The Laugh Factory is a world famous comedy club located at 8001 on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, California.
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In 1979, after a dispute over club owners refusing to pay comedians, a then 16 year old Jamie Masada recognized the need for a new venue for comedians to perform. After obtaining a loan of $10,000 from Neal Israel, he opened the Laugh Factory in a building formerly belonging to Groucho Marx.[1] Recognizing his passion for comedy, Richard Pryor was the first comedian to perform on the now famous Laugh Factory stage. When Jamie attempted to pay him, Pryor instead handed him a $100 bill and wrote on it, "You need this for your rent, boy."
From that point on the Laugh Factory has grown to be one of the most famous comedy clubs in the world. USA Today has cited it as being the #1 comedy club in the country. It has and continues to be a launching pad for the careers of many stars. Mr. Masada still comes in almost every day and attends Tuesday Open Mic Nights to screen possible comedians for the Laugh Factory stage. The Laugh Factory now has two locations, both located in California: Laugh Factory in Hollywood, California and Long Beach, California.[2]
Masada's work with underprivileged children won him a NAACP Freedom Award, The Ellis Island Medal of Honor for humanitarian efforts, as well as the ACLU Freedom of Speech Award, among many others. Every year since 1979, Masada has opened his club for Thanksgiving and Christmas, dishing up free dinners to the homeless and up-and-coming artists, as well as providing some much-needed comic relief. Additionally, Masada sponsors free services during Judaism’s High Holy Days. A highly sought after comedy consultant, he served as a producer for Damon Wayans' film, Behind the Smile (2006) – shot on location at the Laugh Factory’s Hollywood location – and Disney’s RocketMan (1997). Currently in development are the feature films Blackxican, in association with Paul Rodriguez and Paul Mooney; and, with Dom Irrera, Goombas of Comedy. Masada created and is currently executive producer of Supreme Court of Comedy, a half-hour, unscripted series he developed and which is currently entering its fourth season on DirecTV. Masada was also a casting consultant for Fox's In Living Color (1990-94), a ground-breaking and sometimes controversial series which showcased African-American humor, music and culture. Masada was instrumental in championing the casting of both Jim Carrey (one of the few White cast members) and Jamie Foxx, not only helping to ensure the success of the show, but fast-tracking the two aspiring, young comedians’ careers. On radio, Masada launched Laugh Factory Joke of the Day in 1987. Syndicated on Premiere Radio, it reached over 29 million listeners a day during an 18-year run. Masada also enjoyed a successful run as a magazine publisher, launching the Laugh Factory Magazine in 1983. Self-published for the first two years, Warner Publishing then began distributing the magazine nationally until 1996.
Masada has also gained widespread notoriety as a producer of such live events as the 1985’s Comedy March on Washington. Campaigning for the president to launch a comedian into space, Masada – joined by Bob Hope, Phyllis Diller and Redd Foxx, among others – marched down Pennsylvania Avenue in the nation’s capital. He drew so much media attention that President Reagan asked Hope to arrange a meeting. Masada’s marketing has always merged good causes with promotion. As the country was gripped with the fear of the AIDS epidemic, the Laugh Factory was the first business in America to provide condoms to its customers. Further innovations included inaugurating Latino-, African-American-, Asian- and Women-themed club nights [3]
In addition to being world renowned for its high caliber comedy, the Laugh Factory is also recognized as one of the comedy industry leaders in donating to charitable causes as well as organizing charitable events. They have worked closely with the Red Cross and USO amongst many others. Charity fundraisers held at the club in 2010 include Cops For Causes, Comics Without Borders, Wounded Warriors, Middle Eastern Comedy Fest, and Stand Up For Pakistan. In 2011, the Laugh Factory ushered in the Jewish New Year by providing free High Holiday Services to the Jewish community. This was the 29th year that the Laugh Factory opened its doors to the Jewish community for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Jamie Masada, owner of the Laugh Factory said, “Two of the main reasons I love doing this is because it gives so many members of the Jewish community a chance to return to their traditions, and it gives so many actors, writers, and comedians who can’t afford to join a temple a place to pray for the holidays.” Services are conducted in the Reform Jewish tradition by Rabbi Bob Jacobs. All expenses for the services and the free "break the fast" at the conclusion of Yom Kippur are paid for by Jamie Masada, and donations are refused. [4]
In 1985, Masada created Laugh Factory’s Comedy Camp for underprivileged kids. To date, he has worked with more than 1,000 disadvantaged children, ages 9–16, from lower-income neighborhoods. Meeting for 10 Saturdays each summer, top comedians including Tim Allen, Jim Carrey, Dave Chappelle, Dane Cook, Jamie Foxx, George Lopez, Jon Lovitz, Richard Pryor, Chris Rock, Paul Rodriguez, Bob Saget, Adam Sandler, Chris Tucker, Damon Wayans and Shawn Wayans, among others – coach the youth, who also enjoy food and field trips.
The mentoring and encouragement that kids receive at Comedy Camp instills them with the confidence required in public speaking and to achieve their dreams. “Laughter is healing,” says Masada, who refers to them as “my kids,” maintains a relationship with many of them throughout the years and is a “Hebrew Kris Kringle” during the holidays.
