Comedy Pro 2013 Speakers

Amy Poehler With an impressive body of work that encompasses film and television, Amy Poehler has quickly emerged as one of Hollywood's most versatile and sought after talents. Poehler currently stars on the critical acclaimed NBC comedy series, Parks and Recreation, from producers Greg Daniels and Mike Schur ( The Office.)

MITCHELL HURWITZ Mitchell Hurwitz is an Emmy, TCA, and WGA Award winning writer and producer best known as the creator, Executive Producer of the genre-breaking television show Arrested Development. Initially made for Fox, Arrested Development has topped many lists of the best shows of all time and through it's three year run it received 18 Emmy nominations - of which Hurwitz took home three, two for writing and one for producing.

Edgar Wright has evolved from a young film geek wanting to prove himself to one of the most sought-after geeks working in film today. Raised in Somerset, England, as a young teenager he embarked on making short films with a Super 8 camera. He continued to make many more shorts after he won a Video 8 [...]

NICK KROLL Nick Kroll stars as 'Ruxin' on FX's critically acclaimed series, The League. Nick's Comedy Central Series, Kroll Show, which he created and stars in, premiered on the network in January 2013. Nick's Comedy Central hour-long special, Thank You Very Cool, was recently released on DVD and premiered to a fantastic response.

For over twenty years, Marc Maron has been writing and performing raw, honest and thought-provoking comedy for print, stage, radio and television. A legend in the stand-up community, Marc has appeared on HBO, Conan, Letterman, Craig Ferguson, Real Time, John Oliver's New York Stand-Up, The Green Room, in two Comedy Central Presents specials and almost every show that allows comics to perform.

Pete Holmes Pete Holmes is a nationally touring standup comedian, actor, improviser, writer and cartoonist. As a standup, Pete has a one hour Comedy Central Special, Nice Try, the Devil which will air in 2013. His 2011 CD Impregnated with Wonder made several "Top Comedy Recordings" lists.

Tig Notaro Tig Notaro has become a favorite and regular on both NPR's, This American Life , and on Conan. Tig's sophomore album LIVE, sold over 100,000 units in just 6 weeks, which is unheard of for comedy albums today. Louis CK is quoted as saying that it is one of the best stand-up performances he ever saw.

Colin Quinn A native of Brooklyn, Colin Quinn began his stand-up career in New York as a regular on the comedy club circuit. He made his television debut as co-host of MTV's popular game show Remote Control.

Jeff Ross is an actor, writer, director, producer, and comedian originally from Newark, New Jersey. He is the creator and star of "The Burn With Jeff Ross" on Comedy Central as well as a producer and star of that network's wildly popular celebrity roast franchise.

New York City-based comedian and actor Todd Barry is widely recognized for his roles as the bongo-playing "Third Conchord" on HBO's Flight of the Conchords and as Mickey Rourke's deli boss in the 2009 Oscar winning film, The Wrestler. Todd is renowned throughout the entertainment industry for his nuanced, measured, and thoroughly original approach to stand-up.

Robert Kelly Robert Kelly has overcome many hardships in his life, all of which have made him the actor/comedian he is today. From his early days as a kid growing up in Boston, in and out of Juvenile Hall, Kelly's unique, honest take on his own life and his relationships makes his comedy clever, abrasive, funny, but yet refreshingly vulnerable.

Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer, has led content acquisition for Netflix since 2000. With more than 20 years' experience in home entertainment, Ted is recognized in the industry as an innovator in film acquisition and distribution. Before Netflix, Ted was an executive at video distributor ETD and Video City / West Coast Video.

Andy Kindler Andy Kindler is known in comedy circles as a troublemaker. Originally from New York, and now complaining from California, he annoys people all over the world. Andy is a frequent guest and correspondent for The Late Show with David Letterman.

Kent Alterman is President, Content Development & Original Programming for COMEDY CENTRAL, the #1 brand in comedy. He is based in the network's Santa Monica offices. After taking the creative helm at COMEDY CENTRAL in 2010, the impact of Alterman and his development team was quickly felt with the addition of "Workaholics," "Key & Peele," [...]

As President of Original Content for CollegeHumor, Sam Reich is responsible for the creative and production of all of CollegeHumor's original videos, acting as Executive Producer and Showrunner. In his seven years, he has earned the website over two billion views, a top YouTube channel, and 11 Webby Awards.

Terence Gray is the Founder and Executive Director of the New York Television Festival (NYTVF). Launched in 2005 as the industry's first creative festival for television artists, the NYTVF works in partnership with networks, studios, agencies and brands to establish guaranteed development opportunities for indie artists and production companies.

Marcus Wiley is Senior Vice President, Comedy Development for Fox Broadcasting Company. As co-head of comedy development at FOX, Wiley and his team are responsible for overseeing all of the network's comedy development initiatives in both live action and animation. Together they have cultivated several successful live action and animated comedies for the network, including [...]

Dan Pasternack, Vice President of Development and Production since 2010, is responsible for leading IFC's efforts to uncover comedic shows and talent that exemplify the network's "Always On. Slightly Off." voice and sensibility. Utilizing a decades-long rolodex of professional relationships while also scouting comedy festivals and clubs, searching podcasts and scouring the internet, Mr. Pasternack leaves [...]

Brian Hunt is the Head of Creative Development for Yahoo!. Brian works with both the Yahoo! Studio team and a range of third-party production partners to conceive, develop and distribute original video programming that serves consumers coming to Yahoo! Screen (http://screen.yahoo.com) for their daily fix of comedy, lifestyle and entertainment videos.

Ben Relles is Global Head of Programming Strategy at YouTube's Next Lab, where he helps content creators build their audience and develop their YouTube strategy. He was previously Vice President of Programming at Next New Networks. Ben began working in online video when he founded comedy channel Barely Political in 2007, where content like Obama [...]

Allison Kingsley is Vice President of Digital Development, COMEDY CENTRAL and oversees CC Studios and the development of original digital content for the #1 brand in comedy. Kingsley and her CC Studios team are additionally responsible for developing and initiating branded entertainment projects in collaboration with COMEDY CENTRAL's integrated marketing and sales teams. "Allison uses [...]

David Huntsberger is a stand-up comedian whose voice you might recognize from his weekly podcast Professor Blastoff or his appearances on Doug Loves Movies, Sklarboro County, The Dork Forest, Comedy Film Nerds, or the Nooner Podcasts. Or perhaps you've seen him touring with comics like Nick Swardson, Doug Benson, or his Professor Blastoff co-host Tig [...]

Thom Zadra is a seasoned film and new media executive, with fifteen years of diverse industry experience. As the head of business development for Yahoo Video, Zadra plays a significant role in shaping the company's original programming strategy, sourcing and negotiating content deals (both acquisitions and productions) and maintaining business relationships.

JC Cangilla is Director of Business Development for Yahoo, Inc. where he manages business relations, deal negotiation and strategy for the Yahoo! Entertainment properties and Yahoo! Video. Prior to Yahoo!, JC held business development positions at MerchEngines, Spot Runner and worked in the Mayor's Office of New York City.

Andy Vick has served as the General Manager of Comedy, Entertainment, and Animation at Maker Studios since January 2013 when he was promoted from Vice President of Creative. Vick oversees all aspects of Maker's Comedy and Entertainment Verticals, as well as, the Animation Vertical (Kids and Adult).