Comedy Central and Live Nation announced the launch of Comedy Central's House of Comedy Live from House of Blues, a monthly Comedy Central branded stand-up showcase in House of Blues venues nationwide. Comedy Central will also tape two one-hour stand-up specials from House of Blues venues with the first special being taped in Boston on April 16.
"Since Comedy Central's launch 19 years ago, we have been approached dozens of times to partner in a comedy venue. The House of Blues venues encapsulate the Comedy Central sensibility and further extends our relationship with Live Nation," said Mitch Fried, SVP, Comedy Central Live Entertainment. "With Live Nation and its House of Blues venues, we have found the perfect companions to expand our thriving touring business and grow the Comedy Central brand outwards and off channel."
"Comedy Central is one of the most recognizable brands in entertainment and they recognize the appeal and power of the live stand-up comedy happening in Live Nation venues across the country," said Geof Wills, President of Live Nation Comedy. "This deal creates an important platform for us to launch new comedy touring talent as well as showcase established comedy stars in our House of Blues venues, expanding on our successful relationship that has drawn more than one million fans to Comedy Central branded tours."
As part of the deal Comedy Central will be integrated throughout the House of Blues venues including on and off stage, show marketing and press, as well as within the retail shops. In addition, the network will offer its advertisers similar inclusion as the official sponsors of the series.
Comedy Central's Live Entertainment division commenced in 2003 and partnered with Live Nation Entertainment for its first tour together, "Comedy Central Live Starring Lewis Black and Dave Attell" with special guest Mitch Hedberg. Since then, the successful live comedy partnership has produced tours for some of today's leading stand-up comedians such as Mike Birbiglia, Drew Carey, Dave Chappelle, Stephen Lynch, Demetri Martin, Carlos Mencia and Wanda Sykes. The network's latest tour starring Gabriel Iglesias kicked off in January 2010.
Comedy Central will also create a dedicated site for the campaign on Jokes.com. The site will feature performance information for upcoming shows and allow visitors to order tickets online. Additional ticket and tour information for Comedy Central's House of Comedy Live from House of Blues can be found at LiveNation.com.