Women In Film & Technology is proud to present our four part weekend workshop series “Comedy Corner.”
 

Date:  Saturday | July 25 - August 15th, 2020

Time: 9:00 PST - 12:00 EST

Course:  (4) Weeks | Every Saturday

 

“Nobody puts baby in the corner.” Patrick Swayze. And neither are we. Comedians will thrive with our “Comedy Corner” 4 week intensive program with some of the best comedians in the field. 

 

July 25th. Week One: How To Write & Perform Comedy Class. 

 

Our expert comedians will  come together via live stream, with our future comedians and work with them on learning how to develop a super efficient process for writing:

-Monologues

-Sketches

-Comedy Bits

-Stand-up Routines

 

August 1st. Week Two In Review: How Did You Do?

 

Our expert comedians will rejoin the original comedians and each one will be given an opportunity to perform their comedy based on which technique they’ve chosen in week one.

 

Our expert comedians will provide feedback to each comedian based on their performance and expert advice on what they can change to make it better.

 

August 8th. Week Three: The New Judges Will See You Now.

 

A new set of expert judges will come on board to watch our original comedians come to life with their newer and revised routines and let’s see if they took the original judges advice.

 

Fresh advice always works in the world of comedy and our comedians will be given one last opportunity to get expert advice from a new set of eyes to talk about and make any changes they feel will make it better.

 

Their piers will also have an opportunity to anonymously rate their performance from 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

 

August 15th. Week Four: Stay Or Out The Door To Work Some More

 

In week 4, our judges from week 3 will join us to see the final performances of each and every one of our comedians. There will be some advice given and each comedian will be judged by our celebrity comedians on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the highest.

 

Are you ready to go live or do you need to rehearse and work some more on your routine? 

 

The comedians rated the highest will be given an opportunity to be placed on our IG TV and/or YouTube and have their routines live for the world to see with positive reviews from our celebrity comedians.

--------------------

 

Women In Film & Technology Las Vegas has the technology in place to conduct successful live classes and seminars from home, to keep everyone safe during Covid 19.

 

LET’S BRING EDUCATION AND LAUGHTER INTO OUR LIVES!

 

Our Celebrity Judges:

 

Kiki Melendez

 

Award-winning comedienne, actress, writer, and producer Kiki Melendez grew up in New York City of Dominican descent.  She spent her childhood watching classic television shows such as The Brady Bunch and Bewitched during the day and Spanish telenovelas at night. As a teenager Melendez’s family moved to Miami. She went back to New York to get training in the performing arts.  She studied at the Lee Strasberg Theater, The New York Film Institute and The Herbert Berghof Studio.

 

She started her career in show business as a morning radio host for stations such as La Nueva FM, 105.9 in New York and KRLA, Groove 103.1 in Los Angeles.

 

In 1998, Melendez successfully transitioned from radio to television. Her first pilot, Salsa desde Hollywood was acquired by Galavision Network. Following its success, Melendez went on to create America’s first bilingual variety show Kiki desde Hollywood, which became the highest rated entertainment show on the Galavision Network.  Melendez has also been an entertainment reporter for the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) and other international media outlets.

 

Melendez’ career breakthrough came in 2009 when she created the smash TV hit Hot Tamales Live! on Showtime Networks – A talent showcase celebrating ethnic diversity through performances by comics, sketch artists and dancers. This one of a kind TV special had one of the highest rated premieres on Showtime Network’s history.  It ran in the summer of 2009 and returned in January 2010. Hot Tamales Live! was the closing show at the HBO Comedy Festival at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.

 

Among her many awards:  American Latino Pioneer in Entertainment, The Lupe Ontiveros Visionary Award (Georgia Latin Film Festival), American Latino Award (nomination) and  the prestigious MAVERICK AWARD  (Los Angeles Women’s Theater Festival.) On May 7, 2015 she will be honored by the Dominican Film Festival in New York City in a star studded gala.

