With the help of Bilt Rewards, Matt Friend is bringing comedy back to the neighborhood!
PEOPLE can exclusively reveal that the comedian, 26, has teamed up with the renter rewards program to announce a new addition to its Neighborhood Benefits program. Friend has been named Director of Bilt Rewards Comedy Experience and will help organize a comedy series for Rewards members that brings local communities together in favorite venues.
From “historic restaurants to hidden gems,” Friend and Bilt Rewards will transform them into “intimate venues for comedians for an unforgettable night” and recruit local up-and-coming stand-up acts as well as established comedy legends.
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“I’m incredibly incredibly excited to announce this and tell America about this new series we’re going to be doing,” Friend told PEOPLE exclusively. “We’re basically going to bring communities together through laughter — not to sound corny, but it’s true!”
“We’re going to create a series of amazing comedy shows in locations that you wouldn’t necessarily expect to see comedy around the country,” he continues, adding that users in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and Washington DC will have access to these experiences.
In addition to the laughs, each event will include select light bites and complimentary beverages for award-winning members.
Matt Friend at the 2024 LACMA Art+Film Gala at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on November 2, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty
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The famed impresario says the first show will take place at Lucali, an upscale restaurant in Brooklyn, New York, and will feature an “amazing line-up of comedians.”
“It’ll be a mix of up-and-coming comedians. We’ll also have the occasional big name celebrity pop in and do a set,” he teases.
Friend also shares how his new partnership with Bilt Rewards hits a spot close to home.
“I’m really excited because this is also how I got into standup and comedy when I was in school at NYU,” he explains. “And we’re really going to focus on that sense of neighborhood, just for the Bilt members to experience the comedy [in a way] people haven’t experienced before.”
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Matt Friend speaks onstage during the 2024 NHL Awards at BleauLive Theater at Fontainebleau Las Vegas on June 27, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty
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“Let’s face it – life is too short for boring rewards programs,” Bilt Rewards CEO and founder Ankur Jain said in a press release. “That’s why we’re turning your neighborhood into a stage with Bilt’s series of neighborhood comedic experiences. Because what’s better than earning points to pay your rent? Laughing so hard you forget you just paid your rent.”
Bilt Rewards members can catch a friend and other hilarious comedians at these carefully selected events throughout December.
New York City: December 10 at Lucali
New York City: December 11 at Stephan Weiss Studio
Washington, DC: December 8, 1789
Boston: December 9 at Yvonne’s
Chicago: December 15 at Lazy Bird
Los Angeles: December 18 at Manuela
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Bilt members can buy up to two tickets per show exclusively in the Bilt app. Tickets will go on sale November 27th at 12:00pm EST along with this month’s other Rental Day benefits, with early access for Platinum members at 11:50am EST.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education