No offense to Frank Sinatra, but the destination of choice for a comic looking to break into the big time is Colorado's glitziest ski town, not the Big Apple.

For 13 years, Aspen has played host to HBO's U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, which lures casting agents, producers, directors, managers and industry insiders searching for the next Chris Rock. If up-and-comers can make it there, big opportunities typically follow.

• Ray Romano landed his own sitcom after appearing in a stand-up showcase at the first festival in 1995.

• Eve Ensler won the Jury Award for Theater seven years ago for The Vagina Monologues, making it chic for women to talk about the once-taboo body part onstage. "It was running off-Broadway," the festival's manager of talent, J.P. Buck, said of the now-legendary show. "But we were the conduit through which it finally got noticed."

This year's festival, which wrapped up last weekend, turned the spotlight on sketch-comedy groups and stand-up performers, showcasing a record 22 stand-up comics, including such local performers as Last Comic Standing winner Josh Blue, KYGO-FM DJ Steve "Mudflap" McGrew and Ben Kronberg, a regular at the Comedy Works.

"It was kind of surreal in that everything seemed so nonchalant and casual, yet with this subtext of importance to it," Kronberg said of the networking he did at the festival. "When I would get a business card before, I wouldn't think twice about it. Now the business cards I got at the festival I keep under my pillow."

Kronberg is now mulling a possible move to Los Angeles and signing with out-of-state management. He also hopes to nail down some performance time on Comedy Central and late-night talk shows, thanks to the contacts he made.

In addition to launching the careers of individuals, the festival has served as a reliable testing ground for new TV shows and films. HBO greenlighted the sketch- comedy series Mr. Show after a strong festival showing.

So, while comedian Kirk Fox and political talk show The Gaggle aren't household names today, they could be must-see entertainment tomorrow.

John Oliver

• Why he's worth your time: A correspondent for The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Oliver skewers American news with a deliciously dry British sensibility.

• What's so funny?: "The first time I came to Colorado, the cab driver said to me, 'Here's an interesting fact: Colorado is the least obese state in the nation.' Not the healthiest but the least obese. Isn't that tantamount to being in the middle of a Klan rally and saying, 'I'm the least racist person here?' "

• Check him out: The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, 9 p.m., weekdays, Comedy Central