Improv Comedy Club Contest Participant Making Most out of Opportunity

Nov. 16, 2011 - PRLog -- A strong showing in contests like American Idol and America’s Got Talent can make the career of a singer really take off. The same can now be said in the world of standup comedy.

Comedian Keith Lyle, best known as the Blackjack Dealer in the record breaking film “The Hangover” has seen an extreme upsurge in his standup comedy bookings since joining the Improv Comedy Club’s Up Yours online comedy contest. “Within the first couple weeks of entering, I booked 2 weeks of work at the Royal Resort in Las Vegas,” commented Lyle. “I’m getting calls from all over the country. It had to be from being seen in the competition.”

The Improv is the top comedy club chain in the country. Many remember the owner Budd Friedman (and co-owner Mark Lonow) from the popular 90’s TV show “Evening at the Improv” on A & E. Those classic shows have recently made their way to Hulu.com.

The Improv’s Up Yours is looking for the “next big thing” in the world of comedy. The contestants post videos of their stand up performances for an online vote.  Competitors are encouraged to use social networking like Facebook and Twitter to help their videos go “viral”. There are 100 competitors, with the field eventually getting narrowed down to 6 finalists. The finalists will perform in front of celebrity judges at The Improv at Harrah’s Las Vegas, with the winner receiving a $25,000 booking contract from The Improv.

Lyle has had a very strong showing. He’s got the 2nd most watched video and currently resides in 4th place. Lyle scaled up the charts quickly, recently jumping to top spot in votes for the month of November. Between the nearly 1000 friends on Facebook and over 40,000 followers on twitter, he appears to be well connected. “I have a great group of Facebook friends, and awesome Twitter followers. I owe my success in the contest to them.” observed Lyle.

One would think having 4 lines in the top grossing R rated comedy film of all time, which also won a Golden Globe, would open doors. Show business is a tricky game.

“Getting cast in ‘The Hangover’ was a HUGE break,” Lyle remarked. “I’ll always be grateful to director Todd Phillips for casting me. There’s no question what it’s meant for my career. But being a part of the Up Yours contest has gotten me recognition for standup comedy that would’ve taken years to achieve.”

Finally, for Keith Lyle, comedy bookers are starting to take notice. “Now if I could only get Budd Friedman and Mark Lonow to notice,” quipped Lyle.

The entry for Keith Lyle in the Improv’s Up Yours Comedy Contest can be seen at http://www.improvcc.com/index.php/videos/view?id=35