Competition kicks off at the Purple Onion

The 2011 San Francisco Comedy Competition kicks off Wednesday, September 14 at the historic Purple Onion in San Francisco.

The Competition, now in it’s 36th year, begins with 15 comics battling it out for just five slots to advance to the semi-finals.

Hosting opening night is San Francisco’s own Will Franken.

Comics competing in Week 1 include:

Cheryl (The Soccer Mom) Anderson, Folsom
Lars Callieou, Edmonton
Shanti Charan, Union City
Grant Cotter, Huntington Beach
Kinsie Damon, Reno
Shawn Felipe, Honolulu
Sean Kent, Los Angeles
Bob Khosravi, Austin
Alex Koll, San Francisco
Jason Love, Los Angeles
Rob F. Martinez, Los Angeles
Joe Nguyen, San Francisco
Jules Posner, San Francisco
Derek Sheen, Seattle
Dennis Wilson, San Bernardino
Kevin Young, Lodi

Check back for nightly updates.

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Jimmy Ouyang

Jimmy OuyangJimmy Ouyang is a Chinese American comedian best known for his sharp observations and his confident swagger on stage. Jimmy was recently selected by FunnyorDie as one of the top 30 comedians under 30.  Jimmy was born in Hong Kong to a traditional Chinese family from Shanghai. At the age of thirteen his family moved to Los Angeles. He graduated from UCSD with a degree in Management Science. When he is not on tour, Jimmy spends most of his time between San Diego and Los Angeles. He has quickly become one of the top college attractions performing nationwide. He has also been a writer/consultant for the world famous Harlem Globetrotters.

http://www.jimmyouyang.com
www.JimmyComedy.com

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Jason Love

Los Angeles

Jason Love has performed standup comedy all over North America, including the Improv; Laugh Factory; Comedy Store; Punchline in Atlanta; Zanies in Nashville; Comic Strip in Edmonton; Bananas in NY; Arlington Draft House; Pechanga; Ventura Harbor; Jon Lovitz Comedy Club; Ice House; River Center in San Antonio; Hermosa Comedy and Magic; Crackers in IN; Penguins in IA; Flappers in Burbank; Canyon Club; Chumash Casino; Tommy T’s; Mark Ridley’s in Detroit; Stardome in Birmingham; Magooby’s in Baltimore; Hilarities in Cleveland; Riverside and Edgewater in Laughlin; Parlor Live and Comedy Underground in Seattle; Southpoint, Harrahs, and Tropicana in Vegas; colleges and universities; cruises; and overseas for our troops.

Recent media credits include The Bob and Tom Show, HBO’s “Luck” starring Dustin Hoffman, Sirius XM, Rooftop Comedy, “Today’s Riff” on TBS, lead male in the indie film “Love Aplenty,” two national commercials, and tons of radio.

Jason’s one-liners appear in numerous book collections (e.g., Comedy Thesaurus) and are published regularly by Reader’s Digest.

Jason syndicates his daily cartoon “Snapshots” to millions of readers in print, Internet, and mobile media. Credits include The Denver Post, St. Petersburg Times, Arizona Republic, and dozens of books.

http://jasonlove.com

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Will Franken

Will FrankenWill Franken established himself as a San Francisco cult figure and was selected “Best Comedian” by SF Weekly and “Best Alternative to Psychedelic Drugs” by the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Tribe.net named him one of the Top 25 People to Watch Nationwide. His solo show Good Luck With It debuted at the New York International Fringe Festival to rave reviews by the New York Times, and ran at San Francisco’s Marsh Theater.

“Madonna reinvents herself every year. I reinvent myself every two minutes,” Franken says. You can see that principle at work in both his comedy and his life: Always keep moving because things are bound to get — in the words of a San Francisco Bay Guardian article about Franken — more “bizarre and fabulous.”

In late 2007, Franken’s east coast fan base was thrilled to learn that he had re-relocated to New York City. After consecutive sold-out one-man shows at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and appearances at numerous other performance spaces large and small, Franken continues to wow audiences and increase his legion of fans.

http://willfranken.com

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John Hastings

John HastingsMy name is John Hastings and I am writing this bio, but will maintain the fact it is written by someone else, starting now: John became a Stand-Up Comedian soon after his birth and has performe Stand Up Comedy in every Comedy Club in Canada that has asked him to perform.

John has been nominated for a Canadian Comedy award in the category of Best Newcomer, was named one of the five comedians to watch in 2011 by the Comedy Network, he was one of the 8 finalists in the XM Top 8 Young Comics in Canada Competition and was the winner of the Irwin Barker Canadian Homegrown Championship at the 2010 Just for Laughs Festival.

http://www.johnhastingscomedy.com

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Keith Michael Ashton

Los Angeles, CA

Keith Michael Ashton’s experience as an HR Manager at an L. A. law firm, along with stints as a clerk for several Hollywood studios, gives him the insights on
how to survive corporate America.  And his Brooklyn, NY upbringing taught him how
to survive just about everything else.

