Born in NYC, Michael Cintron started performing stand up comedy after graduating college. With a twisted combination of real life stories and his opinion on society’s ills, Mike brings raw honesty in the form of hysterical humor. He has won both The Boca Raton Comedy Festival Contest and National Lampoons Underground Comedy Contest, and appeared on several radio stations / podcasts. Mike has also featured for such names as Tom Segura, Christina Pazsitzky, Sugar Sammy, Flip Shultz, and Dave Siegel. Always keeping the audience on their toes, Mike Cintron is sure to leave them surprisingly snorting with laughter.

For the last few years, Michael Cintron has been booking comedy shows at the Funky Buddha Lounge and Brewery, DADA in Delray Beach, he runs New Faces events at the Improv and other venues in the Palm Beach area. The Funky Buddha Lounge and Brewery located in Boca Raton, is rated as one of the top 100 craft beer brewery’s in the world! DaDa, located in Delray Beach, a very popular restaurant and lounge with a comfortable, home-like atmosphere, and one of the longest running open mics in South Florida (+5 Years)!

You can follow him on Twitter @MikeCintron and Instagram @latenightmikeshow

1) What motivated you to start doing stand-up comedy?

I got arrested at the Palm Beach International Airport. I would hang out with my friends at their garage, smoke pot and watch the 30 minute special. We are looking at each other and my friends were saying that “Mike you are way funnier than that guy”. I loved getting people to laugh. When I was getting bullied I would make them laugh instead of getting bullied. I went to Orlando for college and there was this girl that worked at Universal and she wasn’t funny. Once she was passing around open mic flyers; in my head I was thinking that she’s not funny as she’s already. If she can do it then I can do it. I didn’t start doing stand-up until I was arrested and while I was free I wanted to seize the moment and do stand-up. So did New Faces; Will Watkins was the host. I was the first one to go up. Ramon was running it and I asked Ramon what he thought. He’s like you did three minutes on stage; come back with five. It made me want to work harder, come back with different material and prove myself.

 
2) What’s your secret to running successful booked comedy shows?

You have to love what you do, have a passion for it and care about the people that you are working with. If you are going to do it; you can’t do it for the money. You have to do it for the love of the art. Make sure the people, comics and audience members are having a good time. It’s not all about dollars and cents. It’s about the experience.

3) What type of comedians do you enjoy watching (locally and nationally)?

Locally: Blake Woodrow; He’s fresh and he seems to want to take it serious. He hangs out and is a student of the game. At 20 years old I find that kind of amazing. Hennessy Williams is another person that is really bringing the fire every time, he has a strong work ethic and he has some funny stuff. Fasil Malik (how does anyone not him at this point); I like his one liners, how he brings something different to the game, he’s clean and has a really strong work ethic. Nationally I enjoy watching Hannibal Burress because of the courage that he had to call out Bill Cosby and was able to bring it out in a funny way, Bill Burr and Dave Chapelle; his timing, storytelling and facial expressions are amazing. I could watch the Dave Chapelle show once a week and it would be as good as it was the first time that I saw it ten years ago. Plus there’s only one Dave Chapelle.

4) What type of foods do you enjoy eating when you have time to cook?

Chicken wings, potato skins and fried food. I also want to eat more salad. I love junk food. Roosters has the best chicken fingers on the planet.

5) What are things that upset you?

People that are conniving, backstabbing and how more than one comic has attempted to go behind my back to book a comedy show at the Funky Buddha. What they don’t realize is that when you do that you don’t only disrespect me, you are also disrespecting the Buddha.

6) Who is the person that you would want to hang out with (Alive or dead) and where would you take him or her?

My dad and I would take him to watch me perform at the Improv.

7) Which actor or actress would you want to play you in a movie about yourself?

Adam Levine, because a lot of people tell me that I look like Adam Levine.

8) What is your advice to being an amazing host?

Have fun and remember that you are the audience’s friend. It’s not so much about the material. It’s about making the connection. My advice to new comics is to remember why you got into being a comedian; you wanted to make people laugh. Always hold onto that as long as you do stand up and don’t let negative things get you down.

