Monday
Dusty Slay
Dusty has a smooth southern style that will make you feel so comfortable you have to laugh. Its like cornbread telling you jokes. He’s clever, quick witted and relatable.
Slay was born in Alabama, splitting his time living in a trailer park and on a farm. One would say he was born to be a comedian…or a meth addict. In 2004 Slay moved to Charleston, South Carolina where he began performing Improv Comedy. Improv led to stand up and that led to Dusty performing all over the country. Slay recently relocated to Nashville, where he can be seen performing stand up all over town.
“I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth, i was born with a plastic spoon in my mouth, and i was lucky to have that spoon” –Dusty Slay
Dusty has had the pleasure of working with several comedians such as: Jeffrey Ross, Jarrod Harris, Michael Ian Black, Pablo Francisco, Nate Bargatze, Keith Alberstadt, Josh Blue (Last Comic Standing), Jared Logan, Rory Scovel, Carly Aquilino and Jessimae Peluso (MTV’s Girl Code). Visit his website here. Follow him on twitter here.
Nicole Pence
Nicole Pence is an Emmy-nominated journalist living in Central Indiana.
Pence joined FOX59 in 2014 to help launch a brand new newscast, “FOX59 NewsPoint at 11PM.” NewsPoint will debut in the summer.
Most recently, the NATAS Lower Great Lakes chapter nominated Pence for an Emmy award for her work as a broadcast anchor in April of 2014.
Before coming to FOX59, Pence solo anchored Indianapolis’ number-one rated weekend morning program, Weekend Sunrise on WTHR. Pence helped to increase ratings nearly twenty percent year to year. Pence left WTHR in November of 2013.
Previously, Pence was nominated for a 2010 regional Emmy Award for her work at WLEX-TV in Lexington, Kentucky as the main morning co-anchor. Pence also received second-place honors as “Best News Anchor” in the 2011 Kentucky Associated Press Awards.
Prior to working at LEX-18, Pence reported for Indiana’s NewsCenter (NBC/ABC/CW) in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
A midwestern girl, Pence grew up in Columbus, Indiana. She graduated Cum Laude from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana with a double major in Communication Arts & Sciences and Spanish and a minor in Political Science. She also earned her Master’s of Public Affairs (MPA) from Indiana University-Purdue University at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs Indianapolis with high honors.
In her spare time, Pence loves to travel. She lived with a family in Segovia, Spain, studied cooking in Italy, climbed the Great Wall in Beijing, China, crawled through the Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, and tangoed in Argentina!
Pence is involved with several Central Indiana organizations, including Make-A-Wish, Pacers Cares, and the DePauw University Alumni Association. Follow her on twitter.
Guest Host: Scott Potasnik
Scott Potasnik’s adventures as a “Sexpert” started early, when, at age 23, he was hired as the fresh-faced young host and senior producer of Playboy TV’s hit series Sexcetera. For the next seven years, Scott traveled the globe reporting on every bizarre aspect of human sexuality known to man. From folks who have sex with balloons (“Looners”), to the underground brothels of Brazil, to the world’s largest outdoor swinger’s campout, “Swingstock,” all the way to Tokyo’s massive fetish party, “Torture Garden,” Scott has seen it all. And today, he is known as the go-to-guy when it comes exploring the comedic side of human sexuality. Scott on Facebook and twitter.
Tuesday
Jeff Bodart
Jeff Bodart got in to stand-up comedy back in 2001, and hasn’t looked back since. He’s performed in clubs across the country, working with a number of the biggest names in comedy. Jeff’s style is so relatable you will feel you know him. Being the youngest in his family has prepared him for a life of comedy. His animated and goofy demeanor combined with edgy quips covering his dating life, working out, his favorite food of cheese sticks, and the fact that he could never be on “Survivor” makes for some great laughs for anyone watching his show. Jeff’s comedy album, “They’re Still in the Can” and podcast, “Sticky Candy” can be found on iTunes. Follow Jeff on twitter. Visit his website here.
Costaki Economopoulos
Costaki Economopoulos is a comedian, true, but he’s also a football fan. Those two factors alone make him the perfect candidate to give us a comedic look back at the NFL each week with his new feature that’s also been picked up by The Huffington Post and Bleacher Report. With his Greek heritage, it’s not surprising that he’s been described as a “joke philosopher,” and we’re sure he’s not the only one saying that. Costaki is also a talented joke writer who’s punchlines have been heard on “The Tonight Show,” Showtime, BET, and MTV. Follow Costaki on facebook and twitter. Visit his website here.
Thursday:
Mike Birbiglia
Mike Birbiglia is not only a popular and successful stand-up comedian, he’s also starred in the one-man off-Broadway shows “Sleepwalk With Me” and “My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend,” is the author of the book, “ Sleepwalk With Me And Other Painfully True Stories,” and wrote, starred in and directed the film Sleepwalk with Me (which was based on his one-man-show, which in turn was based on his real life experiences). The film received much critical acclaim and also won the the Best Of NEXT audience award at the Sundance Film Festival. Mike is currently back out on tour. You can follow Mike on twitter and facebook. Visit his website here. (Photo Credit: Brian Friedman)
Teresa Mackin
Teresa Mackin is a multiplatform journalist at WISH-TV. She started in January, 2012.
