On the evening of June 21 in the New Century Theater, located at 615 Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis, a studio filled with close to 200 invitation-only guests joined Shedrick Garrett, who produced and hosted the first of a series of television shows for a pilot program entitled The Shed G Show.
Garrett, a.k.a. Shed G or “Mr. Can I Vent,” originally from Denver, Colorado, is a standup comedian who has earned a reputation as being consistently funny without using profanity. He is known for talking about everyday life as his shtick.
As a comedian, Garrett has worked with Marvin Sapp, The Temptations, The Isley Brothers, Laylah Hathaway, Brain McKnight, the Carnival Cruise Lines and the Essence Music Festival just to name a few. While in Atlanta working with Tyler Perry as an actor, Garrett has regularly doubled for Tyler Perry’s Madea character in the hit films Diary of A Mad Black Woman, Madea’s Family Reunion, Daddy’s Little Girl, Meet The Browns, and the recently completed filming of Madea’s Halloween. While he’s currently based in Minnesota, listeners of 89.9 KMOJ FM radio can tune in daily to hear Garrett’s comedic rants and observations.
MSR spoke with Shed G about his television show plans. “The premise is like an Arsenio Hall-type show, but based out of Minnesota because we have so much talent that it’s tremendous,” said Garrett. “Every season of any television show that has anything to do with music — like The Voice or American Idol — someone from Minnesota is there. Many of them go on to the second round or beyond.”
According to Garrett, the first show was designed to just focus on performances from singers, rappers, musicians and a poet. The next tapping will include performances, but it will also feature more sit-down interview time.
“In addition to showcasing the musical talent, I want to be a vessel for actors and others by using my comedic skills to present them in a way that doesn’t come off like a boring lecture,” said Garrett when asked about the purpose of the show.
The evening began Hollywood-style on the red carpet with paparazzis. The energy was high voltage and all of the performers seemed to be at home, so to speak. Garrett’s fun-loving and relaxed style created a calm, welcoming atmosphere.
Some of the performers included rapper and producer Carnage the Executioner, poetry by Essence, comedian Pierre Douglas, singer Ryan Lisman, singer and songwriter Ashley Dubose, and singer Ray Covington, who got a standing ovation after singing a Luther Vandross song, A House is Not a Home.
Garrett’s goal is to pitch the program to every local Twin Cities television station for a Wednesday evening slot. After landing a local deal, Garrett hopes to syndicate the program nationwide from Minnesota.
James L. Stroud, Jr. welcomes reader responses to jlswriter@gmail.com.
James L. Stroud, Jr. is a contributing writer and photographer at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.