Industry Standard w/ Barry Katz

KENNY HOTZ is a producer, actor, writer, director, and comedian.  Hotz created and starred in "Kenny vs. Spenny" in 2003 for USA Network, which was then picked up by CBC Television in Canada.  The show was nominated for 8 Gemini awards, and eventually made it's way to Comedy Central.  He created the sitcom "Testees" for FX in 2008, and produced and starred in "Kenny Hotz's Triumph of the Will" for Canada's Action network in 2011.  His film work includes the documentary "Pitch," which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 1997, and 2004's "The Papal Chase," in which Hotz tries to meet Pope John Paul II.  Along with Spencer Rice, Hotz embarked on the "Kenny vs. Spenny vs. Canada Comedy Tour."  Hotz has also written for "South Park", and won in Vice Magazine's first annual Story Awards for his 2006 piece, "I Told My Friend He Had AIDS." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

JEFF GASPIN is a behemoth in the business.  He is best know for being the chairman of NBC Entertainment from 2009-2011, where he was responsible for generating over $10 billion in revenue, and was instrumental in the acquisition of "The Voice," and the growth of cable networks USA, SyFy, Bravo, Oxygen, and Telemundo.  He was also very involved with Universal Media Studios, which did “House," "30 Rock,” "Law & Order: SVU," and many more.  During his time as President and COO of NBC Universal Television Group from February 2007 to June 2009, he was involved in the early efforts to create the wildly successful Hulu media service and was an early proponent of online steaming video, resulting in doubled traffic to the company's various websites.  His efforts helped the company break ratings records and quadrupled growth in revenue and profits.   Gaspin was also responsible for bringing Jay Leno back to late-night television.  In 2012, he formed Gaspin Media, whose clients include AETN Networks, Discovery, Clear Channel (now iHeartMedia), and several private equity firms.  This past year, he has the executive producer for the tv shows “Barmaggedon," "Match Made In Heaven," “Fit2Fat2Fit,” and an updated version of "To Tell The Truth.”  Recently his latest initiative was as the CEO, Chairman, and founder of TAPP, a subscription platform connecting niche personalities with their superfans. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

ANDY KINDLER is a comedian, actor, and writer.  Kindler has been writing and performing for nearly three decades.  In 1992, he appeared on the 15th annual Young Comedians special.  He has appeared on Everybody Loves Raymond, Maron, Dr. Katz, The Wizards of Waverly Place, Home Movies, Comedy Bang! Bang!, and Raising Dad.  Andy was a contributor to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and was a regular fixture on The Late Show with David Letterman and appeared four times on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.  Kindler is well known in the comedy world for delivering his annual state of the industry address at the Montreal Just For Laughs festival.  He is currently the voice of Mort the Mortician on the FOX annimated show, Bob's Burgers. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

HARLAND WILLIAMS is a comedian, writer, actor and author.  He is a Canadian comedian who has made an impact in Hollywood.  He has appeared in over 20 movies and is known for his iconic roles in such movies as Dumb and Dumber, There's Something about Mary, Half Baked, Rocketman, Sorority Boys, Down Periscope and Employee of the Month.  He has performed his Stand up comedy on Late Night with David Letterman,  The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late night with Conan O'Brien, HBO and Comedy Central.   As an accomplished Author, HARLAND WILLIAMS has written and illustrated several children's books such as: The Kid with too Many Nightmares, The Kid with too Many Pets, The Things you Don't know you Don't Know and the Lickety Split book series. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

