CIF 1st ever COLLEGE COMEDY CHAMPIONSHIP

[justinjackson]

COLLEGE COMEDY CHAMPIONSHIP:
Friday, November 2 - Sunday, November 4, 2007

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Update: 10/24/07
OSTN-TV To Give Cash Prizes To Top 2 Teams!
Today, OSTN-TV announced that it will give cash prizes to the top two placing teams in the upcoming College Comedy Championship. The 1st place team will receive a check for $1,000, and the 2nd place team will receive a check for $500.

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Update: 10/16/07
CIF Productions Sends Out CCC Press Release
16 Teams: All Against One & One Against All
16 college improv comedy teams, from as far west as Arizona, as far east as New York, as far south as Georgia, and as far north as Wisconsin, are all converging in Chicago to compete for the first ever College Comedy Championship national title.
The national comedy tournament is being co-sponsored by Columbia College Chicago's Television Department, Loyola University Chicago's Department of Fine and Performing Arts, and Open Student Television Network. A total of seven hours of the tournament will be telecast in early 2008 on OSTN-TV.
Chicago Improv Festival Productions' Executive Director and College Championship creator Jonathan Pitts says excitedly, "The 1st annual College Comedy Championship is going to be a wonderful event that will showcase the hilarious talents of tomorrow's stars today. That we get to highlight the Quarter-Finals through the Finals by telecasting them nationally and internationally on OSTN-TV makes this unique opportunity for college improvisers and college teams that much more fantastic!"
The 16 teams competing are 45 Kings (Loyola University); Awkward Silence (Indiana University); BAM! (Loyola University Chicago); Barren Mind (Arizona State University); The Charles Darwin Experience (University of Arizona); The Cosby Sweaters (DePaul University); Daddy Mags (Northwestern University); Droppin' $cience (Columbia College Chicago); Founding Fathers (University of Wisconsin @ Madison); The Improv Mafia (Illinois State University); Matador Now (Northewstern University); Mock Turtle Soup (Clemson University); Off-Off Campus (University of Chicago); Old Tom Jar (Northwestern University); On The Fly Improv (University of Dayton); and Seriously Bent (Suffolk University).
The 16 teams were all invited and selected by College Comedy Championship's Artistic Director Justin Jackson. He is a Loyola University Chicago alumni and an alumni of their improv team the 45 Kings.
CCC's Origins
About the comedy tournament's beginnings, Pitts says, "Since year one, we've always had several college teams here participating in CIF. I've had the idea for a national college tournament kicking around in my head since CIF's third year, but I was always too busy with CIF to get it up off the ground. During CIF 2005 and 2006, we partnered up with Charlotte's DSI to co-present DSI's Implosion, and it was fun. As CIF grew as a not-for-profit organization, we decided to make our own program, so we gave the tournament a green light. Now we are ready to crown a team as champs!"
First Round Matches: Friday, November 2
The First Round Matches will take place live at the Loyola University's Mundelein Center Auditorium, 1020 W. Sheridan Road. These matches will take place at 6pm, 7:30pm, 9pm, and 10:30pm. Tickets for the public are $5 a round, or $10 for the night, and free for Loyola students.
Quarter-Finals: Saturday, November 3
After the field has been whittled down to 8 teams, the Quarter-Finals will be taped at the Columbia College Chicago's Television Department's Studio A @ 600 S. Michigan, 15th floor, from 1pm to 7pm.
Semi-Finals & Finals: Sunday, November 4
The Semi-Finals and Finals will also be taped at Columbia College Chicago from 11am to 3pm. Both Saturday's and Sunday's tapings will be closed to the general public.
Judges
The First Round matches will be judged by Chicago Improv Festival Artistic Associates Jeff Griggs, Nick Johne and Comedysportz Chicago's Katherine Gotsick. The judges for the Quarter-Finals, the Semi-Finals and the Finals are Jeff Griggs, Nick Johne, and Sports Action Team's Niki Lindgren.
OSTN-TV
In mid-January of 2008, OSTN-TV will begin telecasting the Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Finals packaged as seven hour-long episodes. Each episode will be telecast through mid-March a total of 10 times to OSTN-TV's network of 180+ colleges and universities across America. The episodes will also be telecast to colleges and universities in Canada and England.
Pitts reveals, "We have recently signed a three-year agreement with OSTN-TV, so we are already making plans to expand next year's tournament. We want to have 4 regional finals, one for each time zone, and then have the finals here in Chicago. We also want to add a sketch comedy championship and then the year after that, a stand-up comedy championship."
The television tapings will utilize 7 cameras, a crew of 30, and will be taped in front of a private audience. The crew will be primarily manned by Columbia College Chicago staff and students, along with some CIF Productions staff members. Pitts will be the television show's Executive Producer, and Columbia College Chicago's Station Manager Chris West will be the show's Director.
Explains Pitts, "We are shooting all the episodes like it is an actual sport, so we will have anchors, sideline reporters, team interviews, half-time profiles, and rocking theme music in each episode. It's going to be fun!"
The co-anchormen for the televised episodes are Chicago Improv Festival Artistic Director Mark Sutton and Chicago Improv Festival Artistic Associate Joe Bill. The sideline reporters are Storybox's Marla Caceres, Teen Comedy Fest's Artistic Director Emily Dugan, and CIF 2007 Heineken Player Nick Hausman. The weatherman will be Storybox's Jeremy Schaefer. The co-emcees for both the live performances and the television tapings are Justin Jackson and Daryl Amandes.
Buzz
Out of town improvisers and local improv pros alike are already abuzz about the upcoming College Comedy Championship. Suffolk University's Julia Gustafson said, "This is an amazing opportunity for my comedy team 'Seriously Bent', and for everyone else involved too. We're really excited for the experience that we'll gain from participating in the College Comedy Championship and for being on OSTN-TV!" Chicago pro Ithamar Enriquez, currently on The Second City Mainstage, and also an Arizona State University improv alumni said, "This is great! It is going to be big! I wish I had something like this when I was in college!"

[justinjackson]

Thanks for all your support

Day one kicks off tonight at Loyola Univ. Chicago!

Tomorrow and Sunday we are filming the semifinals, quarterfinals and finals at Columbia College.

This is going to be huge for improv as we promote college improv around the country. It will only add to the long term growth and popularity of the art of improvisational comedy.

[Nick]

I just wanted to say that I was a part of this and that it's going to be very good. POPS, and other wrestling fans, Ed Ferrara helped with the design of the whole show so it has a big time wrestling match feel that I really enjoyed. CIF just did a great job organizing it, check it soon at www.ostn.tv.