9) What are things that you would tell people not to do if they want to get booked by you or the Improv?

When you are late, if you show up drunk, if you show up as if you don’t care are things that makes me not want to book you. Being booked is a job. Just like a job you act as if you care about it. You want to succeed. Matt Bellak is a great host. He shows up early; he goes above and beyond to help out. His attitude and passion are there. When he shows up he’s ready to help.

10) Why should people check you out the Funky Buddha Summer Festival on August 13th at Funky Buddha in Boca?

It’s great for comics to compete in, because it gives them exposure in front of a different crowd. You get to work on your 5 minutes for an upcoming contests. If you look back on past winners; it elevated them and got them noticed on the scene more. Even if you don’t I still watch these acts and I will contact them for an upcoming booked show. Audiences should check it out to support our local arts. You don’t get a Dave Chappelle or Rich Prior unless you support your local arts to see them develop. It’s a great time. You have 30 comics performing where I guarantee that one of them is going to make you laugh. The feature Willonius Hatcher is fun to watch as there is never a dull moment and he has a best-selling book.

Jordan Garnett is one of the youngest and most talented comedians to come out of Florida in years. Jordan first took the stage at just seventeen years old, where he won first place in a county wide competition. Now, only at the age of twenty two, he has appeared on CNN, ABC’s “Good Morning America” and opened up for some of the biggest headliners in the game. He continues to win competitions, festivals and regularly performs at clubs and colleges nationwide. Just recently, Jordan was selected Top 10 out of 200 comedians in The Ultimate Miami Comedian Festival and was flown out to Los Angeles to meet with MTV executives. Not only is Jordan an admirable comedian, but also has quite a demanding following on YouTube with over 3,000 subscribers and two million views. Jordan Garnett has the ability to win over any audience. His high energy, clever writing and perfect delivery will have you begging for more every time!

You can follow him on Facebook and Instagram @jordangarnett

1)  Why did you start doing comedy at 17?

My main dream growing up was to be a football player. I went to a Christian private school. They held us to a higher standard. I kept getting into trouble, I was able to entertain and make people laugh. I wanted to play in the NFL (I played middle linebacker). I saw that  saw the Chris Rock special “Never scared” in middle school and I knew then it would either be football or comedy ultimately football didn’t work.

 
2) What is your advice to new comics?

Don’t be jealous. Jealously will kill your soul and eat you alive. Be proud of what you do. Worry about you. Successful people never worry about what other people are doing.

3) What type of comedians do you enjoy watching (locally and nationally)?

Locally: Trey Maddox, he’s a real person on and off the stage and knows what it takes to get to the next level. Dylan Starr; he’ll always have your back, he has great premises and is not afraid to tell them on stage. One day he’s going to break out and he reminds me of myself when I first started and Ramon Garcia is a big mentor to me. Chris Rock; Early 2000 Dane Cook, Bill Burr, Orny Adams, Tony Rock (He’s unbelievable different style than Chris) and Daniel Tosh.

4) What types of foods do you enjoy eating when you have time to cook?

Homemade nachos.

5) What do you love most about stand-up comedy?

How it makes you feel, it makes you forget all of your troubles in the world and it gives you a special connection with the audience. Almost like hooking up with the chick of your dreams.

6) Who is the person that you would want to hang out with (Alive or dead) and where would you take him or her?

My grandmother on my dad’s side since she’s never seen me do standup comedy. I would take her to my first stand-up comedy performance ever (Mar 24, 2009 New Faces at the Palm Beach Improv).

7) What is your secret to doing amazing crowd work?

I was running my own rooms and starting out I didn’t have enough material to entertain the same audience every week. So as the host I was forced to talk to the audience and get to know them. I used to be afraid of the audience and now I enjoy doing it, because anything can happen. Crowd work can back fire sometimes (People that try to make jokes and gives fake answers) and the way that I handle that is to move away from them, but it’s a great skill to have and it takes a while to develop that skill.

8) I heard that you had a chance to be on an MTV reality show, but you turned it down Is that true?

Yes, the name of the show was “Are you the one”. Sometimes I regret the decision, but ultimately I don’t. Reality shows don’t usually last long and I don’t want that. I want to get my fame off an actual craft.

