Founder

Jeff Lawrence is a stand up comedian, singer/songwriter, amateur chef, and Founder and Director of Laughing Buddha Comedy, NYC’s premier new talent comedy collective. He’s also very busy.

Since the pandemic he’s been cooking up a storm and recently appeared as a contestant on season 14 of MasterChef: Generations on FOX TV.

A veteran of the NYC comedy scene, Jeff has performed in NY Laughs’ Laughter in the Park most recently at Lincoln Center. He’s also been featured at the Mayo Performing Arts Center and has appeared in various festivals including the NY Comedy Festival.

As a performer and actor, Jeff has appeared on MTV Europe and The Grammy Awards, appearing with Bob Dylan as a member of his entourage. He played Ernest Hemingway at the Wings Theater for a one-month run in NYC.

Over the years Jeff has booked and coordinated talent for many of NYC’s top comedy clubs as well as Catch a Rising Star, America’s Got Talent, as well as an audition showcase for the Late Show with David Letterman.

As a singer and songwriter Jeff (Jefferson Lawrence) has just released his latest single on Spotify, “Curve Ball”, and his highly anticipated record "Death of a Comedian” is due out this year.

As an instructor, Jeff has been featured on the front pages of the Wall St. Journal and the Tampa Bay Times. Jeff likes to draw out the unique stories, struggles, and challenges that we all face in daily life and punch the #$%#$% out of it!

Booker | Director

Daryn Stephanie Passarello was a finalist for Nextflix is a Joke, as well as, Just for Laughs. Currently, Passarello opened for comedian Gina Brillon's latest comedy special, was featured in the 3rd Annual Laughing Buddha Comedy Festival, and performs regularly at The Stand, New York Comedy Club, St. Marks, and various clubs around New York City.

As an accomplished multi-award winning trans content creator, comedian, and on air personality, Passarello has 20+ years of experience in entertainment. Passarello has appeared in numerous TV shows and films such as “Who Wants to Be a Super Hero?” On Disney, and “Food Fighters”on NBCU to name a few. Passarello worked directly with Stan Lee (Co-Creator of Marvel, Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Avengers, X-Men, etc) at his company POW! Entertainment, where Passarello served as the Director of New Media, cultivating and establishing Stan Lee's online presence (Stan Lee's Website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and MySpace).

Festival Coordinator

Lily Aman is a New York City-based actor and Intimacy Coordinator with a BFA in Drama from NYU Tisch, where she studied at the New Studio on Broadway and Stonestreet Film Studios. Although having a particular interest in film, she spent some time on stage this January in her Off-Broadway debut as 'No Name Jones' in Always Young.

Riley Flanagan is a New York–based stand-up comedian originally from New Jersey. He performs all across the East Coast, bringing a relaxed, goofy, and story-driven style to every stage.