(SINGAPORE) 6th July 2020: Top American-Filipino comedian, JO KOY, will be presenting a Masterclass session to students from around the world at the annual Asian Academy Creative Award’s Academy Campus.
Presented as an “in-conversation” panel with Singaporean based American actor/host Bobby Tonelli, Jo will be taking students through his early career, starting with his rise from modest beginnings performing in a Las Vegas coffee shop; How he continued to hone his skills and rose to the top echelon of international comedians. He’ll even reveal the secret to landing his first ever Netflix comedy special.
Jo has also promised to take students through his pitch for his third and latest Netflix special “Jo Koy In His Elements”.
Asian Academy Creative Awards President, Michael McKay says this Masterclass is a ‘must watch’ for students of film, TV and live performance. “Jo’s story is a great motivator for anyone starting off in the industry, or for those who are thinking of giving up, not sure if they can make it” says McKay. “He’s one of the most generous performers I’ve ever met and we’re so thrilled that he has agreed to present a Masterclass for the Academy Campus event” he added.
The “Academy Campus Masterclass” will be streamed free of charge to Film & TV students all around the world from Singapore’s Nanyang Polytechnic studio, thanks to Zoom and Asian Academy Creative Awards supporters, entrants and sponsors (July 29 & 30).
Big name media organisations have swung their support behind the Academy Campus including The Walt Disney Company, Facebook, WarnerMedia, ViacomCBS, NBCU, Mediacorp plus Emmy and Asian Academy Creative Award winners Method Studios, who will take students behind the scenes of shows like Game Of Thrones and blockbuster Hollywood movies for a special VFX Masterclass.
“Let’s make this the biggest Film and TV school in the world, open to students of the industry, no matter their situation, no matter where they live” McKay said before adding “thanks to our supporters, the Academy Campus Masterclass is free to join, all you need is a love of making creative content”.
ABOUT JO KOY
As one of today’s premiere stand-up comics Jo Koy has come a long way from his modest beginnings performing at a Las Vegas coffee house. The comedian, who pulls inspiration from his family, specifically his son, sells-out arenas and theatres across the world.
In 2017, Koy broke a record for the most tickets sold by a single artist at 23,000 tickets and 11 sold-out shows at The Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall in Honolulu. In response, the mayor’s office in Honolulu proclaimed November 24th as “Jo Koy Day.” The comedian continued his record breaking streak by being the only comedian to sell out 6 shows at The Warfield in San Francisco. He then broke the attendance record at Club Regent Event Centre in Winnipeg with 4 sold-out shows. In 2019, Koy sold-out 5 shows at the San Diego Civic Theatre, the most consecutive sold-out shows for a comedian. He recently became the only comedian to sell 17,000+ tickets, over 30 shows (in one year) at the Brea Improv.
He was given the prestigious “Stand-Up Comedian Of The Year” award at the 2018 Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. He has had four highly rated and successful comedy specials on Comedy Central and Netflix. His 2019 Netflix special, Comin’ In Hot launched world-wide. Koy is on a mission to educate the masses on how to raise a millennial, the intricacies of Filipino traditions, and more!
In 2019, the comedian reached #1 on the Billboard Charts for his stand-up comedy album, Live From Seattle. He can also be heard on his weekly podcast, The Koy Pond with Jo Koy by Starburns Audio. Listeners can dive in each week as Koy welcomes friends and fellow comedians to share their hilarious insights on life.
Koy has appeared on over 140 episodes of Chelsea Lately as a season regular roundtable guest. Other appearances include: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Late Show with James Corden, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Last Call with Carson Daly, Lights Out with David Spade, @Midnight with Chris Hardwick, Beat Bobby Flay, The Breakfast Club, Celebrity Page TV, World’s Funniest Fails and Sean In The Wild.
In between his Just Kidding World Tour Jo managed to record his third and latest Netflix comedy special, this time traveling back to his beloved Philippines for Jo Koy In His Elements.
