UP TO SPEED is a well-oiled machine that runs on the tears of its enemies. It’s also filmed in an apartment in Chicago.

Here’s the who’s who of what’s what:

Paris Schutz (host)

Paris Schutz is a producer and part-time reporter for Chicago Tonight on WTTW Channel 11 - PBS in Chicago. He created and co-produced a pilot comedy program for the station as well.

Fun Facts*

• He is the former keyboardist and lead singer of the band Roast, which played legendary performances at the Planet 505 Club in Syracuse, NY — when it wasn’t a front for an illegal narcotics trade.
• He knows Tiger Style Kung Fu
• He speaks Klingon (including its many regional dialects)
• He once met Dennis Farina.

*If he says they’re true, they must be true.

Hassan S. Ali (writer, producer)

Hassan S. Ali works the non-glamorous side of “Up To Speed,” serving as producer, director, and writer. He also plays the show’s creepy announcer, Chip Marshall.

When he’s not making Up To Speed, Hassan works as co-producer and director of Current TV’s popular “Joe Gets…” series, which he co-created with friend Joe Hanson back in 2005. Given that the show is sponsored by T-Mobile, he is very particular about who makes it into his Fave 5.

“I want to make this world a better place than how I found it,” Hassan says. “I can’t, but I know I want to.”