Highlights from JFL’s First Virtual Fest. Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch: 3 Standouts on a List of Standouts
Variety’s Top 10 Comics to Watch is such a beloved and important event in comedy, so this year we covered it twice, with two great approaches. Marty Younge’s coverage highlights all ten picks this year, and how aptly the list reflects the entire industry. Sara Dahms covered her picks for the three standout performers, on a list of incredible standouts in the industry. If you love comedy and love discovering who’s next to break big, you’ll want to read them both!
In a time when people need comedy more than ever, the Just for Laughs comedy festival found a way to keep the world laughing. The JFL team partnered up with Kevin Harts’s on-line network, LOL and streamed two days of nonstop comedy with their first ever digital festival. This year, I’m going to focus on three shows in my annual Just for Laughs write up; one of which highlights the history and tradition of the Just for Laughs comedy festival and reminds us of what keeps us coming back year after year, the second grounds us in the here and now and verifies the magical partnership that exists between comedy and tragedy and the third celebrates the future and spotlights comedians who are making their way up the ranks and into our hearts.
Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch
Variety’s, 10 Comics to Watch is traditionally an award show at JFL that recognizes 10 of the newest up-and-comers for their accomplishments in the field of comedy. Being recognized by Variety at Just for Laughs is a huge honor and being on this list can also get comics the additional industry recognition they need to boost their careers up to the next level and watching whose careers take off is all a part of the fun! Each of the 10 comics being honored were at different stages in their careers and there were even a few who the industry has definitely already taken notice of. For example, Janelle James is an absolute killer stand-up comedian who has already toured with the likes of Chris Rock and Amy Schumer. She also has a reoccurring role in the series she writes for, Black Monday that airs on Showtime and the animated series, Central Park which stars the entire cast of Hamilton. Sarah Cooper is another comic who has been embraced by the industry and has risen to fame for her hilarious lip-syncing videos she makes of Donald Trump. Ever since her video, “How to Medical” went viral, Sarah has been invited to appear at the Democratic National Convention and has already signed a deal with Netflix for her very own comedy special. Sarah was very careful to point out that it is NOT a stand-up special; it is a “variety, pandemic, sketch special.”
All of the comedians being honored have achieved some super impressive accomplishments throughout their careers but out of them all, there were three that really stood out to me and I will be keeping a close eye on where their careers take them in the future; they were Franqi French, Brent Terhune and Jenny Yang.
Franqi French, with her truthful straightforwardness and positive attitude may be a future candidate to have a “Sit Down Comedy Session” with Howie Mandel one day. She told stories about her life as a black, bisexual woman and shared her experience of when she came out to her daughter so that her daughter wouldn’t have to find out she was bisexual from hearing her stand-up routine. Franqi hosts a weekly show on Zoom called, Debatable AF and looks forward to being able to continue to use her platform to be an ally and raise awareness because she believes that, “knowledge brings about understanding and understanding brings about love” and I loved everything that Franqi French had to say!
I’m a huge fan of satire and Brent Terhune has completely mastered the art form! He named Sasha Baron Cohen, professional wrestling and South Park as being his inspiration and like them, he doesn’t give a wink or let on that he is joking in his delivery and that is his full intention. Brent described his sketches as being “Anti-Trump” but due to his impressive acting ability and commitment to the bit, people don’t always realize that he’s joking. When viewers stumble upon his videos within the vast openness of the internet and don’t know that he’s a comedian, they often fall for his act, get angry and decide to sound off in the comments. This happens so frequently; Brent’s fans have actually coined a phrase to address it. They say another one has been, “Terhuned!!!” Brent just laughs it off and said, “If people don’t get that when I say, ‘Native Americans should go back to their own country’, I’m joking, then I cannot help them.” Although his viral videos often take on edgy subject matters through the comedic lens of satire, his stand-up comedy is totally clean. This combination of talent makes me think that Brent Terhune would be an excellent addition to the cast of Saturday Night Live, so I hope he is on their radar!
I had never heard of Jenny Yang before she was listed as one of Varity’s 10 Comics to Watch but after Malina Saval’s 5-minute conversation with her, I completely loved her and I’m a new fan. She was the perfect combination of open, honest and funny and her ability to make me laugh made her extremely memorable within this super talented line-up of celebrated comedians. She started out her career as a stand-up comedian and later went on to produce comedy shows. Her roots in stand-up were evident, as she was the only one of the comedians to actually wear their comedian hat during their conversation with Malina Saval and I found that to be incredibly smart. I mean, if you are on Just for Laughs, being recognized as a comic and the industry and world is watching, why not use this time to let your comedic talents shine?! She shared what it’s like being a “blue state liberal” while also being the executive story editor for Tim Allen’s multi-cam sitcom on Fox, Last Man Standing and explained how she has been able to use a video game to keep producing comedy throughout the pandemic. Besides being incredibly real and funny, Jenny Yang was also the only comic to join the live chat on YouTube and interact with the audience. A fan posted that she totally nailed her spot, to which she replied, “Thank you, Ian. Sending money to your Venmo, now!” She was a comedian through and through and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for Jenny Yang!
Just for Laughs’s first digital comedy festival is a wrap but I’d like to thank everyone involved for being completely dedicated to comedy, working with what they had to find a way to make it happen and for sharing the joy of laughter with the world at a time when comedy has never been more essential. On behalf of comedy fans everywhere, we appreciate you and we thank you. See you next year!
Read more JFL Highlights from Sara Dahms:
Andy Kindler’s State of Comedy Address 2020
Sit Down Comedy Sessions: Howie Mandel with Bob Saget, Ms. Pat and Bobby Lee
Variety’s Top 10 Comics of 2020
Read more comedy news.
Sarah Dahms is a comedy superfan hails from Chicago and travels all over the country checking out the best comedy everywhere.
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