Charlie Berens

CHARLIE BERENS is a comedian, Emmy-winning journalist, musician and creator of the Manitowoc Minute. The Wisconsin native has been featured on Comedy Central, Fox, CBS, Funny or Die, TBS, Variety, MTV News and more. He creates weekly content for his various social platforms and has amassed over 5 million followers. Charlie began his career working for MTV News' Choose or Lose. After that he worked in front and behind the camera for emerging YouTube news channels. In 2012, Tribune Media tapped Charlie to host the comedic news show Nightcap. In 2013 he won an Emmy for "The Cost of Water" while reporting for KDAF. In 2014, CBS Sports Network hired Charlie to host the sports gameshow You’re So Money. Also in 2014, PMC (Variety, Deadline) made Charlie the host of their comedy/entertainment news brand @Hollywood. From red carpets to Sundance to SXSW to Coachella, Charlie has interviewed hundreds of celebrities, politicians, actors, and musicians. In 2017, Charlie began hosting his weekly comedic online news show, the Manitowoc Minute. This led to Charlie creating Midwest-focused sketch comedy videos on his social media platforms. His videos regularly go viral and receive millions of views every week. He has drawn the attention of Wisconsin super teams, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Green Bay Packers, collaborating on video content with them on a regular basis. He has also officially partnered with Midwest staples Fleet Farm and Kwik Trip. The success of the Manitowoc Minute and his online content has also resulted in two sold out stand-up tours, Charlie Berens: Keep Er Movin (2018) and Charlie Berens: Oh My Gosh! (2019). In 2020, Charlie paired up with Horseshoes & Hand Grenades alum Adam Greul to create a one-of-a-kind music/comedy album, Unthawed. The album, which is a mixture of bluegrass, country and Charlie’s comedy, has struck a chord (no pun intended) with audiences everywhere. Upon release it hit #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass chart and #6 on the Bluegrass Comedy chart. 2021 will see the release of Charlie’s first book! The Midwest Survival Guide comes straight from Charlie’s mouth and is a hilarious guide to Midwestern culture. William Morrow/Harper Collins will release the book in November. His third stand-up tour will also kick off this fall in support of the book’s release. Charlie hosts his own podcast, Cripescast, where he interviews musicians, artists, comedians, creators and more to talk about their story and connections to the Midwest. In less than a year, the podcast is nearing 500,000 downloads. With the spare time he has left, which isn’t much, he is also developing an animated show with the production company behind Adult Swim’s hit show, Robot Chicken. His first 1-hour comedy special is also in the works. Charlie currently resides in Milwaukee.