Paramount has tapped comedian Al Madrigal to host its annual talent scouting event, the “CBS Showcase,” for an audience of industry professionals. This year’s event will focus on standup comedy. featuring Showcase alumni Jared Goldstein, Morgan Jay, Peter S. Kim, Brett Maline, Rashida “Sheedz” Olayiwola, Gregory Santos, Tien Tran and Mo Welch.
The standup comedy format reps a shift for the CBS Showcase from previous years. This year’s event, set to be held Feb. 1, will benefit charitable organizations chosen by the program’s participants, including The Trevor Project, Feeding America, Parkinson’s Foundation Inc., Poverty Alleviation Chicago: Letters to Santa, Shriners Hospital for Children, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Downtown Women’s Center and GLSEN. After the show, there will be a performance from musical guest Fightmaster, the solo project of nonbinary actor and writer E.R. Fightmaster.
Paramount’s “CBS Showcase” aims to highlight up-and-coming talent, and has been acknowledged by several global film festivals including Outfest, Indy Shorts International Film Festival, Dances with Films, Salute Your Shorts and the San Diego International Film Festival, among others. CBS’ talent and casting group oversees the CBS Showcase in partnership with Paramount’s office of global inclusion.
Alumni of the CBS Showcase include Kate McKinnon (“Saturday Night Live”), Hong Chau (“The Whale”), Nicole Byer (“Nailed It!”), Punam Patel (“Special”), Drew Tarver (“The Other Two”), Nico Santos (“Superstore”), Rosa Salazar (“Alita: Battle Angel”), Jesse Garcia (“Flamin’ Hot”), Sheila Carrasco (“Ghosts”), Gina Yashere (“Bob Hearts Abishola”), Ego Nwodim (“Saturday Night Live”), Hasan Minhaj (“The Daily Show”), Melissa Villaseñor (“Saturday Night Live”), Fortune Feimster (“Fubar”), Colton Dunn (“Superstore”), Eugene Cordero (“Star Trek: Lower Decks”) and Wyatt Cenac (“The Daily Show”), among others.
“We are so excited to see the return of our esteemed alumni for this year’s live show. Each participant was a standout of Showcase, whether they contributed as a writer, performer or both, and we are proud of what they have accomplished since,” said Claudia Lyon, executive vice president of talent and casting, and Dorey Poder, vice president of talent and casting, in a joint statement. “After these last few years of working from home and missing out on live entertainment, we are looking forward to bringing people together under one roof to laugh, celebrate and reacquaint themselves with these wonderful artists.”
