History Of Salami Vice Productions:
Salami Vice Productions is the love child
of comedians Ryan Sands and Steve Mayeux. They formed this company in March
2005 when they ran for student government as a freshman & sophomore at
Louisiana State University. Their satirical student campaign, titled Mass
Turban Nation, was the backdrop of their very first public stunt. Running
without a serious platform, they spent only sixty dollars for campaigning
materials, which included a carton of cigarettes and two sweat bands. (Fact:
Ryan and Steve received 9% of the student vote.) Before Salami Vice was formed,
Steve and Ryan performed scenes with The Family Dinner, Baton Rouge’s premiere
improv comedy troupe. In addition, they also write sketches and produce
stand-up comedy shows, but improvisation is the backbone for all their comedy.
(Fact: The longest Ryan and Steve have performed improv was 28 consecutive
hours, which makes it the third longest improv show to be recorded.)
In the summer of 2006 Salami Vice productions acquired Bryan Wooldridge, who at
the time was a junior in high school at LSU Lab School, as audio technician and
Ari Krumpkin, an LSU junior, to assist with finances. With a complete
production crew, Salami Vice was able to host a bi-weekly improv show with The
Family Dinner every other Monday on the stage outside in the back at NorthGate
Tavern. The shows began with just an improv show and then in the spring added a
5 minute stand-up comedy act as an opener to the show. Eventually, the crowds
made it apparent that there was a high demand for stand-up comedy, and by the summer
of 2007, the Salami Vice Open-Mic was in full swing. The show would last from
10pm-12am, cost $5 at the door and was free to anyone who signed up and
performed. With the success of the open mic, Fred's (a much larger bar/nightclub
in Baton Rouge) offered Salami Vice a show. Hosted by the gimmicky "Riot
Squad" of Steve and Ryan, the monthly Full Frontal Comedy featured show
was born. The third Thursday of every month, for $5, audiences could see the
best in local talent on stage with a 15-30 minute featured slot from 10pm-12am.
Salami Vice was running these two shows until in the early summer of 2008 when
the Fred's show was dropped. Shortly thereafter Steve announced that he would
be moving to Korea in the fall.
Salami Vice pressed on and very quickly obtained a new venue in downtown Baton
Rouge at the Roux House Bar/Nightclub. The Louisiana Lounge Acts: Comedy
Showcase became Salami Vice's second show. It had the same outline and format
as the Fred's show only with a more lounge lizard theme hosted by Ryan as
"Raoul Levenstein" and was once again only $5 and from 10pm-12am.
Later that fall, Ari stepped down as financial manager and Kyle Rutledge was
brought on to fill the position. Steve returned that winter and rejoined Salami
Vice.
Salami Vice used the momentum from a very successful beginning in the spring of
2009 to attempt to put on a show at Sadie's Bar in downtown Lafayette. This
show was short lived and by early summer Salami Vice was back down to two shows.
Shortly thereafter, both Steve and Ryan stepped down from Salami Vice.
Salami Vice was now under Kyle and Bryan. At the summer’s end in 2009 Kyle
began to make the open mics free to the public to help promote the now once a
month featured show at the Roux House (no longer a themed show). A few weeks
later, both the Roux House and NorthGate shows we dropped, and a week later
Salami Vice had a new home at Boudreaux & Thibodeaux's in downtown Baton
Rouge. With the help of local comedian Howard Hall, Salami Vice had the Laugh
Attic Open-Mic upstairs every other Tuesday free to the public from 8:30-10pm
and once a month downstairs there was a featured show with a national headliner
for $5 from 9-11pm.
In the late fall of 2009, Kyle Rutledge stepped down from Salami Vice and
handed over full ownership to Bryan Wooldridge.
Salami Vice Current Staff
Bryan Wooldridge - Owner/Manager
Matt Glover - Technical Assistant
Kerry Kennedy - Marketing Assistant
Caroline Anderson - National Booking Agent
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