Chicago’s very own Deon Cole hosts the Hollywood Black Comedy Festival
Los Angeles Get ready! It’s the Hollywood Black Comedy Festival and it’s hosted by Deon Cole! Live at the new YouTube Theater inside the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood with performances by Earthquake, Luenell, Tony Roberts, Corey Holcomb and Ryan Davis on Friday, September 3rd! This is a night you don’t wanna miss, get your tickets now at Ticketmaster.com!DEON COLE
Deon Cole plays the hilarious co-worker Charlie on ABC’s hit comedy BLACK-ISH, and will soon be seen as one of the lead roles in TBS’s ANGIE TRIBECA created by Nancy and Steve Carell. Deon will also be seen in the feature film Barbershop 3. He continues to be a featured guest correspondent on CONAN where he was also a two time Emmy Nominated writer. As a comedian for over 20 years, Deon has done standup on SHAQ’s ALL STAR COMEDY JAM on SHOWTIME and has been featured on Kevin Hart’s HART-BEAT TOUR, John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show, Laffapalooza, Def Comedy Jam and his own standup special on Comedy Central.COREY HOLCOMB
The unique brand of humor of stand-up comedian and actor Corey Holcomb regularly exceeds the expectations of audiences. He developed a knack for presenting himself as a laid back performer, enticing the audience with his stories as he slowly builds up to comedic endings. In reality, he is a dynamo who adheres to a rigorous comedy tour schedule and has seen his popularity regularly grow. By 2016, he was doing 13 shows a year at places like Cobb’s Comedy Club in San Francisco and the Fox Theatre Detroit in Detroit. The 2017 comedy tour included more than 40 shows at high profile venues like Carolines on Broadway in New York, NY; Chrysler Hall in Norfolk, VA; and the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, CA. Holcomb keeps the fast pace going in 2018 as he crisscrosses the U.S. from DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. to the Stardome Comedy Club in Hoover, AL, to the Helium Comedy Club in St. Louis, MO and onward to Irvine Improv in Irvine, CA, plus many more stops along the way. At the same time, Holcomb added acting on television and in movies to his accomplishments. He has appeared in three TV comedy specials of his own, and many other shows, including Showtime’s “Shaq’s All Star Comedy Jam.” Prolific performer Holcomb has also guest starred on several sitcoms, including “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne,” “Half & Half” and The Cleveland Show. His roles in “Black Jesus” (2014) and “The Wedding Ringer” (2015) won him acclaim as a talented movie actor. Holcomb has won numerous honors at nationally recognized events like the Budweiser Comedy Competition and Laffapalooza. Continued Fame and an Expanded Career Corey Holcomb was born in June, 1968 in inner city Chicago, Illinois. He is married and has three children. In 1992, Holcomb delivered his first open mic comedy routine when Adele Givens invited him to come on stage, and he has been making people laugh ever since. Holcomb is proud of his first appearance on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno in 2001 which earned him national recognition. In every role he plays, Holcomb uses the language of comedy to appeal to people of all races, genders and economic status. Holcomb expertly delivers an irreverent humorous male perspective of relationships with women, and nothing is sacred. His distinctive humor is applied to what he calls honest and true stories of life and relationships. Laughing at Life Holcomb doubles audiences over with laughter as he gives his perspective on growing up in inner city Chicago, maneuvering through street life and relationships between men and women. Holcomb has developed a distinctive brand as an edgy comedian who calls himself the “Ghetto Dr. Phil” and is willing to take on any topic, including those people avoid. He enjoys giving away the tricks and secrets of men who are in a perpetual state of confusion about women, discussing dating, how marriage really works, sex, raising a family and divorce. Truly innovative, Holcomb applied his particular brand of social commentary to the “Corey Holcomb 5150 Show,” streamed on Ustream.LUENELL
