Best of the Store - Erik Griffin, Annie Lederman, Tom Papa, Sklar Brother, Esther King +more!

A towering force of comedy, Erik Griffin is most recognizable as the mustachioed Montez Walker on the hit Comedy Central series WORKAHOLICS, which recently wrapped its seventh and final season. nnGriffin will next stared as a series regular in Showtime’s dark-comedy series I’M DYING UP HERE . Based on the book by former L.A. Times writer William Knoedelseder, the fictionalized series is set in the celebrated yet infamous L.A. stand-up comedy scene of the '70s, and co-stars Melissa Leo, Al Madrigal and Ari Graynor, under executive producer Jim Carrey. Griffin’s first hour-long comedy special, THE UGLY TRUTH, also air on Showtime.nnPrevious television credits include a recurring role on the Starz! comedy BLUNT TALK with Patrick Stewart, Netflix’s ONE DAY AT A TIME, FX’s YOU’RE THE WORST, Fox’s BOB’S BURGERS, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT and Nickelodeon’s HARVEY BREAKS.nn On the big screen, Griffin can be seen in Jake Szymanski’s MIKE & DAVE NEED WEDDING DATES and Kerem Sanga’s FIRST GIRL I LOVED.nn Distinguished as a nationally touring comedian who headlines comedy clubs and colleges nearly every weekend, Griffin’s comedy is immortalized on his debut comedy album, Technical Foul: Volume One, and his Comedy Central Presents half-hour stand-up special.nn Griffin started his career in comedy after making the decision in 2003 to quit his job and pursue comedy full-time. He first gained national exposure in Comedy Central’s LIVE AT GOTHAM, NBC’s LAST COMIC DRIVING, Showtime’s COMICS WITHOUT BORDERS, nationally syndicated COMICS UNLEASHED and performing on the ALMA Award-nominated PAYASO COMEDY SLAM on Showtime and Comedy Central networks.

Annie Lederman is your favorite comedian. A standup comic, podcaster, writer & actress. She is co-host of the hit podcast TRASH TUESDAY’s along with Khahlya Kuhn and Esther Povistky. When she isn’t hosting her own podcasts she is usually talking with her friends on theirs. She can regularly be heard on THE JOE ROGAN EXPERIENCE, TOUR MOMS HOUSE, THE CHURCH WITH JOEY DIAZ, WTF WITH MARC MARON, among many others. Most recently Annie can be seen featured in Showtime’s hit documentary miniseries THE COMEDY STORE alongside Jay Leno, David Letterman, Joe Rogan, and many other Comedy Store legends. Additionally, Annie has been seen or heard on all your favorite TV networks including Comedy Central ( LIGHTS OUT WITH DAVID SPADE & THIS IS NOT HAPPENING), MTV (GIRL CODE) , E! (CHELSEA LATELY), & TruTV (COMEDY KNOCKOUT, THE SOUP INVESTIGATES, & ADAM DEVINE’S HOUSE PARTY). After Chelsea, Annie hosted her own short lived pop-culture talk show WE HAVE ISSUES. Additionally acted alongside Ron Livingston in the 2017 Cannes darling THE LONG DUMB ROAD. But wait…that’s not all! On the writing front Annie starred and wrote, STAND UPS, a scripted Comedy Central pilot, produced by Dan Powell (co-creator of INSIDE AMY SCHUMER). She also wrote for IMPRACTICAL JOKERS as well as BORAT. Additionally she was a producer and writer on Sacha Baron Cohen’s Showtime series WHO IS AMERICA?

