#vancomedy

Okay...so here it is.  When I first started gauging interest in the Vancouver comedy scene, comic and friend Art Factora asked me to come out to a comedy competition that he was participating in. From there, he introduced me to local comedy mogul, Patrick Maliha, who was the organizer of this competition.  Little did I know that I was entering a whole new dimension of local comedic talent.  In one night, fifteen comics were competing for a chance to enter the next round of this competition.  But just when you thought a comic had to be stellar this one night to make the next round, they make you perform two more times before the week is over! 

And this was just the first heat of the first round.  Imagine 60 comics trying to compete for this top prize.  Last year, I had the privelage to follow this competition from the first heat of the first round all the way to the semi finals.  Unfortunately, I was away on holidays to watch Sean Emeny be crowned as the 'People's Champ.'  However, I can tell you that it is almost impossible to commit your time to watch every single event during its time span.  On the other hand, can you imagine being a comic taking part in this competition? 

I call this competition, the 'Playoffs of Comedy.' For many reasons, you people will agree with me.  The main reason is, that the best comic will come out on top.  Typically speaking, most competitions in comedy is based on crowd support; how many votes a comic can gain in one night.  However, the flaw in this system is that the person that brings the most friends will be crowned the winner.  A person can get on stage, and yell out, "Go fuck yourselves, bitches!"  then leave the stage, and have his (assumingly its a him) friends vote for him, crowning him as the night's undeserving winner.

Let's see you do this during 'The People's Champ.'  Do you ACTUALLY think you're funny? First of all, lets see what the celebrity judges think even before you get on stage.  Do you have a 5 minute demo video you have?  If not, you better have one soon.  It's only going to be a matter of time that sixty slots are filled.  Once you have submitted your demo video, its up to you to promote yourself on your public profile on MyComedyBook (www.mycomedybook.com).  The more laughs you provide online will give you the chance to pass The People's Champ's screening process.  Whats next?  Well its your time to perform.  You and fourteen other comics will be assigned to a heat where its your time to shine.  And from there, it will be up to the crowd to decide who was the top performers of the night.  Did you have a strong night?  What about a gong show of a set you never want to remember?  Well, that doesn't matter, because you have 3 more performances left this week!  No matter if you killed or you bombed, you have more chances to either redeem yourself, or consistently keep your momentum.  The comics who received the highest amount of points accumulated through four performances will move on to the next round...

...which will not get any easier if you succeed.

Yes, as I said earlier, this is the competition where the top comic will be earning the right to be crowned the winner.  Hey Ray (thats me), didn't you say anything about Good News?? Well, I am glad you asked.  In addition to last year's competition, the 'People's Champ of Comedy' has gained much support from various partnerships which include Shore Radio, 104.3FM, Cariboo Brewing and MyComedyBook.com.  On top of that, the People's Champ have teamed up with the Corner Pub,, the Kingston Taphouse and Grille, the Sin Bin Sports Bar and the Kozmic Zoo to bring you countless hours of hospitality, drink specials, and amazing food.

With that in mind, the People's Champ is giving away $30,000 in cash prizes throughout the competition. 

Twenty thousand dollars will be the top prize as they will be crowned 'The People's Champ.'

[Latin Lover comedian, Andy Canete, shows that he can live up to the expectation...of being a comedian.]

Date: Wednesday, May 30, 2012 At: Displace Hashery, 3928 W.4th Ave. Vancouver, B.C.

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