Aspen RooftopComedy Festival
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The Aspen RooftopComedy Festival is a stand-up comedyStand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
festival that was held annually in Aspen, Colorado
Aspen, Colorado
The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 5,804 in 2005...
on or around the Memorial Day Weekend. The festival is the concept of Roxane Davis and the City Of Aspen. Davis, a consultant and producer, created the partnership between RooftopComedy.com and Aspen's Wheeler Opera House
Wheeler Opera House
The Wheeler Opera House is located at the corner of East Hyman Avenue and South Mill Street in Aspen, Colorado, United States. It is a stone building erected during the 1890s, from a design by Willoughby J. Edbrooke...
, a historic theater located in downtown Aspen.
The Aspen RooftopComedy Festival was designed to fill the gap left by HBO canceling the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival
U.S. Comedy Arts Festival
The Comedy Festival, formerly known as the US Comedy Arts Festival, is a comedy festival held each year in Las Vegas, Nevada. From its 1985 inception to 2007, it was held annually at the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen, Colorado...
, which had been held in Aspen from 1985 - 2007. HBO has since re-named the festival and relocated it to Las Vegas, Nevada. 2008 marked the inaugural debut of the Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival as a replacement to the former HBO event.
RooftopComedy.com brought the focus of the festival towards an underground talent base and an online media focus, and The Wheeler Opera House ensured that the festival transitioned to an event for the Aspen community by offering affordable tickets and local discounts on festival passes. Whereas the HBO/U.S. Comedy Arts Festival had evolved into primarily an industry event, the producers of the new festival committed to creating a community for developing unproven comics, as well as presenting comedy for a devoted live-comedy audience.
2008 Festival Details
Performers- Dave Waite
- Paul VarghesePaul VarghesePaul Varghese is a Dallas, Texas, comedian of Indian descent who appeared on the hit reality show Last Comic Standing 2, where he made it to the semi-finals. He taped his first full-set for national television on March 8, 2007, for Comedy Central's Live at Gotham which aired July 13, 2007. He was...
- Mike E. Winfield
- Kevin Camia
- Geoff TateGeoff TateGeoff Tate is an American singer and musician, who rose to fame in the 1980s with the progressive metal band, Queensrÿche...
- Vladimir McTavish
- Chris PorterChris Porter (comedian)Chris Porter is an American comedian and finalist on season 4 of Last Comic Standing. He has also appeared on The Bob & Tom Show, Comedy Central's Live Tour, and appeared on Live at Gotham in Summer 2006...
- Vince Morris
- Robert Hawkins
- Tyrone Hawkins
- Andi Smith
- Isaac Witty
- Lisa LandryLisa LandryFor The fictional character on the TV Series, Sister, Sister See, Sister, Sister , .Lisa Landry is an American Stand-up comedian, actress and writer. She grew up in a very religious family in the bustling metropolis of Harvey, Louisiana. Her mother served in the U.S...
- Auggie SmithAuggie SmithAuggie Smith is an American comedian.Born in Santa Rosa, California, he was raised in Billings, Montana. He lives in Portland, Oregon....
- John Ramsey
- Matt BraungerMatt BraungerMatthew "Matt" Braunger is an American actor, writer and stand-up comedian. Outside of performing stand-up, Braunger is most notable for being a cast member on MADtv during its final season in 2008-2009 and for co-starring in the web series IKEA Heights....
- Erin Foley
- Robert Buscemi
- Nathan Trenholm
- Lamar WilliamsLamar WilliamsLamar Williams was an American musician, most known as the bassist for The Allman Brothers Band and Sea Level....
- Tig NotaroTig NotaroTig Notaro, born Carl Notaro, is an American stand-up comic."Tig" is a nickname, bestowed upon her by her brother when both were children. Her great-great-grandfather was the mayor of New Orleans....
- Steve Wilson
- Mike Lukas
- Jimmy DoreJimmy DoreJimmy Dore is an American stand-up comedian who has been performing for over 20 years.-Life and career:...
Other Highlights
- Industry Panel: Comedy meets New Media
A cross-section of new media and comedy industry leaders discuss how the Internet is impacting the comedy business, and how comedians are harnessing new media strategies to further their careers. Participating Panelists are below. The discussion was moderated by RooftopComedy.
- Mark Day, Comedy Content Manager, YouTube
- Dylan Gadino, Editor-in-Chief, PunchlineMagazine.com
- Allison Kingsley, Executive Producer/GM, Bushleague.tv
- Mike Kwatinetz, General Partner, Azure Capital Partners
- Kevan O'Brien, Digital Film and Video Specialist, Adobe
- 2008 RooftopComedy Awards
Awards were presented to comedians and those working in the field of online comedy who "are doing exciting, innovative and, yes, hilarious things."
- Matt Braunger
Matt BraungerMatthew "Matt" Braunger is an American actor, writer and stand-up comedian. Outside of performing stand-up, Braunger is most notable for being a cast member on MADtv during its final season in 2008-2009 and for co-starring in the web series IKEA Heights....
- Best of the Fest- Robert Hawkins - Rooftop Comics' Comic
- Auggie Smith
Auggie SmithAuggie Smith is an American comedian.Born in Santa Rosa, California, he was raised in Billings, Montana. He lives in Portland, Oregon....
- Rooftop Clubs' Comic of the Year- Tyrone Hawkins - The Rooftop Golden Shingle
- The Rooftop Rusty Nails
- Matt Bearden
- Jonathan Pace
- Tabari McCoy
- TJ Young
- Albert Im
- Jeff Wesselschmidt
- Tim Harmston
Tim HarmstonTim Harmston is a stand-up comedian based in Minneapolis. Originally hailing from Menomonie, Wisconsin., he spent some time in the film and video industry in Chicago, IL....- Andy Erikson
- Eddie Gossling
Eddie GosslingEddie Gossling is an American stand-up comedian currently residing in Los Angeles, CA. He is known for his absurd humor and his voice work in Disney's motion picture The Wild...
- The Roofie- Go Bananas in Cincinnati, OH - Best Club for Emerging Talent
- Go Bananas in Cincinnati, OH - Best Club to Work
- MySpace
MySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
Comedy Forum - Best Online Comedy Forum- Punchline Magazine
Punchline MagazinePunchline Magazine is an American online magazine devoted to stand-up comics and comedy clubs. Based in New York City, New York, it was founded in 2005.-History:...
- Best Online Industry Publication- Never Not Funny
Never Not FunnyNever Not Funny is a weekly podcast hosted by comedian Jimmy Pardo since Spring 2006. He and producer Matt Belknap have appeared in every episode...
with Jimmy Pardo - Best Comedy Podcast- Michael Showalter Showalter - Best Sketch Comedy News Parody Shows
- The Onion
The OnionThe Onion is an American news satire organization. It is an entertainment newspaper and a website featuring satirical articles reporting on international, national, and local news, in addition to a non-satirical entertainment section known as The A.V. Club...
News Network - Best Comedy Web Shows and Series
- National College Comedy Competition Finals
The Finals of the NCCC featured the top 4 students in the categories of Stand Up and Short Film from across the US competing for the title of Funniest College Student.
- Tim Ball from Duke University won in the Stand Up Category.
- Dan Perrault from Emerson College won in the Short Film Category with Car Phone.
External links
- Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival - Official Festival Site
- Stage Time - Stage Time Article discussing the festival
- Aspen Comedy Festival - Dead Frog Article on the festival
- http://www.wheeleroperahouse.com/wheeler/ - Official site of Aspen's Wheeler Opera House