The Hillcrest Center for the Arts was the host to four professional stand-up comedians on Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. The event Hashtag Comedy comes to Thousand Oaks every month to present some talented comics from the Los Angeles area. The show lasted for 90 minutes and the audience was comprised of adults eighteen and older.

The show was produced and created by Julia Jasiunas. She is originally from Conejo Valley and wants to expose her hometown to many talented comics that she collaborates with. She is a comedian, actress, dancer singer and songwriter to complete her resumé as an all-around performer. She has performed at a multitude of Hollywood hot spots including The Comedy Store, Westside Comedy Theatre and The Lyric Theatre.

“I created this event when it began in April of 2014. We brought a lot of comics from many different places. We feature comics from all over the country, east and west coast,” Jasiunas said. “This area needed higher caliber comics in Ventura County. The Hillcrest Center for the Arts is comparable to many clubs in Los Angeles and I think the venue is perfect for the event.”

The first comic of the night was Jeffrey Baldinger. He regularly performs on both coasts and can be seen at clubs in both Los Angeles and New York. His main venues are The World Famous Comedy Store and Hollywood Improv.

“I loved the venue and hope to come back soon. I love the line -up we had tonight and Tobe was amazing,” Baldinger said. “It’s good to see this comedic talent here in Ventura County.”

The next performer was 32-year-old Ventura County native named Bill Dixon. He is a writer as well as comedian and performs throughout the Los Angeles area. His work includes appearances on television, radio and stage. His comedic writings have been featured in Time Magazine, CNN, the Today Show, Fox News and Yahoo News. He also performs stand-up comedy at The Comedy Store and Westside Comedy Theatre.

“I’m 32 and doing stand-up so I guess things worked out,” Dixon said. “I enjoyed the venue and thought the audience was great.”

Christopher Bryant was the third stand-up comic to take the stage. His work involves most children’s television and he appeared on Cartoon Network. He can be seen on numerous national commercials and spots on ESPN. His act was the final performance before the headline comic.

Tobe Hixx was the headline performer for the night. Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, Hixx connected with the crowd to elevate the hilarity of his act. According to his Facebook page, he now regularly performs in Los Angeles and the Hollywood area. His performance was the longest of the night and created many laughs for the Thousand Oaks audience. He connected with the audience and interacted with the people in attendance.

Hixx’s comedy career, according to Facebook, began in San Diego, California where he was voted “San Diego’s Funniest Man.” He has performed all over the United States as well as 15 different countries. He performed in front of the U.S. Military in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has been featured in sketches on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Doctors, Operation Repo and 1000 Ways to Die.
He now regularly does stand-up shows in the Hollywood area and resides in Studio City, California.

The Hashtag Comedy show will come to the Ventura County area every month to showcase new talent. Make sure you stay tuned for these upcoming comedy events.

Jeff Rebello
Staff Writer
Published October 21st, 2015