Teresa’s career started in the small town of Wausau, Wisconsin, at WAOW. Her next stop brought her back to Madison, Wisconsin, where she anchored both the morning and evening shows on the weekend, and reported during the week. Her story on a country music singer from Madison earned a ‘Best Feature’ award from the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association.
Teresa is originally from Green Bay, Wisconsin (Go Packers!). She earned her degree in Journalism and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She’s grown to love Indianapolis, and all it has to offer. With family and friends here, she’s excited to call the Hoosier state home. Follow her on Twitter.
Friday:
Etta May
What’s the best way to describe Etta May? “Minnie Pearl with a migraine.” To put it simply, when Etta May takes the stage, she is the reigning Queen of Southern Sass. She reflects “You know you’re getting fat when you sit in the bathtub and the water in the toilet rises!”
Born and raised in Bald Knob, Arkansas, Etta May grew up alongside nine older brothers, who referred to their baby sister as “the human sacrifice.” In fact, Etta May’s parents – her father, a potpourri farmer, and her mother, bedridden by constant childbearing, – did not realize Etta May was a girl until she required a training bra.
Etta May met her husband, Delbert, an aspiring truck driver, at a friend’s kegger. From across the yard their eyes locked in a love look. Nine months later, she was blessed with a boy, followed by a girl and two more boys. “That’s where my comedy comes from. I just wait for my husband or kids to do something stupid, and then I write it down.”
Through the years, Etta May had a string of dead end jobs. She faithfully drove a school bus for over 10 years. She says she learned how to handle unruly kids by Armor All-ing the seats, and touching the brakes, all the way home. One night, while volunteering as a BINGO caller, she recalls, “the ball sucker got stuck, and I was forced to entertain a room full of angry Catholics. It was then I realized I could make people laugh.” Etta May, will take you on a redneck ride through the Deep South.
Etta May won the prestigious American Comedy Awards: “Stand-Up Comic of the Year,” and has appeared on Oprah, Comic Strip Live, MTV, and as a guest commentator on “CBS Sunday Morning.”
Etta May headlines the most successful all female “Southern Fried Chicks Tour”. Selling out theatres all over the country. Think Blue Collar Comedy Tour with better hair! Etta May appeared on CMT’s “Comedy Stage”, plus co-produced “Southern Fried Chicks” for CMT. She was also the subject and first female comic ever on the biography show, “Comedy Club.” She joins the elite comedy company of Ron White, Larry the Cable Guy and Jeff Foxworthy, who are also featured in this series.
In addition to television, Etta May is a regular on the syndicated Bob & Tom radio show and a regular on XM and Sirius Radio’s comedy channels. Follow her on twitter. Visit her website.
Sean Donnelly
When he’s not catching a nap with his bulldog, Rickles, Sean can be found headlining clubs all over New York, including Caroline’s, Gotham, Stand Up NY, and The Stand. He has appeared on MTV’s World of Jenks and The Late Show with David Letterman. Sean was a Comic Stand-Off finalist at the 2010 Magners Comedy Festival, performed at the Bridgetown Comedy Festival in 2011 and 2012, was a semi-finalist in the 2012 Boston Comedy Festival competition, and performed at Comedy Central’s 2013 South Beach Comedy Festival. Sean was a Montreal Just For Laughs “New Face” in 2013. He co-hosts the podcast My Dumb Friends with fellow comedian Dan St. Germain, soon to be broadcast on Comedy Central Sirius, and hosts a weekly show at Alligator Lounge in Brooklyn. Sean can be seen regularly on the TruTV series World’s Dumbest and on the forthcoming season of Adam Devine’s House Party on Comedy Central. Follow him on twitter. Visit his website.
Drew Blair
Drew Blair is a weekend Daybreak anchor/reporter. She started as a general assignment reporter at WISH-TV in March, 2013.
Drew worked for six and a half years in Fort Wayne, In at WISH-TV’s sister station, WANE. This first workplace allowed her to grow under one roof, in a career where many associates were bouncing from job to job across the country. Name the position and Drew likely carried its title in Fort Wayne. She became known as a “Jill of all trades,” and the “newsroom’s Swiss Army knife” having worked as a photographer, producer, fill-in weather personality, reporter and lastly anchor.
She loves variety and that’s what draws her to the unique opportunity to cover news that changes every day, every hour. She feels honored to do so for the community she calls home.
Born and raised in Indianapolis, Drew graduated from Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School and went on to earn a degree in Telecommunications from Indiana University in Bloomington.
Honored for both reporting and producing; Drew’s work has been awarded by the Society of Professional Journalists and the Associated Press. She is most proud, however, of being recognized by her colleagues. In 2009, her peers selected me as a LIN Media Circle of Excellence winner which is the corporation’s employee of the year designation.
Drew, her husband, and their 90 pounds of love (a German Shepherd named Jager) are thrilled to be living in Indy again. When not gathering the news that matters most, she enjoys traveling, attending concerts, doing anything outdoors and hysterically cheering on those Indiana Hoosiers! Follow Drew on Twitter @DrewBlairTV.