A hilarious comedian with multicultural appeal, Keith Michael Ashton has a
mesmerizing stage presence and honest, razor-sharp humor that engages and
delivers.  VIP VEGAS Radio writes, “Keith’s hilarious show had us in stitches from
beginning to end.  His unique blend of current life experiences and unusual
upbringing is a perfect recipe to a great show!  Don’t miss the chance to see this
one of a kind performer.  ‘9 out of 10 Martinis’”.

Keith has performed at various clubs including the Improv and Ice House.   He is
featured in the independent film, “Who Stole the Electric Car”; his TV credits
include appearances on Comedy Central, BET and TBN shows.  He also appears in
General Mills Fruit Roll Ups and Angie’s List national commercials.

www.keithmichaelashton.com

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Kinsie Damon

Kinsie DamonKinsie Damon, voted Reno’s Best Local Comedian by the readers of the Reno News and Review for two years, takes you on a laughter filled journey of her life and times.  A favorite of crowds of all ages, she has traveled all over the country and is a regular at top comedy clubs like Catch a Rising Star and The Improv at Lake Tahoe.

Her views on life, her family, and the world around us, will keep you laughing and wanting for more.  Sit back, relax, and laugh until it hurts with the great comedy of Kinsie Damon.

 

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Derek Sheen

Derek Sheen is a comedian with very few boundaries: He loves the power of a good story and enjoys the tension and release that comes with sharing the really personal ones. Derek likes to treat audiences like close friends at a dinner table, not telling jokes AT you, but getting you to laugh with him!

He has been called “A Human Hug” by journalist Lindy West of, both, The Stranger Magazine and Guardian UK. He also hosts a top rated podcast, “Delicious Mediocrity”, with his friend and fellow comedian Douglas Gale (recent guests include Andy Dick, Rick Shapiro, Rory Scovel and Dan St. Germain). He has been a featured performer at the Bridgetown Comedy Festival and the Sasquatch Music Festival as well as comedy clubs all over the country.

 

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Claire Brosseau

Claire Brosseau has traveled all over the world doing stand-up comedy, theatre, musicals, films & television. She has been a featured comedian on Entertainment Tonight, Video On Trial, XM radio, CBC’s Q with Jian Ghomeshi, Canada AM, Breakfast Television, The Marilyn Denis Show and The Gill Deacon Show. She is also a regular contributor on CBC’s DAY 6. She was nominated for best actress for a MECCA for her performance in the play Marion Bridge. Brosseau performed at the Just For Laughs Festival, The Seattle International Comedy Competition, The Winnipeg Comedy Festival for CBC, The Sudbury LOL Festival, NXNE & a finalist in the GCLO (Comedy Network). The readers of The Montreal Mirror voted for her as one of their favorite actresses. She studied improv at Second City, and graduated from New York City’s Neighborhood Playhouse School Of The Theatre. Claire’s singing voice can be heard on several film & TV soundtracks.

Look for her in the rom-com “If I Were You” starring alongside Marcia Gay Harden & Aidan Quinn & COCA (Whistler) in 2011.

http://www.clairebrosseau.com

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Kevin Shea

Kevin was originally born in Seoul, Korea and in January of 1981 he was apdopted and sent to America to live with a middle class Irish family in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He is the son of James and Madalyn Shea, parents of 5 children…. 2 white chicks,2 korean boys and 1 korean girl. Both parents were middle class, James was a korean war vet and decorated police officer and Madalyn was a factory worker. His parents personality were spitten images of “Archie and Edith Bunker”. It was if “All in the Family” was combined with “A Different Strokes”.

Being from a very middle class family, Kevin was the first to attend college. After graduating from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Kevin was curious to explore the rest of the country, so he moved to San Francisco in 2000. There he would discover Stand-Up.

After moving to San Francisco, Kevin started a career in the Internet industry which lasted a whole year. In 2002 he was layed off and was convinced by a friend to go to an open mic. Influenced by Eddie Murphy’s “RAW”, Kevin decided to go to the open mic dressed in a purple leather jump suit……not a good idea. His first set was not very good.

Not trying to become the typical Asian comic Kevin strayed away from Korean accents based on their mothers’…..plus his mom is a honkey. He concentrated on developing his own style which has said to be very laid back and fresh. With his unique style and jokes, he caught the eyes of hollywood and was invited to the prestigious Montreal Comedy Festival.

Kevin has numerous television appearances which include Comedy Central’s Premium Blend , Jimmy Kimmel Live, and HBO’s Down n Dirty. Most recently he was the winner of 2009 NBC’s Stand Up for Diversity Showcase. He was given a talent deal and showcased at the 2010 NACA National Conference, where he went on to book over 50 college dates.

http://www.kevinshea.tv

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Kevin Young

Lodi

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Dennis Wilson

San Bernardino

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Jules Posner

San Francisco

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Rob F. Martinez

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Lars Callieou

Edmonton, Alberta

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