With more than 20 years as a stand-up comedian, Tom Papa is one of the top comedic voices in the country finding success in film, TV, radio and podcasts as well as on the live stage. He is a regular guest on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast and the late night TV shows.nnOn May 12, Tom released his second book, You’re Doing Great!: And Other Reasons To Stay Alive, a collection of essays on how people really live in modern America and what’s truly good and wonderful about our lives. Tom’s first book, Your Dad Stole My Rake: And Other Family Dilemmas, was released on June 5, 2018 from St Martin’s Press, making “Summer Must Read” lists from Parade Magazine to The New York Post. The comedic book takes a hilarious look at the host of characters in our families with bizarre, inescapable behavior.nnOn February 4, Netflix premiered Tom’s fourth hour-long stand-up special, Tom Papa: You’re Doing Great! A hilarious rebuttal to our current cultural feeling of dread, Tom wants you to remember that you’re doing great; life isn’t perfect, it never will be, and that’s OK.nnTom’s new podcast, Breaking Bread with Tom Papa, premiered on May 12 and features Tom and his guest for an hour of eating, drinking and enjoying life. Listeners are invited to take a seat at the table as Tom and his guests celebrate the true meaning of breaking bread with insightful, revealing and always funny conversations.nnTom is host of the daily Netflix radio show, What A Joke With Papa And Fortune, on SiriusXM’s Netflix Channel, airing Mondays through Thursdays from 10:00 AM – Noon ET.

The Sklar Brothers, are a post-modern take on a stand up comedy duo. Neil Strauss of the New York Times once wrote “Their comedy accepts the reality of being twins but does not use it as a crutch. Instead, they work their physical and mental similarities and correspondences, their status as imperfect carbon copies of each other. In their comedy the straight man is often an echo.” They have released 6 critically acclaimed comedy albums, have had two Comedy Central Half Hour Presents specials, and currently have a one hour stand up special on Netflix, titled “What Are We Talking About” and another one hour special that premiered on the Starz Network in May of 2018 called “Hipster Ghosts”. Hipster Ghosts is still available on the Starz App or at starz.com.nnRandy and Jason are also writers, directors and actors appearing in a wide variety of shows from Entourage to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia to Curb Your Enthusiasm to Better Call Saul. They are currently recurring characters, the Drs. Green, on TruTV’s Those Who Can’t. However, they are perhaps most well known for their show Cheap Seats, a cult hit that appeared on ESPN Classic for 77 episodes.nnTheir popular sports/comedy podcast View From the Cheap Seats is available on the Starburns Podcasting Network. Their hit podcast Dumb People Town with cohost Dan Van Kirk is currently being developed as a narrative animated show with Sony for You Tube Premium.nnMost importantly, Randy and Jason are fathers and husbands living in Los Angeles. (not with each other — that would be weird.)

Esther Lauren Povitsky, also known as Little Esther, is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer living in Los Angeles, California. She is the co-creator and star of the comedy series Alone Together. Povitsky moved to Los Angeles to pursue stand-up comedy and acting full-time after attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She studied comedy at iO Chicago, The Second City, and The Groundlings. She frequently performs stand-up comedy at venues throughout Los Angeles, California, including The Comedy Store, The Ice House, and The Improv. She plays Maya on the critically acclaimed series Crazy Ex Girlfriend. Other recent television appearances include Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Love, and Parks and Recreation. Povitsky also survived several rounds of 2015's Last Comic Standing (season 9), drawing praise from judge Roseanne Barr in particular. Povitsky was the first female guest to appear on The Joe Rogan Experience, after which she began podcasting with DEATHSQUAD regularly. She hosted Little Esther's Piecast and co-hosts Brode & Esther with fellow comedian Brody Stevens as well as Weird Adults with Little Esther and Glowing Up with Esther and Caroline. She often appears as a guest on the network's Ice House Chronicles. In 2012, Povitsky turned down an offer from MTV to do a reality show based on her life as a comedian because she felt the series would be too invasive. In 2015, Povitsky wrote, starred in, and self-produced the short film Alone Together. The short was later adapted into a pilot for Freeform, produced by The Lonely Island. In December 2016, the pilot was picked up to series. In October, 2017, Freeform renewed the series for a second season ahead of its January 2018 debut.