From Festival Champion to Viral Comic: Matt Kinney's Journey After Winning the San Gabriel Valley Comedy Festival
Matt Kinney earned the Judge's Pick Award at the 2025 San Gabriel Valley Comedy Festival, rising above nearly 80 comedians in a series of competitive showcases to win over the festival's judging panel. Known for his sharp joke writing, dark humor, and unique perspective, Matt has continued to gain momentum since his festival victory, with stand-up clips reaching hundreds of thousands of viewers online and helping establish him as a rising comedy voice on TikTok. In 2026, Matt returns to the San Gabriel Valley Comedy Festival as a headliner, performing Thursday, August 27 at 9 p.m. at Astronaut City.
From Audience Favorite to Festival Headliner: Alex Durazzo's Rise in Southern California Comedy
Alex Durazzo won the Audience Award at the 2025 San Gabriel Valley Comedy Festival, earning the support of both comedy fans and fellow performers. Since then, he has continued to build momentum throughout Southern California, producing sold-out pop-up comedy shows and hosting the weekly Makeshift Mic at Astronaut City. In 2026, Alex returns to the San Gabriel Valley Comedy Festival not as a contestant, but as a headliner, performing Tuesday, August 25 at 9 p.m.
SAN GABRIEL VALLEY COMEDY FESTIVAL ALUMNI:
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Ai Yoshihara
Ai Yoshihara competed in the 2025 San Gabriel Valley Comedy Festival. She later went on to join the New Joke City troupe, which was included in the 2026 Netflix Is a Joke Festival.
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Alex Durazzo
Alex Durazzo won the 2025 San Gabriel Valley Comedy Festival Award Award. He is now headlining the 2026 San Gabriel Valley Comedy Festival and produces a weekly open mic at Astronaut City.
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Matt Kinney
Matt Kinney won the 2025 San Gabriel Valley Comedy Festival Judge’s Pick, where he received votes from judges including Modern Family executive producer Danny Zuker and talent agent Adam Lieblein. He is now headlining the 2026 San Gabriel Valley Comedy Festival and has gone viral on social media.
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Mat Salud
Mat Salud was a finalist in the 2025 San Gabriel Valley Comedy Festival. He now produces a monthly show at Astronaut City called “A Very Asian Time of Our Lives” and he is hosting the 2026 San Gabriel Valley Comedy Festival. He was also a featured performer for New Joke City at Astronaut City, which was included in the 2026 Netflix Is a Joke Festival.
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Greg Sanchez
Greg Sanchez was a quarterfinalist in the 2025 San Gabriel Valley Comedy Festival. He is now the producer of the Makeshift Mic at Astronaut City and headlines all over Los Angeles.
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Nisreen Soufi
Nisreen Soufi was a semifinalist in the San Gabriel Valley Comedy Festival 2025, and she has since become a regular performer at Astronaut City, including winning the title of Karaoke Champion.
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Jon Kim
Jon Kim competed in the 2025 San Gabriel Valley Comedy Festival. He later went on to perform at Astronaut City’s New Joke City show, which was featured in the 2026 Netflix Is a Joke Festival.
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Erik Escobar
Erik Escobar was a quarterfinalist in the 2025 San Gabriel Valley Comedy Festival, and he is now headlining the 2026 San Gabriel Comedy Festival. He has previously appeared on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, Ted Talk, Fox’s I Can See Your Voice, and headlines around the country.
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Jamie Acevedo
Jamie Acevedo competed in the 2025 San Gabriel Valley Comedy Festival, where he was scouted by Astronaut City bookers. He recently performed at Astronaut City’s Netflix Is a Joke Festival inclusion, New Joke City.
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James Graves
James Graves was a quarterfinalist in the 2025 San Gabriel Valley Comedy Festival, and he now produces a monthly show at Astronaut City called Evil Genius.
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Corinna Yee
Corinna Yee competed in the 2025 San Gabriel Valley Comedy Festival, and she has since went on to perform regularly at Astronaut City.
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Mitch Narito
Mitch Narito competed in the 2025 San Gabriel Valley Comedy Festival, and he is currently the producer of Karaoke Comedy Allstars, a hit monthly show at Astronaut City.
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Joey Massaro
Joey Massaro competed in the 2025 San Gabriel Valley Comedy Festival, where he was scouted by Astronaut City bookers. He is now a regular performer at Astronaut City and was featured in the 2026 Netflix Is a Joke Festival at Astronaut City.
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Erick Esteban
Erick Esteban competed in the 2025 San Gabriel Valley Comedy Festival, and he is currently the producer of Karaoke Comedy Allstars, a hit monthly show at Astronaut City.
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Teresa!
Teresa! competed in the 2025 San Gabriel Valley Comedy Festival, and she has since moved on to hosting at Astronaut City, including the 2026 San Gabriel Valley Comedy Festival.