Comedy Central's STAND-UP PRESENTS Kicks Off Slate of New Half-Hour Specials

Formerly known as The Half Hour, Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents... kicks off its slate of all-new half-hour specials with back-to-back episodes on Friday, September 15 at Midnight and 12:30 a.m. ET/PT. The weekly series was filmed at The Civic Theatre in New Orleans and spotlights a diverse, ascendant new generation of stand-up headliners. This season features Adam Cayton-Holland, Anthony DeVito, Jo Firestone, Solomon Georgio, Casey James Salengo, Sam Jay, Josh Johnson, Joel Kim Booster, Chris Redd, Yamaneika Saunders, Julio Torres, Shane Torres, and Jenny Zigrino. A preview episode featuring highlights from each comedian premieres September 8 at 1:30 a.m. ET/PT. Each special will be available the day of premiere on the Comedy Central App and cc.com.

Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents... is executive produced by John Bravakis and Neil Sheridan from Triage Entertainment. Anne Harris and Bill McGrath are Executives in Charge for Comedy Central.

The full schedule of performances listed in timeslot order (Midnight and 12:30 a.m.) is below:

September 15

Chris Redd is a stand-up comedian/writer/actor from Chicago. He stars as "Dank" on the Netflix comedy Disjointed, and his film credits include the role of "Hunter The Hungry" in the Lonely Island film Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, A Stupid And Futile Gesture, The House, and Handsome. Chris's television credits include series regular roles on the Tina Fey/Fortune Feimster pilot Family Fortune (NBC) and The Untitled Sketch Comedy pilot (NBC), as well as recurring roles on Wet Hot American Summer (Netflix, season 2), and Love (Netflix, season 2).

Yamaneika Saunders is a former panelist on THE MEREDITH VIEIRA SHOW and can be heard weekly on her podcast Rantin' and Ravin' with Yamaneika and Chloe. She has performed at the Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal and has been seen in lead roles for Oxygen's FUNNY GIRLS and Comedy Central's In Security. Yamaneika (@yamaneika) has also been featured on THE JIM GAFFIGAN SHOW on TV Land, COMEDY KNOCKOUT on truTV, Black and White on A&E, THE NIGHTLY SHOW WITH LARRY WILMORE on Comedy Central, What's Your F@#Cking Deal?!?! on Seeso, and LAST COMIC STANDING on NBC.

September 22

Shane Torres is a New York-based stand-up, writer, host, and actor from Texas via Portland. He can be seen performing stand-up on both Night Train and The Guest List for Seeso, in addition to AXS' Gotham Comedy Live. He made his late-night debut on CONAN in 2016 and made an appearance on Uproarious for Fuse. He has also been seen on LAST COMIC STANDING (NBC), RON WHITE'S COMEDY SALUTE TO THE TROOPS (CMT), and as a "New Face" at Just For Laughs in Montreal in 2013. He's also performed at comedy festivals such as Bridgetown Comedy Festival, RIOT LA, High Plains Comedy Festival, Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival, and many more. Shane has appeared on popular podcasts such as Savage Love and COMEDY BANG! BANG! and is the creator of the podcast radio show Help Wanted. Produced by Comedy Central Records, his debut comedy album, Established 1981, becomes available on all streaming and download platforms on September 8th.
Jenny Zigrino has performed stand up on CONAN and Comedy Central's Adam Devine's House Party. She's also been featured on Oxygen, E! TruTV, MTV, Fox, and IFC and will be seen on Fox's Upcoming Punchline. A rising star in Hollywood, her first film appearance was a leading role in the film 50 Shades of Black with MARLON Wayans, and Miramax's Bad Santa 2 with Billy Bob Thornton. She appeared in the Just For Laugh's "New Faces" Showcase in 2016 and has been featured in many festivals across the country. She has performed at The New York Comedy Festival, Women in Comedy Festival, Bridgetown Comedy Festival, Moontower Comedy Festival, and many more. She recently released an IFC Web series with her friend and comedian Jen Saunderson, The Filling is Mutual, available on IFC Digital.
September 29

Casey James Salengo is an NYC-based comedian originally hailing from the Adirondack Mountains. He has been featured in the Bridgetown, Brooklyn, and Red Clay comedy festivals and was one of the Just For Laughs Festival's 2016 "New Faces." He can be seen on the upcoming season of Fuse's Uproarious, and recently performed stand-up on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Jo Firestone is a comedian based in Brooklyn, NY who recently joined THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JIMMY FALLON as a staff writer. She hosts several alt comedy shows around New York City, including Punderdome 3000, The Unexpectashow, and Friends of Single People. Jo was named one of Brooklyn Magazine's "50 Funniest People" and "30 Under 30," and one of the "Top Up and Coming Comedians" by Splitsider. She was a regular contributor to THE CHRIS GETHARD SHOW on Fusion and a co-host and writer of the Refinery29 digital series "Womanhood." You can catch Jo on WNYC's 2 Dope Queens, HBO's High Maintenance, and in the critically acclaimed film Don't Think Twice.
October 6