 

Film credits include her critically acclaimed film biopic Journey of a Female Comic, Day Shift, National Lampoon’s Cattle Call, and Benny Bliss dvd 1 and The Disciples of Greatness.

 

Television credits include Hot Tamales Live!, (Showtime Networks), #Locos Y Contentos, (Estrella TV), Tracy Ullman Takes On (HBO), Strong Medicine (Lifetime), City Guys (NBC), Steve Harvey Show (WB), and more. As a writer her credits include: Chase Hope and Faith, Gina and Blair and Exonerating Evidence.

 

Theater credits include Latina’s Don’t PMS in Los Angeles which she directed and produced and Madres y Heroinas, a surprising breakthrough performance in a dramatic role.

 

Currently, Melendez is starring and Executive Producing a national show called #Locos y Contentos on Estrella TV.  In the tradition of SNL, Mad TV and In Living Color this show is the culmination of her years of trying to create a national platform for Latino Comics.

 

Melendez is married to Scottish bloke John Berry. Together they are raising twins Alessandra and Isabella, a role she is most proud of.

 

Kiki Melendez is a certified Hypnotherapist and has a BA in Psychology.

 

Christy Miller

 

Christy Miller is a veteran stand-up comic who looks like the superhero of superfunny supermodels. She spends her nights making the people of New York City feel cheap and dirty with her ladylike vulgar comedy (there IS such a thing…somewhere), her days lifting about 300 lbs. at the gym, her mornings lifting 12 oz. lattes at Starbucks – but not before opening herself up to the most degrading verbal abuse from her local barista who can barely lift 10 lbs. because he weighs less than 140 lbs. The worst part? The verbal tongue lashing is part of her order (see “Exhibit A” below). It makes no damn sense. And her fans keep coming back over and over. They haven’t figured her out and they’re not giving up anytime soon.

 

Nearly 20 years as a staple on the stand-up comedy scene, Christy Miller spent the first half of her career at the world famous Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood where she caught the eyes of legendary comics Paul Mooney and Andrew “Dice” Clay with her vulgar, balls out, nothing sacred style of dirty jokes. Shortly thereafter, “Dice” invited Christy to open for him at his shows and, during that time, she was featured on his album cover, “Face Down, Ass Up.”

Shortly after, Paul Mooney took Christy on the road to feature for him and later took her to New York City her first time in 1999. Mooney made her his permanent feature act at Caroline’s on Broadway by 2005. Christy relocated to NYC, quickly created a name for herself in the urban circuit, and was eventually dubbed “Nasty Barbie” by Mooney.

 

Christy later expanded her public persona by jumping into the world of roller derby starting with the Gotham Girls Roller Derby and was later drafted in 2006 by the Manhattan Mayhem. After 2 seasons under the alias ‘Bitchie Slambora’, Christy retired her skates and, like a good missionary, decided to focus all of her energy on stand-up comedy because “those dirty jokes won’t tell themselves.”

 

Christy has since more than paved her own way and, over the years, has been featured on: “Best Damn Sports Show Period”, “Boy Meets World”, BET’s “Comic Mania”, Tammy Pescatelli’s “Stand Up Mother” and films like “Strange Days” and “Nixon”. She was also featured on Vinny Pastore’s “The Wiseguys Show” on Sirius. During roller derby season, Christy was the host of “Radio Free Derby” for the Gotham Girls Roller Derby.

 

These days, you can see Christy at Broadway Comedy Club where she co produces the all female comedy show, “Broadly Funny”, and co-hosts “The Angel Salazar Radio Show” with Angel Salazar (Chi Chi from Scarface) and is his opening act on stage.

 

At this time, Christy is still in a very abusive relationship with one very angry barista at Starbucks. She refuses help at this time.

