Relive Rip City 2023!
The Rip City Comedy Festival debuted May 4-6th 2023 in Portland's walkable Southeast District with a fun filled weekend featuring headline comics from across the country as well as favorites from throughout the Pacific Northwest. What quickly became known as "Warped Tour vibes meet comedy summer camp" Rip City Comedy Fest celebrates the SE Portland community while paying tribute to the eclectic and diverse Portland comedy scene.
Thank you to our 2023 Event Sponsors!
AJ Wilkerson is a stand-up comedian from Levy County, FL. Diagnosed with Autism as an adult, his comedy reflects both his boisterous personality as well as the unique way his brain works, even (especially) when it works against him.
Amy Miller was one of Comedy Central’s “Up Next" comics, and has a brand new Half Hour Special called Ham Mouth on the Comedy Central YouTube channel. As a brand new comic she was a breakout favorite in the final season of Last Comic Standing. She has a half hour comedy special on Epix's Unprotected Sets and her Comedy Central Presents set has been viewed over 3 million times on Youtube and Facebook. She was also a featured comic on Viceland's Flophouse. On Last Comic Standing, Keenen Ivory Wayans said she had one of the “fiercest jokes he had ever heard.”
Host of The Jason Ellis Show and co-host of Hawk vs. Wolf alongside skateboarding icon Tony Hawk. One of the most prolific and entertaining talk show hosts of the past decade, Jason Ellis hosted a daily show on SiriusXM for over 15 years before transitioning to his newest shows in 2020. Ellis is a New York Times Best Selling author of three books and retired pro skateboarder. He has been seen in such hits as the Emmy Award winning ‘Childrens Hospital’ (Adult Swim), Paul Blart: Mall Cop and the Howard Stern Show. Jason has performed with Bryan Callen, Whitney Cummings, Tim Dillon and more. You can watch The Jason Ellis Show three times per week and a new episode of Hawk Vs. Wolf every Monday, anywhere you can listen to podcasts.
Rachel Wolfson is a Los Angeles-based standup comedian. Born in Las Vegas, Nevada, Rachel began her comedy career in LA in 2016 and since then has toured the country with her brand of high humor. Wolfson’s comedic style is a hybrid of crowd work and the dry humor of her day-to-day life. You can see her in the fourth installment of the Jackass franchise “Jackass Forever” as a new cast member.
Blair is a Los Angeles-based comedian whom you may have seen on The Late Late Show with James Corden, MTV, Comedy Central, NBC, TruTV, E!, and Adult Swim. She was recently named one of Variety’s Top Ten Comics to Watch in 2022. Blair was also named one of Vulture’s “20 Comedians You Should Know in 2020”. Additionally, she was a breakout “New Face” at the prestigious 2017 Just For Laughs Festival.
Curtis Cook is a standup comedian and WGA Award-nominated writer who has puked after a keg stand on a show called Flophouse, traveled through an Ebola checkpoint for a segment on Vice News, performed standup on Comedy Central, and appeared alongside Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein on Portlandia. In addition to performing, Curtis was a writer for the recent reboot of Crank Yankers and the upcoming Hulu comedy titled This Fool. He currently writes for American Dad on TBS.
The co-host of NBC and USA Network’s CANNONBALL, LA-based comedian Simon Gibson exploded onto the comedy scene after a stand out performance at the Just For Laughs New Faces showcase in Montreal, touring cities across the country and recently appearing in the SYFY series THE MOVIE SHOW and in Netflix’s BREWS BROTHERS. He can currently be seen as one of the leads of the Amazon series INSIDE JOKES, chronicling his journey from backyard open mic comic to the mecca of comedy at JFL Montreal and center stage for the New Faces showcase.
Abraham Tadesse has performed at The Seattle International Comedy Competition, Seattle Sketchfest, The Bumbershoot Festival, Intersections Festival, the HIGHlarious Comedy Festival and The Milwaukee Comedy Festival.
Bruce is the co-host of the “BagFries” podcast as well as the podcast “Fat Jocks”. He can be seen performing stand-up nightly in Los Angeles at clubs such as The Comedy Store, Hollywood Improv, and The Ice House. He won "Best Of Fest" at the Golden Spike Comedy Festival in Salt Lake City and has performed with comedians as Joe Rogan, Bill Burr, Bobby Lee, Whitney Cummings, Doug Stanhope, Theo Von, Andrew Santino, Kyle Kinane and many others.
Derek Sheen is a cuddly mess of insecurities and a gifted, one-of-a-kind storyteller. His ability to mine humor from the dark, humid corners of the human condition has made him a cult favorite of comedy nerds around the globe. Despite a lack of television or film credits, he has amassed a pretty loyal fan base touring with comedy legends Brian Posehn, Patton Oswalt and Janeane Garofalo. He's also released four critically acclaimed albums on Minneapolis based Stand Up! Records, with Grammy Winning producer Dan Schlissel.
