Shore Fire Media


Comedy Dynamics Strikes Deal With The Jonathan Winters Estate

LOS ANGELES, CA – Comedy Dynamics has announced that they’ve struck a deal with the Jonathan Winters estate to acquire multiple hours of uncut and unreleased material that will be included in an upcoming audio box set, as well as future digital releases. In recent years, Comedy Dynamics has released box sets and exclusive vinyls for legends in the comedy world including Eddie Izzard, Bill Hicks, Lenny Bruce and Sam Kinison. The digital albums will eventually be available on Sirius XM, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and more.

The box set, which is being executive produced via Dan Pasternack’s Obsessive Comedy Disorder, promises to include some iconic material from the Grammy Award winning artist, including his 1958 novelty record for Coral Records Nee Nee Na Na Na Na Nu Nu; a one of a kind demo recorded for Verve with two never before released routines; his full, unedited performance from The Arthur Godfrey Show on CBS Radio in 1960; the original master tape of his first LP for Verve, The Wonderful World of Jonathan Winters; a full, unedited performance from the Bob Crane Radio Show in Los Angeles and his full uncut performance at the famed Hollywood nightclub the Crescendo in 1960 which was later edited to become his second Verve LP, Down To Earth. Along with several never-before-seen photos, artwork and writings, this will be an exceptional collectible for Jonathan Winters fans worldwide.

Jonathan Winters was a comedian, TV show host, actor, author and acclaimed painter who recorded many classic comedy albums for Verve Records. He was nominated for 11 Grammy Awards, eight of which were for Best Comedy Album. Winters was the second recipient of the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 1999. During his illustrious career that spanned over six decades, Jonathan appeared in films such as It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, The Loved One and The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming and on hundreds of TV shows including The Tonight Show (both with Jack Paar and later with Johnny Carson), The Twilight Zone, Mork & Mindy and Davis Rules, for which he won an Emmy Award. He also voiced Papa Smurf in The Smurfs feature films in 2011 and 2013. (The latter Smurfs movie was dedicated to his memory as it was released shortly after his death.)

“We are thrilled to be working with Comedy Dynamics on this first package since my father’s passing. These are just a few of the treasures dad left in my care and now is the perfect time to re-introduce his brilliant brain to a world that needs a few laughs,” said Lucinda Winters, president of Jonathan Winters, Inc.

“Jonathan is one of the most revered legends in the comedy world because he had the talent to do it all. We’re excited to strike a deal with the wonderful people at his estate and release a box set celebrating his life’s work,” said Brian Volk-Weiss, Founder and CEO of Comedy Dynamics.

 

About Comedy Dynamics:

Founded by Brian Volk-Weiss, Comedy Dynamics, a Nacelle company, is the largest independent comedy production and distribution company. The company has produced Netflix’s Down to Earth with Zac Efron, The Movies That Made Us, Netflix’s The Toys That Made Us, Behind The Attraction for Disney +, Sony’s Mad About You reboot, Netflix’s Kevin Hart’s Guide to Black History, Jim Gaffigan: Noble Ape, The CW’s Discontinued, All The Way Black for BET+, Animal Planet’s Animal Nation with Anthony Anderson, the scripted comedy on Hulu There’s… Johnny!, History’s Join Or Die with Craig Ferguson, MTV2’s Wild ’N On Tour, Hulu’s Coming To The Stage, and more. Comedy Dynamics began releasing original films in theaters and released the acclaimed independent film Slut in a Good Way in Spring of 2019. In 2017 the Comedy Dynamics Network (CDN) launched and currently distributes specials, television shows and films to all major transactional platforms such as iTunes, Amazon, Google, PlayStation, Xbox and most major telco & satellite providers, including AT&T, Comcast, Charter, Dish, and Verizon.  The company has worked with a wide range of established and emerging comedic talent including Ali Wong, Tiffany Haddish, Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari, Jim Gaffigan, Pete Davidson, David Cross, and many more. The company was nominated for an NAACP Spirit Award in 2019 for Kevin Hart’s Guide to Black History. 17 Comedy Dynamics releases have been Grammy-nominated (with four wins), including all 5 in the Comedy Album category for the 61st  Annual Grammy Awards in 2019.