Biography
Artashes Sarkisyan (born June 1, 1974, Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR) is a Russian producer, actor, and television and radio host. He is one of the founders of the "Comedy Club," former editor-in-chief of "Total Football" magazine, and a member of the KVN team "New Armenians." His stage nickname is Tash "Highlander." From 2015 until January 2017, he served as Chief Editor of the sports broadcasting department at "Match TV."
He graduated from the Faculty of Winemaking at the Yerevan Agricultural Academy. Sarkisyan competed in KVN with the "New Armenians" team. In 1994 and 1995, they performed in the First League of KVN. In 1996, the team debuted in the Higher League, reaching the semifinals in their first season, where they lost to the eventual champions, the Makhachkala tramps. That same year, at the Jurmala music festival, "New Armenians" won second prize, the "KiViN in the Light" award, which they also secured at the following festival.
In 1997, Sarkisyan and his team became champions of the Higher League, sharing the title with "Zaporozhye - Krivoy Rog - Transit." The following year, as champions, the "New Armenians" skipped the season to focus on touring. In 1998, they won the KVN Super Cup and participated in the KVN music festival but did not receive any awards.
In 1999, as favorites, Sarkisyan and his team competed in the Higher League, reaching the final but losing to the young BSU team. They also performed at the next Jurmala festival and the KVN Summer Cup without winning awards. After 1999, the team ended their participation in seasonal KVN tournaments, appearing only at the 2000 Jurmala festival, where they won the Presidential KiViN, and at the 2001 Summer Cup.
The "New Armenians" then concentrated on touring, holding concerts across the CIS, Europe, Israel, and the United States. During a 2001 American tour, the team members attended a performance of the local "Comedy Club," a stand-up comedy show. By 2003, as their concert activity waned and financial difficulties increased, the team decided to develop the "Comedy Club" concept in Moscow. Artashes Sarkisyan, Arthur Janibekyan, and Artak Gasparyan were among those who created and launched the project. From the start, Sarkisyan served as the host, not participating in sketches.
In 2007, he opened his own restaurant, "TM Cafe," which earned several awards. In December 2010, Sarkisyan launched Cafe "54" and contributed to the development of the "Tribeca" project.
