Standup & Work It Out
Standup & Work It Out
Aarian's comedy and creative work draw on her experiences as an African American growing up in New York. After losing her mother, an Olympic Track and Field athlete, to a tragic car accident, her maternal Grandmother raised her from 15 months old. While her father, "Bubsy," was very active and a positive influence in her life, she also witnessed him and many of her uncles suffer from the effects of drug and alcohol addiction. "My experiences as a child with no mother informed my work as an artist and helped me find peace in the hidden complexities of human behavior as a therapist."
Aarian Punter is a member of SAG-AFTRA whose formal name was widely known as Aarian Pope. She has performed on various stages, such as Apollo theater, Catch a Rising Star, Caroline's Comedy Club, Boston Comedy, and New York Comedy Clubs, and has appeared on screen as a background actor in several popular award-winning network shows. Aarian wrote and performed original poems as interludes on significant recordings with the Lost Boyz, R&B duo Koffee Brown and Grammy award-winning vocal artist Anthony Hamilton. She worked as a performance poet and actor in a comedy sketch team, Secret Society, with famed comedians such as Mike Epps and Donnell Rawlings. Aarian performed her poetry through the NACA (National Association of College Activities), performing at over 25 Colleges and Universities in the United States.
Several of Aarian's collection of poems have been published in various poetry anthologies, including Random Houses’ “Bum Rush the Page; a Def Poetry Jam” forwarded by world-renowned poet Sonia Sanchez and Old Flame New Fire, an anthology forward by the Father of the Black Arts movement Amiri Baraka that is now archived at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, NY. Aarian is returning to the stage as a Stand-Up Comedian as she moves toward her production affectionately called "Crust and Suger," a moving dialogue of comedic poems set in a modern world, giving voice to creatives looking to heal others through the spoken word.
Aarian Punter is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, and a wife, living in Harlem with her husband and two children.
Jamie Roberts
Born in Brooklyn and raised in Amityville, New York, Jamie gained an interest in comedy after being crowned ‘Funniest Person’ by his senior class in High School. It was then that he realized that comedy was where he belonged and hit the pavement convincing audiences one joke at a time. His first major win came at Stand Up NY, where he convinced the judges and won his next title, ‘Funniest Person from the Suburbs’. He continued pushing forward, making strides in the comedic world with performances in New York City Tri-state area, Hollywood and Atlanta. Jamie broke barriers by becoming the first non-Latino to produce the Latino Laughter Comedy Show at the New York Comedy Club. In addition to producing the show, he also hosted it each week. This experience opened the door to him producing a string of independent shows in the New York Tri-State area, as well as a national college tour titled “One Night Stand Comedy Tour”. The tour supported and educated students about safe sex through stand up comedy.
Since then, he’s wowed hundreds of audiences and has been featured on MTV, Tidal, XM Radio, The Grio, The Root and New York’s 770 WABC Radio. He added actor to his resume with roles in such popular shows and movies as NBC’s Law & Order and HBO’s Paterno, along with numerous commercials. He was even a featured cast member (along with his girlfriend) on the FYI Network’s A Question of Love and is now in production for their own follow up show. Presently, Jamie is the Executive Producer and host of New York’s longest running Sunday show, Sunday Night Live. He is also the Founder and Executive Director of Comedy With A Purpose, a business in which he uses comedy to address some serious social matters. Through Comedy with A Purpose, Jamie has helped raise funds for organizations such as Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (CAASE) and Northwestern University’s Entertainment Alliance. There’s no stage too big and no feat unconquerable in Jamie Roberts’ world. With his clean-cut good looks, insatiable charm, and cutting edge comedy, he’s certainly the one to watch for.
Kenny Williams
Kenny Williams is a Queens, NY native. For 30 years he has performed in comedy clubs, colleges, churches, Rikers Island correctional facilities(Yes for Inmates), & military bases nationally and overseas: South Korea, London, Germany & Amsterdam. His credits include: Def Comedy Jam, BET ComicView, Showtime @ The Apollo, The phenomenal web series “Money & Violence.” Check him in the Upcoming Movie “Honor Among Thieves”.