No topic is off-limits when Luenell takes the mic. A bold and fearless performer who’s not afraid to get a little nasty, she has been tearing it up on stages and screens for more than 25 years. The result is a uniquely eventful and totally wild comedy career that’s included everything from playing Borat’s girlfriend to being inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. Luenell began her career in entertainment as a stand-up comedian at clubs in the Bay Area and as a TV host for the Oakland cable station Soul Beat. After relocating to Los Angeles, she hustled hard for spots at the city’s foremost comedy clubs while scoring parts in film and TV. She found an invaluable friend and mentor in Robin Harris, the beloved actor and comedian who died in 1990. His encouragement and Luenell’s experiences as a remarkably resilient woman in a male-dominated world led to a brand of comedy that was distinctive, unpredictable, raunchy, and very much her own. After years in the stand-up trenches, Luenell saw her career heat up in a big way when she became one of the only bona fide actors in Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. In the wake of her hilarious appearance in the 2006 comedy blockbuster as the prostitute girlfriend of Sacha Baron Cohen’s title character, Luenell was in very high demand. She appeared on TV shows like The Tony Rock Project and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. She had roles in movies like Think Like a Man and That’s My Boy. She showed off her well-honed stand-up skills on Snoop Dogg Presents The Bad Girls of Comedy, Comics Unleashed, Katt Williams: Katthouse Comedy, and The Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav. In 2009, Luenell starred in her debut solo comedy special, Hey Luenell. Recurring roles on Californication and Lopez introduced her talents to new audiences, too. Things can only get bigger and brighter for the Original Bad Girl of Comedy thanks to starring roles in such forthcoming films as Jamie Foxx’s All-Star Weekend and the comedy Ballbuster. Of course, fans know that Luenell’s live shows are where she really lets loose.EARTHQUAKE
A comedian, actor and radio host born and raised in Washington, D.C., Nathaniel Stroman has been better known as Earthquake ever since he was given the nickname by his mother. He joined the Air Force the day after graduating high school, eventually rising to the rank of sergeant. He ended his 11-year military career during the first Gulf War in 1991. All those experiences helped Earthquake develop the honest and often hilarious style of stand-up that first earned him attention in the Atlanta area in the early 1990s. His national breakthrough arrived in 1997 when he joined Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam Tour. Appearances on such shows as BET’s ComicView led to further opportunities in film and TV, including spots on Comedy Central’s Premium Blend, Jamie Foxx’s stand-up showcase Laffapalooza!, Weekends at the D.L. with D.L. Hughley and Real Time with Bill Maher. Earthquake also performed the recurring role of Uncle Mike on The CW’s Everybody Hates Chris, starred in Kevin Smith’s Clerks II and voiced the part of Root the Rooster in the 2006 animated hit Barnyard. Released in 2005, Earthquake’s first DVD About Got Damm Time was hailed as a frank, fearless and hysterically funny demonstration of his stand-up abilities. It also helped cement his place as a favorite of fellow comedians like Whoopi Goldberg and John Mulaney.TONY ROBERTS
Stand-up veteran and “comedian’s comedian” Tony Roberts has been cracking up audiences since 1992 with his charismatic presence and nonstop punch lines. Since then he’s graced the stages of some of the country’s premier comedy clubs and been a featured performer on everything from Def Comedy Jam to BET’s Comic View. Whether he’s telling a hilarious story about changing his son’s diapers or giving his take on texting and driving, Roberts never fails to have fans in stitches on his must-see tours. Detroit-born Tony Roberts got his start as a stand-up performer in 1992 when a friend bet him $50 that he wouldn’t get on stage at an open mic night. Roberts took the bet, winning the money and finding his calling as a comedian in the process. After performing at legendary clubs like the Boston Comedy Club and the Peppermint Lounge, Roberts made his TV debut with an acclaimed routine on Def Comedy Jam. Appearances on Showtime at the Apollo and BET’s Comic View soon followed, earning him a reputation as one of the comedy circuit’s brightest rising talents. In 2012 Roberts delivered another hilarious performance on Russell Simmons Brings the Ruckus, where he shared the stage with fellow comedians like J.B. Smoove and Tony Rock. With his electric energy and impeccable timing, Roberts continues to crack up audiences every time he takes the stage.
