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Miami's homegrown funny man returns to stand up

The year was 2002. The Miami Improv was located upstairs in the Mayfair in Coconut Grove. It was open mic during urban night, and a then unknown, aspiring comedian was about to take the stage for the first time. Unbeknownst to him, producers from BET Comic View were in the audience scouting new talent. Those producers saw something in the 6'4 funny man, and after his performance, they invited him to perform the following night at the Jackie Gleason Theatre for their television taping. The aspiring comedian was introduced to the world of stand up comedy in a big way. He is Miami's own homegrown, Emmy Award-winning writer, actor, and comedian: Yamil Piedra.

Since his stand up debut in 2002, the Cuban-born, Miami-raised Piedra has taken part in several stand up comedy showcases including, Comedy Central's Open Mic Fight, NBC's Stand Up for Diversity, and a Just for Laughs Showcase. A graduate of FIU with a BA in Theatre, his online videos have acquired millions of views, and he has been featured on ABC's Boston Legal, NBC's Las Vegas, USA's Burn Notice, and Last Comic Standing. He created the highly successful Miami-based sketch comedy duo A Pair of Nuts with his buddy Johnny Trabanco. And in 2010, Piedra starred and wrote for the Spanish language sketch comedy show on MegaTV, El Vacilon, which earned him a Suncoast Emmy Award for writing and allowed him to introduce a new style of comedy never before seen in the Spanish market.

On Saturday, August 20 in the Sanctuary Room of the Hard Rock Cafe in Bayside, Piedra takes to the stage to perform stand up as he films his first DVD special, "Yamil Piedra: Pretty Rock."

"Even though I never really left completely, I see this as my return to stand up," says Piedra, who hasn't performed stand up in a few years. "Other projects took priority, but over the last few years I've been writing all this great material, and now it's time to unleash it."

Piedra chose the Sanctuary Room because of its size and intimacy. "It's a small room, which allows me to be close to the audience, and I love that, he says. I'm all about my fans “ they're the reason I do what I do. I'm really looking forward to what I know will be a very special night for me."

Using his serious demeanor to great effect, Yamil has always been able to captivate audiences with his unique style of comedy and that's exactly what he plans to do on August 20th. Don't miss your chance to be part of this special one night only DVD taping when Yamil Piedra takes the stage!

Yamil Piedra performs at the Hard Rock Caf, located inside Bayside Marketplace, at 10 p.m. on August 20. RSVP to southfloridacomedy@yahoo.com and receive four free tickets,one1 free glass of wine, and complimentary hors d'oeuvres from 9:30-10:15 p.m. For more information visit thisisthewebsiteofyamilpiedra.com.