Johnny Carson’s 100th birthday year is celebrated with a look back at his remarkable 30-year legacy as the “King of Late Night” and the pivotal role that Carson’s “Tonight Show” played in shaping the modern era of stand-up comedy. Leading this celebration for the Chautauqua Lecture Series week “Comedy Now: A Week Curated with Lewis Black — In Partnership with the National Comedy Center” is Jeff Sotzing, a television producer and media executive best known for his work in preserving and continuing the legacy of “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,” and stand-up comedian and cultural historian Wayne Federman.

As the president of Carson Entertainment Group for over 30 years now, Jeff Sotzing has been instrumental in managing and curating the extensive Johnny Carson archive, ensuring that Carson’s legacy endures for future generations. He began his career in television working for “The Tonight Show,” notably contributing to one of the most beloved programs of all time while rising through the ranks — from production assistant to stage manager, then associate producer, and by 1990, producer. Sotzing was a key member of the producing team that received an Emmy Award for “The Tonight Show” as Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program in 1992.

Sotzing’s deep understanding of the show’s impact and legacy has positioned him as a key figure in its continued cultural relevance. Under his leadership, Carson Entertainment Group became an early innovator in cataloging, restoring and digitizing television history — preserving thousands of hours of classic “Tonight Show” episodes. His efforts have brought Carson’s timeless humor to modern platforms and new audiences with the production of retrospective specials, documentaries, compilation DVDs and digital content that celebrate Carson’s pioneering contributions to late-night television.

A board member and chief program officer of the Johnny Carson Foundation, Sotzing has played a pivotal role in preserving Carson’s legacy through exhibit collaborations with the Elkhorn Valley Museum in Johnny Carson’s hometown of Norfolk, Nebraska, and with the National Comedy Center, where “Johnny Carson: The Immersive Experience,” with hologram host Jimmy Fallon, opened in 2022.

Wayne Federman is a stand-up comedian, actor, author, cultural historian, Emmy Award-winning producer, and a professor at the University of Southern California’s School of Dramatic Arts, where he teaches the history of stand-up comedy as well as level-2 stand-up performance. Federman has been a touring stand-up for over 35 years, has his own special on Comedy Central, and has appeared multiple times on “The Tonight Show.”

The producer of the Emmy Award-winning HBO documentaries “The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling” and “George Carlin’s American Dream,” Federman is currently producing a two-part Mel Brooks documentary for HBO/MAX and a Norm Macdonald documentary for Netflix. Federman is the author of the Amazon-bestselling The History of Stand-Up: From Mark Twain To Dave Chappelle, which is used in curriculum at several universities, and co-host and producer of a popular podcast with the same name. His critically acclaimed three-volume stand-up compilation, The Chronicles of Federman, is streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora and Amazon.

Federman has acted in numerous films and TV shows, including “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “What We Do In The Shadows,” “Silicon Valley,” “The Larry Sanders Show,” “Community,” “The X-Files,” “Legally Blonde,” “Knocked Up,” “Step Brothers,” “The 40‐Year‐Old Virgin” and “50 First Dates.” Additionally, Federman was also the head monologue writer for NBC’s “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” over its first season.