Shannon Battle
Shannon Battle is a Baltimore native based out of Northern California who uses his travel experiences, quick wit, and blend of comedic genres (Adult, Clean) to connect with diverse audiences. His high energy, on stage antics, and crowd engagement pulls audiences in for a unique experience. It isn’t uncommon to see him crawling on the floor, hefting stools or hear him break out into song.
His charismatic style and versatility allowed him to work with SinBad, Michael Colyer, Andre Bailey, Mike E. Winfield, Johnny Taylor Jr., Kabir Singh, Mo Jones, Mario Hodge, Jason Stuart, and many more.
He won the 2013 National Comedy Competition at the Baltimore Comedy Factory; Premiered on the 2015 Rooster T Feathers Comedy Showcase: and was a finalist at the 2019 Tommy T’s Comedy Competition. He is passed by the Baltimore Comedy Factory (2011), Xtreme Comedy Club, Tommy T’s Rancho Cordova, STAB Comedy Theater, The Well Comedy Club, and Alameda Comedy Club.
He was a guest on the Grammy Nominated Show "Comics On Life" with Stefon Braxton. Has featured on iHeart Radio with Big Al Sams in the Morning, Hype Radio, Reality Check TV, Fox 40, and Good Day Sacramento.
In addition to comedy, Shannon sings, acts, and models. He has performed with several music artists including Too Short, Richie Rich, Radio Club, and Bizzie Bone (Bone Thugs N Harmony). He appears in the movie "The Function", and in the music video "Come and Go" by Kaye-L; And was invited to walk in San Francisco Fashion Week.
Shannon has done cooperate and private events with organizations such as Sacramento Greater Urban League, Unseen Heroes, the FAA, Rancho Cordova City Council, Folsom Cordova Unified School District, and many others.
Shannon is also the producer of the comedy show "Off The Wall" at Live Nation venues across the country, and an Executive Producer with Jay Gonzo Productions. Shannon is available to assume the roles of Producer, Host, Feature, and Headliner.
Big T
Stand-Up Comedy has influenced my entire life. Growing up, as the “fat kid” in Oakland California, you learn quickly how roast other kids on the playground. Comedy began as a defense mechanism, and transformed into a means to gain friends. Once I knew I could make the kids laugh, they stopped laughing at me, and started laughing with me. Telling jokes will forever be my icebreaker.
My first memory of stand up, is sitting in my Auntie’s living room, watching Whoopi Goldberg’s One Woman Special. No matter how bad I was feeling my Auntie could put on Whoopi and my eyes would light up. Whoopi would shine on that stage. I watched as she switched from playing her young child character, to an old Jazz Junkie at least a thousand times. At young age, some might say an inappropriate one, I was exposed to the comedy superstars of the 80’s. Richard Pryor, Rodney Dangerfield, Eddie Murphy, Red Foxx, and Robert Townsend, were all my professors in the art of Stand-Up Comedy.
The first time I tried stand up, I was actually at a very low point in my life. I just lost my job and I had zero prospects. I was sitting at home pondering my next steps in life. I’ve always known I had a great sense of humor. I’ve always had people encourage me to try Stand Up, but I never took it seriously. So I'm at home, watching Def Comedy Jam. Something in my mind decided to google “How to become a stand up comedian?”. The search revealed clubs that have open mic night all over the Bay Area.
When I decided to try open mic I didn’t tell anyone. I just went. When I first took the stage, I had no idea what I was going to say. I just wanted to know if I could stay on stage. Be comfortable with myself standing in front of the crowd. There’s a feeling of electricity, when you step on stage. It fills up your body as the crowd laughs with acceptance. Looking back, the crowd that night was most likely other comedians, waiting in line for their turn on stage. Once I felt that energy I knew that Comedy was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
There’s a saying we have in the Bay Area community of comedians. Comedy is Life. We live for stage time while we pray for our big break. Comedy has opened up so many doors for me. Comedy influenced me to go back to college. I learned to expand my presence on stage by hosting TV, Radio, and Podcast shows. Comedy persuaded me to return to school, to receive my Masters in Writing for Film & Television. This art form has also pushed me to pursue my acting career. Stand Up comedy continues to provide opportunities to express myself, that I would have never thought of. I owe this art form my life.
Josef Anolin
Hailing from Oakland, CA, Josef Anolin is a regular in the Bay Area comedy scene for more time than he'd like to admit. He has also honed his craft in New York City, a place he'd still be if not for that minor inconvenience formerly known as the pandemic. On behalf of himself as an Asian American, he wants you to know he didn't do that to you.
His credits include performing at Outside Lands 2016 and Clusterfest Bay Area 2018. He is also a regular at SF Sketchfest and our very own SF Punchline.
He has an Android phone because he likes pissing you off with his green text bubbles.
