Talking Late Night

On this episode of Talking Late Night, Max speaks with Mia Jackson, a stand-up comedian who was a semi-finalist on NBC's "Last Comic Standing." Mia knew she was funny her entire life but didn't totally dive into the world of stand-up until she was in college in Athens, Georgia at the University of Georgia. From there, she fell in love with stand-up and nothing could stop her from performing. She would even commute from Athens to Atlanta and back to Athens on a nightly basis (over an hour drive each way!). Today, Mia is not just a Georgia gem anymore. She has been featured on Oxygen, TLC, NickMom's Night Out, and the legendary comedy festival Just For Laughs. Mia has opened for and performed with comedians such as Amy Schumer, Dave Chappelle, Arsenio Hall, Judd Apatow, and Chris Rock. Finally, Mia was a semi-finalist on Season 9 of NBC's hit television show "Last Comic Standing." You can learn more about Mia at her website, follow her on Instagram, and like her page on Facebook! Thank you for tuning in! Be sure to like and share our Facebook page here, and also rate and leave us a review on iTunes!

On this episode of Talking Late Night, Max sits down and talks with Ian Covell, the founder of Highwire Comedy Company in Atlanta, GA. Ian discovered improv comedy while he was in college at Florida State University and fell in love with it. After spending much time in both Los Angeles and Orlando pursuing both comedy and acting, Ian came to Atlanta where he got involved with multiple improv theatres in the city. Ian is the founder and creator of Highwire Comedy Company, a comedy theatre that offers both shows and classes in sketch, stand-up, and improv. The theatre has been met with much critical acclaim and was voted Atlanta Magazines "Best New Comedy Venue 2016." If you are interested in taking classes or seeing a show at Highwire, check out their website by clicking here, like them on Facebook here, look at their Instagram pictures here, and tweet them on Twitter by clicking here. Thank you for tuning in! Be sure to like and share our Facebook page here, and also rate and leave us a review on iTunes!

On this episode of Talking Late Night, Max interviews David Perdue, a stand-up comedian who has appeared on Kevin Hart's "Hart of the City," "Uproarious" on Fuse TV, and who has been named as one of Atlanta's "People to Watch in 2017" by Creative Loafing. David didn't get involved with stand-up until he was in college but once he tried it, he was hooked. Since then, David performs at every show and open mic and every comedy venue and theatre you can imagine. He has also been able to perform at multiple festivals all over the United States such as the Bridgetown Comedy Festival and the Laugh Your Asheville Comedy Festival. In addition to stand-up, David co-hosts a podcast with Damon Sumner and Nate Owens entitled "Fourth and Ten." You can find David at his website by clicking here and can follow him on Twitter here! Also be sure to check out David's podcast and like its Facebook page! Thank you for tuning in! Be sure to like and share our Facebook page here, and also rate and leave us a review on iTunes!

On this episode of Talking Late Night, Max chats with former stand-up comedian and long-time stand-up teacher Jeff Justice. Jeff got involved with stand-up comedy in 1981. From there, his career took off. He had the opportunity to appear all over the United States and also performed on multiple national television shows as well. In 1991, Jeff was sitting in a comedy club watching young comedians performed. Once the show was over, he approached them and gave some advice for their sets. He found that those who took his advice got bigger laughs. From there, his comedy teaching career was born. Since then, Jeff has had thousands of students take his class and many have continued on to become professional stand-up comedians. In addition to teaching, Jeff also does speaking engagements and corporate training and has been invited by businesses to speak all over the world. Interested in Jeff for your corporation? Visit his website by clicking here. Interested in learning and performing stand-up? Visit Jeff's comedy class website by clicking here! You can also like Jeff's Facebook and follow him on Twitter. Thank you for tuning in! Be sure to like and share our Facebook page here, and also rate and leave us a review on iTunes!

On this episode of Talking Late Night, Max talks with Cassidy Russell, an improviser, writer, improv coach, artist, and co-creator of the critically-acclaimed improv duo "Rufio." Cassidy has been doing improv ever since she was a kid. After attending college at Notre Dame and attaining her degree in printmaking, Cassidy moved to Washington D.C. to continue her comedy career. She took many classes and played with many teams in different forms and enjoyed all of it. She moved down to Atlanta to get her Master's and became involved in the Atlanta comedy scene, most notably at the Village Theatre. Along with Vincent Migliore, Cassidy formed the improv duo Rufio. Rufio has performed all over the United States including the Del Close Marathon in New York City. In Atlanta, Cassidy also played the role of improv coach, coaching local teams like Pretty Much Sisters. Today, Cassidy lives in Chicago where she looks to get involved in Chicago's legendary improv and comedy community. Finally, in addition to all that, in elementary school, she was voted best at drawing a skeleton. Boom. Be sure to check out Cassidy's website by clicking here and check out Rufio's website by clicking here. Don't forget to follow her on Twitter by clicking here and Rufio on Facebook by clicking here as well! Thank you for tuning in! Be sure to like and share our Facebook page here, and also rate and leave us a review on iTunes!

