The Producers

Joe Lang

Joe is the founder and executive producer of Tumbleweed Productions, an event production & marketing company specializing in producing Festivals and Special Events since 1996, serving as one of the founding Directors for HBO’s U.S. Comedy Arts Festival (USCAF) in 1995. Lang oversaw all operations & communications for the 13-year run of USCAF thru 2007 with the event becoming the premiere summit in the comedy industry. Lang served as Executive Director of the 501c3 organization Jazz Aspen Snowmass (JAS) in 2011, and had served as Director of Festivals & Education Programs since 1997, creating Festivals in both Aspen & Snowmass, Colorado as well as Sonoma , California (Sonoma Jazz+ 2005-2011). Lang also created & produced education programs under the JAS banner (JAS Academy & LEI Programs), and with the Thelonious Monk Institute, Jazz@Lincoln Center and the Berklee College of Music.

Laura Albers

Laura is a sales and marketing veteran who builds brands and creates original content for Fortune 100 companies. A former executive at HBO, The Daily Beast, Magna Global Entertainment and Warner Bros., Laura has successfully grown start-ups and created new revenue-generating divisions for top media companies. With a passion for music, sports and entertainment she has a track record of providing brands with authentic live, digital and experiential connections to their consumers. Credits: The Comedy Festival (HBO),USCAF (HBO), Hard Rock Live presented by American Express (Warner Bros/VH1), Sessions at West 54th (Warner Bros/PBS), Emmy-nominated Johnson & Johnson Spotlight Presentation film series (Magna/TNT), and the critically-acclaimed Women in the World Summit (The Daily Beast).

Kevin Haasarud

Kevin is a partner at Liquid Architecture, a beverage consultancy founded by James Beard-honored mixologist & author Kim Haasarud.  Prior to this he was a producer of original programming for new media, cable, and special events. He is the former head of production for iconic comedy filmmaker Jerry Zucker’s new media company. Kevin was also the director of the film component of HBO’s renowned US Comedy Arts Festival, the A-list comedy event held annually in Aspen. The festival regularly featured such luminaries as Monty Python, Robin Williams, Mike Nichols, Barry Levinson, Jerry Lewis, Jerry Seinfeld, Norman Lear, and attracted over three thousand industry attendees over the four-day period. Kevin got his start in development and production at HBO Original Programming, and was involved in award-winning programs such as The Larry Sanders Show, Def Comedy Jam, Bill Maher’s Politically Incorrect, The Ben Stiller Show, Dennis Miller Live, and over 100 comedy specials.

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