Founder | Director

Jeff Lawrence is a stand up comedian, singer/songwriter, amateur chef, and Founder and Director of Laughing Buddha Comedy, NYC’s premier new talent comedy collective. He’s also very busy.

Jeff has been featured on the front pages of the Wall St. Journal and the Tampa Bay Times, mentioned in the NY Times as a “big name talent with connections”. Since the pandemic he’s been cooking up a storm recently appeared as a contestant on season 14 of MasterChef: Generations on FOX TV.

Over the years Jeff has booked and coordinated talent for many of NYC’s top comedy clubs as well as Catch a Rising Star, America’s Got Talent, and an audition showcase for the Late Show with David Letterman.

A regular of the NYC comedy circuit, he has performed in Laughter in the Park, being recently featured at Lincoln Center. He’s also been featured at the Mayo Performing Arts Center and has appeared in various festivals including the NY Comedy Festival.

As a performer, Jeff has appeared on MTV Europe and The Grammy Awards, appearing with Bob Dylan as a member of his entourage. He has been heard on Playboy Radio, Sirius Radio, and the Dr. Fritz Show.

As a singer and songwriter Jeff (Jefferson Lawrence) has just released his latest single on Spotify, “Curve Ball”, and his highly anticipated record "Death of a Comedian” is due out this year.

As an instructor, coach and mentor, Jeff likes to draw out the unique stories, struggles, and challenges that we all face in daily life and punch the #$%#$% out of it! Aside from comedy, music, and food, Jeff’s passions include traveling the world with over 45 countries and counting.

Booker | Asst. Director

Daryn Stephanie Passarello is an accomplished multi-award winning trans content creator, comedian, and on air personality with 20+ years of experience in entertainment. Passarello has appeared in numerous TV shows and films such as “Who Wants to Be a Super Hero?” On Disney, and “Food Fighters”on NBCU to name a few. Passarello worked directly with Stan Lee (Co-Creator of Marvel, Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Avengers, X-Men, etc) at his company POW! Entertainment, where Passarello served as the Director of New Media, cultivating and establishing Stan Lee's online presence (Stan Lee's Website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and MySpace). While the Director of New Media, Passarello assisted on and helped create original content for multiple Marvel Studios films, projects and Stan Lee's premium Youtube Channel "The Real Stan Lee". Passarello consulted on content, marketing. and various other forms of media for Disney, Marvel Studios, various celebrities, global brands, and the World Champion San Francisco Giants. Currently, Passarello opened for Gina Brillon’s 5th comedy special and is the booker and assistant director of Laughing Buddha Comedy. Passarello shares her journey and experiences as a trans woman in her new inclusive project “The Daydreamers Society”.

Creative Director

Hannah Mannion received her B.S. in Advertising and Marketing Communications from the Fashion Institute of Technology in 2023. She has been with Laughing Buddha for a little over 2 years assisting with live events, directing social media, and overseeing our intern program.