Proud to have directed, produced, filmed & edited this one-of-a-kind Covid-adapted comedy special – “Candy & Smiley” featuring hilarious comic and storyteller Ed Hill.

Candy & Smiley premiered on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Dish, DirectTV, Spectrum, Google Play and more on March 2nd 2021.  You can also listen to the album on SiriusXM, Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Pandora.

#comedyshow #behindthescenes #comedian #entertainment #entertainment

#filmmaking #docuseries #comedy #videoproduction

In the early 80’s Anvil toured with the likes of The Scorpians, Whitesnake, Bon Jovi and Guns N’ Roses.  While all of those bands went on to enormous fame and riches, Anvil certainly did not.  And while lead singer and guitarist Steve “Lips” Kudlow ends up as a delivery driver for a catering service company he is determined to remain steadfast in his dreams of having the band making it.  He is resolute in keeping the band together regardless of the financial, family and practical obstacles that they encounter.  Steve is endlessly industrious is coming up with ways to finance the band’s efforts is unwavering in his spirit and passion as he gets the band together to record their 13th album and subsequently go on a European tour.

Anvil! The Story of Anvil is an endearing story about resilience and determination.  Following the band’s improbable dream provides insight into their unique friendship and bond, and leads to an examination of broader examination goal-setting, loyalty, success, heartbreak, and external validation.  There is an undeniable appeal to the band’s commitment.  The film’s tagline is “At fourteen, they made a pact to rock together forever. They meant it.”

The film is directed by Sacha Gervasi who was originally a roadie for the band while at the height of their success.  It is clear he recognized that the band (and their lead singer in particular) have an unflappable nature that resonates.  The film is a fantastic mix of humour, poignancy, and inspiration.

Anvil! The Story of Anvil is a highly entertaining documentary that inspires us to seek out subjects that are similarly consumed by a personal quest.

Just finished the filming of comic Ed Hill’s comedy special “Candy & Smiley” – Ed is a fantastic comic and great storyteller. The show was originally slated for a big theater in March but obviously the pandemic forced the production to change course. The result was an very unique comedy show in front of an intimate audience. Now on to editing this one of a kind comedy piece. It is scheduled to be distributed by Comedy Dynamics.

Originally from Taiwan, Ed is an award winning comic who moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, thinking he was on vacation at his father’s discretion.

Since then, Ed has performed all over the world. He was voted “Best Vancouver Comedian of 2016” by West Ender Magazine, and “Best Vancouver Comedian of 2015” by West Ender Magazine and The Georgia Straight, and named “Comic to Watch” in 2018 by Reader’s Digest Magazine and in 2015 by Canadian Immigrant Magazine. He has also appeared on AXS TV’s “Gotham Comedy Live”, “Laughs” on FOX, TED talks, Bite TV’s “Stand up & Bite Me”, and XM Radio’s “Laugh Attack”. He was also invited to perform at the Just For Laughs Northwest Comedy Festival, Comedy Masala in Singapore, Live Comedy Club in Taiwan, the Hong Kong Comedy Festival, NXNE, San Francisco Comedy Festival, and many more.

Ed’s tweets have also been featured on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon”, Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post, DOSE, and Distractify.

In this episode, Tony Hinchcliffe gives a little background on how the “Kill Tony” podcast / show developed and we get to see how “preparation meets opportunity” for a few up and coming comics.

Angelo has appeared at Just For Laughs and travelled the world as a headlining stand-up comic. In addition to appearing in film and television Angelo hosts “The Funny Greek” podcast. In this mini documentary, we got to spend some time with Angelo behind the scenes at the Yuk Yuks Calgary greenroom in between shows. Not only is Tsarouchas hilarious on stage but he is a great story-teller and warm personality off-stage as well.

“Funniest Person with a Day Job” will chronicle a potentially life-changing contest run by an iconic Canadian comedy club, The Comic Strip.  The celebrated venue is a revered comedy club in Edmonton run by charismatic owners Rick and Tammy Bronson.  Each year the club hosts their wildly popular contest for open-mic amateurs (who have regular jobs) to see who will win the coveted title.  The contest is judged by well-known celebrity comics – Ali Wong, Russell Peters, Marc Maron, Norm MacDonald, and Nikki Glaser are among the many noted comics who have headlined at the club.  The fledgling comics from diverse backgrounds and varied professions anxiously vie to seize the opportunity to parlay their short stint on stage into a seminal moment that will change the trajectory of their career & life.

Filming is scheduled to begin in the upcoming spring – we are excited to  chronicle this epic competition in what will surely be a series fraught with drama and humour.

Behind-the-scenes content always provides insight into what a sub-culture is like and provides an opportunity to see authentic moments that are often both genuine and humorous.

In this video road comics Angelo Tsarouchas and Noel Elgrably hang out a the ‘Comic’s Condo’ while performing at Rick Bronson’s The Comic Strip in Edmonton Canada.

