KEVIN BROWN-

AI Is Stealing Jokes (Here’s How You Fight

Convention Workshop Option 1:

AI Is Stealing Jokes (Here’s How You Fight

Back)

Protecting Voice, Ownership & Income in the Algorithm Age

Instructor: Professor Kevin “DotCom” Brown

Format: Workshop / Short Course / Seminar

Length Options:

•2 hour workshop

Course Description (Student-Facing)

Artificial Intelligence is already watching stand-up clips, scraping social media, remixing jokes,

and generating “original” comedy at scale. Most comedians do not realize their work is being

harvested—until their voice shows up somewhere else.

This course teaches comedians how AI actually works, how jokes get absorbed into datasets,

and—most importantly—how to protect, document, monetize, and weaponize their originality

instead of losing it.

You will learn how to:

• Protect your jokes and comedic voice

• Use AI without feeding it your material

• Prove authorship and originality

• Turn jokes into assets, not just punchlines

• Build systems so the algorithm works for you

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to

Explain how AI models ingest comedy content

• Identify how jokes get copied, remixed, or “laundered”

• Protect their comedic voice and intellectual property

• Use AI safely as a writing and business tool

• Build a personal joke archive and authorship trail

• Monetize jokes beyond stage performance

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Uptown Kevin Brown—also known as Kevin “Dotcom” Brown and Professor Brown—is a

pioneering comedian, producer and educator whose career spans the stage, television and the

classroom. Born and raised in the Bronx, Brown made history when he and his older brother

Andre D. Brown transformed a hole-in-the-wall space into The Uptown Comedy Club in

Harlem. In 1989, the brothers started a movement by opening what became a premier showcase

for Black comedic talent — the first Black-owned comedy club on the East Coast. The club’s

“Uptown Boot Camp” nurtured a fusion of hip-hop and stand-up comedy and provided a

platform for future stars.

Andre had the original vision for the club. Trained at New York’s High School of Music & Art

and already a working actor, he understood the scarcity of spaces where young Black

performers could hone their craft. On screen, he played Beast in Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon

and Cesar in the cult film The Bronx War. Behind the scenes, he led Uptown Comedy Club’s

workshops, coaching aspiring comics such as Tracy Morgan, JB Smoove, Rob Stapleton, Ellen

Clehghorne and Maija Di Giorgio. Kevin handled booking and promotion while Andre ran the

training sessions and developed sketches — together they turned the club into a launchpad for

a new generation of comedians.

Building on the club’s success, the brothers created and executive-produced Uptown Comedy

Club, a televised variety show taped live at their Harlem venue. Andre D. Brown is listed among

the executive producers, and the show blended stand-up, hip-hop musical performances and

sketch comedy. Airing in first-run syndication from 1992 to 1994, it was the first nationally

syndicated comedy series born out of a Black-owned club. The program provided a springboard

for future Saturday Night Live and Mad TV cast members — including Jim Breuer, Tracy

Morgan, Aries Spears and Debra Wilson — and popularized the “Yo Momma” joke culture that

became a hallmark of 1990s hip-hop comedy. This legacy underscores the impact of Andre’s

workshops: the brothers not only offered stage time but also taught performers how to write,

refine and market their material.

Kevin’s own influence extended beyond production. As a performer, he developed a stand-up

act that balanced observational humor with insightful social commentary. In 2006 he landed

the role that would introduce him to millions: Dotcom on NBC’s hit series 30 Rock. As one of

Tracy Jordan’s entourage, Kevin brought warmth and wit to the character, becoming a fan

favourite. His work contributed to the ensemble winning the Screen Actors Guild Award for

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series and helped the show earn

multiple Emmys and Golden Globes.

Never one to rest on his laurels, Kevin returned to college decades after starting his

entertainment career. He earned a B.A. in Black Studies in 2022 and an M.A.?in

Interdisciplinary Studies in 2024, adding the moniker Professor Brown as he began teaching

courses on entertainment, branding and cultural studies. Today he balances roles as educator,

performer and nonprofit leader while continuing to mentor young comedians. For aspiring

comics attending the Comics Rock Convention, the story of Kevin and Andre Brown offers a

powerful blueprint: build your own stage, cultivate community and fuse art forms to create

something entirely new

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