Spesh rewrites stand-up playbook

The company wants to break the streaming industry mold with alt-comedy specials.

- ANTHONY SOLORZANO

Photographs by KARLA GACHET For The Times AHMED BHAROOCHA performs at the Lyric Hyperion in Silver Lake on Nov. 22 for a stand-up comedy special filmed by Spesh.

Comedian Ahmed Bharoocha walks on stage at the Lyric Hyperion in Silver Lake to a sold-out show. The audience erupts with loud cheers as he grabs the mic and takes in the moment of his first special.

Director Andrew Max Levy pops in from backstage to stop filming and hush the audience and they come to a sudden stop. The director and the comedian embrace each other and Bharoocha thanks the audience for coming out.

And just like that, Spesh, a newly formed, L.A.-based production company and distributor of alternative comedy specials, wrapped the final shot of its third special of the year.

"I think we want to get it more regularly, like one a month would be our 2026 goal," said Sean Casey, producer of Spesh.

"Three in a year seems low for what we want to do," added Mike Bridenstine, general manager of the Lyric Hyperion and producer with the company.

Located in Silver Lake, Spesh strives to zag while everyone is zigging, said Jake Kroeger, one of the producers behind the alternative comedy troupe.

Conversations about starting the production company began in 2024 and went into 2025 among Casey, Bridenstine and Kroeger.

The three have been around the L.A. comedy scene for years and felt like it was time for a shake-up. They noticed streaming platforms were filled with specials that all looked and felt the same, stylistically speaking, creating a landfill of repetitive comedy.