GEICO Sponsors 2012 Funniest Fed Competition [Professional Services Close – Up]

After acing their auditions and receiving their coveted golden tickets, a select group of federal employees in D.C. are sharpening their jokes, tweaking their routines and gearing up for the 2012 Funniest Fed Competition, sponsored by GEICO, the company announced.

In a release on April 16, GEICO said the competition, which is in its fourth year, pits federal employees as well as active and retired military servicemen against each other as they perform original standup comedy routines and vie for audience votes to advance in the contest. The competition's two overall winners (one experienced and one novice) will receive $500 prizes and the title of D.C.'s Funniest Feds.

First-round shows will be held May 2, May 16, and May 23 and semifinals on June 13, all at The State Theatre in Falls Church, Va. The finals will take place June 22 at The Lincoln Theatre in Washington, D.C., and will be hosted by standup comedian and actress Tig Notaro. Notaro has performed on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" and "Conan" and has appeared on shows such as "The Sarah Silverman Program," "In the Motherhood," "The Office" and "Community." She hosts a weekly podcast called "Professor Blastoff," and her debut comedy album, "Good One," made several year-end "best of" lists in 2011, including MTV'sand The Onion AV Club's. Notaro is also currently filming a new pilot for NBC.

Tickets for the shows are currently on sale, with 20 percent of all sales to be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project.

Funniest Fed, which debuted in 2007, is the brainchild of Naomi Johnson, a federal employee of 10 years who also performs standup comedy.

"I got the idea after I kept running into federal employees who either had experience doing standup or had always wanted to do it," Johnson said. "There are some really funny feds out there, and this competition is their chance to get in front of a crowd and show that they can freeze our pay, but they can't freeze our sense of humor."

GEICO is now the competition's sole sponsor, and this year's event received a record number of entries from prospective contestants.

GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is a member of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies and is the third-largest private passenger auto insurer in the United States. GEICO handles auto insurance coverage for 11 million private passenger auto policies and insures more than 17.5 million vehicles.

More information:

www.funniestfed.com.

http://www.geico.com

((Comments on this story may be sent to [email protected]))