Inside with: Jon Friedman, Comedian/Producer of the NYC Beard & Moustache Championships

If you mark your calendar every time you hear about an air guitar or hot dog eating contest, then perhaps it's time to get into the zany world of competitive facial hair. The New York City Beard & Moustache Championship is tonight. Competitiors have been training for decades and some are even journeying thousands of miles to take part in the bearded madness. We asked Jon Friedman, a comedian and producer of the NYC BMC, a few questions about how he got involved and what we should expect.

Jon, how did you end up producing the New York City Beard & Moustache championship ?
I was recruited to be a producer and story editor on the upcoming feature length documentary, "Splitting Hairs" which follows the US Beard and Moustache team as they make their trip to compete at the World Beard and Moustache Championships in Berlin. As I digitized some of the footage, I saw that the official championships were a little bland, with a non-stop barrage of facial hair and really nothing else. I thought it would be cool to add comedy and music set in a rock venue to these competitions and I approached the filmmakers with the idea of having me produce an event here in New York that will also serve as a built in promotion for our film, the one that is called "Splitting Hairs."

Who should we watch out for tonight? Will there be any surprise upsets? Rivalries?
Pay attention to the judges. They are some big time beard and moustache competitors. Also, some of the major players in the beard and moustache world have registered to compete. Heinz Christophel flew all the way in from Germany for this. His moustache is bigger than my arm.

Do the athletes come with an entourage of groomers and handlers?
Most of them actually do. Probably not as much in the NYC version but we captured a lot of footage of the preparation at the Championships in Berlin. It is amazing how much time and effort goes into these beards and moustaches and side burns. Tonight at the NYC BMC, Heinz Christophel will be giving a demonstration on how he grooms his moustache into shape. That will be happening after the competition right by the merch table. What a coincidence!

The New York City Beard & Moustache Championship is tonight at The Knitting Factory. Tickets are $15 at the door.