Manhattan Comedy School Alumnus on Gotham Comedy LIVE!
As a graduate of a Manhattan Comedy School class, you get to ply your new skills performing on the Gotham Comedy Club stage. But the advantage doesn’t end there. Comedian Tom Eschleman, a student in a Level 1 class, can confirm that: His appearance got him booked to perform on AXS TV’s Gotham Comedy LIVE show.
This is Eschleman’s first TV spot—a seminal event in any young comic’s career.
This week, Chris Mazzilli, owner of New York City’s premier comedy venue, gave feedback and notes to several acts, as he’s done every month for New Talent show comics the past two years. After seeing Eschleman’s performance, he immediately booked the young comedian on the popular Thursday night AXS TV show.
Eschleman has been taking MCS’s six-week Beginner Stand-Up Class (Level 1) with industry pro Karen Bergreen, and has also honed his craft with veteran comedian and MCS instructor Cory Kahaney.
There is no way, as an up-and-coming comic, I would have been able to land my TV debut without Andy Engel. His showcases gave me the exposure I needed to get the attention of club bookers, TV producers, and college agents.
Chloe Hilliard, MCS Alumna, NBC’s Last Comic Standing
But he’s just one of many MCS students and New Talent show comics to rate a booking on Gotham Comedy LIVE. Comedy veteran Keith Anthony landed his first AXS TV spot at the same show, while Kenny Garcia, who won the New Talent contest last week, also will appear.
These opportunities are not auditions—all three comics are scheduled to appear on the show.
For more than 12 years, MCS’s faculty of national headliners has been teaching stand-up comedy to professionals in entertainment as well as the corporate world. Students master skills in writing, delivery, and developing their persona. They then have the opportunity to test their refined acts on the professional stage at Gotham Comedy Club.
And here are some more MCS-graduate success stories:
Carmen Lynch, MCS Alumna
Two appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman
Jimmy Faila
ecently taped his one-hour special at Gotham Comedy Club
“I recently auditioned for AXS TV’s Gotham Comedy Live and am booked on my first stand-up TV debut! I can honestly say none of this would have happened without Andy Engel’s help, support, and exposure, and his New Talent shows.”
“Doing Andy’s New Talent show has allowed me to perform on the same shows as Jim Gaffigan, Jerry Seinfeld, and Judah Friedlander, because they drop in quite often to work on material. . . . Very worth it.”
“I was able to instantly get bookings around the country. . . . I was doing a New Talent show, and Andy Engel went out of his way to introduce me to Chris Mazzilli. . .he booked me on AXS TV.”
“I simply wouldn’t have gotten my first TV credit without the help of Andy Engel and the platform his New Talent show provided me.”
Ryan Reiss, MCS Alumus
Monologue writer and warm-up comic for Late Night with Seth Myers
Vidur Kapur: Showtime Special
Colin Kane: National headliner, recently headlined at Gotham Comedy Club
Register today for a class at Manhattan Comedy School, and you might find yourself on TV, too.