FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:      Melissa Gans, Marketing Coordinator

                        Phone (415) 710-4020

HBO COMES TO THE SFCC TO SCOUT TALENT FOR HBO COMEDY FESTIVAL

Renowned network auditions comedians at San Francisco comedy school

The San Francisco Comedy College (SFCC), one of the top three largest comedy schools in America, is thrilled to announce that HBO, the undisputed leader in presenting new comedic talent, for the first time ever in the history of American stand-up comedy will audition comedians from a comedy school for its HBO Comedy Festival, which will be held February 28 – March 7, 2007 in Aspen, Colorado. The audition showcase will take place on Monday, September 18, 2006 at 6pm at The Clubhouse, located at 414 Mason St. #705 in downtown San Francisco.

This audition showcase also marks the first time a comedy school has produced talent worthy of consideration for the annual comedy event, previously known as the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, which has been sponsored by HBO for the past 12 years. The HBO Comedy Festival (www.hbocomedyfestival.com) presents cutting edge new talent, writers and filmmakers as well as feature appearances by some of the biggest stars in comedy. “We’re honored that HBO has chosen to audition our best comedians at our own theatre,” says Kurtis Matthews, founder of the SFCC.  The show’s line-up includes seasoned local favorites Michael Slack (www.michaelslack.com), Shasta Phillips (www.shastaphillips.com), Ali Mafi (www.alimafi.com) and Maggie Newcomb (www.maggienewcomb.com).
            The SFCC currently trains between 80 and 130 new comedians a month in San Francisco, Sunnyvale and San Diego, and prides itself on updating its curriculum and preparing students to compete in the larger comedy markets of Los Angeles and New York, as well as comedy festivals worldwide. Tickets for the HBO Audition Show are $10. To reserve your tickets, please email Melissa Gans at melissa999us@yahoo.com.  For more information, call (415) 921-2051 or go to www.sfcomedycollege.com or www.clubhousecomedy.com.