Attendees can enjoy "A Time to Laugh" Comedy Show at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, TX.
A TIME TO LAUGH COMEDY SHOW Speakers
Nephew Tommy (Host)
Thomas ”Nephew Tommy” Miles has built a career that encompasses radio, television, film and more. Thomas’ role as co-host of the nationally syndicated Steve Harvey Morning Show puts him in front of a live radio audience of more than 8 million listeners daily. Nephew Tommy provides a key role in the morning show, lighting it up with his own cast of colorful characters and zany humor. Thomas also has a loyal following as a stand-up comedian and has earned a reputation for wowing crowds. For three years, he served as the exclusive opening act on the Luther Vandross tour. And for the past four years Thomas has been the exclusive Mainstage host for the Essence Festival in New Orleans, which draws over 250,000 fans and features acts such as Beyonce, Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, Usher, and Kanye West. In October 2010, Thomas recorded his onehour special at the famed Motor City Casino in Detroit. He continues to keep the crowds laughing as he tours nationally to sold out crowds across the country.
Cedric the Entertainer
The illustrious comedian and actor known as Cedric ”the Entertainer,” is one of film and entertainment’s premier stars. His performances in numerous film franchises, as well as hit films and television shows include: Barbershop; Madagascar; Be Cool with John Travolta; and The Original Kings of Comedy, among other credits. Cedric’s ability to engage diverse audiences is unparalleled, affording him myriad opportunities, including TV host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire to film producer of Johnson Family Vacation. Most notably, his accolades include: The AFTRA Award of Excellence in Television Programming for Cedric the Entertainer Presents, a Fox Television series; and the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Disney’s The Proud Family, an animated series, among other honors. Cedric’s altruistic spirit inspired him to create unique opportunities to elevate the lives of others, including The Cedric The Entertainer Charitable Foundation, which provides scholarships and outreach programs to inner-city youth and their families. We are honored to have Cedric ”the Entertainer” as the headliner in ”A Time to Laugh” Comedy Show at MegaFest this summer! And because we couldn’t fit all of Cedric’s accolades, entertainment credits, and humanitarian efforts in this brief biography, we encourage you to discover what makes Cedric – the one and only Entertainer – in this complete biography.
Michael Jr.
Michael Jr. is making the world smile again…
No matter where you experience his humor, on-stage, on-line, or one-on-one, you get the same Michael Jr. with humor that creates waves of laughter. Whether as an actor in the #1 box office hit War Room or appearing on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live! or at a large church event, Michael Jr. shows up and delivers the funny!
”Absolutely brilliant, thought provoking and life changing!”
Facebook Fan
@michaeljrcomedy
Yvonne Orji
Yvonne Orji is a Nigerian-American actress, comedienne and writer who continues to display her versatility and passion with each project she takes on.
On television, she stars in HBO’s hit comedy series Insecure which premiered October 2016. The show follows the friendship of two modern-day black women and all of their uncomfortable experiences and racy tribulations. Yvonne stars as one of these women opposite Issa Rae, who is executive producing the show along with Prentice Penny and Melina Matsoukas.
She is also currently developing a half-hour sitcom, based on her life entitled First Gen, that Oprah and David Oyelowo are executive producing. The show is a comedy about a Nigerian girl who trades medical school for a career in stand-up comedy and the adventures that ensue after her strict African mother discovers her plans.
Additional television projects she has been involved with include The Africa Channel and BET’s Comic View and the Martin Lawrence-produced, TV One series, Love That Girl. She also hosted a YouTube series called ”The Conversation”, presented by P4CM, whose channel boasts nearly 147K subscribers.
During her time between projects, Yvonne travels nationally and internationally for comedic performances. She is a celebrated stand-up comedian and has also been enlisted to host corporate and social engagements. Additionally, she has served as the entertainment correspondent for Black Star News.
Outside of her creative work, she is dedicated to her charitable efforts. In 2008 and 2009 she spent six months working in post-conflict Liberia, with Population Services International (PSI), an NGO that utilizes social marketing in the adoption of healthy behaviors. While in Liberia, she worked with a group of talented youth to help build a mentoring program as well as a weekly talk show that helped educate and prevent against the spread of teen pregnancy and HIV/AIDS. Yvonne has brought her work with the youth community back to the states, where she is currently involved in Anti-bullying campaigns and faith based youth ministries.