A weekly stand-up comedy series originating from the Hollywood location, Comic Strip: Live, aired late Saturday nights on the Fox network from 1989–1994. The series was hosted by John Mulrooney (1989), Gary Kroeger (1990–91) and Wayne Cotter (1991–94). For a seven-month period starting in November 1990, the show was renamed Comic Strip: Late Night to differentiate it from a short-lived Sunday prime-time spinoff, which featured weekly guest hosts and originated from other locations.
Among events currently hosted by the Laugh Factory is the annual Laugh Bowl search for young talent, a competition held each November on the campuses of southern California’s UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans. The Laugh Factory camera crew captures students’ comedy routines, posts the footage online and opens voting. The top-five finalists from each school compete onstage at the club before a panel of professional comedians, with the winner receiving a gig at the Laugh Factory, their name and school name up on the Sunset Boulevard marquee and $5,000 in Laugh Factory gift certificates. The winner’s school receives the Laugh Bowl trophy and bragging rights for the year as the college with the best sense of humor.
"Lowie at The Laugh Factory" is the once a week comedy show presented by the Laugh Factory in Hollywood. The show is hosted by Craig Low with co-host Daron Moore. Craig Low is an Australian comedian, TV host, radio host, and writer and is better known to the public as “Lowie”. Laugh Factory producer Daron Moore also serves as the show's executive producer. The show is produced at CBS Radio and broadcast on over 57 Australian radio stations from 6pm-8pm on Sundays. The show is also uploaded to iTunes for podcast with the potential of American distribution. The two-hour show is broken down into three parts. The first hour contains content generated from comedy shows at the Laugh Factory. This hour is broken down into four segments: "Fresh Faces" - where Australian listeners hear routines from new comics and vote for their favorite, "The Black Pack" - a segment composed of clips from well known African American comics, "Tom Arnold & Paul Mooney on Life" - where listeners hear Tom or Paul share funny and crazy experiences from their lives, and "The Laugh Factory Top 3" - which is a countdown of the top three jokes on a particular subject. The second hour revolves around a different headlining comic such as Tim Allen, Dane Cook, and Kevin Nealon. They are interviewed and have segments from their routine played over the air. A new headlining comic is chosen each week. Lastly, each show ends with a word of advice from the clubs owner and founder Jamie Masada.[5]
Laugh Factory Productions is the new media arm of Laugh Factory, Inc. The department is run by Paul Fiore. It manages the site www.laughfactory.com and The Laugh Factory's video channel on YouTube. As of November 2010, the channel has over 8.5 million video views and 13,000 subscribers.
In addition to stand up comedy Laugh Factory Productions has several ongoing original web-series. In "The Kevin Nealon Show," comedians are interviewed after their set. "Paul and Paul on..." features Paul Mooney and Paul Rodriguez riffing on the latest in pop culture news. The behind the scenes series "Laugh Factory Backstage" provides a look into The Laugh Factory regular comics' personal histories.
The Laugh Factory made headlines when Michael Richards went into a racist outburst toward two black men who were heckling him during a November 17, 2006 standup comedy routine at the venue. In response to the Michael Richards incident, The Laugh Factory banned comedians from using the word "nigger" in their acts. The first known incident involving this new rule involved Damon Wayans (himself an African-American), who used the word 16 times in a 20 minute show. He was fined $320 ($20 for each offense) and given a 3-month ban from the club.[6]
The Laugh Factory keeps track of an endurance record for the comedian who can deliver the longest single set at the prestigious club. The record-holding performances are listed below:
| Date | Duration (hr:min) | Performer |
|---|---|---|
| January 2, 2008 | 7:34 | Dane Cook |
| December 3, 2007 | 6:12 | Dave Chappelle |
| April 15, 2007 | 6:07 | Dave Chappelle |
| April 10, 2007 | 3:50 | Dane Cook |
| 1980 | 2:41 | Richard Pryor |
On December 8, 2010 at 4:38pm the Laugh Factory broke the Guinness World Record for Longest Continuous Stand Up Comedy Show (Multiple Comedians)[7]. The record was previously held by Comic Strip Live, who set the original record of 50 hours. The Laugh Factory surpassed 50 hours on Wednesday and continued non-stop until 10:38pm Thursday Dec. 9 when they stopped and set a new record of 80 hours. Dom Irrera was on stage when the record was broken, and Deon Cole was on stage when the new record was set. The event, titled "Toy to the World," was paired with a Toy Drive for Children's Hospital. Over 130 different comedians performed and the event was live-streamed over the internet.
Comedians who have performed in the club include:
Many other comedians not on this list have also credited the Laugh Factory in contributing to their career.
The Laugh Factory weekly schedule currently runs as follows:
| Day | Show | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Chocolate Sundaes | 8pm, 10pm |
| Monday | Latino Night | 8pm |
| Tuesday | The Kevin Nealon Show | 8pm |
| Wednesday | Laughing With The Stars w/ Tom Arnold, Fresh Faces | 8pm, 10pm |
| Thursday | Tim Allen, College Night | 8pm, 10pm |
| Friday | All Star Comedy, Midnight Madness | 8pm, 10pm, 12am |
| Saturday | All Star Comedy, Midnight Madness | 8pm, 10pm, 12am |