Columbia College Chicago alumnus Brad Kemp ’12, a graduate of the Columbia College Chicago Music Department‘s Bachelor of Music Composition program who also took courses in the Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department’s Musical Theatre program, is a member of the Chicago-based comedy trio Handsome Naked, which will perform in the premiere of NBC’s new series Bring the Funny on Tuesday, July 9. Handsome Naked formed in Chicago in 2013. According to an article published July 8, 2019, in the Chicago Tribune, Bring the Funny features four rounds of competition: Open mic, comedy clash, showcase and the live finale for viewer votes. The winner is slated to receive $250,000 and a performance slot at next year’s Just for Laughs festival.

Handsome Naked specializes in comedy rap. “It’s a hard thing to find an avenue for, and Bring the Funny was one of the first shows where we were like, ‘Ohmigosh, this show was sort of designed for us,’ ” Kemp told the Tribune. The trio’s new album Doors is due out July 19, and the group is scheduled to perform on July 22 at Subterranean, located at 2011 W. North in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood.