San Francisco Stand-Up Comedy Competition Final Round

Gary Anderson combines charm, introspection, and a delightful mix of relatable and offbeat humor. Originally trying it as a bucket list item, Gary quickly fell in love, trading the adrenaline of collegiate sports for uproarious laughter.

After honing his skills in San Francisco’s renowned comedy scene, Gary now resides in Los Angeles, fueled by a passionate goal: to have someone else write his bio in third person, rather than writing it himself, in third person.

Notably, Gary has written for The Ms. Pat Show and showcased his talent on: Live at Gotham (AXS TV), Acting Out (MTV), LaffTracks (TruTV), and Paste Magazine’s The Best Stand-Up. He’s also a three-time semifinalist on Stand-Up NBC.

Based in London, Luca Cupani is considered the most British of the new generation of Italian comedians, not just because of his double citizenship, but also because of his style and quirky dry humour.

Cupani’s first stand up gig was at the famous Gong Show at the London Comedy Store – and he won. This set him off nicely on his path to winning the So You Think You’re Funny? at the Fringe in 2015.

Luca has been no stranger to the comedy world circuit since – gigging in Dubai and across Europe (Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark to name a few) and of course in Italy, where he has appeared on Zelig, the most successful Italian TV comedy show (recorded live in front of an audience of 2300 people).

Cupani has appeared at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, competed in Seattle and San Francisco International Comedy Festival and regularly performs at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Luca’s latest show Happy Orphan received multiple rave reviews in 2022.

His solo show in Italian has been broadcasted on the TV channel Rai 5 and it is available on streaming on Amazon Prime Video (Italian Stand Up, episode 3). Luca’s UK credits include appearing on Comedians Vs. News (BBC World Service) and The Arts Hour (BBC World Service)

‘Cupani will become an increasingly well-known name in future years’ – Broadway Baby

Chad Opitz is a comic whose hilarious and unique perspectives make him an oft booked staple at Bay Area clubs and showcases. Veering between one-liners, short story jokes, and sometimes even song, Opitz’ writing is as well-regarded as his character and performance work.

Chad has been a featured guest on the Doug Loves Movies Podcast and The Benson Interruption. He was a featured performer at the 2016-2019 San Francisco Sketchfests. Chad was the winner of Bay Area legend Jimmy Gunn’s “Best Newcomer” award. He is a regular host at Punch Line San Francisco and Sacramento, Cobb’s Comedy Club and is a feature act at Rooster T. Feathers Comedy Club and San Jose Improv. He’s been invited to perform for High Plains Comedy Festival in Denver, Altercation Comedy Festival in Austin, TX. and the B4UDie Comedy Festival in Anchorage, Alaska.

Chad has been featured in several short films and commercials, including Walgreens Red Nose Day to help end child poverty. He was cast as “young Francis Ford Coppola” for the 4th season of Amazon Prime’s Goliath starring Billy Bob Thornton.

He’s opened for Michelle Wolf, Melissa Villasenor, David Cross, Brian Posehn Scott Thompson, Christopher Titus, Gad Elmaleh, ISMO, Rob Schneider, Neil Hamburger, Taylor Tomlinson, Tom Green, Bobcat Goldthwait, Brooks Wheelan and many more.

Charming, sturdy, and aggressively good-natured, Paco Romane is an anxious comedian, actor, writer, and podcaster from San Francisco. He has appeared on Comedy Central, NBC, Drunk History, HBO, Nickelodeon, NPR, and Funny or Die. Known as a versatile mash-up of everything comedic, Romane is a natural entertainer ready to riff on bad breakups or his everyman physique and weave hilarious hard-to-believe true stories about his movie-like life with fast and furious crowd work.

The San Francisco Chronicle called his comedy “smart, silly, fast, and funny.”

Digital Journal remarked, “to call Paco an original is no exaggeration” additionally, NPR added that he is at the “top of the comedy scene and keeps audiences riveted and coming back,” and The Onion’s AV Club called him “hilarious.” His work has led to many diverse gigs like working with hip-hop legend E-40 as Casey Kasem, shooting a commercial with (NBA Champion) Klay Thompson, being thrown out a window by Mr. T (not in the same ad), and appearing in numerous national commercials and films. As a voice-over artist, he recently did a character for Pixar, was the voice of Pandora Radio and Roku, and has recorded for movies, commercials, and video games. Spinning Platters called him “one of the greatest Bay Area comedians,” and he was twice voted The Bay Area’s Best Comedian. He has performed numerously in SF Sketchfest and Outside Lands and with comedy legends like Robin Williams, Norm MacDonald, Ali Wong, Dana Gould, and many more. In 2015, Paco started Sup Doc, a recap documentary podcast with guests from the worlds of tv, film, music, and more. You can catch Paco headlining clubs and comedy festivals around the nation.

Marcus Williams is a stand-up comedian posing as a structural engineer during business hours. He was a semi-finalist in the 2016 Sacramento Comedy Festival and has performed at the San Francisco Punchline, Cobb’s Comedy Club, all over New York, Denver and several other locations with a stage and a microphone. He’s funny as hell.