July 7th COMEDY
I like to think that my comedy is similar to what would happen if Kyle and Cartman from South Park merged into one person and did stand-up comedy. I aspire to be clever, silly, poignant and juvenile. I always try to perform with passion and enthusiasm, and expose the audience to my uniquely hilarious (hopefully) perspective.
Before joke-telling, my passion was gymnastics (insert your own joke). I started attempting front flips (unsuccessfully) at four years old, and I was fortunate enough to compete for the gymnastics team at Stanford University. Unfortunately, a couple of surgeries, a bad shoulder, and a lack of talent derailed my Olympic dreams, and I was forced to make new goals.
While rehabilitating from my first injury at Stanford, I became involved with the Stanford Upward Bound program, where I tutored and counseled local high school students. I worked at Upward Bound for only four years, but I will forever be connected to my UB family (insert cheesy music). Working in the field of education taught me that enriching the lives of others is much more fulfilling than achieving selfish personal goals (maybe I just want you to think I am nice).
After graduating from Stanford, I moved to San Francisco, where I worked as a college counselor by day, and attempted stand-up comedy at some extremely unglamorous venues at night (e.g. laundromats, empty coffee shops, and dive bars). I spent about a year in San Francisco hanging out at comedy shows, constantly writing jokes, riding the bus, and trying to convince hundreds of high school students to pursue higher education. After being verbally accosted by a few homeless people - including the time when an old, shirtless, homeless man wearing a skirt threatened to attack me at a gas station - I returned to my native Los Angeles to further my comedy career.
Since moving to LA, I have been lucky enough to travel the country as a comedian and perform at the top comedy clubs in Los Angeles. I was one of the headliners on The New Generation of Comedy Tour, and I perform at clubs, colleges, and theaters across the country. Recently, I co-created The Perfect Pair game show which I co-host at colleges nationwide. Also, I have made appearances on a few forgettable television shows, if that impresses you.
In the future, I hope to be able to continue performing, and have audiences keep laughing at the stuff I make up. Also, I hope to make all my current and future agents and managers tons of money (in case they are reading this).
"Jose Barrientos never took life seriously, compelling him to pull pranks even in the most serious of situations. One such situation was during his College Speech 101 class. For an entire semester (4 Months), Barrientos faked a typical Hispanic immigrant accent, bringing such things as massive sombreros, and pinatas to class... but what started as a prank quickly turned into a social experiment. Overnight the Prank Video became an internet sensation gaining more than 2 million views, and international media attention. Shortly after its viral success, Jose and the Prank were featured in ABC's 20/20 as part of their Prank Segment. Pushing the limits of social norms, and preconceived notions of foreign culture, Barrientos now tours around the country sharing what he learned about cultural diversity behind the mask of a foreign immigrant."
