NBC CROWNS FRANQI FRENCH AND RENE VACA WINNERS OF ITS 16th ANNUAL STANDUP NBC COMPETITION

  • Nationwide Search for Comedians of Diverse Backgrounds

  • Awards Pair with NBCUniversal Talent Holding Deals

  • Competition Makes History by Choosing Two Winners in Its 16th Year

NBC has crowned comedians Franqi French and Rene Vaca as the winners of its 16th annual StandUp NBC competition, the network’s annual nationwide search for comedians of diverse backgrounds. This marks the first time in the celebrated program’s 16-year history that two winners have been chosen in a single year.

French and Vaca have each been awarded a talent holding deal with NBCUniversal and a headlining spot at the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) annual convention where they will perform for talent bookers from across the country. They will also split the responsibility of headlining the regional semifinalist showcases in five cities across the country at next year’s StandUp NBC.

“Franqi and Rene were standouts in our showcase this year. They are hilarious, relatable and fearlessly share their personal stories. We couldn’t choose just one winner, so we decided to name them both,” said Grace Wu, Executive Vice President of Casting, NBC Entertainment. “We are excited for Franqi and Rene to join the rich legacy of comedic talent who have emerged from StandUp NBC.”

French and Vaca were chosen from eight finalists, including Mike Head, Pedro Gonzalez, Katie Hughes, Andre D. Thompson, Sam Morrison, and Kenice Mobley, all of whom will be considered for feature spots at NACA. They were among 650 stand-up comedians who auditioned last year through open calls in Charlotte, Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, and New York as well as online submissions. 

French, Vaca and this year’s finalists join Michelle Buteau (“The First Wives Club”), Deon Cole (“Grown-ish,”), Lil Rel Howery (“Get Out”), Hasan Minhaj (“Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj”), Phoebe Robinson (“2 Dope Queens”), Amanda Seales (“Bring the Funny”) and Dulcé Sloan (“The Daily Show”) as alumni of StandUp NBC.  

A finale showcase hosted by NBC “Bring the Funny” finalist and comedian Tacarra Williams was held at the Improv in Hollywood late last year. The finalists performed their sets in front of an audience of NBCUniversal television executives, casting directors, agents, managers, and industry tastemakers.

FRANQI FRENCH

An award-winning talent, Franqi French regularly performs coast to coast with appearances at the DC Improv, Kennedy Center, Hollywood Improv and the world-famous Comedy Store. French has shared the stage with Donnell Rawlings, Fortune Feimster, Todd Glass, D.L. Hughley, and Nicole Byer, among other talented comedians. She has made guest appearances on WeTV, TVOne’s “The Roland Martin Show,” and has headlined the Bentzen Ball as well as the Black Women in Comedy Festival in Brooklyn. She is currently based in Los Angeles and is actively seeking representation.

RENE VACA

Rene Vaca was born and raised in the Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley. After his father was incarcerated, he started his own landscaping business at 15 and soon attended the University of California, Merced. Vaca has since been pursuing his dream in stand-up comedy and has shared the stage with revered industry comedians such as Willie Barcena, Bill Burr, Ken Jeong, Amir K., Jamie Kennedy, and Joey Medina. He is actively seeking representation.

ABOUT STANDUP NBC (NBC TALENT INFUSION PROGRAMS)

Now in its 16th year, StandUp NBC is the annual nationwide search for stand-up comedians of diverse backgrounds. Every year finalists are selected from open casting calls in various cities across the country as well as from online submissions. They perform at a final showcase in front of an audience of television executives, casting directors, agents, managers and industry tastemakers at a Los Angeles comedy club. The winner is given a talent holding deal with NBCUniversal and offered a spot on the nationwide tour with the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA). Previous StandUp NBC winners and alumni include Tone Bell (“Little”), Michelle Buteau (“The First Wives Club”), W. Kamau Bell (CNN’s “United Shades of America”), Deon Cole (“Grown-ish”), Lil Rel Howery (“Get Out”), Hasan Minhaj (“Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj”), Amanda Seales (“Insecure”) and Dulcé Sloan (“The Daily Show”). StandUp NBC is part of the NBC Talent Infusion Programs (NBC TIPS) that promotes and encourages people of diverse backgrounds to become the next generation of storytellers. For more information, visit NBCUniTIPS.com..