Anthony DeVito is an NYC-based comedian. He recently made his network-television debut on THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT and has also appeared on Comedy Central's Adam Devine's House Party, AXS TV's GOTHAM COMEDY LIVE and Seeso's New York's Funniest. He has been chosen as one of the "New Faces" at the prestigious Just For Laughs festival in Montreal and was the 2015 winner of Caroline's March Madness. He can be seen regularly on MSG's People Talking Sports and Other Stuff can be heard on NPR's This American Life, Sirius XM's Bennington and on his weekly podcast the Rad Dude Cast. Produced by Comedy Central Records, his debut comedy album, Dream Occupation, is available now on all streaming and download platforms.

Julio Torres is a Brooklyn-based comedian who moved to NYC from El Salvador to study literature at the New School. In 2013, Julio (@juliothesquare) was a finalist NBC's Stand-Up for Diversity showcase, and then was named one of Comedy Central's 2014 "Comics to Watch."

In 2015, Julio was honored as one of the "New Faces" at Montreal's Just For Laughs festival. After writing for THE CHRIS GETHARD SHOW and Billy on the Street, Julio went on to guest write for the 41st season of Saturday Night Live, and is now entering into his second season writing full-time, with Season 43. Julio can also be seen on Louis CK's Horace & Pete and HBO's High Maintenance, and recently performed stand up on Late Night with Seth Meyers. In 2017, Julio completed a 24 show run at the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

October 13

Josh Johnson was most recently was featured on Kevin Hart's Hart of the City on Comedy Central, and was named one of Comedy Central's "Comics to Watch" in 2015 and one of the Just For Laughs festival's "New Faces" in 2016. He is a former writer/performer on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he also made his late-night stand-up debut earlier this year. As a stand-up, Josh has performed at clubs, colleges and festivals across the country, such as Just For Laughs, Moontower, SF Sketchfest, Bridgetown, RIOT LA, Brooklyn Comedy Festival, Out of Bounds, and the New York Comedy Festival, and has appeared on @MIDNIGHT with Chris Hardwick on Comedy Central. Produced by Comedy Central Records, his debut comedy album, I Like You, is available now on all streaming and download platforms. You can follow him on Twitter @JoshJohnson.

Sam Jay recently made her late-night television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and is fresh off a standout performance in the Just For Laughs festival's "New Faces" showcase. In 2015, she was named one of Comedy Central's "Comics to Watch" and was invited to perform at the renowned New York Comedy Festival. She has also performed at festivals across the US, including Portland's Bridgetown Festival, The Laugh Your Asheville Off Comedy Festival and Boston's Women In Comedy Festival. Opening for powerhouse acts like HANNIBAL Buress and Dave Attell, she has established herself as a rising star in the national comedy scene. Her credits include Comedy Central's White Flight and The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, and Viceland's Party Legends. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

October 20

Joel Kim Booster is a Chicago-bred, Brooklyn-based comedian and writer. As a comedian he has appeared on Conan, Comedy Central's The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, Logo's Comedy Cabaret and truTV's Comedy Knockout. His writing credits include Billy on the Street and the pilot for Comedy Central's Problematic with Moshe Kasher. Esquire recently listed Joel as one of their "10 Comedians to Watch" in 2017. You can follow him on Twitter @ihatejoelkim.

Solomon Georgio burst out of the Seattle comedy scene with his own brand of irreverence, flawlessly intertwining biting social commentary with stories of his life as an openly gay African immigrant. Solomon was a finalist on NBC's Stand-Up for Diversity showcase and has been a regular performer at several festivals, including Seattle's Bumbershoot Music & Arts Festival and Portland's Bridgetown Comedy Festival. Solomon made his television debut as a featured comedian on CONAN and has since appeared on Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening, Viceland's Flophouse, and Comedy Central's The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail. He has contributed as a writer to SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS and just wrapped up his first season as a staff writer on TruTV's Adam Ruins Everything. As an actor, he will appear in the upcoming IFC series Ball or Nothing, the Comedy Central web series White Flight, and Adam Ruins Everything.
October 27

Adam Cayton-Holland is a national touring comic who has appeared on Conan, @MIDNIGHT with Chris Hardwick, The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, The Pete Holmes Show, Happy Endings, Deadbeat, Flophouse, Hidden America and was named one of Esquire's "25 Comics to Watch" as well as one of Variety's "10 Comics to Watch." Along with his cohorts in The Grawlix, he is one of the creators and stars of the truTV show Those Who Can't, in which Adam plays Spanish teacher and bon vivant Loren Payton. His website is (www.adamisfreakingoutrightnow.com).

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