Steve Capers’ career as a comedy impresario began while vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard, enjoying a day at the island’s famed Inkwell Beach. It was in 2009, that the Managing Partner of Knock-Knock Comedy Productions took his wife’s (Dorothy) advice to follow his idea to produce a comedy festival that primarily features African American comics. His initial thought was that it was going to be too expensive to showcase the “big” name comics on Martha’s Vineyard. However, with the sponsorship support of HBO, Steve was able to produce a vital comedy festival that featured African American comedians on the cusp of stardom. The first Martha’s Vineyard Comedy Fest (MVCF) in 2010 featuring Damon Williams (The Kings of Comedy Tour), AJ Jamal (In Living Color) and Roz G. (Last Comic Standings) far exceeded his expectations. Eight years later, what began as a single event, morphed into another Capers’ brainchild, BLACK COMEDY MONTH™, one of the most prestigious celebrations of Black comedy in the country, held each August.

Capers was no novice to the world of entertainment, specifically comedy. Prior to forming his own company, he had a successful career at Comedy Central where he was recruited in 1998 to head up their Chicago regional office. While at Comedy Central, Capers planned comedy events featuring nationally-acclaimed comedians and personalities including Jon Stewart, Lewis Black, Ben Stein, Bill Cosby, and Sinbad.

Capers’ professional entry into the entertainment industry was in 1993 when he became an executive at Black Entertainment Television (BET) in Los Angeles. There he was responsible for promoting some of their now iconic programming including Video Soul, Teen Summit, and Rap City. But it was through his informal work with the team behind BET’s Comic View, hosted by DL Hughley, that Capers gained access and insights into the world of comedy.