ABOUT THE NBC TALENT INFUSION PROGRAMS (NBC TIPS)

Since 2000, NBC has been dedicated to discovering and nurturing the on-screen and behind-the-camera talent of diverse and inclusive backgrounds through the NBC Talent Infusion Programs (NBC TIPS). NBC TIPS are amongst the most extensive and robust diversity and inclusion programs in the television industry. They feature more than 20 programs, including Writers on the Verge, Diverse Staff Writer Initiative, Female Forward, Alternative Directors Program, Emerging Director Program and the StandUp NBC nationwide search for stand-up comedians. Program alumni are celebrated producers, writers, directors and actors in the entertainment industry who have gone on to win Emmys, Golden Globes and SAG Awards and include Alan Yang, Mindy Kaling, Deon Cole, Lil Rel Howery, Keto Shimizu, Natasha Rothwell, Danny Pudi and Danielle Sanchez-Witzel. For more information, visit NBCUniTIPS.com.

NBC Names Mike E. Winfield Winner of 15th Annual StandUp NBC Competition

Nationwide Search for Comedians of Diverse Backgrounds Awards Winfield with an NBCUniversal Talent Holding Deal

Program Marked 15 Years of Success with a Celebratory Event and Showcase Attended by Alumni Including Tone Bell, Brandon T. Jackson, Langston Kerman, and Amanda Seales

NBC has named comedian Mike E. Winfield as the winner of its 15th annual StandUp NBC competition, the network’s annual nationwide search for comedians of diverse backgrounds. Winfield has been awarded a talent holding deal with NBCUniversal and a headlining spot at the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) annual convention where he will perform for talent bookers from across the country. He will also headline the regional semi-finalist showcases for the 2019 StandUp NBC competition.

Winfield was chosen from eight finalists including Vincent Bryant, Ali Clayton, Calvin Evans, Sohrab Forouzesh, Jay Jurden, Luz Pazos and Venessa Peruda. Theywere among 1,600 stand-up comedians who auditioned last year through online submissions and open calls in Charlotte, Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas and New York. Winfield and this year’s finalists join Michelle Buteau (“Isn’t It Romantic?”), Deon Cole (“Grown-ish,”), Lil Rel Howery (“Get Out”), Hasan Minhaj (“Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj”), Phoebe Robinson (“2 Dope Queens”), and Dulcé Sloan ( “The Daily Show”) as alumni of StandUp NBC, one of the network’s tentpole talent infusion programs (NBC TIPS).

A special celebratory event honoring the program’s 15th anniversary and a finale showcase hosted by comedian and StandUp NBC alumnus Orlando Leyba (“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”) were held at The Improv in Hollywood last month. The finalists performed their sets in front of an audience of NBCUniversal television executives, casting directors, agents, managers and industry tastemakers. Also in attendance were program alumni including Tone Bell (“Fam”), JR De Guzman (Netflix’s “The Comedy Line-up”), Langston Kerman (“Insecure”) and Amanda Seales (“Insecure”) who marked the program’s milestone anniversary.

“Since its inception, StandUp NBC has forged a path for some of today’s most sought-after comedians. Following the program, many of our finalists have appeared in substantial roles on notable TV series and feature films as well as hosted their own stand-up specials on major networks. Their continued success speaks to their undeniable talent as well as the effectiveness of our program to help launch emerging comedic talent,” said Karen Horne, SVP, Programming Talent Development & Inclusion, NBC Entertainment and Universal Television.

 

“StandUp NBC continues to showcase unique talent who have a signature comedic style. This year Mike Winfield stood out to all of us because of his appealing personality and irreverent point of view.” said Grace Wu, Executive Vice President of Casting, NBC Entertainment. “He is a breakout performer whose career we have been tracking for some time and we are very excited to be working with him.”

 

Baltimore native, Mike E. Winfield is a stand-up comedian and actor. Mike’s most recent notable credits include the Netflix comedy special, “Brad Paisley’s Comedy Rodeo,” the upcoming feature “Pimp,” opposite Keke Palmer and “Liza On Demand” for YouTube Red. Other past TVcredits include “Acting Out,” “The Late Show with David Letterman” and “BET’s Comicview.” Now splitting his time between New York and Los Angeles, he has also headlined at top comedy clubs across the country and has a one-hour comedy special releasing this year. Winfield is represented by the Gersh Agency.

