Comedy Central to Head to Annual SXSW This March

Kick it with Comedy Central at the annual SXSW Festival in Austin as the brand hosts shows with comedians Big Jay Oakerson and Ari Shaffir at Esther's Follies and holds a two-day event with free beer, food and festivities for the fans.

Come and hang out at Esther's Follies (525 E. 6th Street) with Jay Oakerson who has built a reputation for his ability to engage the audience and turn it into a nightly unique comedy experience and Ari Shaffir who is joined by his comedian friends in telling hilarious and true stories. Additional comedic talent (TBA) is slated to perform at "What's Your F@!?#ng Deal with Big Jay Oakerson" at 8:00 p.m. and "This is Not Happening" hosted by Ari Shaffir at 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17 with both shows free to SXSW badge holders.

Comedy Central's "Kegs and Eggs" is expanding to two days after its successful inaugural event in Austin last year. Once again, attendees have the opportunity to nosh on breakfast tacos and imbibe beer. "Kegs and Eggs" will feature several interactive stations celebrating Comedy Central franchises including a "Drunk History" dunk tank where fans can get dunked or dunk costumed historical figures in beer; snap a pic in the Comedy Central GIF photo booth featuring fan favorite shows such as "Workaholics;" and win some sweet CC swag (Broad F**king City shirts, "Key & Peele" headphones and much more!)

"Kegs and Eggs" is free and open to the public on Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21 from 12:00-5:00 p.m. CT at Pelons/508 Tequila Bar at 802 Red River St.

Comedy Central Records recently released a new comedy album from crowd work specialist Big Jay Oakerson, available on iTunes, called "The Crowd Work Sessions: What's Your F@!?#ng Deal?!" where he ditches the written material altogether and showcases his impressive ability to riff with a crowd. In this one-of-a-kind special, Oakerson takes his cues from the crowd and covers everything from interracial relationships to the myth that everyone is special.

Oakerson is recognized for his appearance on the hit IFC show "Z-Rock," where he received critical acclaim for his performance as "Neil." He has appeared on BET's "Comic View," HBO's "P. Diddy's Bad Boys of Comedy" and Comedy Central's "This Is Not Happening," "Comedy Underground with Dave Attell," "Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn," in addition to being featured in his own "Comedy Central Presents" Half-hour special. He wowed for a fourth time at Montreal's Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, closing the "Nasty Show" - a festival favorite - and taking his performance to a whole new level with the debut of his solo show "An American Storyteller" which is also currently available as a digital album from Comedy Central Records. Last month, Oakerson appeared in a linear episode of Comedy Central's first season of "This Is Not Happening."

Ari Shaffir is the host and executive producer of Comedy Central's "This Is Not Happening" which premiered onJanuary 22 at 12:30 a.m. ET/PT and airs through March 19. Throughout the eight-episode season, the series features Shaffir and his comedian friends telling hilarious and true stories in front of a live audience at Cheetahs in Hollywood. Each episode features a custom opening that puts Shaffir into a ludicrous situation, dreamed (nightmared) up by madman director Jeff Tomsic.

"This Is Not Happening" originally debuted as a digital series developed by CC:Studios, Comedy Central's in-house creative initiative for the development of original digital comedy.

Last month, Shaffir's debut Comedy Central special, "Paid Regular" premiered on the network. The extended and uncensored special is also available on CC: Stand-Up Direct. In addition, Shaffir is a regular panel guest on "@midnight" and has appeared on "Comedy Underground with Dave Attell," both on Comedy Central. He has been featured on Showtime's "The Green Room with Paul Provenza," Comedy Central's "Brody Stevens: Enjoy It!" and HBO's "Down & Dirty with Jim Norton." Shaffir performs stand-up to sold-out crowds nationwide and has been featured at the prestigious Montreal Just for Laughs Festival, San Francisco SketchFest, SXSW, the Bridgetown Comedy Festival, and the Moontower Comedy and Oddity Festival. In addition to his TV and stand-up projects, Shaffir also hosts the wildly popular podcast The Skeptic Tank, which is consistently among the top-rated podcasts on iTunes and averages over 100,000 downloads per week.

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