 

​

Irinia Veronina 

 

Irina Voronina came from Russia to the United States to become Playboy’s Miss January 2001. Born behind the iron curtain, in the city of Dzerzhinsk (USSR), she couldn’t even dream of leaving Russia. Yet, when the opportunity presented itself, she pursued a modeling career in Europe and moved to Milan, before making her way to the US to take her career to the next level. Since then Irina has had millions of visual impressions around the globe via the covers and pages of magazines including Maxim, Max, Playboy, FHM, Kandy and many more. She has appeared in numerous TV commercials and print campaigns representing international brands including SKYY, Bacardi, Miller Lite, Michelob, Sisley and Detour. In 2008 Irina was named St. Pauli Girl SpokesModel, completing a 12-city media tour around the US, hosting events and interacting with fans. She holds the title of a three-time Kandy Magazine cover girl, and the honor of Kandy Magazine’s 2013 Model of the Year. With Irina’s successful modeling career, Playmate status, Russian roots, and fish-out-of-water life experiences, standup comedy was destined to be in her future.

 

Irina began to showcase her comedic side when she landed her first big-screen break as the ‘funny foreign girl’ in Reno 911!: Miami. Since then, she’s built her comedy momentum appearing in a multitude of feature films, including Balls of Fury, Piranha 3DD, Lazer Team and Killing Hasselhoff, showcased her sexy/killer side in the indie film Scramble – which she co-produced, kept audiences laughing with television appearances on Svetlana (HD Net), Saul of the Molemen (Adult Swim), Supreme Court of Comedy (Direct TV), iCarly (Nickelodeon), Tosh.0 (Comedy Central), Reno 911! (Comedy Central) and helped expose social teen struggles in the critically acclaimed 13 Reasons Why (Netflix).

 

Irina’s comedic acting experience naturally progressed into the launch of her standup comedy career. Through Her unapologetic and straightforward sense of humor she gives audiences a hilarious glimpse of life back in the USSR (compared to the USA), life as an international model and Playmate, and the surprisingly relatable life experiences from her perspective. She frequently performs at comedy clubs throughout the Los Angeles and surrounding areas, including The Comedy Store, Flappers, Laugh Factory, and The Ice House. In 2018 Irina was chosen to perform

at the Comedy Festivals of San Diego, Joshua Tree, Palm Springs, Burbank, Orange County, and LA’s LaughRiot Grrrl. Her TV stand-up debut will air on Amazon Prime’s Laugh After Dark Season 2, set to be released in August of 2019.

 

Since 2015 Irina has put on her creator/producer hat with a monthly all-women standup show Comedy Stew at Bar Lubitsch, West Hollywood. Comedy Stew has become a ‘must-perform’ venue for female comedians in Los Angeles and is the inspiration behind a feministic documentary feature about the LA stand up comedy scene and what it takes to make it as a female standup in a male-driven comedy business.

 

Irina loves connecting with her fans worldwide and stays active daily across all social media platforms with 4+ million followers. Irina writes, produces and edits original comedy content for her social media platforms. She maintains involvement with her bunny roots, Playboy Enterprises, and is proud to represent the iconic brand that helped launch her career.

 

Todd Rexx 

 

For almost 2 decades, Todd Rexx aka T-Rexx has been a natural who quickly wins over any audience with his cunning wit, over the top impersonations and brilliant crowd interaction. His on stage antics, accompanied by his twisted imagination, create a comedic concoction that captivates audiences, literally leaving them rolling in the aisles, crying for more. If you’re in the market for a new generation comedian, then look no further! Todd is a true disciple of crossover comedy, who applies his sheer talent and genius to create an off center style of comedy composed of a mixed bag of personal experience, everyday observations, and hypothetical situations to connect with any audience.

