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Hello — Matt Grobar here, and welcome back to Comedy Means Business.
We’ve made it past another year of Netflix Is a Joke Fest — how is everyone feeling?
I’ve received multiple reports of people working themselves sick, literally. When I polled some of you about your level of exhaustion post-fest, I got the following:
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So take care of yourselves out there…
This was just one finding from our first-ever Netflix Is a Joke Exit Survey, where we got 30 industry pros to offer their thoughts on the highs and lows of the festival — weighing in on the comic that owned the week, their favorite new discoveries, the Kevin Hart roast, and more.
View the findings, and some suggestions for the future of the festival, below.
Today in the newsletter, I also have exclusive info on new agency signings for four festival participants — Zarna Garg, Funny AF runner-up Usama Siddiquee (who as you'll find in the exit survey, emerged as one of the buzziest names of this year's fest), and the Are You Garbage? duo of Kevin Ryan and H. Foley.
I also have intel on a third Matt Rife show set for the Greek in Los Angeles this summer — with two already sold out — and a new special from Nick Guerra.
ICYMI, in the latest episode of my Comedy Means Business podcast, I sat down with Atsuko Okatsuka, who delves into her fascinating life story and career trajectory. Check that out here.
Now, let's unpack Netflix Is a Joke.
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THE DEADLINE EXCLUSIVE:
Netflix Is a Joke Signing Spree |
Zarna Garg Signs With UTA; 'Are You Garbage?' Guys Ink With CAA; Usama Siddiquee To WME |
L-R: Usama Siddiquee, Are You Garbage?'s Kevin Ryan and H. Foley, and Zarna Garg (Phil Provencio/Courtesy)
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With so much comedic talent on hand in Los Angeles for Netflix Is a Joke Fest, there were signings aplenty, with the Big 3 agencies moving to lock down top talent.
Last week, we scooped Sheryl Underwood heading to CAA after emerging as one of the breakout talents of this year’s roast — and now, we can tell you about three more signings, with Usama Siddiquee inking at WME, Zarna Garg moving to UTA, and Are You Garbage?’s Kevin Ryan and H. Foley signing at CAA.
Named to our December list of the Stand-Ups to Keep an Eye On in 2026, Bengali-American comic Usama Siddiquee impressed many with his work in the first season of Kevin Hart's Netflix comedy competition series Funny AF, where he was runner-up.
A comedian, actor, author, and digital creator with more than four million followers and billions of views across platforms, Garg comes to UTA after building a global fanbase through her sharp, deeply relatable observations on family, culture, and modern life. Her latest special, Zarna Garg: Practical People Win, debuted at #2 during its opening week on Hulu lst year.
New York comics Ryan and Foley have cultivated a massive, dedicated fanbase with Are You Garbage?, a "trashy comedy game show" format featuring celebrity and comedian guests, which is consistently in the top 50 comedy podcast charts and ranks in the top 10 comedy campaigns on Patreon, where it rakes in more than $130K monthly. They were signed to CAA following a competitive pursuit.
Read more about Siddiquee here; Garg here; and the Are You Garbage? guys here.
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THE DEADLINE EXCLUSIVE - #2 |
Matt Rife Sets Third July Show At The Greek |
Matt Rife (courtesy Live Nation)
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Here’s one for newsletter readers only: Matt Rife has added a third and final Los Angeles show to his Stay Golden World Tour due to high demand.
The show will take place at The Greek Theatre on July 13, following two previously announced shows at the venue, set for July 11 and 12, which are sold out. Tickets will be available starting tomorrow, May 19 at 12 p.m. with a Citi presale, followed by an artist presale starting at 2 p.m. local time. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on sale beginning Thursday, May 21 at 10 a.m. local time.
Rife has shattered multiple venue records across the country on this tour, kicking off last year, including the most single-event tickets ever sold at both Columbus’ Nationwide Arena and Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, as well as the all-time ticket sales record at Manchester’s SNHU Arena and the paid seat record for the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, MI. He also set a new benchmark at Anaheim’s Honda Center, breaking the record for most tickets sold by a comedian in the venue’s history.
Rife’s latest special, Matt Rife: Unwrapped — A Christmas Crowd Work Special, premiered on Netflix this past December. He is repped by UTA, manager Christina Shams of Avesta Entertainment, and Felker McGinnis & Ryan.
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Nick Guerra (Troy Conrad)
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Nick Guerra has partnered with Comedy Dynamics and Super Nice Guys to release his new stand-up comedy special, Risk Taker. It'll debut across Prime Video, Apple TV and other platforms on Tuesday, May 19th.
In the special, Guerra tackles topics including the beauty of the skip intro guy, the soundtrack to future drug commercials, and why your brain and body can't see eye-to-eye. Charlie Fonville and Jack Vaughn directed the hour, with Charlie Fonville producing alongside Vaughn and Jay Seigan for Super Nice Guys. Comedy Dynamics is handling distribution.
"Nick's new comedy special is hilarious front to back and his seasoned stage presence shines through in this set," said Comedy Dynamics CEO, Brian Volk-Weiss. "It also features a cameo from the one and only Jack Vaughn, so that alone is worth the watch!"
For Guerra, Risk Taker comes on the heels of the HBO Latino half-hour Love Me at My Worst and the Dry Bar special Enjoy Life. Seen on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and NBC's Last Comic Standing, the comedian has toured with Jo Koy, Nurse John, Cristela Alonzo and Pablo Francisco, and been presented by Jimmy O. Yang and Gabriel Iglesias, who gave him his TV debut on the Comedy Central show Stand Up Revolution.
Guerra is managed by Barb North from Brook Forest Entertainment. >>> More
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SPECIAL OF THE MONTH: APRIL |
Brad Wenzel: Desperate Times |
Brad Wenzel in special Desperate Times (Brad Wenzel via YouTube)
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Today’s special of the month (April) is Desperate Times from Brad Wenzel, which deserves much more than the 47.5K or so views it currently has on YouTube:
Let’s raise that number.
Wenzel is a self-described “product of the Detroit Comedy scene” who has been touring the U.S. for the last 15 years. He releases his 2017 debut comedy album, Sweet Nothings, on Jack White’s rock label, Third Man Records, made three appearances on Conan, and has more recently performed on Netflix is a Joke Radio and Don't Tell Comedy.
I’d never heard of Wenzel prior to coming across his latest special, taped at The Independent Comedy Club inside Planet Ant Theater in Hamtramck, Michigan, but he quickly establishes himself as a sharp observational stand-up with a unique voice.
With the taping of a new hour, he jokes — he can’t lose. Either he gets to advance his life’s passion with a successful special, or he gets “to throw a hard drive in a river.”
The special is full of great jokes on landlords (“I give you all this money and we don’t hang out?”), centaurs, diet snapple, Dr. Seuss, and more.
A favorite line: “Soap looks like it taste good, but no.”
I could be wrong, but Wenzel seems to be unrepped. Would encourage people to take a look.
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COMEDY ROUND-UP: 5.5 - 5.18 |
Our companion Comedy Means Business podcast runs bimonthly on Mondays. Sign up to receive that in your inbox here.
Got a tip, pitch, comment, feature idea, or Special of the Month? Reach out at mattgrobar@deadline.com.
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