Before moving to Los Angeles, Yvonne earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a Masters of Public Health from George Washington University.
Jeremiah "J.J." Williamson
Hard work and enthusiasm has promoted Jeremiah (J.J.) Williamson into a very successful start in the entertainment industry. J.J. has proven that he is one of the most sought after rising stars in the industry today through his tenacity and willingness to perpetuate his talent to its highest level of excellence. J.J. is rapidly becoming nationally known and requested for both his comedy and acting abilities.
J.J. has accomplished his achievements in a very short period of time. He has worked with comedy giants such as Chris Tucker, D.L. Hughley, Rickey Smiley and Bruce Bruce. He is currently electrifying the stages across the country as the opening act of Cedric ”The Entertainer”. Jeremiah’s devotion to his art has indeed been rewarding. J.J. has graced the stages and entertained thousands at numerous popular venues such as the Los Angeles and Miami Improv, the Chicago House of Blues, Caroline’s of New York, the Comedy Store of Los Angeles and the Universal Amphitheater of Los Angeles.
J.J. has performed via the television circuit on ”The Monique Show”, ”Russell Simmons HBO Def Comedy Jam”, ”Comedy Central”, ”Showtime at the Apollo” and ”BET Comicview”. In 2000, J.J. earned his status among the comedy elite by winning the Bay Area Comedy Competition in Oakland, California.
J.J. has proven to show his versatility and stage presence which enabled him the opportunity to debut on the ”Big Screen” as Cousin Bowdie in the 2004 Blockbuster Film ”Johnson Family Vacation”. Jeremiah co-starred in the film with such actors as Cedric ”The Entertainer”, Vanessa Williams, Steve Harvey, Bow-Wow and the list goes on. He also starred in the comedy series ”Cedric The Entertainer Presents: The Platinum Comedy Series – Starting Line-Up, produced by Urban Works Entertainment. His ability to move the crowd with consistent delivery has given him an abundance of positive exposure and support in the field of entertainment.
Jeremiah launched his career in a spectacular manner and continues to escalate to the next level. J.J. and his sayings ”Az-U-Should” and ”I Pre-C-8 Dees Few Giggles Ya’ll Givin A Brotha” have become well known and well received by audiences both young and old! There is always at least one person in the audience that walks away mimicking his frequently gratuitous statement ”I Pre-C-8 Dees Few Giggles Ya’ll Givin A Brotha”. That statement alone, along with his ability to keep it real, has his audiences always wanting to come back for more laughs. There is no limit to the talent that J.J. displays. Once J.J.’s realism gets you laughing…all you want is more…”Az-U-Should”.
Fred Hammond
Fred Hammond (Film): For more than 35 years, music lovers around the world have known Grammy, Stellar, Dove, and NAACP Award Winning artist Fred Hammond as a gifted vocalist, songwriter, musician, producer and arranger. But as his peers and supporters alike including some of the world’s most notable figures including Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, and Chaka Khan have so reverently declared that Hammond is without debate the architect behind the creation of a phenomenon in Christian music, Urban Praise & Worship-a genre of music that did not exist prior. As a result, Fred Hammond has become one of the most respected names in the music industry! Throughout his professional career, Hammond has maintained a reputation for excellence and few gospel artists can boast of the consistency of sales, radio airplay and concert appearances that Hammond has achieved over the course of his career independent of the cross-over boost. As a solo artist, founder of the pioneering urban group, Commissioned, and his work with Radical for Christ combined, Fred has sold over 8 million albums and these endeavors have made him a mainstay on Billboard’s Gospel Chart top 10. His previous release {Pages of Life} Chapters I & II exceeded Double Platinum status and held the #1 position on the Billboard Gospel Charts for over 15 weeks. His 2006 project entitled Free To Worship earned him the highly esteemed Grammy Award, bombarded Billboard’s #1 position on the Gospel Charts and was hailed as one of the year’s best-selling albums!
Beyond Hammond’s individual success, his achievements as CEO of Face to Face Productions and the FHammond Music Label have placed him in a class by himself. Since their inception, Hammond has served as producer on more than 100 album projects, racking up numerous awards and nominations including the Grammy, BET, N.A.A.C.P. Image, Stellar, Dove, and GMWA Excellence Awards. His debut independent release entitled ”In Case You Missed… And Then Some” sold well over 200,000 copies.
