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Join Raise Your Glass Promotions, Orlando Magic and PEPSICO for the UNITY Juneteenth celebration taking place VIRTUALLY on June 19th. This years panel theme is “Black Excellence: A State of Mind”.

Black Excellence (BE). Verb: A state of being, forged from the history of our struggle, bonded to our atomic greatness, exploding in the DNA of every black being alive. “Limitless, boundless, selfless.”

TK Kirkland’s “Are There Any Questions”, was Amazon’s number 1 selling standup comedy DVD for two months running. TK has built a nationwide following from his tour hosting work for the likes of 50 Cent, Eminem, and Madonna. When 50 Cent needed a foil for the video release of his hit record “Window Shopper” it was TK Kirkland who got the call. Mr. Kirkland has been the Comedy circuit’s kept secret for a decade now. Long known as the “Gangsta of Comedy” no less a personage than Jaime Foxx sang his praises on his Showtime Comedy Special going so far as to perform his own impression of TK. Laffapalooza the Showtime DVD Label. TK has worked as a host on BET’s “MAD SPORTS” appeared numerous times on “Comic View Not since TK was the morning Host on radio HOT 97 in New York has he been this busy. At that time Mr. Kirkland was substituting for Ed Lover. Over the years he has co-starred with Mike Epps and Vin Diesel’s “STRAYS”. Spike Lee’s production of Universal Pictures critically acclaimed “New Jersey Drive”.

In addition to maintaining his schedule of regular live appearances at theaters, concerts, and nightclubs around the country, TK has made numerous television guest appearances over the years. Including presenting his longtime friend and colleague, Martin Lawrence a special award on Don Cornelius’s prime time special “The Soul Train Comedy Awards Show.” He was also one of the nominees in the Best New Male Comedian category. T K first came to national attention when he and his comedy were featured on HBO’s “MO FUNNY” a History of Black Comedy In America. HBO gave recognition to the fact that Mr. Kirkland is one of the most important and influential comedians working in comedy today K has enjoyed national notoriety before as a track and field star. He was a graduate student at the University of Arizona when an injury prevented him from participating in the Olympics in 1984. To console him, many of his college teammates told him his real future was in comedy. It was a chance meeting with Eddie Murphy that finally inspired him to try stand-up as a profession. He moved to Compton, California, and set about working in Los Angeles’s comedy clubs, including the Comedy Store, The Improv, and Iggy’s, but it was his performances in the rising black comedy scene where he first made a name for himself.

Working at The Comedy Act Theatre in the Crenshaw district of South Los Angeles, he came to the attention of Robin Harris who took him under his wing. With Robin’s strong support and guidance, TK quickly became a popular regular at the Club.TK says. “I dealt with the realities of the male/female relationship,” and here he pauses, “Graphically.” “All else pales in comparison to the Comedy Store’s most outrageous act, T K Kirkland, a Monday night regular. His act centered entirely on oral sex. People were rolling in the aisles,” as The Los Angeles Times so willingly attests. “I realized then that I had to expand my range to include cleaner material, I wanted to be able to perform for anyone anywhere. A year later I did a special charity event with MC Hammer to help keep kids stay in school, I got a standing ovation from the kids and the parents and a look of shocked amazement from the entertainers on the show, they were surprised that I could be just as funny working clean.” T K Kirkland now says proudly. His first big break came when his Compton neighbor, Eazy-E, put him on a national tour with the rap group NWA. He caused a sensation, never had a comedian drawn as much publicity and controversy on a music tour. He continued working as an MC / Comedian for such music acts as Bobby Brown, Keith Sweat, Tina Marie, and The Hammer, taking time off to perform in Robert Townsend’s HBO Special, and working with Tommy Chong and Rae Don Chong in Far Out, Man. After seeing him perform at a concert, Sinbad asked him to appear on NBC’s “Showtime At The Apollo. “For TK this was truly a special event, “I grew up in Jersey City and went to the Apollo. Nothing I had ever done before or since gave me more satisfaction than getting a standing ovation on that show.”

About Shuler King:

Comedian Shuler King was born Frank Williams III in Sumter, South Carolina. He knew at an early age that he was destined to be an entertainer especially since he was the kid known for cracking jokes. King grew up in a traditional 2-parent household in the Bible Belt of the South, where Faith, Hard Work and Education were the foundations of what his parents imparted on him and his two siblings. Comedy is his passion, but he has taken a rather unusual path to get to where he is thus far. He graduated from the University of South Carolina with a B.A. in Media Arts where he joined The Mighty Illustrious Zeta Zeta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated. In 2013 he graduated from Gupton Jones Mortuary College with a degree in Mortuary Science. When he isn’t on the road performing at comedy clubs and special events across the country, King works as a licensed funeral director and embalmer in Georgia and South Carolina at his family’s funeral business in South Carolina. He wants to keep his family’s business and legacy alive.

He’s probably the only Comedian/Funeral Director on the comedy circuit. King has opened for some of the most notable and talented comedians and comediennes in the industry. He credits his parents’ strict yet loving upbringing, his harsh surroundings growing up and the state of the country today with giving him his comedic style, which he describes as RAW. King says “Comedy isn’t about being happy all the time. Comedy is just as much about pain that people endure. When you hear 20,000 people in an arena laugh at a joke it’s because they all can relate to experiencing that same pain.” His comedy career began while he was a Freshman in college, after he took the stage for the very first time at the NCO Club on a military base and the rest is history. King is one of the most energetic rising comedians in the business. Although the comedy business can be very tough and filled with ups and downs, King credits his unwavering Faith in God as the calming force in his life which keeps him pushing forward. His hilarious videos he posts on his social media have quickly become fan favorites. His recent video post about Donald Trump went viral and was even played on a UK television show.

The future is bright for King. For more information about his comedy shows go to his website www.ShulerKing.com and follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @ShulerKing.