01 - Kickoff! Tumi Morake

Noah Telson has a pretty interesting story. He's an American Expat living in Germany, running one of the few English improv clubs on the continent. Berlin has become a home for all kinds of international creatives, and as improv is the jazz of theater, they all congregate around the Comedy Cafe Berlin, Noah's joint. We talk about improv in Germany, Noah's story of moving to Berlin, and what the scene is like.  Check Noah out! His website, Comedy Cafe Berlin, Noah on Facebook. The original Vice clip that got us connected. Finally, if you want to support the podcast on Patreon WE'D LOVE YOU X1000 FOREVER!! Even a couple of dollars helps :)

Oleg Denisov is an internationally award-winning stand-up comedian and comedy writer based in Moscow, Russia. Co-founder of Steal the Show Comedy promotions, Brendon met him in 2017 at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival (where he also met Zach). Oleg is another member of the growing group of international comedians who all know one another from all over the world (Helgi Steinar might be the chairman). Oleg talks about international comedy influence, where the Russian sense of humor comes from, and booking heavy-hitters like Jim Gaffigan. He's making comedy happen in Moscow and all around Russia with his group Steal The Show. Check him out online: Oleg's Facebook, Steal The Show's Instagram, Steal The Show's website, Steal The Show on Facebook. Finally, if you want to support the podcast on Patreon WE'D LOVE YOU X1000 FOREVER!! Even a couple of dollars helps :) 

Helgi Steinar is going to have a movie made about his life one day. The guy is amazing. Born in Iceland, raised in LA & Minnesota, started doing stand-up in China. The guy tells jokes in English, Icelandic, and Mandarin. Zach and Brendon met him while shooting Funny Planet's pilot episode in Reykjavik, where, among other things, he works as a tour guide. HOW MANY HATS CAN ONE GUY WEAR!? We talk about him starting out as a standup in China, growing up in America after a childhood in Iceland, and what comedy does and doesn't translate. Check him out online: Instagram, Facebook, and, for real, an academic textbook written my Helgi, "Explaining the Economic Inconsistencies of China-Iceland Relations: Examining the success of the China-Iceland Free Trade Agreement and the failure of Huang Nubo's land acquisition deal" Finally, if you want to support the podcast on Patreon WE'D LOVE YOU X1000 FOREVER!! Even a couple of dollars helps :)

Comedy around the world isn't just comics, it also involves tons of other people: producers, bookers, promoters, club owners, and fans. In the world of comedy, these kinds of people come in all different kinds of international flavors too. Here at Funny Planet, we want to get to know everyone involved in comedy around the world! In our first episode without a comedian as a guest, we interview Brent Schiess! For 15 years Brent has been working with Just For Laughs, the biggest comedy festival in North America, probably the world. He's been involved with all kinds of productions, but particularly relevant to us, he was the one behind the comedians on Comedians Of The World on Netflix. He booked the show and knows all about each and every comedian in it. The guy is a true comedy fan and really loves what he does. Honestly, talking with him was inspirational. The guy has almost unlimited energy for comedy, for fun, and for comedians. Check out Brent on Twitter: http://bit.ly/31jXvOc Brent's crazy successful IMDB page: https://imdb.to/2GPGsdB Finally, if you want to support the podcast on Patreon WE'D LOVE YOU X1000 FOREVER!! Even a couple of dollars helps :)

Paul Taylor is a charming and hilarious English comedian living in France. Brendon met him in the summer of 2013 while living in Paris. Paul's career in comedy has taken off, and now works with Canal+ on many different shows exploring stereotypes around Europe. The guy is a professional, he's funny, and he's a class act, and he even has is own beer. Links below! Get tickets to his new stand-up show “So British Ou Presque”, click here. Watch his first stand-up show #FRANGLAIS, click here. Watch his Canal+ TV shows “What The Fuck France”, “What’s Up France” and “Stereotrip”, click here. If you're in France, you can buy his beer beer, Ori’Gin, here. Follow Paul on Social Media, let him know we sent you! Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube. PLEASE LIKE AND SHARE!! Giving us a good rating and sharing our content is the greatest compliment! If you have a handful of extra dollars to toss in, please consider support on Patreon: http://bit.ly/2RCO6hw Finally, if you want to support the podcast on Patreon WE'D LOVE YOU X1000 FOREVER!! Even a couple of dollars helps :)

Half a world away, in the land of Middle Earth, is a hilarious comedian who's struck out on her own path. She's a hilarious and effervescent comedian, who didn't start standup until her 30's, and has crushed ever since. Like many others on the podcast, she forged her own path and gained notoriety strictly through her sense of humor and ability to get others laughing. She's totally effortless at getting both Zach and I giggling on the pod; we can see why she's gotten a lot of attention. A regular guest on Have You Been Paying Attention, she's also on Netflix's Comedians Of The World. She performed at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala from 2016 to 2018 and received ‘Best Female Comedian’ at the New Zealand Comedy Guild Awards.[4] She was nominated for the Helpmann Award for Best Comedy Performer in 2018. In October 2019 she was presented with the Rielly Comedy Award from the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand for her contribution to New Zealand entertainment. From all points of view, this woman is prolific! We talk with her about starting comedy, making her mark, Edinburgh and Melbourne comedy festivals, and what people around the world find funny and how they're different. She just finished recording her next Netflix special just this past December. Stay tuned! Check her out: Twitter: http://bit.ly/368vn1t Her website: http://bit.ly/36cCaad Instagram: http://bit.ly/3alEq2x Facebook: http://bit.ly/379Wb2K Finally, if you want to support the podcast on Patreon WE'D LOVE YOU X1000 FOREVER!! Even a couple of dollars helps :)

Ari Eldjárn is maybe the most famous Icelandic comedian outside of Iceland. He's been on the BBC, all around Europe, and drops into New York to tell jokes all over the city before flying back to his island nation after all the pillaging he did on stage. We talk through how he got into comedy, the development of modern comedy in Iceland, and then we go down the rabbit hole talking about some inside baseball comedy stuff. It's interesting to see how much influence American comedy has had around the world, and how each place takes the art form and makes it its own. Ari is definitely a player in that game. Ari's social media: Twitter: http://bit.ly/2QOP0r4 Facebook: http://bit.ly/36RdxkI Instagram: http://bit.ly/380mIiO Check out Funny Planet! Website: http://bit.ly/2FlH75B If you like our project, you can help! Support us on Patreon and get access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/funnyplanet Finally, if you want to support the podcast on Patreon WE'D LOVE YOU X1000 FOREVER!! Even a couple of dollars helps :)

Tumi Morake's fame in South Africa totally makes sense; she's funny, upbeat, talented, and very generous. Tumi very graciously sat down with Zach and Brendon to talk about comedy, growing up in Africa, and discovering she had a talent for telling jokes. She's the first black African woman to get a Netflix special; appearing on Comedians Of The World. You should check it out. Follow her: Twitter: http://bit.ly/2N0PPKV Facebook: http://bit.ly/2sGhqKE Instagram: http://bit.ly/2QV3DrI Her Website: http://bit.ly/39JGcde Check out Funny Planet! Website: http://bit.ly/2FlH75B If you like our project, you can help! Support us on Patreon and get access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/funnyplanet Finally, if you want to support the podcast on Patreon WE'D LOVE YOU X1000 FOREVER!! Even a couple of dollars helps :)