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Jana Schmieding

Jana Schmieding is a Lakota comedian, writer and performer who starred as the lead next to Ed Helms and Michael Greyeyes on Peacock’s Rutherford Falls, created by Mike Schur, Sierra Teller Ornelas, and Ed Helms. She also served as a writer on the series, which debuted its second season on Peacock in 2022. Her performances can also be found on Reservation Dogs (FX on Hulu), Spirit Rangers (Netflix) and in 2023, on Echo (Marvel) and Clone High (HBO Max). She has been featured in various publications including New York Magazine's Vulture, NPR, Paste, Bustle, Bon Appétit, and Vanity Fair, where she describes her trajectory from struggling artist to her co-leading role in the first Native American sitcom. Jana is a vocal advocate of Indigenous visibility and social justice and she discusses these issues regularly in her comedy and writing. 

Photo courtesy of the artist

Brian Bahe

Brian Bahe (he/him) is an Indigenous (Tohono O’odham, Hopi, Navajo), gay (vers bottom) comedian, and writer originally from Phoenix, Arizona, now based in Los Angeles by way of New York City. He’s a writer for the CBS series Ghosts. Before that, he was a writer for the Fox series The Great North. He was named a “Comedian You Should and Will Know in 2023” by Vulture and he was a New Face at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in 2022. He co-hosts the podcast “Sage-Based Wisdom” with Jana Schmieding, where they offer sacred, Indigenous wisdom to callers. His comedy pilot “Decolonize” was selected for the 2022 Indigenous List, which is a collaboration between The Blacklist, the Sundance Institute, and IllumiNative. Brian taped a stand-up set for Comedy Central’s “Stand-Up Featuring” and he has headlined Caroline’s on Broadway. His writing has appeared in McSweeney’s and CNN. He hosts the monthly standup show “Star F*ckers: Astrology but Make It Comedy” at the Hollywood Improv Lab. Brian has toured his stand-up solo show titled “Reading from My Phone” in both New York and Los Angeles. He graduated from Arizona State University with degrees in English and Psychology (mostly including this so people know ASU is actually ok sometimes). 

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Xiuhtezcatl

Pushing the envelope on what hip-hop can look and sound like, Xiuhtezcatl’s message and depth transcends his mere twenty-one years on the planet, yet are still packed with all the hard-hitting grit that appeals to today’s generation of listeners. His rhyme scheme is raw and quick-witted. His thought-provoking lyrics are anchored by the Mexica roots on his father's side and the environmental justice work his mother raised him in.

X is breaking onto the scene, not only as a musician, but also as an activist, a model, an entrepreneur, and a cross-cultural icon. Being bilingual and a skilled code switcher, he incorporates Spanish and English interchangeably into his music, which has become the outlet for representing his generation and his people. Xiuhtezcatl has performed and collaborated with artists such as Raury, WILLOW, and Jaden, while building outside the boundaries of the music industry to use art to challenge systems of injustice and reenvision the future.

As 1/3 of the emerging hip hop group Voice Runners, Xiuhtezcatl, LA-based artist Tru, and producer Jaiia Cerff launched into 2020 in full force, dropping a series of singles that culminated with the self-titled Voice Runners album in February. In this project, X explores culture, legacy, and his identity and struggles as a young Indigenous man growing up as a minority in mainstream America. X is committed to delivering music that has as much meaning as it has radio appeal.

Photo (c) Josue Rivas