Production on Final Installment of I AM COMIC Trilogy Underway

The third installment of the 'I Am Comic' trilogy focuses on Don Barnhart's Battle Comics and their commitment to entertaining the troops stationed around the world.

Las Vegas based comedian Don Barnhart and his Battle Comics - Laughter For The Troops will be heading to the Middle East in March to entertain the troops for Armed Forces Entertainment and filmmaker Jordan Brady hopes to capture and share the experience in his upcoming documentary I AM BATTLE COMIC while on tour for Armed Forces Entertainment.

Filmmaker Jordan Brady, director of the seminal standup docs I AM COMIC and I AM ROAD COMIC, will join Don Barnhart's Battle Comics as both comedian and filmmaker. Barnhart stated, "I'm thrilled to have Jordan join us. We've been friends for years and he's always shown an interest and fascination in entertaining the troops."

In a recent interview, filmmaker Jordan Brady commented, "I've been a Don Barnhart comedy fan since the 90's, so to see him on tour will be a treat. His gracious & heartfelt support to our troops is what inspired me to make this film." Brady added, "I hope to show the connection between comedian and our men & women in need of some laughter. Beyond just the stage, how the comics bring joy to our troops."

Barnhart and Brady first crossed paths while they were making their way up the comedy ladder during the comedy boom of the eighties. While Brady went on to pursue filmmaking, Barnhart took his comedy on the road. "I went to join the military when I was eighteen but they were closed," said Barnhart. "The recruiter, not the military... As I skateboarded home, I saw a help wanted sign at The Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach so I went in and got a job. By the time I was twenty, I was the house emcee, manager and talent coordinator and I always swore if I ever made a living as a comedian I would do something for the troops and since 1992 I've been producing and performing for the military."

Brady has already begun filming interviews for I AM BATTLE COMIC and the documentary will follow Brady as he joins Don Barnhart's Battle Comics as they head overseas to perform for troops serving in the US Armed Forces. Due to security, exact bases cannot be disclosed, but the Battle Comics will make stops in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Bahrain and possibly Iraq as well as other locations throughout Southwest Asia.

"There's an esprit de corps among comedians. We identify first and foremost as stand-ups and have each other's back," Brady observed. "Also, comedians speak in militant terms: you kill, you bomb. So stand-up is like the Service...without the actual danger part." As he did in I AM ROAD COMIC, Brady will do double-duty as one of the comics performing on the tour. "I'm a commercial director, I have not been a working comic in more than a decade," Brady said. "So, there's an added layer of apprehension performing for an armed audience. Fortunately, my focus is on documenting these polished road veterans of comedy as they entertain our men and women in uniform."

Don Barnhart will take time off from his show in Las Vegas as he serves as both performer and tour manager and his Battle Comics have produced a variety of shows for the troops. Recent tours have included celebrity entertainers comedy legend George Wallace, singer James Durbin from American Idol, Fitness Sensation Linda Vu and her women's self defense and assault prevention team, comedian Keith Lyle from The Hangover as well as several family friendly comedy and magic shows.

Barnhart's team includes some of the top comedians that have been seen on The Tonight Show, Late Night, Comics Unleashed, XM/Sirius Satellite Radio, Last Comic Standing and more. The Battle Comics have performed at remote bases; ships and pretty much anywhere there are troops (previously, Barnhart and his team have performed on flight lines, aircraft carriers, in huts and on flatbeds and on the front line).

"This new documentary will examine how we serve our country, often setting aside our personal politics," Brady concluded. "As a species, comedians love performing benefit shows, because it allows them to contribute to the greater good. Plus, it's more stage time." The tour of Southwest Asia runs March 18th - 30th. Follow Don Barnhart's Battle Comics on Facebook and Twitter #donbarnhart

I AM BATTLE COMIC continues a filmmaking journey through the current standup boom that has made Brady the definitive biographer of the medium's modern era. 2010's I AM COMIC was a virtual who's who of standup comedy, starring Louis CK, Chris Hardwick, Sarah Silverman, Tim Allen, Roseanne Barr, Jeff Foxworthy, Ritch Shydner and 76 other comics. I AM ROAD COMIC had Brady Co-Headlining (with longtime friend and national headliner Wayne Federman) at Jack Didley's in Kennewick, WA, where, two weeks prior, bouncers had tossed a patron out on his head, putting him in a coma. In the film, more than two dozen comics - including Pete Holmes, T.J. Miller, Marc Maron, Doug Benson, Kyle Kinane, Maria Bamford, Judah Friedlander, Jim Norton, W. Kamau Bell, Nikki Glaser and Alonzo Bodden - discuss the nuts and bolts of working the road in bars and clubs.

As for Don Barnhart, he is an award-winning comedian and best-selling author was recently named "Best Bet" by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Don Barnhart's stand up comedy takes audiences on a comedy thrill ride of well-written, topical material exploring the waning tide of male gender identification and man's declining role in modern day society in a way that is hysterical, highly entertaining and thought provoking. Don's DeEvolution of Man video has close to 1 million hits on YouTube.

Don's new book on comedy, Finding Your Funny just hit the Best Seller List on Amazon. With a humorous and heartfelt forward by Comedy Legend George Wallace, Finding Your Funny goes beyond Barnhart's own 25-year journey and shares the brutal, humorous and often overlooked experience and advice of other comedians, entertainers, managers, agents and bookers. The book includes a no holds barred assessment about what clubs, venues and agents are actually looking for as well as many of the things you need to do and avoid if you're looking into making comedy a career.

Barnhart is a regular act on the Vegas strip when he's not on the road and this year he'll spend about 6 weeks overseas entertaining the troops around the world with his Battle Comics - Laughter For The Troops world tour for Armed Forces Entertainment.