Go Fact Yourself LIVE with Sierra Katow and Josh McDermitt
- The Crawford, 474 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena
Go Fact Yourself – “the podcast where we quiz the smartest celebrities we know, and find out why they love what they love” – is back at The Crawford! The show will be recorded as a podcast, but you'll be able to see and hear it weeks before the rest of the world.
Hosts J. Keith van Straaten (he/him) and Helen Hong (she/her) will welcome standup comic, writer, and actor Sierra Katow (she/her) and actor Josh McDermitt (he/him), plus super-secret special experts to try to stump them in their self-proclaimed areas of expertise.
Register for free for general admission or reserve a guaranteed seat for $20. Concessions available starting at 6 p.m.
This program may contain some mature language or themes.
ABOUT SIERRA KATOW
Sierra Katow is a standup comic, writer, and actor who recently released her debut comedy special, Funt, with Comedy Dynamics available on Amazon Prime, AppleTV, YouTube, and more. She can be seen in the upcoming PBS series Roots of Comedy with Jesus Trejo and plays Evangeline on Mindy Kaling's The Sex Lives of College Girls on Max. Previously, she was a part of the main cast of The G Word with Adam Conover on Netflix, voiced characters in Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon, and performed standup on Last Comic Standing (NBC), Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC), Just For Laughs Digital, FOX, and MTV. She was a writer/co-producer for the upcoming Comedy Central series Golden Axe and has written for Exploding Kittens (coming soon to Netflix), Close Enough (HBOMax), Earth To Ned (Disney+), Eureka! (Disney+), and more.
ABOUT JOSH MCDERMITT
Josh starred on AMC’s record breaking hit The Walking Dead. He played the ‘Eugene Porter,’ one of the longest-surviving core cast members on the series. The drama, developed by Frank Darabont, is based off the comic book series of the same name and follows a group of survivors finding their way through a post-apocalyptic world dominated by zombies.
Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Josh was raised in an eclectic family, full of life and practical jokesters. While some kids grow up playing at the park, taking a ride in a boat at the lake, or riding ATV’s, Josh’s family had a hot air balloon, which not only entrained their family but most of the neighborhood as well. By sixteen years old Josh was a licensed pilot so he could fly the balloon- something his family still has today. Josh never had aspirations to be in the entertainment business; growing up he wanted to be a police officer or detective. Yet he fell into the radio industry at an early age, working at the local radio station at fourteen years old, where he began to discover his voice creating characters. Josh attended Grand Canyon University where he majored in Marketing and Public Relations, while he continued to work in radio.
After college and after working at the radio station for over ten years, Josh wanted to try his hand in stand-up comedy. He had friends who were performing regularly at The Tempe Improv, and he thought, why not give it a shot. He quickly became addicted to being in front of an audience, telling jokes about his crazy, creative family and life experiences. Within two years of doing shows around town, he auditioned for NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” and made it to the semi-finals. As one of the 50 comics picked nationwide, the show put him on the map in the comedy world and he decided to go on the road full time. Josh toured with some of the best, opening for Joe Rogan, Louis CK, and Dave Attell. However deep down, his aspirations to branch outside of the comedy circuit grew stronger, and he knew he needed to move to Los Angeles to pursue work in film and television. While auditioning for TV roles, Josh did stand-up comedy on the side to pay the bills.
In 2011, Josh landed a series regular role on TV Land’s Retired at 35. For two seasons he starred as ‘Brandon,’ pool man and best friend to ‘Dave,’ a man who decides to quit the corporate rate race in New York City and retire in Florida at age 35. The series also presented Josh with the opportunity to work with some of the greats in acting, Oscar Nominee George Segal, and Emmy Award Winner Jessica Walter. After 20 episodes of Retired at 35, Josh landed his next acting gig, a role on the hit AMC series The Walking Dead.
When not working, Josh is a writer and is working on pitching and developing several projects. He has a love for charity and actively supports several organizations, including the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, and various foundations that support Pancreatic Cancer Research. In his down time you can catch Josh playing basketball, fishing, golfing, and cooking. He is also a self-proclaimed mixologist, and loves to try and mix all kinds of drinks. Josh currently lives in Los Angeles.
ABOUT J. KEITH VAN STRAATEN
J. Keith van Straaten is a content producer/writer for TV game shows, including The Hustler, Master Minds, Funny You Should Ask and In the USA Today, and wrote trivia questions for Bally Sports. He was also a longtime senior writer on NPR’s Ask Me Another.
Previously, he wrote many of the games on GSN’s Chain Reaction and the iPhone trivia app Arena. He created and hosted the live matchmaking show The Fix-Up Show, as well as hosting What’s My Line? – Live On Stage and Comedy Central’s Beat The Geeks.
J. Keith has appeared on Best Week Ever, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Beverly Hills, 90210, and a deleted scene in Gilmore Girls.
As a journalist, J. Keith has written about COVID and comedy for the Los Angeles Times, points and miles for ThePointsGuy.com, and theatre for tdf Stages magazine.
J. Keith has two cats and is an avid Angels fan.
ABOUT HELEN HONG
A fan favorite on the hit NPR podcast Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, Helen Hong also co-hosts the celebrity trivia game show podcast Go Fact Yourself. Helen's acting credits include roles on Never Have I Ever, Silicon Valley, the Jennifer Garner Christmas movie Family Switch, and 5 seasons of The Thundermans on Nickelodeon.
A long-time touring standup comedian, Helen's comedy special Well Hong was co-produced by Comedy Dynamics and Tribeca Film Festival, and is streaming now on Amazon Prime & Apple TV+. Audiences love Helen's lightning quick crowd-work which can be seen on her Instagram and TikTok @funnyhelenhong.
A breast cancer survivor, Helen makes light of her cancer experience (and her "fresh new boobies") onstage. She also brings light to Asian-American issues with her family's YouTube channel "Old Korean Dad Stories."
If you bring Helen a Topo Chico and a mini Snickers bar, she will love you FOREVER.
ACCOMMODATIONS
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