no laughing matter*:
comedy & the first amendment
A Conversation with comedians and Industry Professionals
Join us for conversation, cocktails & networking with a live, in-person panel of comedians and other industry professionals discussing how their profession is dealing with the current cultural conversation around free speech.
Date: Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Time: 6:30 to 9:30 pm ET (US and Canada)
Venue: The Players, 16 Gramercy Park South, New York, NY 10003
Open bar. Space is limited and advance purchase is required. No tickets will be sold at the door. You must be 21 or older to attend this event. Smart casual dress.
*While this is a serious topic, the National Institute cannot guarantee that laughter will not occur. Attendees are strongly encouraged to bring a sense of humor.
The comedians
Gabby Bryan is a New York-based stand-up comedian, actress, Emmy-award-winning producer, and overall girlie girl. Currently performing across the US and UK to sold-out crowds with her tour, Gabby Bryan is My Best Friend. Gabby recently brought her Fringe hit Billy and the Situation to Union Hall, garnering praise in the NYT. Her crowd-work special Girl Town Hall is currently streaming on YouTube. On the film side, she performed alongside Olivia Wilde and Oscar Isaac in “Life Itself” (Amazon Prime). Gabby co-hosts "L'Podcast" with comedian Zack Signore, which has built a global audience, as well as the "Let Me Ask My Dad” Podcast with musician and composer David Bryan, a member of the group Bon Jovi. She is wildly popular on social media with over 500K followers, sharing viral stand-up clips & comedy sketches.
Brittany Carney began comedy in Washington, DC. She has appeared on HBO’s Fantasmas and That Damn Michael Che, and has written for various shows on Adult Swim. She is listed as one of Vulture’s Comedians You Should and Will Know, and her standup is featured in Comedy Central and Don’t Tell Platforms. Her special, That Is My Horse, is available on Youtube and Apple TV. Brittany has a master's degree in Public Education from American University.
Jena Friedman is an Academy Award-nominated writer and comedian. She is the creator of Soft Focus on Adult Swim and True Crime Story: Indefensible on AMC+. Her writing credits include Borat 2: Subsequent Movie Film, Good Sports with Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson on Amazon, Nobody Wants This on Netflix, The Conners on ABC and The Late Show with David Letterman. She was also field producer on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart from 2012 through the end of his tenure in 2015, where she wrote and directed field pieces. She's a contributing writer to The New Yorker and her first book, Not Funny: Essays on Life, Comedy, Culture, Etc., recently published by Simon & Schuster, is a national bestseller. Additionally, she has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Conan on TBS, The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, and in the Sundance hit Palm Springs.
Zach Zimmerman is a comedian, TV writer, and author who has appeared on Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me, The Late Late Show, Watch What Happens Live, and After Midnight. Zimmerman’s first comedy album, “Clean Comedy,” debuted on the Billboard Top 10, and Zach's first comedy special “Surprise Me" was named a Vulture Comedy Special You Should Definitely Watch. Their first book, “Is It Hot in Here? (Or Am I Suffering for All Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth?),” was named a Barnes & Noble Best Book of 2023. Zimmerman’s humor pieces and essays have been published by McSweeney’s, Vulture, The Washington Post and The New Yorker.
The talent buyer
Louis Faranda is the head talent buyer for the New York Comedy Festival. Louis was also the head booker for the iconic comedy club Carolines on Broadway for over 40 years, giving hundreds of famous comedians their start in the comedy industry.
The moderator
Ethan Shanfeld is an award-winning comedy reporter at Variety, where he also covers television, film and music. He has written extensively about entertainment, culture and media for both Variety.com and the weekly print magazine. Shanfeld has penned cover stories on Miley Cyrus, the Diddy trial, Disney and more. Prior to joining Variety in 2021, he wrote for publications such as Pitchfork, Nylon and MTV News. Shanfeld graduated from Northwestern University with a double degree in journalism and legal studies.