Josh Filipowski

A Jewish senior citizen, an unemployed architect and a fraternity brother walk into a bar ... Sound like the beginning of a joke? It is.

With nothing in common but the urge to be the wise-guy on center stage, a Westchester-based group of comedians have come together to form the Like 2 Laugh Comedy Group.

Joshua Filipowski, of Rye Brook, is the mastermind behind the six-comedian act of Westchestarians and Manhattanites. Since his fraternity days at the University of Wisconsin, Filipowski has spent days as a financial planner and nights doing stand-up anywhere willing to give him the stage time.... - The Journal News

http://www.timeout.com/newyork/articles/comedy/27032/march-gladness

Comedy
Time Out New York / Issue 649 : Mar 5–11, 2008

March gladness
Sixty-four comics go head-to-head in a basketball-inspired tournament.

By Colin St. John

Athletes and comedians are unusual bedfellows—many jokesters are funny as a result of having their asses handed to them by jocks in high school. Still, if there’s a sporting event that even the geekiest members of American society can embrace, it’s the annual NCAA College Basketball Tournament. Davids regularly slay Goliaths. Miracle shots are sunk. Expectations are defied.

The egalitarian nature of that beast is what led Josh Filipowski, a local stand-up, Wisconsin grad and Badgers fan, to create March Comedy Madness, a live competition inspired by the b-ball event. Filipowski, who also produces local showcases as Like 2 Laugh Productions, tinkered with Big Ten– and Big East Conference–themed shows for five years before teaming with Carolines’s Bryan Kennedy in 2007 to create the whole enchilada: a bracket of 64.

In the ever-important first round, contestants have one minute, and one minute only (Filipowski and Kennedy don referee jerseys and enforce the rules with whistles), to slam their comedy hammer down. “Everybody’s bringing their best material,” Filipowski says. “The audience loves it because they’re seeing the best jokes—there’s no downtime.”

The first round takes place Tuesday 11 at Carolines. The 64 performers have already bested much competition at the open tryouts (“regular season”) in February, and Filipowski invited back last year’s Sweet 16 as automatic entries. The tournament continues weekly for a month, culminating in the finals on April 1. (This year’s basketball Final Four happens April 5 and 7.)

Even though the two refs do their best to keep things running smoothly, comedians are as unpredictable as college basketball teams. Filipowski notes a disparity: “Some people will do one joke that takes 30 seconds and that’s it. Others need the whistle blown to stop them.” And although most bring their A-game, some hope experimentation will win the determinant crowd applause. “Last year, Jeff Kreisler didn’t do any material,” Filipowski explains. “He thought his antics would cover him; he didn’t make it. But Clara Bijl did 20 seconds and was like, ‘That’s it.’ And she made it to the next round.”

When 64 becomes 32, the time alloted is upped to two minutes, and the set times keep doubling down the line. When all was said and done last year, Julian McCullough was crowned the March Comedy Madness champ. Though he won’t compete this year (he will perform a short set and pass the torch), the rest of last year’s Final Four are entering as “favorites.” In other words, Helen Hong, Moody McCarthy and Rob O’Reilly are like Duke, Kansas and UCLA.

It’s not going to be easy for even the top contestants to make it all the way—a comedian ranked 16th could even beat a One Seed, something that’s never happened on the basketball side of the analogy. So does McCullough have any pearls of wisdom? “My advice to all the comics entering March Madness is to win the whole thing. It’s way better than losing.”

March Comedy Madness launches Tue 11 at Carolines on Broadway.


- Time Out New York Magazine

http://www.capazoo.com/capazine/comedy/profile/825

Josh Filipowski Likes 2 Laugh
Taking Comedy from the Stage to the People

New York is known for its night life, and any city with a reputation like that is bound to have a lot of venues. The result is that the choice of shows to see is so overwhelming that you can end up putting off seeing a show until it's gone and you missed it forever. What Like 2 Laugh does different than these New York venues, however, is that it brings the show to you. The man behind Like 2 Laugh, moreover, is none other than Josh Filipowski, comedian impresario and Capazoo member.

Outside the Box in the Big Apple
NYC is considered by many to be the Mecca of comedy. Hundreds of comedians constantly compete for spots at clubs, bars and anywhere else with a stage. The result is that many of the accredited clubs reserve prime-time weekend shows for comedians with TV credits. This forces the non-TV-credited comedians to search for alternate venues to entertain the masses, such as back rooms of bars, lounges and other eccentric places.

Having produced shows in night clubs, dive bars, parks, beaches, spas and even in his car, Josh Filipowski has learned to think outside of the box. "I once performed comedy in a laundromat," says Filipowski. "There was only one guy there washing his dirty drawers, but he loved me."

Granted, the hard work has paid off in terms of mainstream recognition for Filipowski, but that doesn't mean that he can take it easy just yet. "I get some regular spots at the New York Comedy Club," he say. "Besides that, it’s a hustle for stage time -- all over the city."

For instance, not so long ago Filipowski paired up with Chris Clarke for the Up and Broke Comedy Tour which set up stage in several New York City parks. There they performed for passersby tourists, college students and children alike.

Last summer, moreover, they upped the ante when Like 2 Laugh partnered with Drive By Comedy Tour and took to the streets -- literally. Filipowski hosted the show in his mini-cooper convertible, which powered a microphone and PA. They drove to over a dozen locations to meet comedians who performed their sets on street corners all across Manhattan.

Aside form the NYC circuit, Filipowski also performs all over the country. So far, his comedy has killed in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, the Poconos and Cape Cod. He's also scheduled to appear in the Twin Cities from April 3-6 and has upcoming shows in the works in Boston, Philadelphia, DC, and Miami. Aside from stand-up, Filipowski produces uproarious videos from song parodies to sidesplitting sketches.

Liking 2 Laugh
Filipowski performs regularly at the Like 2 Laugh Sunday Soiree (click for listings). Every season, the troop puts 100 comedians on stage Sunday nights at Botanica Bar, on Houston & Mulberry in the heart of NOLITA -- the neighborhood North of Little Italy. These Sunday sessions are where professional comedians and quality up-and-comers get to cross-pollinate and work out their material before big Letterman and Live at Gotham
auditions. It's an intimate comfortable venue and 100% free.

- Capazine Magazine