Gravitas Ventures, a Red Arrow Studios company, has announced IT STARTED AS A JOKE will be released on-demand on Friday, April 3. The feature documentary chronicles the decade-long run of the EUGENE MIRMAN COMEDY FESTIVAL including the final farewell show. Packed with stars and offering an intimate look at the New York comedy scene, It Started As A Joke celebrates Eugene’s unique brand of humor and his role in the alternative comedy movement. Heartfelt and hilarious, the doc offers a bittersweet goodbye to an era and reminds us of the healing properties of comedy – even in the most challenging of life’s circumstances.

The film includes interviews with Michael Ian Black, Kristen, Schaal, Wyatt Cenac, Ira Glass, John Hodgman, Kumail Nanjiani, Reggie Watts and Michael Showalter, along with performances by Daniel Kitson, Janeane Garofalo, Jim Gaffigan, Jon Glaser, Mike Birbiglia, Bobcat Goldthwait and more. The film is directed by Julie Smith Clem and Ken Druckerman. Executive Producers are Michael Showalter, Jordana Mollick, Eugene Mirman, Julie Smith Clem, Olivia Wingate, Ken Druckerman, and Banks Tarver. It Started As A Joke is a Left/Right production in association with Pretty Good Friends and Semi-Formal Productions.

It Started As A Joke made its world premiere to wide acclaim at SXSW March 2019. The doc went on to receive continued praise while screening at festivals across the country including BAMCinemaFest, Boston Independent Film Festival, SF Sketchfest, Nantucket Film Festival and many more.