about us

Damon Williams, one of the hottest young comedian/actor in the nation, was first discovered at Chicago’s All Jokes Aside comedy club in the early ‘90’s. Damon’s popularity quickly escalated when he began making several television appearances on cable networks such as BET, Comedy Central, and HBO. Damon’s one-hour special on BET’s ComicView lead him to other television opportunities with the Jenny Jones Show and Showtime at the Apollo. In 1999, Damon established himself as one of the elite comics in the nation when he performed for over 300,000 fans as the opening act for the highly successful Kings of Comedy Tour. Other major performances include the US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen (2000) and Cedric the Entertainer’s Comedy Revue. His starring role in the hit musical comedy tour "Laughin' on the Outside Cryin' on the Inside" generated standing ovations every performance.

His popularity has provided him the opportunity to work with some of the biggest stars in the business. Some of these stars include Aretha Franklin, Pattie Labelle, Luther Vandross, Ray Charles, Harry Belafonte, James Brown, Chris Rock and even Little Richard. And finally, you can catch Damon performing every first Saturday of the month at Funny First Saturdays .

 

Steve Capers, president and founder of Knock-Knock Productions, is the co-producer and co-promoter of Funny First Saturdays. Steve’s entry into the entertainment industry began in 1993 when he became an executive at Black Entertainment Television (BET) in Los Angeles, California. Steve’s primary duty with BET was to promote programming shows such as Video Soul, Teen Summit and Rap City. However, working directly with the producers of Comic View (back in the day when DL Hughley was the host) is where Steve gained access and insight into the comedy world.

Following a successful career at BET, Steve was recruited in 1998 by Comedy Central to head up their regional office in Chicago. While at Comedy Central, Steve had the opportunity to plan several comedy events that featured nationally-acclaimed comedians and personalities such as Jon Stewart, Lewis Black, Ben Stein, Bill Cosby, Sinbad and many more. In 2003, Steve departed Comedy Central and began producing comedy events for corporations, non-profit organizations and colleges & universities. His list of clients includes Bowe Bell & Howell, North Carolina A&T, and Millikin University.

It wasn’t until January of 2005, when Steve began strategizing with Damon Williams on how they should promote the Funny First Saturday concept. Since then, Steve has been an integral part with revitalizing comedy in Chicago.