Winner of the Portland's Funniest Person Contest 2019, Adam is becoming among the most recognized names in Northwestern comedy - opening for the likes of Katherine Blanford and Michael Rappaport. Adam’s unique outlook on life allows him to craft absurd yet relatable stories, culminating in admittedly ridiculous calls to arms. Adam has appeared on the IFC show "Portlandia" and has performed on the Limestone, Wenatchee, and Bridgetown comedy festivals.
Bryan Bixby stands out as a comic with punchy writing, confident stage presence, and a rapid-fire delivery. Growing up in the village of La Farge, WI, he performed stand-up for the first time at his high school at 15. In 2015, he moved to Portland, OR, where he is currently based and has risen through the ranks to become one of the top comedians in Oregon. A three-time finalist in both Portland's Funniest Person contest at Helium Comedy Club and the Oregon Comedy Competition, he was named "Funniest in Portland'' by Willamette Week in 2022. His comedy takes countless twists and turns, observing the world and his own life with self-deprecation, irreverence, and absurdity. Bryan is a regular at Helium Comedy Club and has killed in clubs, bars, breweries, wineries, and theaters all over the Pacific Northwest.
Devi Kirsch is a native Californian, who didn’t move to Portland for cheaper rent but moved here because she’s too old to be a stripper anywhere else. From good-old-fashion abortion jokes to very personal family secrets, the comedy makings of Devi Kirsch are sure to give you insight into things that appear to be gross but are actually very funny, and also gross.
After a decade of performing at some of the best stages in the northwest (Bridgetown Comedy Festival, Helium Comedy Club, Bumbershoot) Gabe made his way to Los Angeles in search of fame and fortune. While he hasn't quite found it yet, Gabe has had appearances on Fuse TV, IFC, Seeso (RIP), and the Big Freedia music video "Make it Jingle"
Jamal is described as a cartoon having creative turrets syndrome,with a soulful delivery that makes you think and applause. Jamal is a regular comedian and producer at The Improvs, The HaHa comedy club, The World Famous Comedy Store, Madhouse, The Laugh Factory, Ice House comedy clubs and has been in all the hot rooms The west coast has to offer including comedy rap battles (2yr champion). That wasn’t enough. Jamal also produced 7 comedy shows for a decade.
Jordan Casner has performed at festivals including the Bridgetown Comedy Festival and the 10,000 Laughs Festival and has opened for acts including Brain Regan, David Spade, and Taylor Tomlinson. He has two cats and a solid night routine.
Kate Murphy performs all around the PNW, has produced multiple shows in Portland, and is a regular feature at Helium Comedy Club. Kate wrote and co-produced the short film “A HUMP! Public Service Announcement” which won ‘best humor’ HUMP! Film Festival 2017. She’s been featured in Hell Yes Fest, The NW Women’s Comedy Festival, Pacific Crest Comedy Fest, and more. Kate was a finalist in Helium Comedy Club's Portland's Funniest Person Contest 2018, and was named one of the Portland Mercury's Undisputed Geniuses of Comedy 2018 and 2023. In 2020, she was featured on the Helium Comedy Records album "Best of Helium Volume 1".
A Standup Comedian, Podcaster, and Writer from Everett, WA. Adam is a 2022 Semifinalist in the Seattle International Comedy Competition. He regular features at the Improv Comedy Clubs for Comedian Dave Landau. He has opened for Doug Stanhope, Sam Morril, Dan Soder, Big Jay Oakerson, Rosebud Baker, and Emma Willmann. His podcast "FADAM & FRIENDS" is available wherever you download podcasts.
Courtney Byrd is a PNW native, having grown up halfway between Seattle & Portland. She moved to Seattle to pursue big dreams of walking dogs, and has made a name for herself among the K9 community. She started comedy in 2019 and you can find her performing all across the Northwest. She’s the co-host of the Pretty/Dumb Podcast and is the producer of Lady Bits, an all-female monthly showcase.
Diana is a stand-up comedian based in Los Angeles but hella holds on to her NorCal roots. She won a Best of Fest at the 2022 Big Pine Comedy Festival, competed in the World Series of Comedy, and is a regular at Laughs Unlimited, Cobbs, and the San Francisco Punch Line. In June 2019, she was named Comic of the Week by The Jackie & Laurie Show. Using her affably stoic personality, Diana charms audiences from all walks of life by sharing personal and social observations with satirical undertones. Her humor is like the ocean: deep, dark, and salty.
