Tag Archives: comedy scene in houston

Talkin’ Shop with Nick Guerra

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By David Gavri

After featuring at the Houston Improv, Nick Guerra shared some words of advice about comedy. Nick not only performs stand up, but he’s also a writer, an actor, a director, and a producer. His hard work and dedication has granted him opportunities to perform with Jo Koy, Felipe Esparza, Anjelah Johnson, Pablo Francisco, and very recently, Gabriel Islagias on Comedy Central. He’s doin’ it right. His knowledge and his experience is something that we can all learn from.  Continue reading →

Andy Huggins: The Wise Old Man

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By David Gavri

The oldest member of the Texas Outlaw Comics, Andy Huggins is a veteran comic who came up during a time when Houston’s greatest included: Riley Barber, Steve Epstein, John Farneti, Jimmy Pineapple, Ron Shock, and Bill Hicks. A Houston favorite, Huggins was a graduate of both The Comedy Store in Los Angeles and Houston’s legendary, The Comedy Workshop. Throughout his career, he’s opened for Ray Charles, he’s written for Billy Crystal and The Academy Awards, and he’s developed superstars like Bill Hicks and Jay Leno. He has seen it all, he’s done it all, and he’s here to share with us his wisdom. Continue reading →

Maz Jobrani: Brown and Friendly

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By David Gavri

Maz Jobrani is a Persian American stand up comedian who was raised in the San Fransisco Bay Area, where he earned a degree at UC Berkeley. He was later accepted into UCLA’s Ph.D. program. While there, Maz visited the university’s prestigious theater program and was immediately hooked on acting—something he was involved with as a kid. He left the Ph.D. program and decided to pursue his childhood passion of acting and performing.

Maz’s first big break came as a founding member of the Axis of Evil Comedy Central Special, which premiered in 2007. It was the first show on American television with an all Middle Eastern American cast. The tour performed in the United States, and later went over to the Middle East, selling out shows in Dubai, Beirut, Cairo, Kuwait, and Amman, Jordan—where they performed in front of the king and queen.

Maz followed up his Axis of Evil tour with a Showtime special, Maz Jobrani: Brown & Friendly, for which he toured all over the world. He is currently working on his next special, Browner & Friendlier.

Since then, Maz has made TV appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Lopez Tonight, Comedy Central’s Premium Blend, and The Colbert Report. Maz has also played roles in Ice Cube’s Friday After Next and Sydney Pollack’s The Interpreter.

And after selling out the entire weekend at The Improv, Maz took the time out of his busy schedule to hang with us and share his story. Continue reading →

Rob Mungle: The Reverend

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By David Gavri

Both feared and revered, Rob Mungle, A.K.A. The Reverend, has been a staple of the stand-up comedy world here in Houston since the early 1990s. His brazen style and his foul language have caught the attention of comedy fans everywhere. And his near-bloody conflicts with the IRS, anime fans, along with strip-club managers have turned his punchlines into legendary stories.

Mungle is also a voice actor, as well as the founder of the highly successful comedy group known as The Whiskey Brothers. Needless to say, Robert Mungle is highly entertaining. We had the opportunity to hang with Mungle after his set to talk about the Houston comedy scene—what it used to be, and what it still can be. Continue reading →

Ali Siddiq: Houston Legend

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By David Gavri

Without a doubt, Ali Siddiq is a Houston comedy legend. To date, Ali has toured and has worked with comedy’s most notable talent to date. The list includes: D.L. Hughley, Katt Williams, J. Anthony Brown, Bruce Bruce, Bill Belamy, and Mike Epps, among others. His TV credits go something like this:
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Paul Oddo: Oddo Man Out

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By David Gavri & Al Bahmani

When I first started doing stand-up, there was a Houston Press article about Paul Oddo. I studied it like it was a strategy guide for a Nintendo game.  —Chase Durousseau

Nominated as “Best Local Comedian” by The Houston Press in 2006, Paul Oddo’s style is different from the classic set up, punchline formula. With Oddo, there is always a story. It takes time and attention to appreciate his style, but have faith in him, he’s worth it. Plain spoken and unpretentious, Oddo weaves a narrative tapestry thas full of twists, turns, and unexpected surprises. Currently residing in New York City, Oddo takes some time off from self-promotion to catch up and tell us what he’s been up to. Continue reading →

Sheng Wang: Yes, That’s His Name

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By David Gavri

Sheng Wang is a Taiwanese Texan who developed and honed his comedy in the thriving stand up community of the San Francisco Bay Area. A working comic in New York City, he has toured with the Comedians of Comedy and American Eagle’s Campus Comedy Challenge. He also appeared on Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham and was invited to attend the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal, Canada. Sheng recently filmed his half hour Comedy Central special back in 2011. After that, NBC awarded him with a holding deal that same year. Sheng also appeared on the John Oliver NY Stand Up Show. After headlining at the Improv here in Houston, Sheng gave us his time, as well as his knowledge. Continue reading →

Quit Comedy, Not Your Day Job

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By Steven Padilla

If you are getting into stand-up comedy to become wealthy, quit now

There is no money in comedy.  You will perform for free for a very long time.  When you actually start to understand who you are and how to actually be funny on stage, you will make very little money.  At this point you may be just a guest spot or the host at a comedy club.  It took you three to four years to get to this spot.  Now what?  It may take another three to four years to have enough material to become a feature at a comedy club.  Still unable to quit your day job because a feature spot does not cover your bills plus road expenses.  Three to four years later to have finally reached headliner status and you can finally quit your day job and focus solely on comedy.  You still have not broken the bank. In that nine to twelve years you spent pursuing that comedy dream, you could have become a manager, senior manager, or something greater at your job.  You could have invested your extra money into stocks and bonds.  Been able to afford that new house and car.

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Mark Hurtado: L.A. Bound

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By David Gavri

Mark Hurtado is a Houston-born comic who has performed at all of the major Houston comedy clubs, including: The Houston Improv, The Comedy Showcase, and The Laff Stop (now closed). He has also performed at The Velveeta Room as well as Cap City in Austin, along with Hyena’s in Dallas, and Boom Town Casino in Louisiana. Continue reading →

Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club-Beaumont Picture Gallery

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By Steven Padilla

A new comedy club has opened up.  It’s not in Houston, but it’s close.  The Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club in Beaumont had its grand opening on Friday, August 17th.  Here are some pictures of the new comedy club.

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