About

 Founded in 1992 by Walter Latham, Latham Entertainment is widely regarded as the most successful comedy production company in the nation. With a unique eye for comedic talent, Walter Latham is said to be responsible for the careers of Tyler Perry, Bernie Mac, Steve Harvey, Mo’Nique and countless others.

 Building a strong camaraderie with distinguished and award winning Tyler Perry, Walter Latham was able to use his own “Hollywood” contacts to introduce Perry to top film and television executives; through this and his own tenacity, paved the way for Perry’s first television development deal with CBS.     

By December 1997 Walter Latham launched the career changing and groundbreaking “Kings of Comedy” tour, which featured triple headlining acts, Steve Harvey, Cedric “The Entertainer,” and Bernie Mac.   Grossing more than $18 million in its first year, it forced mainstream media to respect and appreciate urban comedy.  In fact, USA Today described the “Kings of Comedy” as being “the top – grossing comedy tour in history;” which consistently sold out arenas seating 10,000 or more and out-selling the hugely successful Backstreet Boys tour in 1999.  Capitalizing on the success and acceptance of “Hollywood”, Latham added comedian, D.L. Hughley to the “Kings” lineup; this addition solidified urban comedy was here to stay. Taking notice of the young business – savvy individual, The Wall Street Journal wrote “Mr. Latham has been able to succeed in an industry that is rapidly leaving behind individual promoters like him.”

Taking the success to the next level, Latham captured the phenomenal experience of the live Kings of Comedy Tour on film. Directed by Spike Lee and produced by Walter Latham and MTV films, the $3 million dollar budgeted motion picture included both concert and rare backstage footage of the four comedians. Surpassing all expectations, the film grossed over $37 million during its run at the box office and went on to be nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Motion Picture. The accompanying soundtrack released on Universal Records was nominated for a Grammy for the Best Spoken Comedy Album in 2000.

Creating history and serving as a platform for the comedians, the highly successful “Kings of Comedy” allowed the comedic acts to cross over to mainstream entertainment. The late  Bernie Mac went on to write, produce, and star, in his own sitcom, The Bernie Mac Show and be featured in films such as: Oceans 11, 12 and 13, Transformers, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, among others.   Like his cast mate, Steve Harvey set the standards high by becoming the host of the nationally syndicated, Steve Harvey Morning Show, which airs in more than 60 markets.  By 2009, Steve Harvey became a New York Times Best Seller for his first book, Act like a Lady, Think like a Man. 

Recognizing the immense drawing power of festival-style comedy, Latham launched the lucrative “Queens of Comedy” tour in the spring of 2000 featuring Miss Laura Hayes, Adele Givens, Sommore, and Mo’Nique. The sold out theatres and enthusiastic crowds inspired him to believe that lightning could strike twice if their performances were captured on film.  The female quartet appeared in a “Queens of Comedy” special, which aired on Showtime on January 27, 2001.  In its debut, the special rated higher than any other special on the network that year. Much like her predecessors, Mo’Nique went on to star in the critically acclaimed film Precious which earned her a Golden Globe win for Best Supporting Actress.  Recognizing her wit and audience appeal, BET execs green lighted her very own late night talk show, The Mo’Nique Show.  

In 2002 Walter Latham released Latham Entertainment Presents featuring the amusing antics from comedians Earthquake (Def Comedy Jam), Bruce Bruce (The Wash), Rickey Smiley (Friday After Next), Sommore (Queens of Comedy) and D.L. Hughley (Original Kings of Comedy), hosted by J. Anthony Brown (Drumline). Again capturing the tour experience on film, Latham Entertainment, in conjunction with Paramount Home Entertainment, released the VHS and DVD in the fall of 2003.  

The following year, Latham produced the much-anticipated Crown Royal Comedy Soul Festival, a 20-city tour which featured legendary R&B bands Earth Wind & Fire and The Isley Brothers, along with comedians Rickey Smiley, Adele Givens and Earthquake. The show was hosted by Bruce Bruce.  This was the first time that music and comedy headlined on the same stage.

Walter Latham always has his finger on the pulse of the comedy world and proved that he was still a power player in Urban Comedy when he and Diddy co-Executive Produced, P. Diddy Presents the Bad Boys of Comedy. The show, which aired on HBO for two seasons in 2005 – 2006, was filmed live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and was MC’d by Doug E. Fresh. Aired as nine 30-minute episodes, P. Diddy Presents the Bad Boys of Comedy features “the next generation of raw, risk taking comedians.”   On November 15, 2005, Latham Entertainment and Bad Boy Entertainment released the P. Diddy Presents the Bad Boys of Comedy DVD featuring backstage interviews and bonus footage hit stores.

2005 was a busy year for Latham Entertainment, in addition to the Bad Boys project, the Latham Comedy Collection, a 4-disk collector’s edition set was also released on DVD. It features “The Original Kings of Comedy”, “The Queens of Comedy”, “Latham Entertainment Presents”, and a special bonus disc packed with hilarious outtakes and deleted scenes not available in the movies.

As if two DVD releases were not enough, Latham Entertainment also partnered with Zingy and Paramount to offer ringtones and wallpaper featuring excerpts from all Latham Entertainment releases to date.

In 2006, Diageo’s brand, Crown Royal turned once again to Latham Entertainment to broaden their appeal.  Following the success of branding shows targeting African American audiences, Crown Royal wanted the Latin Community.  The highly successful Crown Royal Latin Kings of Comedy toured from 2006 – 2008.  Headlined by Paul Rodriguez, the tour included performances by Johnny Sanchez (MadTV), Gabriel Iglesias (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central), Gene Pompa (Comedy Central, Si TV) and many others.  

Walter Latham was approached by head of MyNetwork TV, Greg Meidel to create and produce a modern version of the Dean Martin Roasts. Latham Entertainment surpassed expectations and in 2008 produced Shaken not Stirred, five one-hour “toasts” to some of the biggest names in America. After months of looking for just the right “toastmasters” which Latham called “Toasters”, he selected Anthony Anderson, DL Hughley, Paul Rodriguez and John Salley to host all five specials. The “Toastees” were the controversial political activist, Reverend Al Sharpton, the former Playmate of the Year, Pamela Anderson, the King of R&B, Bobby Brown, Original Gangster and now star on Law & Order, SVU, Ice T and Rev Run from MTV’s Run’s House.

Although, his impact in the comedy industry is huge, it pales in comparison to his dedication to his nonprofit, the Walter Latham Foundation.  The foundation provides college scholarships to deserving young students and sponsors numerous community events.