LEW SCHNEIDER is a comedian, actor, writer, and producer, currently an executive producer and writer for ABC's "The Goldbergs," now in it's 3rd Season, and was a writer and executive producer for one of the most successful sitcoms of all time, "Everybody Loves Raymond." Born in North Carolina, Lew grew up in Boston and began his comedy career in Chicago, after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania. He attended classes at the Second City Players Workshop, and became a successful touring comedian for over five years. He landed a hosting spot on Nickelodeon's "Make the Grade", before landing regular acting spots on the shows "Wish You Were Here" and "Down on the Shore." He performed his own HBO stand-up special before pivoting into writing for TV, where he shined as a writer and producer, crafting jokes for the hit series' "Everybody Loves Raymond", "American Dad", "The New Adventures of Old Christine," and "Men of a Certain Age". He is currently one of the executive producers - and an occasional director - for ABC's hit series "The Goldbergs". See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

BOB SUMNER is a comedy and music promoter, radio host, producer, and the co-creator of Russel Simmons' Def Comedy Jam. Started as an independent club promoter for musicians and comedians in the tri-state area, he attended Seton Hall University, where he single handedly took his college radio station to the top of the market ratings. He joined Russel Simmons' company Rush Communications and traveled across the country to find top tier comedians for Def Jam, discovering Bernie Mac, Dave Chappelle, Cederic the Entertainer, and Monique.  He then founded Laff Mobb, a comedy production and management company, which has produced specials for numerous TV networks. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

CHRIS D'ELIA is a comedian, writer, and actor, currently starring in the NBC's comedy "Undatable." Chris  began acting in high school, with several guest roles on "Chicago Hope". He attended New York University, but dropped out to pursue comedy writing full time, and began performing stand-up at 25 years old. His relentless stage practice landed him slots on "Comedy Central's Live At Gotham" and "Comedy Central Presents". D'Elia has since become one of the most popular and successful stand-up comedians touring today.  In 2011, he landed a starring role on NBC's sitcom "Whitney" opposite Whitney Cummings, and appeared on the Comedy Central Roast of Justin Beiber.  In 2014, he joined the cast of "Undatable", a sitcom executive produced by Bill Lawrence, premiering it's third season (consisting entirely of live episodes) on October 9th, 2015, on NBC. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

JOHN SALLEY is a professional basketball player, actor, television host, and entrepreneur, and is the first NBA player in history to play on three different championship teams. From the age of twelve, Salley set his sights on playing in the NBA, and was drafted in the first round of the 1986 Draft, out of Georgia Tech, to play for the Detroit Pistons. He won NBC Championships as part of the Detroit Pistons, the Chicago Bulls, and the Los Angeles Lakers.  After retiring from basketball, he began his entertainment career, which included acting in the films "Bad Boys" and "Bad Boys II", and hosting numerous TV shows including "The Best Damn Sports Show Period" on Fox Sports Network.  He hosted an FM morning radio show in Los Angeles, maintains a vegan lifestyle, and is dedicated to educating young people and professional athletes on the importance of diet in long-term nutrition and wellness. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

SANDY CLIMAN is an award-winning entertainment executive and producer. He attended Harvard, joined the entertainment business at MGM, quickly ascending to the head of Motion Picture Production. He went to on hold executive positions at a number of notable companies, including VP of Production at the David Gerber Company and President of Lionsgate Studios. He spent 10 years as part of the senior management at CAA, where he was an agent for top talent including Danny DeVito, Robert DeNiro, and Kevin Costner. There, founded the agency's corporate practice. He founded Entertainment Media Ventures Inc., served as CEO at the 3D technologies company 3-Ality, and co-produced hugely successful film "The Aviator" starring Leonardo DiCaprio. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

SIMON PAINTER is a producer, director, and musician, known best for creating some of the most successful stage productions in the world. He began his entertainment career as a classical violinist, playing in dozens of bands simultaneously, before begging to  produce and create commercial theater around the world. He launched performance venues and stage productions including "Adrenaline" and "Le Noir".  His production "Le Grand Cirque" smashed box office records, selling over 40,000 tickets in ten days at the Sydney Opra House.  He then created "The Illusionists" magic franchise, the biggest selling magic show in the history of Broadway, whic has now played in over 50 cities in fifteen countries. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.