Becky Braunstein & Brianna Barrett
CANCER CULTURE (Half-hour scripted series) Based on the real experiences of Becky Braunstein and Brianna Barrett, Cancer Culture tells the story of an aspiring comedian who faces the possibility of losing her voice forever when she is diagnosed with thyroid cancer and finds unexpected friends in an activity-oriented young adult cancer survivor support group. Think Ted Lasso, but instead of soccer, it’s cancer.
Becky & Brianna pitched their scripted series ‘Cancer Culture’ at the Yes, And… Laughter Lab showcase at Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles on Thursday, September 15.
Mario Garza & Xano Alexander Cuervo
CAPITAN CHURRO (Half-hour animated series). After being told he’ll never play a superhero on the big screen, a young delicious churro decides to fight crime and prove churros can also be superheroes. In a world where people are food and food are people, Churro fights to give Hispanic foods the same opportunities as elite American foods. Think South Park and Sausage Party meet Big Mouth.
Mario & Xano pitched their animated series ‘Capitan Churro’ at the Yes, And… Laughter Lab showcase at Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles on Thursday, September 15.
Brian Koukol
CRIPS (Half-hour scripted series) A severely disabled man discovers his longtime girlfriend/caregiver has been cheating on him and must decide which aspect of their relationship is most worth saving. With the help of his free-spirited best friend, he seeks to carve a wheelchair accessible path through the intimidating confluence of life, love, and progressive neuromuscular disease. Special meets Insecure.
Brian pitched his scripted series ‘Crips’ at the Yes, And… Laughter Lab showcase at Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles on Thursday, September 15.
Christine Hoang
DOWNSHIFT (Half-hour scripted series) Vietnamese American single mom and burned-out lawyer Theresa Ho has had enough; she tells her toxic bosses to shove it, quits her attorney career, and downshifts to a new adventure as a yellow school bus driver. Downshift spotlights the most underrepresented superhero of our time – the single mom. In Downshift we see her redefine what self care and self discovery can be in this age of The Great Resignation.
Christine pitched her scripted series ‘Downshift’ at the Yes, And… Laughter Lab showcase at Caveat in New York City on Thursday, September 29.
Yasmin Elhady
ELHOTTIE: AN ALABAMA SCORCHER (Stand up comedy special) Yasmin Elhady’s one hour comedy special about being a precocious, opinionated, often awkward young Muslim woman growing up in the Deep South. Through the lens of a refugee trying to gain acceptance as an American, her life hilariously unfolds in the most unlikely and unaccepting of places.
Yasmin pitched her stand up special ‘Elhottie: An Alabama Scorcher’ at the Yes, And… Laughter Lab showcase at Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles on Thursday, September 15.
Milly Tamarez
HERMA-NO (Half-hour scripted series) After losing out on a promotion, hardworking Elisa Peña gets tricked into having her recently dumped spoiled adult brother, Jorje, move in with her. Their mom brings them together but Elisa’s maxed credit cards, and Jorje’s desperate need to find his ex, keep them in the same apartment. Becoming roommates forces the Peña’s to learn the lessons of growing up while unlearning the toxic machismo they were raised in. The Odd Couple meets Encanto.
Milly pitched her scripted series ‘Herma-NO’ at the Yes, And… Laughter Lab showcase at Caveat in New York City on Thursday, September 29.
Jezabel Montero
LIZZY, GARY, BEBE & TRISH – QUE?! (Half-hour animated series) Four friends from the “rainbow” coalition ride the wave of big city living as they navigate the multi-cultural challenges in their work, sex and quirky family lives. Best friends Lizzy, Gary, and Trish help desperate Bebe prepare for the new world of dating after twenty years. Think Bob’s Burgers meets a cartoon version of Sex and the City, except with more “color” and definitely not “straight.”
Jezabel will present her pitch for her animated series ‘Lizzy, Gary, Bebe & Trish – Que?!’ at a Yes, And… Laughter Lab showcase event in 2022 (exact date to be announced).
Dylan Adler & Kelly Bachman
RAPE VICTIMS ARE HORNY TOO (Hour musical comedy special) Kelly Bachman and Dylan Adler are rape survivors… HORNY rape survivors! Rape Victims Are Horny Too is a musical comedy about healing from trauma, featuring an hour of songs and stand-up by Dylan and Kelly. Is it victim vaudeville? A trauma cabaret? Are they doing this to become famous? Yes. Dylan and Kelly are the self-proclaimed ‘Weird Al of rape’ and their first musical comedy album was just released by Comedy Dynamics on 9/22. Trauma mia, here we go again…
Dylan & Kelly pitched their musical comedy special ‘Rape Victims Are Horny Too’ at the Yes, And… Laughter Lab showcase at Caveat in New York City on Thursday, September 29.