His unsweetened perspective and deadpan delivery have made him an audience favorite throughout the PNW. His irreverent material attacks everything from the cost of groceries to the extinction of species. He was voted Portland's Funniest Comic in Willamette Weeks Funniest Five in 2019 and won 3rd place in the Portland's Funniest person contest 2021 at Helium. He has performed in the Bridgetown and SF Sketchfest comedy festivals.
Dan Weber is a PDX comedy staple and co-host of the "What's More Metal" podcast, known for his optimistically dark and dry takes on everything from religion and politics to D and D.
A favorite in the Northwest comedy scene. From working as a feature at Helium Comedy Club, to preforming in weed stores or rural country bars, Dylan’s relentless yet empathetic comedic style makes him a crowd favorite wherever he preforms. Dylan has appeared on IFC’s Portlandia, San Francisco SKETCHFEST and The 10,000 Laughs Comedy Festival. Dylan’s comedy will leave you attempting to tell his jokes to your friends the next day. They probably won’t work as well, but that’s not his fault.
Jaren just wants you (the audience) to be engaged and feed off his intensely high charismatic ways. Jaren's style for jokes can only be described as "energetic storytelling" with a second main entree of "Ah, I see what he did there" because he spoils you. Opened for national touring headlining comedians this year like Sterling Scott, Chris Gethard, and Gary Gulman. He was also voted in 2022 as one of Willamette Week’s Funniest Five Comedians in Portland.
Winner of the Portland's Funniest Person Contest 2016 and named one of SplitSider Magazine's "Top Up and Coming Comedians" in 2015, Nariko Ott is definitely a name you won't forget. He's been accepted into the Seattle International Comedy Competition, the Bridgetown Comedy Festival, 10,000 Laughs, and the TreeFort Music Fest. He is formerly the host of “The Cool Kids” comedy show at the legendary Doug Fir in Portland. Nariko was featured on EPIX’s “Unprotected Sets” as well as “Laughs” on FOX
Pallavi Gunalan is a stand-up comedian, writer, actor, improviser, and biomedical engineer. She writes for Lovett or Leave It with Crooked Media and was a writer/creator for the web comics Depressed Graph and Impostor Bear. She’s performed all over the US and India, and in festivals including SF Sketchfest and New York Comedy Fest. She’s opened for Jay Leno, Arsenio Hall, Maria Bamford, Moses Storm, Preacher Lawson, and Todd Barry, and was a Laugh Factory Fresh Face. Pallavi co-produces Facial Recognition Comedy, a live touring stand-up show, Clubhouse Creator's First series, and podcast, and has been highlighted in The New York Times and Splitsider amongst other publications. She also hosts the comedy and politics podcast, City Counsel, and created her own web series, Dirty Science, which demystifies technology and kills cultural myths. She was on house improv teams at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and Second City, starred in a Funny or Die series, and hopes to continue telling jokes for a living.
Starting in 2019 he has already won a regional competition, a regular at all local clubs, and featured on the road for many headliners including Joe Dombrowski, Amy Miller, Matteo Lane and more! Ricci is known for his quick and witty crowd work.
Is Thomas Lundy the smartest dumb guy you know, or the dumbest smart guy? Therein lies the question, and the humor. Thomas’ comedy is a captivating blend of hilariously relatable anecdotes and finding the comedy in the small parts of life that make us laugh. He can be lighthearted and charming in one breath, then thought provoking and witty in the next. He’s a Philadelphia born Florida boy who moved to Oregon on a bus, to be a comedian, so he’s bound to have some stories!
Sammy Mowrey is a comedian and writer in Los Angeles who is originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico. They have appeared on Adult Swim and HBO Max Sammy has performed at clubs and festivals across the country including SF Sketchfest, Dry Heat Comedy Club and Planet of the Tapes. Most importantly, Sammy loves you.
Tory Ward combines her amiable, light hearted personality with sardonic humor creating an experience that is singularly hilarious. She is a regular host at Helium Comedy Club, and recently featured for Marc Maron. She was voted one of Portland's funniest people by the Willamette Week, and has performed in festivals across the country.
Sean Jordan is a stand up comedian and podcaster who co-hosts the wildly popular podcast All Fantasy Everything and hosts the always-good-news podcast What’s Dank That I’m Stoked On. Sean was named Portland’s Funniest Person by Willamette Week Magazine, has written for Comedy Central, and he was named one of the “Comics to Watch” by Splitsider Magazine. In 2019, Sean charted at #2 on iTunes with the release of his debut stand up album The Buck Starts Here on A Special Thing Records. He is a regular guest and fan favorite on Doug Bensons’ podcast Doug Loves Movies, and you may also have heard him on Professor Blastoff, The Crabfeast, Put Your Hands Together and Alison Rosen is Your Best Friend.