanelli he is the co-writer and co-star of the popular sketch show “Sketches From An Italian Restaurant: A Billy Joel Sketch Show,” which enjoyed an extended run at the UCB Theatre and which Billy Joel himself posted on his facebook page. He then promptly deleted the post for some reason. Either way Billy Joel knows who Dru is.
As an actor Dru has appeared on Broad City, the Chris Gethard Show pilot for Comedy Central and for various videos at College Humor, Above Average and others. His writing has been featured at Funny or Die, the Onion News Network and on Slate’s podcast “The Gist with Mike Pesca.” In 2009 he made a brand new blog every day for a year, and also in 2009 Maxim magazine declared him one of the worst Morgan Freeman impressionists alive.”
Harry Terjanian 2013
Quickly becoming one of New York’s best alternative comics and has toured clubs, colleges, and theaters across America, playing to audiences of hundreds and thousands. His YouTube channel has over half a million views.
Marcus Monroe 2012
Most recently star of the award winning Off-Broadway show La Soirée, Marcus Monroe is taking a strong lead in the new generation of variety performers. Internationally, Marcus has brought his unique brand of humor, wit and specialty juggling to venues as varied and exciting as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, Brighton Fringe Festival in England, Cirkus Cirkor in Sweden, and the Shoebox Tour in Canada and cities throughout the world including Amsterdam, Madrid, London, Hong Kong, Paris and Seville. He recently performed an astounding 150 shows in China at the Venetian in Macau. In addition, Marcus has become one of the strongest headlining acts on Princess, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. In the U.S. he has entertained at sold-out performances in major locations from coast to coast, as well as universities across the nation as well as some of the nation’s best music festivals including Bonnaroo and Outside Lands. Marcus also has several national tours under his belt performing solo and with some of the world’s best specialty acts and alternative comedians. In the summer of 2012 Marcus was a featured performer at SF Sketchfest and performed onstage with special guest Neil Patrick Harris.
Marcus has appeared on dozens of national TV shows and has already been seen by millions, including a performance on The Late Show with David Letterman. Marcus also appeared as the juggling consultant in the Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover) movie It’s Kind of a Funny Story.
Nick Vatterott 2011
In 2010 Nick Vatterott performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and The Hollywood Reporter named Nick one of the “break-outs” of the New Faces showcase at Montreal’s Just for Laughs Comedy Festival. Nick has performed all over the world, from Caroline’s in NYC’s Times Square to Old City Comedy Club in Istanbul’s Taksim Square. He has toured with Chicago’s storied Second City comedy theater and his sketch group ‘Heavyweight’ has performed at Second City’s Unhinged and the Toronto Just for Laughs Festival. Vatterott’s portrayal of “Don” in The Annoyance Theater’s production of the necrophiliac musical “Love is Dead” earned him an After Dark Award for Outstanding Performance in a Play. The Chicago/LA/NYC run of his one man show NO OUTLET received AMAZING reviews. His jokes have been published in Time Out Chicago, Time Out New York, Dig This, and Reader’s Digest. And before heading off to NYC in 2008, Chicago Magazine listed Nick “The Funniest Man in Chicago”.
Harrison Greenbaum 2010
Harrison is one of comedy’s hottest rising stars. His high-energy, electric stage presence, combined with his razor-sharp wit, hilarious insight, and magic finale, all make for a unique and brilliant comedy performance.
The 2010 Andy Kaufman Award Winner, summa cum laude graduate of Harvard and co-founder of the Harvard College Stand-Up Comic Society, Harrison has also won the Shorty Award and was the winner of Magners Comic Stand-Off. Harrison was recently named one of this year’s “Comics to Watch” by Comedy Central and was called the “hardest-working man in comedy” by the New York Daily News. Official co-host of the Times Square New Years’ Eve World Wide Webcast in 2010 (viewed by over 250 million people around the world). A talented comedy writer, Harrison wrote for the first-ever late night show on NBCU/Telemundo, Tu Nite con Lorenzo Parro, and has written for MAD Magazine since 2005. Harrison was the warm up comic for ABC’s Katie and Producer for ABC’s Primetime: Would You Fall For That?
Performing in more than 600 shows a year, Harrison is one of the most in-demand comics in New York and headlines comedy clubs, theaters, and festivals around the world, including sold-out shows at TBS Just for Laughs Chicago, the Magners Glasgow International Comedy Festival, and the legendary Carolines on Broadway.
Blaine Kneece 2009
Blaine Kneece is a writer and performer of comedy. What is comedy? What is it to perform comedy? Let me clarify this…
Blaine was born and raised (in that order) in Philadelphia. He excelled in his studies and went off to become a designer. He did that. People laughed and so he decided to call what he was doing “comedy” instead of art. And both parties were happier as a result.
Blaine has a few of the funniest videos on all of youtube.
Brent Weinbach 2007
One word that can be used to describe Brett Weinbach’s stand-up comedy is: weird. His style is a mix of poaching characters from real life, physical comedy and hilarious absurdity. He started his stand-up comedy career in the underground San Francisco scene, but now performs at clubs, colleges, festivals, theaters and living rooms across America.
Weinbach has performed at the HBO Comedy Festival, Comedians of Comedy, Coachella Festival, Bumbershoot Festival and at Just For Laughs in Montreal. He’s also the creator and star of the Super Deluxe web series “Weinbach in Wonderland.”
Reggie Watts 2006
Hilarious, brilliant, unpredictable – comedian/musician Reggie Watts is a staple of the international performance scene. He first hit the stand-up comedy scene with his unique style of improvisation in 2004. His distinctive style, which uses looped vocals created live on stage, is part of an experience that keeps the audience constantly disoriented in the most entertaining way. The improvised music Watts creates on stage infuses the influence of hip-hop, 80’s alternative pop, nu-metal, trip-hop and classic opera.
As a solo performer, Reggie was handpicked by Conan O’Brien to open nightly on Conan’s entire North American “Prohibted From Being Funny on Television” tour.
On screen, in addition to starring in Comedy Bang! Bang! since 2012, Reggie has appeared on The Conan O’Brien Show, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, HBO’s The Yes Men Save The World, Comedy Central’s Michael and Michael Have Issues, Iceland TV, UK’s “Funny Or Die,” PBS’ revamped Electric Company and the music video “What About Blowjobs?” for College Humor.
Kristen Schaal 2005
Whether playing Mel on Flight of the Conchords, Senior Women’s Correspondent on The Daily Show, Louise Belcher on Bob’s Burgers, Hazel Wassername in 30 Rock, Mabel Pines on Gravity Falls, Amanda in The Hot Wives of Orlando, starring in Weird Al Yankovich’s “Tacky” video, or performing her hilarious avant garde humor and performance art shows, everything Kristen Schaal does becomes gold, making her an unforgettable artist and a comedic force in the entertainment community. She is a comic genius in both writing and delivery, making each piece evokes Schaal’s off beat sense of humor and highlights what makes her such a refreshing voice in the comedy world.
Suzanne Whang 2004
Whang has hosted House Hunters on the Home and Garden Network as well the spinoff series House Hunters International. She’s on the ballot as an Emmy nominee contender for her role as Divina in “From HERE On OUT” on HERE TV! It’s in the category Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Her extensive acting credits are far too numerous to list here.
She holds a BA in psychology from Yale University and a Masters in cognitive psychology from Brown University. Whang has also written a book called “Suzanne Whang’s Guide to Happy Home Buying.” She also enjoys rock climbing and has been bungee jumping, hang gliding and sky diving.