In this piece the comics are having a morning coffee – around noon – after a late night show. Topics include, helping out fellow comics trying to make it, life on the road, the different scope of shows and audiences, getting a greencard, Canadian women, and craving cigars.

We look forward to the opportunity to cover a wide variety of eclectic comics, highlighting their diverse journeys and stories.  The world of comedy is rich with many compelling individuals. They are all on unique paths and the opportunity to chronicle these tales will definitely help us attain our goal of telling absorbing narratives with captivating visuals.

Jake Hirsch is a hard-charging manager with a diverse roster of talent.  He has his pulse on the comedy industry and in addition masterfully cultivating contacts with established headliners, club owners, and prominent Hollywood executives, Hirsch is known for his strong work ethic and integrity within the comedy community.  Partnering with Hirsch will undoubtedly provide access to a plethora of interesting comics and he will surely have strong strategic approach in marketing our material.

Rick Bronson is a veteran comic, who along with his wife Tammy, owns 3 successful comedy clubs, with a 4th on the way.  Rick has “done it all and seen it all” when it comes to comedy.  In addition to touring extensively as a headlining comic, and hosting a travel show, his clubs have hosted  the industry’s top headliners including: Bert Kreischer,  Ali Wong, Russell Peters, Iliza Shlesinger, Anthony Jeselnik, Brent Morin, Hannibal Buress, Justin Willman, Theo Von,  Michael Che, Jo Koy,  Ari Shaffir,  Marlon Wayans, Moshe Kasher,  Gilbert Gottfried, Kevin Nealon, Norm MacDonald, T.J. Miller, Damon Wayans, Kevin Pollack, Marc Maron, Tom Green, Nikki Glaser, Debra Digiovanni, Caroline Rhea, and many more. ​​​​​​​  As both an established performer and club owner, Bronson will be a fantastic asset in coming up with creative content and enabling access to various comics and clubs.

We have had the opportunity to work with both Hirsch and Bronson on our initial comedy projects and these experiences fueled our mutual enthusiasm to create ongoing doc-style content.  We plan on shooting broadcast shows, digital series, feature-length documentaries, live shows and events, as well as social media content.

When the show on-stage ends, our show begins …

But this path to prominence is filled with numerous obstacles.  Long days, late nights, and a demented cast of characters surrounded by vices, Hirsch’s group of comics can be an insufferable lot filled with a mix of self-loathing and insecurities.  For every time they “kill” on stage or land that next big gig, they also suffer on-stage bombs, mental breakdowns, lack of discipline, neurosis, insecurities, ego, narcissism, excess, jealousy, moodiness, irritability, anxiety, laziness, bitterness, greed, insecurity and a variety of other self-sabotaging traits that threaten to derail their progress.  However, Jake is driven, and his comics are unequivocally talented and funny.  They all dream of “making it,” however, navigating these aforementioned landmines, and rising through the crowded ranks of comics, will definitely prove to be a formidable task.

Hirsch relentlessly prowls open mics and comedy festivals scouting for new comic talent.   In his impassioned pursuit of becoming the next “king of comedy,” he mines his way through the crowded field of aspiring comics in an effort to uncover the next diamond in the rough.   Jake balances his time trying to polish these new-found talents while managing the burgeoning careers of his madcap attention-seeking roster.  A master schmoozer, the enterprising manager is also continually hobnobbing with big-name comics in an effort to promote their shows and build his brand. 

You’re Funny provides an unfiltered glimpse behind the bright spotlight into the comedy business. The comics hone their craft travelling to various clubs and shows, while struggling to navigate their careers and rise through the ranks of the ruthless comedy-club system.  In addition to showcasing their on-stage performances, the series will pull back the curtain and provide unparalleled access to their colourful off-stage antics. The camaraderie and competition, rivalries and rituals, and sordid shenanigans that characterize this captivating subculture will provide plenty of moments of poignancy and hilarity, and form the building blocks for numerous compelling story arcs.

Documentary content has the opportunity to be unbelievably compelling because it can provide an unfiltered glimpse behind-the-scenes of interesting subcultures. The comedy club scene and the world of comics certainly exemplifies a setting with colourful characters and scenarios as well as absorbing narratives.

This video highlights one of many shorts set that we filmed for The Jake Hirsch Entertainment Group. It features brash young comic Brett Forte, who has appeared at The World Famous Comedy Store opened for the likes of Bobby Lee and Chris D’Elia, and worked alongside Russell Peters.  He is a young comic on the rise. In addition to filming comics on-stage we look forward to supplementing that content by filming their antics off stage as well.

While the antics of comedians certainly will provide a lot of fodder for great viewing, we are trying to connect with entrepreneurs, leaders, trail-blazers, influencers or pundits who provides a service or product, or are beacons of a particular community, niche, lifestyle or subculture. These people/groups often have stories worth sharing and the creation of a systematized filming/editing workflow enables greater accessibility of professional on-going doc-style content.