What's So Funny About...‪?‬ pssilvaii

In this special episode of the "What's So Funny About...?" Podcast, IrReverent: Spirituality, Comedy, and the Body Politic, brought to you by the Liberation Comedy Project, we talk with Benjamin-Shalom Rodriguez and Rev. Barbara Ann Michaels.



Benjamin-Shalom Rodriguez (he/they) is a queer, Mexican-Israeli-American writer, director, and comedian. Ben's currently developing his half-hour animated comedy, Jesus Versus Zeus, with Sony and completed  season 2 of Stoned Breakups, which he created and hosts. He’s also an educator and filmmaker mentor with Edward James Olmos’ Latino Film Institute/Youth Cinema Project, where they teach students from underfunded schools how to make short films, and a charter member of the queer Latinx writers collective, The Clubhouse.



Benjamin is also the director of America's Next Top Immigrant (https://danceswithfilms.com/americas-next-top-immigrant/) and can be followed on Instagram at @lolohgosh and lologosh.


Reverend Barbara Ann Michaels, Jester of the Peace, (https://www.jesterofthepeace.com/), is an award-winning interfaith minister, performance artist, humorist, and author on a humanitarian humor mission.



She founded the House of Holy Humor, a secular congregation for the humor arts. All faiths and atheists are welcome. Love, art, and humor are her trifecta of tools for emotional well-being. House of Holy Humor delivers playfully serious participatory arts experiences that further love, connection, and healing internationally, often through collaboration with organizations.

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Her background includes using audience-interactive art and performance to further community and corporate missions at events from galas to trade shows to festivals and parties.



She also had a 20 year career as an arts educator in theater and improvisation for adults and youth, amplifying their leadership skills through self-expression and collaboration.



As an ordained interfaith minister, she was a wedding officiant for 10 years, specializing in creative ceremonies, including costume and helicopter weddings, for over 550 couples. She performed some of the first legal LGBTQ weddings in New York State.



Her definition of a fulfilling life is people finding, giving, and being appreciated for their gifts to humanity - all people seen, heard, celebrated, and connected. She acts for a win-win world.


The Liberation Comedy Project is being incubated by Mediators Foundation
(https://www.mediatorsfoundation.org/) and managed by YOUnify
(https://www.younify.org/).

In this episode, of the "What's So Funny About...?" Podcast, brought to you by the Liberation Comedy Project, we talk to Nick Marx co-author of That's Not Funny: How the Right Makes Comedy Work for Them

Nick Marx is an Associate Professor of film and media studies, specializing in media studies, media industries, digital media, and American politics and culture.  He is author or co-editor of several books, including Sketch Comedy: Identity, Reflexivity, and American Television (Indiana University Press, 2019), The Comedy Studies Reader (University of Texas Press, 2018), and Saturday Night Live and American TV (Indiana University Press, 2013).  His peer-reviewed research has appeared in The Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, Communication, Culture & Critique, Television and New Media, Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, and in the anthologies From Networks to Netflix: A Guide to Changing Channels (Routledge, 2022) and How to Watch Television (New York University Press, 2013).

Nick's most recent book project is That's Not Funny: How the Right Makes Comedy Work For Them (University of California Press, 2022), which analyzes the cultural influence and economic clout of libertarian and conservative comedians like Joe Rogan, Tim Allen, and Fox News' Greg Gutfeld. You can read an excerpt of the book at New York magazine, and you can follow Nick on Twitter (@marxnick).



The Liberation Comedy Project is being incubated by Mediators Foundation (https://www.mediatorsfoundation.org/) and managed by YOUnify
(https://www.younify.org/).

In this episode, of the "What's So Funny About...?" Podcast, brought to you by the Liberation Comedy Project, we talk to comedian and activist, Philip Ogren.

Philip lives in Boulder Colorado where he is a housing advocate, political activist, and stand-up comedian.  He also hosts a podcast Sharing Boulder which imagines a more inclusive, affordable, climate-friendly Boulder through the lens of housing and transportation policy and land use reform.  

The Liberation Comedy Project is being incubated by Mediators Foundation (https://www.mediatorsfoundation.org/) and managed by YOUnify
(https://www.younify.org/).

In this episode, of the "What's So Funny About...?" Podcast, brought to you by the Liberation Comedy Project, we talk to comedian, Robin Johnson. After more than 20 years of military service, Lieutenant Colonel Johnson, USA, Ret., discovered her new mission in improving people, organizations, and communities with humor. Lieutenant Colonel Johnson is a:


Certified Humor Professional (Association for the Applied & Therapeutic Humor)
TEDx Speaker
HEAL*ARIOUS programs facilitator
Nationally touring stand-up comedian
Voted Best Charleston Comic 2022
CEO, Best Medicine Brigade
Executive Producer

Robin Johnson is breaking new ground with her work and is a powerful of example of what is possible when a person chooses to use their talents to serve others.

IG: @heal.arious

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/healarious

The Liberation Comedy Project is being incubated by Mediators Foundation (https://www.mediatorsfoundation.org/) and managed by YOUnify (https://www.younify.org/).

In this episode, of the "What's So Funny About...?" Podcast, brought to you by the Liberation Comedy Project, we talk to Wali Collins, a top NYC comedian and accomplished drummer, transitioned from aspiring architect to a sought-after entertainer. Despite an initial reluctance to try stand-up comedy, his humorous talent flourished, leading to regular featured performances. Hosting Comedy Central's "Stand-up Stand-up," he showcased diverse comedians. Wali's versatility extends to film roles in "Submission" and "Coyote Ugly." Notable TV appearances include Netflix's "The Get Down" and Hulu's "Difficult People." His clean, clever style makes him a corporate events favorite, entertaining major companies and even working with Presidents Bush and Obama, plus Michelle Obama. Explore his YouTube channel, "WAIT. WHAT?! with Wali," for thought-provoking content.



You can find out more about Wali's work on instagram at @walicollins and https://www.walicollins.com/.



The Liberation Comedy Project is being incubated by Mediators Foundation (https://www.mediatorsfoundation.org/) and managed by YOUnify (https://www.younify.org/).

In this episode, of the "What's So Funny About...?" Podcast, brought to you by the Liberation Comedy Project, we talk to Ryan Niemiller aka Cripple Threat.


You may know Ryan Niemiller as the disarmingly handsome comedian and 3rd place finalist from America’s Got Talent Season 14. Despite being born with a disability in both arms, Ryan, the self-proclaimed “Cripple Threat of Comedy”, shares his views of the world from the perspective of the handicapped (and very handsome).

Ryan began his comedy career in Los Angeles, California, and hasn’t looked back since. He’s a favorite performer in clubs and colleges across the country.

His comedy covers topics such as dating, trying to find employment and attempting to find acceptance in a world not designed for him.

With his quick wit, good looks, great timing, and a gimmick that only he can exploit, Ryan hopes to prove to the comedy world that he may be unarmed, but he is dangerous. And handsome – in case you missed it the first three times.



You can find out more about Ryan and show dates at https://www.cripplethreat.com/ and on Instagram @cripplethreat8.