To work together with extraordinary artists and companies,
to create unforgettable ‘holy shit moments’
in film, television, literary, streaming internet content, and live performance
that entertains, inspires, and changes the world.
The Catalyst Behind Comedy's Biggest Stars
Katz is universally known for helping launch the careers of some of the most extraordinary comedy artists in the business — including Dave Chappelle, Dane Cook, Brad Williams, Wanda Sykes, Bill Burr, Burt Kreischer, Whitney Cummings, Felipe Esparza, Louis C.K. and Tracy Morgan (pictured above), as well as Nick Swardson, Jim Gaffigan, Frank Caliendo, Jeff Dye, Marc Maron, Bill Bellamy, Judah Friedlander, Steve Byrne, Jeffrey Ross, Neil Brennan, and former SNL stars Darrell Hammond, Jay Mohr, Melissa Villasenor, Jim Breuer, and Morgan. Additionally, he has represented other iconic artists like Ken Jeong, Cheri Oteri, Harland Williams, Andy Dick, Hasan Minhaj, Mike Epps, and the late Louie Anderson and gave the first quality stage time in New York City and Boston to Kevin Hart, Ed Helms, Sarah Silverman, Anthony Clark, Dave Attell, Bobcat Goldthwait, Dana Gould, Timothy Olyphant, Denis Leary, and the late Patrice O’Neal.
The Annual Barry Katz Roast, The Boston Comedy Club 1992. From left to right: Dave Chappelle, Jay Mohr, Barry Katz, Louis C.K., Jon Stewart, and Jeffrey Ross.
From Half-Baked to Fully Baked
Katz started his involvement in the film business when he helped Chappelle and Neal Brennan (who eventually went on to create Chappelle’s Show) sell the cult classic Half Baked to Universal Studios and went on to produce several films after that, including Employee of the Month (starring Jessica Simpson and Cook), Good Luck Chuck (starring Jessica Alba), My Best Friend’s Girl (starring Kate Hudson and Alec Baldwin), I Killed JFK (about the only living person in history to admit to killing Kennedy), Misery Loves Comedy (starring Tom Hanks, Amy Schumer, Judd Apatow, and Larry David), and most recently Max Dagan (starring Michael Madson, Rob Morrow, Zach Gordon, Jay Mohr, Jeff Ross, and Kirk Fox) which won BEST PICTURE and BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS at the 2024 New York Soho International and the Boston Film Festivals respectively.
From left to right: Andrew Santino; Buddy Hackett; Brad Williams; Jeff Ross, Dave Chappelle, Jordan Rubin; Charlie Barnett, Martin Lawrence; Kenan Thompson; Adam Carolla; and NETFLIX President Ted Sarandos.
Revolutionizing The Industry
Katz is the first manager to work with a comedy artist to use social media to accelerate their career, with Dane Cook. At the height of his popularity, he was able to press a button on his computer and sell out 2 shows in one night at Boston Garden and 2 shows in one night at Madison Square Garden for a total of 75,000 tickets sold in less than a week — which had never been done before. In the recording world, he has produced Grammy-nominated, multiple Gold, Platinum, and Double-Platinum albums, while becoming the only manager/producer to debut a comedy album in Billboard’s top 5 national charts – TWICE.
In other facets of the business, Katz was one of the driving forces and co-founders of Comedy Dynamics, which has become one of the largest independent comedy production and distribution companies in the world. Additionally, he was involved in the original sale of the Emmy-nominated Comedy Central Roasts to the network, which became one of the longest running, most profitable, annual specials franchises in the history of TV.
“ After decades of working with the biggest names in the business, Barry brings an insider's perspective, with the genuine enthusiasm of a fan.
His observations are intelligent and insightful.
If you want an education on the entertainment industry, skip USC.
Instead, get drunk and listen to Barry. ”
STEVEN LEVITAN
9x Emmy Winner Creator, Executive Producer, Modern Family
Inspirational. Influential. Invaluable.
Inside the Bold Moves Behind Hollywood’s Biggest Success Stories
This inspirational weekly series provides an “all-access pass” to the entertainment business through the eyes of comedy manager/producer Barry Katz and the industry's biggest players, who candidly reveal the risky decisions they made that led to the most groundbreaking tv, radio, music, internet, and film content in the world.
Launching at # 3 on iTunes and with millions of listeners, Katz premieres a new episode every week that provides the blueprint for the audience to take their careers to the next level, while showcasing each guest’s extraordinary journey from humble beginnings to the highest levels in their field. Recorded primarily in Los Angeles, the show has been invited to the world famous Montreal JUST FOR LAUGHS and NEW YORK COMEDY Festivals six times.
Some of the Hollywood heavyweights that have been prominently featured throughout the over 500 episodes (many who've never done a podcast before) include Kevin Hart, Chuck Lorre, Judd Apatow, Warren Littlefield, Brad Williams, Doug Herzog, Ronny Chieng, Patty Jenkins, Kevin Smith, David Hill, Steve Levitan, Tom Werner, Tiffany Haddish, Ted Sarandos, Dr. Phil, Jeanie Buss, David Copperfield, Gary Gulman, Chris Albrecht, Kevin Reilly, Howie Mandel, Dionne Warwick, Bill Burr, Dennis Rodman, Jim Jefferies, Russel Peters, Patricia Heaton, Jay Mohr, Kenya Barris, Caitlyn Jenner… and the late Larry King, Louie Anderson, Garry Marshall, and Norman Lear.
This masterclass program is your ticket to reaching all of your comedy goals and leap-frogging your competition.
Whether it be stand-up, sketch/improv, acting, writing, producing, directing, hosting, radio/podcasting, social media influencing, or even if you want a career behind the scenes as a manager or agent, with weekly Zoom calls and over a hundred hours of invaluable content, this extensive Digital Academy will give you the powerful tools you need to reach your highest level.
A few kind words.