On this episode of Talking Late Night, Max sits down with Joel Byars, podcast host of "Hot Breath!" and a stand-up comedian and teacher of comedy. Joel decided he would try out comedy his senior year of college and after doing his first set, he was hooked. After years of performing nightly in comedy club open-mics and working every job you can imagine, Joel was able to commit to comedy full-time. In addition to performing stand-up, Joel also teaches stand-up classes through Highwire Comedy Company. Finally, Joel hosts his own podcast entitled "Hot Breath! with Joel Byars" where he interviews everyone from comedians to businesspeople. If you want to learn all about Joel, you can find him at his website here. Be sure to check out his podcast, too! You can also follow him on social media on his Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Thank you for tuning in! Be sure to like and share our Facebook page here, and also rate and leave us a review on iTunes!

On this episode of Talking Late Night, Max sits down with stand-up comedian, sketch writer, and performer Hayley Ellman. Hayley started her stand-up career young when at the age of just 15(!) she got onstage for her first set. When she finished, one of the other comedians at the open mic called her "the next Dave Chapelle." From there, she was hooked on comedy, especially stand-up. Hayley has performed comedy all over Georgia and the South. Not only is she a stand-up, though, she is an actress, a writer, and a behind-the-scenes technical worker and works with Highwire Comedy Company. You can find Hayley performing comedy all over Atlanta, but be sure to like her Facebook and Twitter pages for regular updates on her stand-up and life! Thank you for tuning in! Be sure to like and share our Facebook page here, and also rate and leave us a review on iTunes!

On this episode of Talking Late Night, Max speaks with Travis Jones, an Atlanta-based stand-up comedian, and host of Highwire Comedy Company's late-night talk show, "Good Evening, Tonight!" After Travis graduated college from the University of Georgia, he found himself stuck at a boring desk job. After getting tired of the same music and sports shows, he discovered comedy podcasts and his comedy career began. He took one stand-up comedy class, realized his love for the art, and has never looked back since. Travis has since performed stand-up, improv, and sketch not only in Atlanta but also all over the country in many different festivals and shows. Today you can find him hosting Comedy Night at Second Self Brewery and Date Night at the Brigantine Beer Parlor and Recreation Hall, performing regularly at the Laughing Skull Lounge, and hosting "Good Evening, Tonight" at Highwire Comedy Company every Saturday night! You can stay updated on Travis's life by following him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Thank you for tuning in! Be sure to like and share our Facebook page here, and also rate and leave us a review on iTunes!

On this episode of Talking Late Night, Max interviews Lucky Yates, the voice of Dr. Krieger on the hit television show "Archer," a professional puppeteer who worked puppets for "The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland," a host on "FilmStruck," and an actor who has been featured repeatedly on "Good Eats." Lucky (originally Matt) Yates is from Detroit, Michigan. After attending college at Wayne State University, he made the jump into showbiz and moved to New York City. After spending a few years there, he decided to make his way down to Atlanta, GA where he has been ever since. When he got to Atlanta, Lucky discovered his love for puppets and since then has been a major player in the puppeteering world (even getting the chance to perform Oscar the Grouch for Kevin Clash (the man behind Elmo) for an audition). Lucky voiced Xtacles on "Frisky Dingo" and now you can hear him on the critically-acclaimed FXX show "Archer" as Dr. Krieger! If that's not enough for you, Lucky has also been featured regularly on "Good Eats," and is very good friends with Alton Brown. He even had Thanksgiving dinner at his house once. You can find Lucky performing at Dad's Garage and can follow him on Twitter! Thank you for tuning in! Be sure to like and share our Facebook page here, and also rate and leave us a review on iTunes!

On this episode of Talking Late Night Max chats with Sarah Zureick-Brown, the Community Coordinator for Highwire Comedy Company, an improv teacher, a sketch writer, and an actress located in Atlanta. As a kid, Sarah was interested in all things supernatural (even though the one time she performed as an actress in a haunted house she ended up scaring herself). She always liked making jokes, being inspired by her mother, who was an improv teacher. However, Sarah did take a ten-year break from comedy when she went to college to casually get her Ph.D. in Demography from UC Berkeley. She then moved to Atlanta, got involved in the improv scene and the rest is history! Sarah helped create the Highwire Comedy Company, she became trained in the Meisner acting technique through the Robert Mello Studio, she teaches improv, and she actively writes sketch comedy with her sketch troupe Eternal Slumber Party! You can find Sarah at Highwire or at her website! Thank you for tuning in! Be sure to like and share our Facebook page here, and also rate and leave us a review on iTunes!

