Marquee comics assist in growth

As this year's Carolina Comedy Festival inched its way toward completion Saturday afternoon, author Bob Powers, comedian Todd Levin and "Saturday Night Live" writer and UNC alumnus Bryan Tucker got a chance to reflect on the weekend. Having just finished a comedy writing workshop that gave about 40 attendees an inside look at breaking into comedy page by page, the three agreed that this year's festival was made more successful than previous ones because of who was able to attend. And that success stems from one name: Lewis Black, who has been involved in all four festivals. "I think it's important for the survival of the festival - you need name recognition and you need a good curator to make the festival worth attending," Levin said. Carolina Union Activities Board festival chairwoman Mallory Cash, who worked on last year's festival with then-CUAB President Jonathon Benson, said the name recognition of the guests contributed to this year's success. "I think we hit the nail on the head with the people we invited this year, and the people Lewis invited really helped the festival grow," Cash said. "You need that recognition to develop the festival's credibility." Part of the success has come from intuiting student wants and factoring in the general direction she wanted this year's festival to take, which meant an increased focus on comedy's educational element. "I think CUAB has done a good job of booking talent people want to see," Tucker said. "They also seem to have decided it's about comedy as a whole." And because the festival has developed into more of an all-encompassing look into both the nature of comedy and the business aspects behind the scenes, it has been able to present a more lucid direction for both the attendees and the incoming talent. "I wish I had this when I was in college because then I thought comedy seemed like a unicorn to me," Tucker said. "I always thought you went from being a regular comedian to being on 'The Tonight Show,' and to have it spelled out would've been great." And while big names have helped the Carolina Comedy Festival succeed throughout the past three years, Paul Feig, creator of "Freaks and Geeks," said the annual event's continuation also is dependent on comedy's presence in popular culture and that culture's place in the collegiate world. "I think a festival among colleges is possible if only because comedy within popular culture is so much more informing how people think," Feig said. "To turn a blind eye to that would be silly." Powers said having Black behind the festival each year has helped it grow, both in terms of structure and attendance numbers. "It's important that Lewis Black's name is behind it because he drives people to this in general," he said of Black's involvement in the festival's handful of shows and seminars. "His name legitimizes the festival and helps everything come to fruition." Cash said next year's festival presents even more opportunities because Black's stock is on the rise. "Lewis' star power is increasing, and that will afford us so many future opportunities," she said. Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.