Matt Walsh of the Upright Citizens Brigade and screenwriter Scot Armstrong gather with fellow Chicagoans in Los Angeles every week to discuss their favorite football team: The Bears.
Matt Walsh | Scot Armstrong | Joe Nunez | | Jim U-Boat | Kelly Wrather
Matt Walsh is a founding member of the “Upright Citizens Brigade.” Walsh was also instrumental in the start of “Upright Citizens Brigade’s” two theaters, in NYC and LA, where he continues to perform and teach today. Walsh has instructed accomplished comedians such as Ed Helms, Rob Corddry, and Rob Riggle. To date, UCB is the largest unaccredited university in the nation, teaching improv to more than 1,000 students at any given time. Additionally, Matt wrote and starred in their self entitled show on COMEDY CENTRAL for three seasons.
Credits for Walsh include starring in Comedy Central’s critically acclaimed “Dog Bites Man”, acting as a correspondent for “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” from 2001-2002, and regular appearances in comedy sketches on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and MTV’s “Human Giant.” He has appeared in such movies as “Semi-Pro” opposite Will Ferrell for New Line, “Old School,” “Bad Santa,” “Road Trip,” and “Elf.” He also wrote and starred in the cult indie-comedy “Martin & Orloff.”
More recently, Matt has appeared in “The Hangover” opposite Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis for Warner Bros, David Wain’s “Role Models” opposite Paul Rudd for Universal, and Adam McKay’s “Step Brothers” opposite Will Ferrell for Columbia. He will next appear in the Untitled Duplass Brothers Project opposite Marisa Tomei, John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill for Fox Searchlight. Walsh consulted on this past summer’s comedy “Bruno” starring Sacha Baron Cohen.
Earlier this year he finished shooting the first season of “Players,” a ½ hour comedy series for Spike TV that Matt created, executive produced, wrote, and stars in.
Walsh currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.
Scot Armstrong was raised in Wheaton Illinois and has lived in Bucktown and Wicker Park and has been a Bears fan since birth. He was part of the 5A Illinois State Championship team at Wheaton North High School in 1986, playing weak safety. Scot has collaborated with Bear Down co-host Matt Walsh on many stage and film projects. As a screenwriter, Armstrong is credited on ROAD TRIP, OLD SCHOOL, STARSKY & HUTCH, SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS, HEARTBREAK KID and SEMI PRO. He also did uncredited work on ELF and BAD SANTA. Armstrong’s American Work Inc. is producing movies with Warner Brothers and Paramount and are currently developing TV comedies for NBC and Fox. Scot is Executive Producer of the the upcoming Independent dramatic comedy HESHER staring Natalie Portman and Joseph Gordon Levitt. Armstrong trained at the Second City, the Improv Olympic and has been with the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater since its inception in NYC in 1999. Currently in LA, he can be seen every Friday night at 9:30pm in THE SOUNDTRACK. Armstrong’s upcoming projects include MULTIPLE MARY, WILL and HOMESCHOOLED. Scot lives In the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles with his wife Kerry, their daughter Lake, their dogs Dewie and Louise and his autographed Jim McMahon game helmet.
Kelly Wrather’s most prized possession is her vintage 1985 Chicago Bears Superbowl XX t-shirt, handed down to her by her mother, Betty Jean. Although she wasn’t even alive to witness that epic season, Kelly grew up in the suburb of Lockport, IL as a devoted Bears fan. A recent graduate of Boston University, Kelly is a new recruit to Los Angeles, hoping to actually make something of herself and that $200,000 piece of paper called a diploma. When she’s not working on Bear Down, Kelly can be found panhandling for legitimate work.
Bio coming soon…
Jim U-Boat is the Poet Laureate of Calumet City, IL. A Chicagoan by birth, Jim achieved the self-proclaimed lifetime Poet Laureate title in 1988 when he published “On Gary Landfill,” and has written hundreds of poem since despite this early review…
“…he’s a lousy poet…and we don’t want to have anything to do with him.” – Mayor Robert Stefaniak of Calumet City
To supplement his meager poetry income he keeps his job as dock foreman of Warehouse #1 at Koch Products, a division of Koch Industries, the world’s largest supplier of things to buy. A Bear fan from before birth, his father — as best man – once held up a wedding reception in order to watch the end of a Bear-Packer game. (Bears won 21-14) Jim once wrestled Victor the Wrestling Bear at the International Amphitheater… and lost.
Jim U-Boat can be reached at Gabbadost@gmail.com
