​

PRESS RELEASE:
NINE NINE SHOW with Comedy Central’s Paul Ogata

Comedy Central’s Paul Ogata makes his Johnson City debut thanks to Young
Professionals of Johnson City, ETSU’s Leadership and Civic Engagement office
and HIP TO BE SQUARE COMEDY at 9 p.m on 9/9 (after the ETSU vs. Carson-

Newman game).

Paul Ogata, an award-winning comedian and quite possibly America’s leading comedy expert, will be performing in the region for the first time during a 99-minute show to raise money for RESTORE UKRAINE at the D.P. Culp Student Center on the campus of ETSU.

Ogata left his Hawaii home for Los Angeles in 2006 after a successful career as a top-rated morning radio personality. Shortly after the move, Paul won the prestigious 32nd Annual San Francisco International Comedy Competition, putting him in an exclusive league alongside the likes of Dana Carvey, Sinbad, Doug Stanhope, and other comedy greats.

Paul’s standout talent brought numerous television appearances including The Late Late Show, Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham, Comics Unleashed and his show-stealing set on Showtime’s “Pacific Rim Comedy.” Most recently, Paul shot Comedy Central Asia’s first ever half-hour special.

While Paul mainly performs across the United States, his tour schedule also includes regular stops across six continents. Ogata has performed in Times Square, Tokyo, Sydney, and San Antonio.

Opening Comics

Opening for Paul Ogata is Asheville’s own Minori Hinds, a comic forged in the mountains of Osaka, SoCal, and Asheville, and is now based in Atlanta. Hinds has always relished entertaining people, whether with comedy, singing, dancing, or writing. Minori has performed at various festivals including Limestone, Red Clay, Cape Fear and the Asheville Comedy Festival. Janeane Garofalo deemed Minori “almost too funny.” Todd Barry called Minori “funny” in his tour diary book. Bobcat Goldthwait thanked her for not being terrible and gave us permission to quote him here.

Representing Knoxville, Keith Marcell is a stand-up comedian who has performed at various comedy clubs (Zanies Comedy Clubs, Funny Bone Comedy Clubs) and venues on the east coast, as well as other parts of the country. Keith Marcell’s comedy style is described as observational and irreverent, with a focus on personal experiences and social commentary.

Last but not least, Mason Guidry is a Knoxville-based comedian who was recently part of the Mutiny Radio Comedy Festival in San Francisco as well as the World Series of Comedy at Rick Bronson’s House of Comedy. Mason appears on showcases throughout the southeast, as well as in other parts of the country.

Hosts

The two MCs for the show include the founder of RESTORE UKRAINE, Yaroslav Hnatusko, and the founder of Hip To Be Square Comedy, Gary Jackson.

RESTORE UKRAINE is a charity organization that was founded in February 2022 during the first week of the full-scale war in Ukraine. Its roots come from two brothers – Yaroslav and Stanislav Hnatusko – who started their volunteering operations to provide a range of humanitarian, construction, housing and medical assistance projects. As of today, the nonprofit has already allocated more than $2 million worth of humanitarian aid to vulnerable Ukrainian communities. 

Hip To Be Square Comedy is a comedy club that was created to mix together the best comedians from around the world with local East Tennessee and Western North Carolina talent.

A common question that Gary and Yaro have been asked about this comedy is why exactly they chose a comedy show for such a dark time in Ukraine’s history. For those that do not know Ukrainians personally, their ability to find small moments of joy no matter the circumstance is what they are very proud of. From repainted signs directing invaders back to Russia to the conversations heard in bomb shelters as rounds land overhead, Ukrainians adapt, grow and laugh. Gary and Yaro want East Tennesseans to have fun with Ukrainians and find happiness despite the despair.

Event info

The NINE NINE SHOW is a benefit comedy show where every purchased ticket will bring remote and abandoned communities much closer to critical aid. The goal of the night show is to collect $18,000 to ship two 40ft containers with humanitarian supplies from the US to Ukraine. Even though East TN is still very far away from the frontline, everyone can choose to fight here for those who need it on the humanitarian front. Meeting the goal is possible only if the whole East TN community unites and joins the event. 

Comedy Central’s Paul Ogata will be performing for only one show – Saturday, 9 September at 9 PM, after the ETSU versus Carson-Newman football game.  

General admission tickets are $20 per person with first come, first serve seating. VIP tickets offer a post-party meet, greet with the comedians, and premiere reserved seating for $50 per person. Tickets are available at https://ninenineshow.com.    

The show takes place right after the ETSU vs. Carson-Newman football game at the D.P. Culp Student Center in the heart of ETSU campus.