{"id":2199506,"date":"2025-12-15T11:21:14","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T11:21:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2199506"},"modified":"2025-12-15T11:21:14","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T11:21:14","slug":"spesh-brings-the-wild-world-of-alt-comedy-into-the-mainstream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/spesh-brings-the-wild-world-of-alt-comedy-into-the-mainstream\/","title":{"rendered":"Spesh brings the wild world of alt-comedy into the mainstream"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Comedian Ahmed Bharoocha walks on stage at the Lyric Hyperion in Silver Lake to a sold-out show. The audience erupts with loud cheers as he grabs the mic and takes in the moment of his first special. As director Andrew Max Levy pops in from backstage to stop filming and hush the audience and they come to a sudden stop. The director and the comedian embrace each other and Bharoocha thanks the audience for coming out. <\/p>\n

And just like that, Spesh, a newly formed, L.A.-based production company and distributor of alternative comedy specials, wrapped the final shot of its third special of the year. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think we want to get it more regularly, like one a month would be our 2026 goal,\u201d said Sean Casey, producer of Spesh.<\/p>\n

\u201cThree in a year seems low for what we want to do,\u201d added Mike Bridenstine, general manager of the Lyric Hyperion and producer with the company.<\/p>\n

Located in Silver Lake, Spesh strives to zag while everyone is zigging, said Jake Kroeger, one of the producers behind the alternative comedy troupe.<\/p>\n

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<\/picture>\n
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The crowd reacts to Ahmed Bharoocha\u2019s stand-up comedy performance.<\/p>\n

(Karla Gachet \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

Conversations about starting the production company began in 2024 and went into 2025 among Casey, Bridenstine and Kroeger. The three have been around the L.A. comedy scene for years and felt like it was time for a shake-up. They noticed streaming platforms were filled with specials that all looked and felt the same, stylistically speaking, creating a landfill of repetitive comedy.<\/p>\n

Through Spesh, their goal is to bring alt-comedy \u2014 humor that breaks traditional rules \u2014 to the mainstream. They wanted to rewrite the playbook and bring that type of comedy out of 75-seat black boxes behind coffee shops.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor an art form that\u2019s supposed to be breaking the rules, there sure are a lot of rules,\u201d Bridenstine said. \u201cPeople are ready for something new,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The two specials they\u2019ve produced have stayed true to the parameters they set for themselves. They have helped establish their ethos with two big swings.<\/p>\n

\n
\"The <\/picture>\n
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The crew from Spesh hangs out with comedians Ahmed Bharoocha and Simon Gibson in the back room at the Lyric Hyperion.<\/p>\n

(Karla Gachet \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

Their first special, Emily Browning\u2019s \u201cTemporary, Beautiful,\u201d<\/u><\/a> was released Sept. 4. The improvised 70-minute show follows her making balloon animals while riffing with audience members about romance, bad roommates and a re-creation of the bag scene from \u201cAmerican Beauty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTeeny Tiny\u201d<\/u><\/a> by Joey Greer was released Sept. 15. The off-the-wall special, filmed with a grainy \u201890s filter, follows the comedian playing with the conventions of comedy, sketches and live performances throughout his hour.<\/p>\n

Like those two specials, Bharoocha\u2019s will be released on YouTube. <\/p>\n

When Spesh approaches performers, it doesn\u2019t want to hear their dream comedy special that Netflix hasn\u2019t found. They want to hear the weird ideas that no one even wants to hear.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of times you see a comedy special and you see a comedian in an absolute biggest space that they could possibly get ahold of and we know that that\u2019s not how everybody\u2019s living it day-to-day,\u201d Casey said. \u201cWe wanted to see specials that looked like the shows that we\u2019d go to and we put on, and that our friends go to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their goal is to capture a moment in the lives of these comedians that showcases their material right before they launch into the mainstream.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really want to, not only highlight comedians that we think are special, but we really want to give a platform to what their voice could potentially express in the most wonderful, hilarious way,\u201d Kroeger said.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve tested concepts on stage that haven\u2019t worked; sometimes comedians themselves have realized their act needs more finessing.<\/p>\n

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\"A <\/picture>\n
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Ahmed Bharoocha, right, greets his wife, Abby Londer, and children, Rukaiya and Walter Bharoocha, after his performance at the Lyric Hyperion.<\/p>\n

(Karla Gachet \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

The creators of Spesh say their job is to curate a playlist of comedy specials from must-see comedians to uplift their careers \u2014 to give them space to comfortably be themselves in front of an audience and a couple of cameras. \u201cSelfishly, I would love it if better comedy got into people, and for these comics, I think they would like to be seen by an audience who likes comedy,\u201d Bridenstine said.<\/p>\n

When Casey asked Bharoocha, a 41-year-old comic from Santa Barbara, if he wanted to film a special, he didn\u2019t have an hour ready to be filmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cActually, when I said yes to the special, I didn\u2019t realize it was a full hour,\u201d Bharoocha said. \u201cWhen I finally realized that, it just made me hit the mics, hit the shows and just start sharpening up and getting it ready for the special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Initially, Spesh wanted to produce a comedy special filled with his animal jokes. As conversations went on, Bharoocha and company moved on from the idea and his hour turned into jokes about secret handshakes and his culturally diverse upbringing \u2014 but still with a good amount of jokes about the animal kingdom.<\/p>\n

Bharoocha is excited to show the internet his style of comedy, but said there\u2019s no added pressure \u2014 he just had fun with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been doing stand-up for 21 years now, and my take on specials has evolved,\u201d Bharoocha said. \u201cI don\u2019t necessarily have any certain expectations for it. It was more like, I wanted to capture an hour that I was really proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.latimes.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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