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Latham is widely regarded as one of the most successful comedy tour promoters in the country, responsible for promoting such known comedic talents as Chris Tucker, Martin Lawrence, D.L. Hughley, Cedric “The Entertainer”, Bernie Mac, Steve Harvey and countless others. His “Kings of Comedy” tour grossed $37 million in just two years. USA Today described it as being “perhaps the top-grossing comedy tour in history.” In fact, the “Kings” tour which consistently sold out arenas seating 10,000 or more grossed more than the hugely successful Backstreet Boys tour in 1999.
As a kid growing up in a single-parent home in Brooklyn, New York, Latham always dreamed of being successful. Listening to the comedy albums of Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor, Latham would imagine the day that he would “make it big” in the entertainment industry. In search of a better life, he moved to North Carolina in his teens but found life there to be equally as difficult.
Guided by his own passion for comedy, Latham dropped out of East Carolina at age 20 to start a promotions company and produce comedy shows. He started the company with a $4000 loan and the unequivocal support and encouragement of his mother. Although his first show flopped because the talent was a no-show, Latham did not let that deter him from reaching his goal.
In December 1997, Latham took the comedy world by storm with the development of the “Kings of Comedy.” Steadfastly believing that packaging a number of popular comedians on one bill could be greater than the sum of its parts, Latham mounted a triple-headliner tour starring Steve Harvey, Cedric “The Entertainer”, and Bernie Mac. Playing sold out arenas from Coast to Coast, the tour grossed over $18 million in its first year. In 1999, the addition of D.L. Hughley and the sponsorship of both Seagram Americas and HBO brought the total grosses over $37 million in two years.
Taking the success to the next level, Latham decided to capture the phenomenal experience of the live Kings of Comedy Tour on film. Directed by Spike Lee and produced by Latham Entertainment and MTV films, the $3 million dollar budgeted motion picture included both concert and rare backstage footage of the four comedians. Surpassing all expectations, the film grossed over $37 million during its run at the box office and went on to be nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Motion Picture. The accompanying soundtrack released on Universal Records was nominated for a Grammy for the Best Spoken Comedy Album in 2000.
Recognizing the immense drawing power of festival-style comedy, Latham Entertainment launched the lucrative “Queens of Comedy” tour in the spring of 2000 featuring Miss Laura Hayes, Adele Givens, Sommore, and Mo’Nique. The sold out theatres and enthusiastic crowds inspired Latham to believe that lightning could strike twice if their performances were captured on film. The female quartet appeared in a “Queens of Comedy” special, which aired on Showtime on January 27, 2001. In its debut, the special rated higher than any other special on the network that year. In a marketing coup, Paramount Home Entertainment simultaneously released and promoted “The Original Kings of Comedy” and the “Queens of Comedy” on VHS and DVD in February 2001 to rave reviews. The accompanying soundtrack for this project was also nominated for a Grammy in the Best Spoken Comedy Album category in 2001.
In 2002 Latham followed up his success with Latham Entertainment Presents featuring the amusing antics from comedians Earthquake (Def Comedy Jam), Bruce Bruce (The Wash), Rickey Smiley (Friday After Next), Sommore (Queens of Comedy) and D.L. Hughley (Original Kings of Comedy), hosted by J. Anthony Brown (Drumline). Again capturing the tour experience on film, Latham Entertainment, in conjunction with Paramount Home Entertainment, released the VHS and DVD in the fall of 2003.
The following year, Latham produced the much-anticipated Crown Royal Comedy Soul Festival, a 20-city tour which featured legendary R&B bands Earth Wind & Fire and The Isley Brothers, along with comedians Rickey Smiley, Adele Givens and Earthquake. The show was hosted by Bruce Bruce. This was the first time that music and comedy headlined on the same stage.
Latham always has his finger on the pulse of the comedy world and proved that he is still a power player in Urban Comedy when he and Diddy co-Executive Produced, P. Diddy Presents the Bad Boys of Comedy in 2005. The show which aired on HBO was filmed live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and was MC’d by Doug E. Fresh. Aired as nine 30-minute episodes, P. Diddy Presents the Bad Boys of Comedy features “the next generation of raw, risk taking comedians.” On November 15, 2005, the P. Diddy Presents the Bad Boys of Comedy DVD featuring backstage interviews and bonus footage hit stores.
2005 was a busy year for Latham, in addition to the Bad Boys project, the Latham Comedy Collection, a 4-disk collector’s edition set was also released on DVD. It features not only “The Original Kings of Comedy”, “The Queens of Comedy” and “Latham Entertainment Presents” features, but also a special bonus disc packed with hilarious outtakes and deleted scenes not available in the movies. As if two DVD releases were not enough, Latham also partnered with Zingy and Paramount to offer ringtones and wallpaper featuring excerpts from all Latham Entertainment releases to date.
Latham is now working on the highly anticipated, Queens of Comedy sequel which will be filmed at a maximum security prison later this year. The sequel which will be appropriately titled, “Queens of Comedy-Beyond Bars” will feature Miss Laura Hayes, Adele Givens and Sommore on stage and one-on-one with inmates in documentary footage. The project promises to be as funny as the first with a social conscious. Latham’s Latin Kings and Bad Boys will also hit the road in 2007. Both tours were hugely successful in 2006.
Latham closed his Paramount-based office in October 2005 to be closer to his family and origins of his success however he continues to pursuit film projects that fit his sensibility. When asked if closing his LA office would lessen his influence in the business, he answers simply, “I didn’t find the LA office necessary to be successful in Hollywood”. So it is safe to say, Latham will remain the true “King of Comedy” for many years to come!
Latham Entertainment, based in Greensboro, NC, is the largest independently owned and operated comedy promotion-company in the country.
Speaking Topics:
Entrepreneurship, the Comedy Industry, Concert Promotion, How to Grow Your Vision and Beating the Odds in Business and Life!
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