9) What is your advice to comics trying to get a hosting gig at the Improv?

Be yourself; don’t get caught up in all the drama. There is so much negativity in this business. Don’t feed into the negativity. Be funny and play your cards right. There are certain comics that are bitter and trash others. Bookers know who those people and they tend to not get booked. Stay away from those people. Also don’t care what other comics think.

10) Why should people check you out at the Palm Beach Improv?

You are going to see a star in the making. Ha ha ha. It’s one of the best venues ever and it’s my favorite place to perform.

After studying philosophy and world religions in college and graduate school, Ethan toured the world for several years as a philosophy & religion professor and marketing consultant for overseas universities, eventually becoming dean of academic affairs for a private college in Vietnam. After returning to the United States a few years ago, Ethan decided to bring his writing and public speaking talents to bear as a stand-up comedian and broadcaster. Since beginning his career in comedy, Ethan has shared the stage with hilarious people like Aaron Berg, Wendi Starling, and Hannibal Buress. Today he produces and hosts one of South Florida’s most popular podcasts, Sex on Kava, and is a regular performer at the Villain Theater, home of Miami’s finest improv comedy.

You can follow Ethan on Twitter or Instagram at @ethanisnotfunny or check butchandfemmecomedy.com for tour dates.  Listen to his podcast, Sex on Kava, on iTunes or at sexonkava.com, or listen to his other podcast, Jesus Christ, That’s Funny!, on iTunes or at jesuschristthatsfunny.podbean.com.

1)  Why did you end up quitting your big time corporate/academic job in Asia?

I didn’t feel fulfilled by it. I made a lot of money and theoretically, it was a perfectly satisfying career, but I could never quite shake the feeling that I was supposed to be doing something else with my life. Sometimes I would think about doing comedy but there were no opportunities to learn to do stand-up in Southeast Asia.  I quit my job, left Vietnam, and moved to Florida since I have family here. Within a couple of months I was addicted to stand-up comedy!
2) Where was the most interesting place that you ever traveled to? And why?

Adam’s Peak (also known as Sri Pada). It’s a mountain in a remote jungle in Sri Lanka with a Buddhist temple on the top. People make pilgrimages there and it’s revered by several religions.  There are steps cut to the side of the mountain but it still takes about eight hours to get to the top. I climbed it with my girlfriend and when we got to the top, we rested and looked at the temple while these giant butterflies came and landed on everybody.  It was beautiful.

3) What type of comedians do you enjoy watching (locally and nationally)?

Locally, David Stebbins.  One reason he inspires me is that, like me, he’s an addict in long-term recovery, having successfully found a cure for his struggles with codeine addiction. His journey through addiction and recovery deeply resonates with me, and I can really relate to his material about overcoming these challenges. For those seeking support in their recovery journey, resources like https://www.rehabilitationclinic.co.uk/ offer valuable assistance. More than that, I love that his style is filthy, energetic, and unabashedly confessional. He will say anything as long as it’s true and funny.

Another local comic I enjoy is Kat Toledo; she has this style of comedy that’s different than anyone else around South Florida. Her jokes are very abstract/esoteric; sometimes she’s saying things that you can tell are only funny to her, but the way she uses her voice to sell it makes her material work.  She’s just a great performer, magnetic stage presence. I am a very difficult audience, I have a hard time liking standups. I am not an easy laugh, but Kat can crack me up onstage
Finally, a local up-and-comer I really respect is Artesse Lector (AKA Hennessy Williams III)  He’s got a strong stage presence, really commanding, and he’s got a very analytical mind, just quick-witted and very deep. His writing is amazingly strong for someone so new on the scene…. Just great premises and an ability to find the best punchline quickly seems to come naturally, which also makes him great at dealing with hecklers.  Also, he’s got a serious vocabulary that encompasses everything from academia to business to urban vernacular.  You get the feeling he’d be equally comfortable giving a serious presentation to the board of Apple Computer, or shooting the breeze with a wino on a street corner, and he’d probably have something interesting to say to each of them.

As for nationally known comics, my biggest influence is definitely Norm MacDonald.  I used to watch him on Saturday Night Live doing Weekend Update when I was just a kid, so his style really got into my brain early and influenced what I think comedy should be.  My favorite thing about Norm is that doesn’t believe in cleverness.  He never goes for the clever, witty punchline; he goes for the obvious one.  The one anyone can understand.  So it never seems like he’s talking down to the audience.  He plays a dumb guy on stage and that’s my goal in comedy as well.  I spent my life and career before comedy trying to prove to everyone that I was smart; as a comic I’m looking to connect with people instead, and I think the dumber I am, the easier this is.
Another comic that inspires me is Russell Brand.  Not so much his material, just his attitude towards life and his career.  Watching him taught me that you don’t have to be some kind of depressed nerd to be a standup comic– you can have a positive outlook on things, and enjoy life! And of course, that you can be a great performer and stay clean and sober.

4) What types of foods do you enjoy eating when you have time to cook?

I am a really healthy eater; I hate processed food, and I cook all the time. Umm, I make a lot of brown rice and lentil curries; I also enjoy making grilled cheese sandwiches with Ezekiel bread.  I eat a lot of plain yogurt with fresh fruit, which is my go-to snack when I’m writing, or late at night after I’m done performing.  And one of my all-time favorite things to make is Caesar salad (for which I always use my own recipe for the dressing:  vinegar, olive oil, and lots of anchovies!)

5) What do you love most about stand-up comedy?

Connecting with people on stage!  I’ve also made some great friends in the scene and I love hanging out with those guys and writing with them.

6) Who is the person that you would want to hang out with (Alive or dead) and where would you take him or her?

Socrates, because I want to know if Aristotle or Plato got it right or maybe neither. We would go to the local bar and I would order him some wine to get him talking! I’d probably have a Diet Coke, my all-time favorite drink.

7) What don’t you love about stand-up comedy?

When comics aren’t true to themselves on stage and I have to watch them. When new comics come on stage and talk about politics, hacky racist stuff, and how dumb they think women are (this last one is usually male comics).  I’m not saying you can’t do jokes about these topics.  I’m saying that most of the time, when comics, especially new comics, get on stage to tackle these topics, they end up doing terrible, boring jokes that have the ring of falseness. Everybody seems to want to show their brilliant insight on big social issues on the first day.  Here’s a hint: Focus on your own flaws, and you’ll be funnier.

8) If you could have any actor or actress play you in the movie of your life then who would it be? And why?

Scarlett Johansson, because she would really be able to bring out my feminine side and I think she’s just as pretty as I am.  Everyone would finally understand why I’m the femme in the Butch and Femme Comedy Tour.

9) What is your advice to New Comics?

Don’t do social issues right away. Talk about yourself, your own life and your own experience. Cheer up when you’re on stage and remember that you’re performing for people, you’re supposed to be entertaining. So don’t hate the audience, don’t give up on your material.  Care that you are up there on stage!

Most of all though:  Do comedy.  There are stages everywhere; go on stage as much as you can.  I hate it when people say “I can’t put gas in my car so I can’t make it to an open mic”.  That’s not an excuse.  When I first started, I didn’t have a car, so I rode a bicycle to open mics all over South Florida.  You CAN get there.   I suggest anyone starting out hit 10-15 stages every week and write in between every time you’re onstage.  You won’t be able to avoid getting better.

10) I know you do a lot of podcasting and you’re doing some touring now.  What’s the Sex On Kava podcast and what’s the the Butch and Femme Comedy Tour?

The Butch and Femme Comedy Tour is a regional standup tour I founded with the hilarious and beautiful Anna Lepeley.  We met this past winter and had this natural chemistry (probably because she’s a butch lesbian and I’m an effeminate heterosexual dude).   We knew we both had limited credits but figured they’d be good enough to get us booked in smaller cities, which turned out to be right.  So we’ve been hitting up cities throughout the Southeast; we co-headline these shows, and we finish with a comedic song.  It’s a deliciously raunchy show and we have a lot of fun with it.  Check out butchandfemmecomedy.com for dates.