 

Born in Long Branch, New Jersey, Todd was adopted at birth by a loving caucasian couple and immediately scurried to his new home in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, a multicultural artsy suburb of Cleveland. There he attended different schools and at each one, to the dismay of his parents, quickly established himself as the "class clown." When Todd was ten, he and his family moved to Silver Spring, Maryland, where he continued to “bless” classrooms with impersonations, sound effects, jokes, and comedic antics that not only classmates would laugh at, but teachers and staff as well. His classroom comedy continued through junior high, high school, and two years of junior college (basically 13th grade) where he studied television production. In 1992, after encouragement from friends and family, Todd finally brought his talents to the stage at The Comedy Café in Washington, D.C., and hasn’t looked back since. Todd prides himself with being able to connect with any audience presented to him. His multi-cultural background enables him to transcend barriers and truly entertain all.

 

Todd’s comedic exploits have taken him to Europe, Japan, Canada, Mexico, U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as coast to coast nationally, touching almost every state in the union. He has worked with Jerry Seinfeld, David Allen Grier, Dave Attell, Jeffery Ross, Ray Romano, Chris Rock, Bernie Mac, Russell Peters, Dave Chappelle, Craig Robinson and Bill Burr. His comedic pursuits landed him his own headline gig, “The Todd Rexx Show” at the world famous Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, NV.

 

Todd’s talents have not been limited to live performances, however. Todd has made numerous television appearances, including BET’s Comicview (1994-2005), Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1995), HBO’s Def Comedy Jam All-Stars, Comedy Factory (Netherlands), Raymond is Late (Netherlands), Rumbles (HDNet), Baggin’  (VH1). He has also appeared in such films as Premonitions (Latte Stone Films), NTV (Grifftyme Productions), I’ll Be Back (DeVry institute industrial film from Hope Productions), Love Jones (Newline Cinema), For the Love of Money (Pee-Air Productions), The Fear Chamber (Night Light Films). He is currently a card carrying member of the Screen Actors Guild as well as AFTRA. He also currently headlines shows globally. If you get the chance to see him live, do yourself a favor and do so.

​

Barbara Holliday

 

Manager/Executive Producer/Owner of Flappers Comedy Club & Restaurant (2 Locations- Burbank & Claremont) 

 

Flappers Comedy Club has two locations in Burbank and Claremont, H2F Comedy Productions (H2F), is a Los Angeles Based Comedy Management and Development company,

Holliday is an unexpectedly funny, blue-eyed, 5-foot-2-inch dynamo. And since 1999, she has been Managing Comedians and Producing live comedy shows, festivals, and television pilots. A few of her shows include Uncle Clyde’s Comedy Contest, sponsored by the Riviera Comedy Club in Las Vegas, Survival of the Funniest and the Hollywood Ha Ha Festival, as well as many projects for film and television. She has also been on 14 Game Shows- Is that legal?

Holliday was born in Long Island, New York to computer programmer Paul Holliday and visual artist, Madeline Baker. She believes her multi-talented capacity for performance, and business is a result of being raised in a thoroughly “left brain/right brain” trailer park family. Experience probably has much to do with her flair as well. After graduating from San Diego State University with her Teaching certification and a degree in Theater Arts (Hon.) English minor in 1989, she was headed for a high school teaching stint but ended up getting cast instead as a Kid’s Club Host for Fox on the highly-rated television program Fox Kids Club. The show allowed Holliday to hone her performance & leadership skills on some of the toughest guests around-young children and animals-while simultaneously writing and producing her daily show.

 

Since moving to Los Angeles in 1993, Holliday has performed in National Television commercials for SBCGlobal, films such as (Naked Gun 33⅓) and television shows (Friends, The Dating Game, World’s Funniest), on stage (Funny Girl, Hello Dolly, West Side Story) and as a stand-up and sketch comedian (The Comedy Store,IGBY’s, Ha Ha Café, The Improv and various other Showcases throughout Los Angeles). She has also worked as a Clown, and balloon artist at local theme parks, as well as being the CO-Creator of Uncle Clyde's Comedy Contest, and Survival of the Funniest and many other reality and comedy show pilots.