On this episode of Talking Late Night, Max interviews Andy Coen, a writer for Cartoon Network, co-owner of Automatic Improv, and former reporter and producer for CNN. Andy had an epiphany while sitting in his freshman orientation for college and realized he wanted to spend his life making people laugh. Since then, that is exactly what he has been doing. Andy founded Automatic Improv but that just scratches the surface of what he has done. He has performed improv all over the country, he did stand-up, and he also teaches improv. Andy also worked for CNN as a tour guide, writer, producer, and performer. He had the honor of army crawling on the floor during a live broadcast to plug a reporter's microphone back in. Good times. Today, Andy works for Cartoon Network as a writer having the opportunity conceive, write, and produce videos for the network. You can find Andy "always doing the funny around town" at Dad's Garage or Automatic, follow him on Twitter and Instagram, and be sure to watch Cartoon Network! Thank you for tuning in! Be sure to like and share our Facebook page here, and also rate and leave us a review on iTunes!

On this episode of Talking Late Night, Max speaks with Jenny Wentling, host of the "Who's Your Daddy?" podcast and improviser with the General Company of Dad's Garage Theatre Company. After Jenny finished up architecture school, she moved to Atlanta where she immediately began looking to become involved in the comedy community. After taking her first improv class through Dad's Garage, she knew she found her home immediately. In addition to being an improv performer, Jenny is a talented illustrator and she hosts her own improvised podcast! To find out more about Jenny, check out her website, take a peek at her Instagram, and be sure to listen to her podcast! Also, she wanted me to mention that she is, in fact, a friend of Scott Adsit's.  Thank you for tuning in! Be sure to like and share our Facebook page here, and also rate and leave us a review on iTunes!

On this episode of Talking Late Night, Max interviews Tara Ochs, a performer, improviser, writer of her own one-woman show "White Woman in Progress," and actress in the critically-acclaimed movie "Selma." Tara realized her love for performing at a young age when she would reenact Saturday Night Live sketches for her church. When she went to college at Florida State University, she got involved with the Wham-O Players (the group who would later form Dad's Garage Theatre Company). After graduating, Tara moved to Atlanta to pursue a career in theatre and comedy (and also to improvise with Dad's!). She's performed all over (Los Angeles, London, Berlin, the Ocean) with a lot of different people (Damon Wayan's "The Underground," ComedySportz LA, ACME Comedy Theatre, London TheatreSports, Second City). Tara also acted in the movie "Selma," playing the role of Viola Liuzzo. This role led her to write her one-woman show entitled "White Woman in Progress," which ran in early 2017 at 7 Stages Theatre in Atlanta. You can find Tara performing and teaching regularly at Dad's Garage, follow her on Twitter, and check her out as VP of Development over at Picture It Productions! Thank you for tuning in! Be sure to like and share our Facebook page here, and also rate and leave us a review on iTunes!

On this episode of Talking Late Night, Max chats with improviser, writer, and director Megan Leahy. Megan started her comedy career young, performing in various theatre groups as a kid and in college. But when she thought theatre was not maybe for her, she turned to the next logical choice she could think of...geology. After spending a few years working in an asbestos lab being the funniest geologist around, Megan was able to take some classes at Dad's Garage Theatre in Atlanta. She has been an improviser there ever since. Megan has also written the hit sketch show "Woman of the Year," which was voted Best Play 2016 by Atlanta readers in Creative Loafing, and directed Mark Kendall in his show "Morgan Freeman Presents the Magic Negro and Other Blackness." You can find Megan performing almost every weekend at Dad's Garage and can also find her on her Twitter and Instagram! Thank you for tuning in! Be sure to like and share our Facebook page here, and also rate and leave us a review on iTunes!

On this episode of Talking Late Night, Max interviews Amber Nash, an improviser, actress, and voice of Pam Poovey on the FXX show "Archer." Amber always loved weird comedy (her words, not mine) and when she got to college she found out she loved improv just as much. Starting as a student at Whole World Theatre in Atlanta, Amber has performed improv all over the world (and ocean) with groups such as Second City, iO, and today with Dad's Garage! From there, she started her voice acting on an Adult Swim show "Frisky Dingo" where she voiced Val. That led her to where she is now, voicing Pam Poovey on the critically-acclaimed television show "Archer." You can follow Amber on both her Twitter and her Instagram, as well as check her out in her web series! Thank you for tuning in! Be sure to like and share our Facebook page here, and also rate and leave us a review on iTunes!