Over the years, he went on to produce several other incredible specialty projects including his Jazz album Grandad Turner, the project dedicated to love, relationships, and marriage–God, Love, and Romance, and the formation of the United Tenors-an incredible, relevant yet nostalgic presentation of the ultimate, modern-day quartet with hit after hit, earning several stellar awards and nominations in 2013.
The pages continue to turn for the platinum recording artist! Hammond has taken his creative savvy to a higher level moving into from the stage to the big screen with the movie, The Gospel. This feature film was both Executive Produced and Inspired by Hammond, and boasted a stellar cast including Boris Kojo, Nona Gaye, Donnie McClurkin, Yolanda Adams, Hezekiah Walker and Martha Munizzi. His first independent film venture, ”Christmas…Who Needs It” written by Hammond and PamKenyon M. Donald, took first place at the 2009 Hollywood Black Film Festival, is hailed as ”…an intriguingly-hilarious dramedy which cleverly captures the true essence of Christmas,” and has found a home on multiple television networks around the world annually as a favored Christmas film during the holiday season!
In addition to Hammond’s studio career, he has continued to take his special brand of gospel to audiences around the world, performing an average of 30 weeks per year. Hammond has headlined thousands of concert dates with an average audience attendance of over 5,000, in addition to television appearances on the nationally syndicated Stellar Awards, Lou Rawls Parade of Stars, BET’s Celebration of Gospel, BET’s Walk of Fame, N.A.A.C.P.’s A Tribute to Stevie Wonder, 106 & Park and TBN’s highly-rated shows The Pat Boone Show, Praise The Lord, and The 700 Club. Hammond continues to find touring success year after year and shows no signs of slowing down, recently wrapping the highly successful, annual 50+ city FESTIVAL OF PRAISE TOUR, which he headlined along with Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker, Israel Houghton, and Kim Burrell. In 1997, he shared the stage with Kirk Franklin & Yolanda Adams performing before more than 500,000 people on The Tour of Life, the most successful tour in gospel music history! He also served as the Creative Director and Featured Artist on Walt ”Baby” Love’s Power 98, ALW’s The Living Proof and ALW’s The Shout 2000 Tours just to name a few.
Hammond continues to take the entertainment industry by storm! He co-wrote and directing the smash hit musical drama ”Been There, Done That” with America’s favorite TV Judge, Greg Mathis. As for Hammond’s acting career, this production merely rekindled the fire! In addition to his work on the hit plays ”Only The Strong” and the 2013 Broadway smash ”Cain and Abel” with JD Lawrence, Hammond has debuted in several Daimler-Chrysler commercials as well.
Among his multiple entrepreneurial successes, Hammond also launched the Urban Entertainment Company fHammond Family Entertainment, Inc. providing a complete portfolio of integrated entertainment services collectively addressing the exclusive needs of the urban family market with core offerings including: A film division releasing direct to-DVD titles; a music and book publishing division; an online multi-media website including radio programming and streaming video content; theatrical presentations; as well as continued perpetual music production from new and established artists.
In January 2014, the 55-year-old Detroit native’s faith was tested in a profoundly personal way: He underwent an excruciating double knee replacement surgery – the same procedure that claimed the life of his biological dad in the early ’90s – and as a result was unable to walk. Forced for months to rely on family members, friends and sometimes total strangers to get around – the experience was almost too much for the staunchly, self-reliant singer, who found it to be both excruciatingly painful and humiliating at times.
To cope during this dark, soul-searching period, the father of two leaned heavily on the Word and of course his beloved music, the result of which is I Will Trust, arguably the most intimate album of Hammond’s more than three decade-long career. A stunningly honest collection of songs balanced equally between stomp-worthy praise reports and deep, in-the-valley ballads, Hammond gathers his best and brightest – including go-to producers (and MD) Calvin Rodgers and Phillip Feaster- to deliver this powerfully transformative musical sermon. Hammond’s latest venture is nothing short of sheer excellence! WORSHIP JOURNAL LIVE debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart in October of 2016. This is Hammond’s first live recording in 17 years and is filled with the dynamic ministry and acclaimed live musicianship that has made him one of gospel’s most popular and influential artists over the past 30 years. Hammond never ceases to amaze as he consistently exceeds the bounds of mediocrity!