 

About StandUp NBC (NBC Talent Infusion Programs)

Now in its 15th year, StandUp NBC is the annual nationwide search for stand-up comedians of diverse backgrounds. Every year, finalists are selected from open casting calls in various cities across the country as well as from online submissions. They perform at a finale showcase in front of an audience of television executives, casting directors, agents, managers and industry tastemakers at a Los Angeles comedy club. The winner is given a talent holding deal with NBCUniversal and offered a spot on the nationwide tour with the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA). Previous StandUp NBC winners and alumni include Tone Bell (“Fam”), Michelle Buteau (“Isn’t It Romantic?”), W. Kamau Bell (CNN’s “United Shades of America”), Deon Cole (“Grown-ish”), Lil Rel Howery (“Get Out”), Hasan Minhaj (“Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj”), Amanda Seales (“Insecure”) and Dulcé Sloan (“The Daily Show”). StandUp NBC is part of the NBC Talent Infusion Programs (NBC TIPS) that promote and encourage people of diverse backgrounds to become the next generation of storytellers. For more information, visit NBCUniTIPS.com.

 

About the NBC Talent Infusion Programs (NBC TIPS)

Since 2000, NBC has been dedicated to discovering and nurturing on screen and behind-the-camera talent of diverse and inclusive backgrounds through the NBC Talent Infusion Programs (NBC TIPS). NBC TIPS are amongst the most extensive and robust diversity and inclusion programs in the television industry. They feature more than 20 programs including Writers on the Verge, the Diverse Staff Writer Initiative, Female Forward, the Alternative Directors Program, the Emerging Director Program and the StandUp NBC nationwide search for stand-up comedians. Program alumni are celebrated producers, writers, directors and actors in the entertainment industry who have gone on to win Emmys, Golden Globes and SAG Awards and include Alan Yang, Mindy Kaling, Deon Cole, Lil Rel Howery, Keto Shimizu, Natasha Rothwell, Danny Pudi and Danielle Sanchez-Witzel. For more information, visit NBCUniTIPS.com.

NBC's "This is Us" actor Sterling K. Brown wins EMMY! Premieres on Sep 22

This is Us actor Sterling K. Brown won the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie for
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story at the 68th annual Emmy Awards.

If you’re one of the more than 8 million people who have shed a tear watching the This Is Us trailer, get ready! “This is Us’ is hitting NBC on Tuesday, after The Voice on NBC. Check out this clip and get to know “Randall”, a happily married father and high-powered corporate professional who spends his birthday tracking down the birth father who abandoned him on the steps of a fire station the day he was born.

“This is Us”

Premiere Date: September 22nd

About Sterling K. Brown
Veteran stage and screen actor Sterling K. Brown most recently starred as prosecutor Christopher Darden in FX’s highly-rated television event series THE PEOPLE V. O.J. SIMPSON: AMERICAN CRIME STORY, for which he has earned an Emmy nomination. His performance was praised as riveting by Deadline.com and excellent by The Hollywood Reporter. Earlier this year, Brown co-starred alongside Tiny Fey in the feature film WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT. He recently wrapped production on M. Night Shyamalan’s feature film SPLIT and Open Road’s drama MARSHALL. In August, Brown will co-star with Josh Duhamel in the biopic SPACEMAN. This fall, he will co-star in NBC’s new dramedy series THIS IS US with Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia.

A lover of theater, Brown has performed in a variety of staged shows, including the off-Broadway FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS (PARTS 1, 2 & 3), for which he reprised his role at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles this spring. His additional stage credits include MACBETH, THE BROTHER/SISTER PLAYS and THE RESISTIBLE RISE OF ARTURO UI opposite Al Pacino.

For seven years, Brown portrayed Dr. Roland Burton in the critically acclaimed Lifetime series ARMY WIVES.  Additional television credits include SUPERNATURAL, PERSON OF INTEREST, MASTERS OF SEX, THE MENTALIST, CASTLE and CRIMINAL MINDS. His film credits include OUR IDIOT BROTHER, THE SUSPECT, RIGHTEOUS KILL and TRUST THE MAN.

Brown graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Drama from Stanford University, before receiving his Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.

From the writer and directors of "Crazy, Stupid, Love," this refreshingly honest and provocative new series stars Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown and Milo Ventimiglia. Coming soon to NBC. " Subscribe for More: http://bit.ly/NBCThisisUs " This Is Us Premieres Tuesday September 20 10/9c on NBC!

“This is Us” Synopsis: Sometimes life will surprise you. Starring Mandy Moore ("A Walk to Remember"), Milo Ventimiglia ("Heroes," "Gilmore Girls") and Sterling K. Brown ("The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story") this refreshingly honest and provocative series follows a unique ensemble. And as their paths cross and their life stories intertwine in curious ways, we find that several of them share the same birthday - and so much more than anyone would expect. From the writer and directors of "Crazy, Stupid, Love." comes a smart, modern dramedy that will challenge your everyday presumptions about the people you think you know.