As for Sex on Kava, it’s a weekly podcast that I started over a year ago with my buddy Rich Kennedy, proprietor of Awa Na Kava Lounge, the weirdest bar in the world!  A couple of years ago, I used to sit there at the bar, drinking water, and talking to Rich about all of his strange customers.  It’s a kava bar, so they don’t serve alcohol, but somehow all the strangest people you’ve ever met find their way there.  I’d go there after doing comedy all night to decompress, and would usually end up laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe at something happening in the bar, or Rich telling a story about something happening in the bar, and finally we just said: “We have to start recording this stuff!”  So we started the podcast and called it Sex on Kava (because half of the funny stories are about sex). We interview the hot chicks and the weirdos in the bar, and we also bring on local comedians which gives them a chance to be funny in a non-standup setting.  There’s drama, fighting, sound effects, very real moments, confessions, relationships, beautiful people, and several lunatics who regularly get on the air!  It’s a lot of fun; listen on iTunes or at sexonkava.com. And write us a review and a 5-star rating on iTunes! (Trying to get better at reminding people to do that.)

I have another podcast, which I co-host with a Presbyterian minister.  It’s called Jesus Christ, That’s Funny! (JCTF for short) and it’s sort of a comedic take on religion, relationships, and the meaning of life.  My co-host, Pastor Dwayne Black, is sort of famous; he was in the news a lot last year, getting arrested for feeding the homeless in Ft Lauderdale. JCTF is probably the most personal media project I’ve ever done; I talk about my moral, spiritual, and relationship problems; sometimes I forget there’s a microphone in front of me and start really revealing my deepest, darkest secrets! Then Pastor Dwayne usually ends up telling me what I need to change to be a better person! Then I make a series of jokes.  I really like working with Pastor Dwayne; He’s (obviously) religious and I’m not, but we end up finding a surprisingly large amount of common ground.  And of course, there’s a lot of irreverent humor but I think that helps us connect with people.  We’ve gotten great feedback from listeners so far.  Listen on iTunes or at jesuschristthatsfunny.podbean.com.

Ridiculous was born on April 23, 1988 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida where he found the microphone back in 2010. Since then he has performed with comedians/celebrities like Brandon T Jackson, Michael Blackson, Comedian Shawty, Esther Ku, Damon Williams and many more. His style of comedy can be summed up in one word, Ridiculous.

1) What motivated you to start doing stand-up comedy?

I was depressed & I wanted someone to make me laugh. I happened to be the funniest person around.

2) What type of comedians do you enjoy watching (locally and nationally)?

Marvin Dixon; He would make me laugh as a kid. My sister used to work at the Mayfair (Which was close to the Miami Improv); I was 16 I sneaked into the show, met Eddie Griffin & Marvin Dixon. Marvin made me laugh. Jett Wilson is also a comedian that I enjoy watching because he has a lot of confidence in himself and he’s one of the rare comedians that I know that would bet a $1,000 on himself. I also enjoy watching D.L Hughley & Dave Chapelle.

3) What types of food do you enjoy cooking when you have time to eat?

Hennessey Pancakes and breakfast foods.

4) If you could either be any superhero or super villain who would you choose?

Someone who’s hard core bad as the Punisher. He does bad stuff for the right reasons.

5) What do you love most about stand-up comedy?

Ability to connect with strangers & make them laugh by taking my pain and making it funny.

6) What don’t you love about stand-up comedy?

Other comedians. My dreams & expectations are different & just because you can’t make it to the stars doesn’t mean that I can’t make it.

7) If you can be with any person alive or dead; who would it be?

The 8 year old version of me; I would tell myself that everything is going to be ok.

8) What is it about you that makes you awesome?

I don’t back down.

9) What is your advice to New Comics?

Be honest with yourself. If you write a joke for the first time, say it and it doesn’t make you laugh then don’t say it in front of an audience.

10) Why should people check out the Donnell Rawlings & Ridiculous with the Hard Hitters of Comedy show on 08/31?

I am from Ft. Lauderdale. It is in Ft. Lauderdale; No one is going to go harder than me. If they go to this show they’ll be a part of history when they see me make it and it will be the greatest show ever!