Prequel Podcast

Comedian and good friend Ben Bizuneh begins his childhood story with an inspiring tale of how his parents made it to the United States. Growing up in Indiana, Ben discusses being a first generation student and having two older brothers. Ben also describes an experience that changed dating for him forever at a very young age. Bizuneh mentions how his father is a hit at Ethiopian parties although he doesn't understand his father's jokes. Ben finds comedy from a vulnerable place and draws from personal experience. Please follow Ben @benbizuneh and watch his YouTube channel Lie Guys.

Comedian and writer for Vice.com, Julia Prescott sits down with us to discuss her short but exciting road stand up comedy in Los Angeles. Born and raised in North Hollywood Julia recalls being an avid comedy fan at a young age because of her father's influence. Julia describes her father (who has performed comedy) as a "Dave Collier from Full House" kind of guy. Aside from her family, Julia talks about her life as a teen in North Hollywood and attending Art School and quickly realizing it wasn't for her. Listen to her Prequel here, then follow Julia on twitter @Juliaprescott and listen to her podcast Friday Night Film School.

Listen to a great episode of Prequel with New York based comedian Josh Gondelman. He is a writer and comedian who incubated in Boston before moving to New York City. With years of experience as a preschool teacher and a pretty good guy, Josh charms audiences using his good-natured storytelling and cracks them up with his sharp, pointy wit. He takes topics from surprise parties to playing the trombone and makes them all equally hilarious. Winner of the inaugural Laughing Skull Festival in 2010 and one of the stars of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, please follow Josh on Twitter and catch his live performance dates at www.joshgondelman.com. Enjoy!

This week's episode of Prequel is with Los Angeles based comedian Nate Craig. Fresh off his tour opening for Bill Burr, Nate shared with us his stories of pre-comedy life including his parents being divorced early on, being a fat kid and having a prominent overbite. Catch all his live performance dates on www.natecraig.com and follow him on twitter @Natecraig1. Enjoy!

Our guest on this episode of Prequel is Denver based comedian Kristen Rand. The stories leading up to her first set included a relatively wonderful childhood, her foray into sketch & acting, and her relationship with drugs & sex. Please follow her on twitter @krandomthoughts and check out her live performances. Enjoy!

This week we got to sit down with the very funny LA based comedian Matthew Broussard. A great story leading into his first set as he revealed that his heritage is half-Jewish but he was raised full Jew. The more Matthew is depressed/stressed out, the more he works out - leaving him as a sad, very physically fit man. We loved this one. Visit his website http://mondaypunday.com/ and follow him on twitter @mondaypunday. Enjoy!

This week on Prequel we have the UK based comedian Wendy Wason. A truely international childhood, Wendy shared with us her road to stand up comedy that came after her second child. A seasoned actress and a hilarious comedian, we love this episode as she takes us on wonderful tangential stories. Follow Wendy on twitter @Wendy_Wason and enjoy!

Jeff Oliver is a New York based comedian who sat down with us to describe his relatively unique childhood. In Obamaesque fashion Jeff was raised by a single white mother in Oregon with a not-to-be-seen black muslim father. This means that one day he will run for comedy President. A great story teller and a wonderful comedian, please follow Jeff on twitter @Jeff_Oliver and enjoy the episode!

This week we were lucky to sit down with the lovely international comedian Felicity Ward. Originally from Austrialia and now in UK, Felicity had a very interesting road to stand up. She is a very good friend of ours and maybe the bestest person around. Please follow her on twitter @felicityward and check out her website www.felicityward.com. Enjoy!

We are happy to announce that this week's Prequel guest Adam Newman is on a short list to have his own Comedy Central special this year! Based out of New York City and brought up in Atlanta, Adam decribed his dreadlocked musical years leading up to his first time on stage - which was a truly unique 45 minute set. Please follow him on twitter @Adam_Newman and catch his tour dates on http://adamnewmancomedy.com/. Enjoy!