Belynda Cleare & Maureen Ferguson
DIARY OF A DIRT ROAD DIVA! (Half-hour scripted series) When her husband dies suddenly, stand up comedian Linny Lawrence discovers the best way to cope with grief is with the mic (obviously!). The series explores Linny’s precocious, awkward and tragic childhood where she grew up in the only Black household in a rural Nova Scotia fishing village, spotlights her dazzling young adulthood in 1980’s Brooklyn, and grapples with the present where Linny works to heal herself and others with laughter. Think Shameless meets This Is Us with a touch of Fleabag.
Belynda & Maureen pitched their scripted series ‘Diary Of A Dirt Road Diva!’ at the Yes, And… Laughter Lab showcase at Caveat in New York City on Thursday, September 29.
Hakim Hill
SUN DON’T PAY (Hour-long scripted series) A sick, tired and timid clothing store worker becomes Boston’s next hottest clothing designer after a T-shirt splattered with his liver lobectomy wound goes viral. This series explores the implications of toxic hustle culture in order to survive the healthcare system – and the world of fashion. Think How To Make It In America meets Atlanta in the world of Sorry to Bother You.
Hakim pitched his scripted series ‘Sun Don’t Pay’ at the Yes, And… Laughter Lab showcase at Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles on Thursday, September 15.
Caitlin Barlow & Kathryn Renée Thomas
THE CLEAVE (Blog and digital series) Comedians and burnt-out moms, Caitlin Barlow and Kathryn Renée Thomas, are thrilled to announce the birth of The Cleave, a satirical website whose mission is to ensure all American mothers get the support, resources, and agency they need to live healthy lives. The Cleave‘s edgy and empowering comedy is for the millions of pissed off, overwhelmed, and underserved mothers who are figuring out that “having it all” is actually just code for “doing it all.” Think The Onion or Reductress for moms.
Caitlin & Kathryn pitched their digital platform ‘The Cleave’ at the Yes, And… Laughter Lab showcase at Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles on Thursday, September 15.
Luke Muyskens
UNCLE SAM’S MISGUIDED CHILDREN (Half-hour scripted series) A satirical mockumentary about an amateur anti-government militia in a small town on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The series follows the ragtag crew of misfits as their ideologies clash and hapless feds try to take them down. Reno 911 meets Trailer Park Boys with a dash of What We Do in the Shadows.
Luke pitched his scripted series ‘Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children’ at the Yes, And… Laughter Lab showcase at Caveat in New York City on Thursday, September 29.
Casey Rand & Sasha Stewart
In this half-hour, satirical workplace comedy, an extraterrestrial poses as an oil worker to get the skinny on Earth’s natural resources and quickly discovers that humans are killing the planet and everything on it. Now he must choose whether to fight for the humans he’s grown to love, or kill them all and steal their planet.
Robert Cunningham
A group of teenagers reunite to work as ball people at their communityʼs local tennis tournament.
Shatha Yas
I Did Something In Palestine is a live solo show about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through Palestinian comedian Shatha Yas’s curious 8 year-old eyes. Her story navigates the funny, awkward, ridiculous, scary, and routine parts of war. Laughs galore with a pinch of trauma!
Geri Cole & Serena da Conceição
Old Friends is about making new friends with old people. Like really old. It’s a weekly podcast showcasing the wisdom (and fails) of sassy people over seventy. Think Old Gays on YouTube meets Humans of New York. Like, what are old people even doing anyway? We need to know more about it.
Reid Pope
Old Queens is a mockumentary sitcom that follows Ric, Ben, Lisa, Melinda, and Lil’ Frankie, a group of rowdy 70-year-olds at The Queens Center For Queer Seniors. Every week, they pull pranks and pester their 25-year-old program director, Kara (who is desperately trying to help them make the most of the final years of their very gay lives).
Majdy Fares
Planet Dearborn is a hilarious modern love story from the heart of Arab America.
Ana-Marija Stojic
Stefan is a dark comedy about a 19-year-old incel and his overachieving sister, Dawn. Stefan’s character is played in drag by a woman to highlight the satire in the show (think the use of drag in the TV show Chad except with a darker twist).
Ali-Asghar Abedi
When UK-India trade talks stall over India’s demands for Britain to return famed Kohinoor diamond, an Indian billionaire decides to sponsor a group of plucky East Londoners to steal the diamond from Britain’s Crown Jewels.
Iraisa Ann Reilly
Five American-Latina friends embark on a camping trip for the bachelorette party that should have been when they encounter two white “papi chulos” (‘hotties’) who are doing this camping thing right: with running water. The boys hatch a plan to decide which of the femme-fatales they will save from deportation through marriage, but can they save the ladies from the Jersey Devil?
