The UCB Comedy Podcast Network Launches Next Week

UCB Comedy is getting into the podcast network game. Starting this Monday, February 22nd, the UCB Comedy Podcast Network will launch with a slate of both new and returning shows hosted by Matt Walsh, Horatio Sanz, Shannon O’Neill, Diana Kolsky and Murf Meyer, and more. Check out the current lineup of shows below:

PODCASTS LAUNCHING WEEK OF 2/22 UCB Long­Form Conversations The UCB Long­Form Conversations Podcast is the definitive source for news, information, and in­depth conversations about the best alternative comedy theatre on the planet. Now in its fourth incarnation, this podcast is a LaRonde, where the guest of episode 1 becomes the host of episode 2, the guest of episode 2 becomes the host of episode 3, and on, and on, and on. Sporadically, we also present “Palate Cleansers”, where UCB teachers and staff present official UCB news/updates, and offer experimental one­off episodes. Tune in for passionate, insightful conversations about the art, comedy, and love of long form improv, presented by the comedians who teach and perform at UCB (NYC and LA). This podcast feed also features the full archive of this podcast going back to 2009. [Series Relaunch Mondays (Weekly) Starting 2/22 w/ host Nathan Russell and guest, Don Fanelli] Bear Down: Chicago Bears Podcast Matt Walsh of the Upright Citizens Brigade and screenwriter Scot Armstrong gather with fellow Chicagoans in Los Angeles to discuss their favorite football team: The Bears. Featuring a long list of special guests chock full of UCB royalty, they perform their show inspired by all things Chicago. [Official New Season Launch Week of 2/22 (Schedule TBD)] The Hooray Show Welcome to The Hooray Show, with Horatio Sanz, recorded weekly from Echo Park, California. Each week, Horatio and his co­host Chad Krueger invite you into Bro Bro Studios to listen in on some friendly conversations with friends, comedians and special guests. Break out the tissues, because we bring out the issues. Improv, Sketch and Music interweave their way through the episodes each week after the record button is pressed, and you never know where the conversation will lead. Horatio Sanz was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998­2006, where he played many memorable characters, and was the temporary replacement for Tina Fey as Amy Poehler’s Weekend Update co­anchor while Fey was on maternity leave. Sanz was also one of the founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade. [Official Season 3 Launch set for Week of 2/22 (schedule TBD)] GENTRIFY! GENTRIFY is a weekly variety show that brings comedy’s hottest stand up, improv and sketch groups to the part of the city where no one would ever dare go: The East Village. GENTRIFY is the exposed brick of comedy, the working fireplace of laughter and the roof deck of fun at UCBeast. [Official Series Launch set for Mondays (Weekly) starting 2/22] PODCASTS CURRENTLY ON UCB COMEDY PODCAST NETWORK UCB Digital Podcast This bi­monthly podcast hosted by Nathan Russell, Creative Director of UCB Comedy, is a behind­the­scenes look at comedy filmmaking featuring conversations with creators about their craft in a converging digital media landscape. Expect to hear from a varied group of industry professionals (writers, directors, actors and more) who shed light on their unique creative process. UCB Digital Podcast offers a great resource for anyone interested in examining comedy and filmmaking. [Upcoming Guests to include: 2/9 Avery Monsen (Vine, contributor, MTV) and 2/23 Joel Jensen (founder, Denizen] Blank Check with Griffin & David Griffin Newman (HBO’s Vinyl, Draft Day) is a comedian. David Sims (The Atlantic, A/V Club) is a critic. On Blank Check, they delve into the works of film’s most outsized personalities and the passion projects they produce, movie by movie, in painstakingly hilarious detail. Blank Check tells one story­an egocentric, true story­over the course of a season. Each season, we follow along with the hosts as they investigate a body of work and the trajectory of a career that led these individuals from complete creative control to their fall from grace. Each week, Griffin and David, with special guests (comedians, writers, critics and more) offer original, refined commentary on cinema and its figures. Current Season: Having dealt with George Lucas, Griffin and David move on to another director of supersized ego and skill: M. Night Shyamalan. They’ll dive into all of his films to see if he deserves a reputation as a master of suspense or a master of flops. [Previous Seasons Include: Season 1​: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace | Season 2​: Star Wars: Episode II ­ Attack of the Clones | Season 3:​Star Wars: Episode III ­ Revenge of the Sith/Episodes VI­IV(Original Trilogy)/Star Wars: Episode VII ­ The Force Awakens] Ménage à Trois Radio Sex sells…and everybody’s buying! Real life lovers Diana Kolsky and Murf Meyer are hosting a saucy podcast called Ménage à Trois Radio on the UCB Comedy Network with an accompanying live show, After Dark, at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Chelsea every month. Each episode, the husband & wife duo are joined in the sack (studio) by a third party to discuss sex, relationships, and everything in between. Ménage à Trois Radio welcomes guests from various backgrounds—artists, musicians, chefs, comedians, politicians—to give each episode its own special flavor. Along with each episode’s guest, Diana and Murf explore listener submitted queries to give advice, share sexy stories, and opine on various current events, peering through a heart­shaped lens to attack weekly segments. Diana and Murf ’s repartee always comes from an honest place, as they share more of themselves than their mothers are comfortable with. The two met in an improv class, became fast lovers and were recently wed! They use this experience to color each episode with an exceptional perspective—one that only a couple can give. Because of their candid nature, they are able to draw out personal anecdotes and hilarious truths from their guests. When it comes to topics of the hearts and parts of their listeners, Diana and Murf aren’t afraid to go there. You can listen to new episodes every Wednesday here. Visit the UCBT NY schedule for live show dates. Notable guests include: Amy Poehler​(Parks and Recreation), Bridget Everett​(Inside Amy Schumer), Mike Birbiglia​(Orange is the New Black), Vinny Guadagnino​(Jersey Shore), Bobby Moynihan​(SNL), Ilana Glazer​(Broad City), Kaki King​(Guitar Goddess), Matt Walsh (Veep), Zach Woods​(Silicon Valley), Matt Rubano​(The All­American Rejects), Stoya​(Adult Film Superstar), Jimmy McMillan​(NYC Mayoral Candidate), Sasheer Zamata​(SNL), Chris Gethard​(The Chris Gethard Show), Nina Payne​(World­Renowned Dominatrix), Opus Moreschi​(Late Show with Stephen Colbert)…and many more! [Upcoming Valentine’s Day video release on UCB Comedy’s YouTube page] What Else? Alright, so you’re a comedian, teacher or astronaut, but What Else? Hosts Shannon O’Neill and Keaton Patti invite comedians, semi­famous people and other humans to discuss the jobs they’ve had outside their chosen occupation. [Upcoming Guests: 2/16 Cipha Sounds (DJ, Hot 97.1, The Chappelle Show), 3/15 Todd Bieber (Director, Thank You Del: The Story of the Del Close Marathon)]

The UCB Comedy Podcast Network Launches Next Week