It’s very easy for comedians to fall into the trap of thinking that they can only use social media to create and distribute the same kinds of content. Just about every comedian with a YouTube channel either posts clips of their standup act, or maybe the occasional sketch or rant. And just about every comedian with a podcast invites some of their comedy friends to come by and sit around and shoot the shit for an hour.

There’s nothing wrong with these things, but it’s amazing how few people ever really try to do something different, to use all these tools to really be creative and try something new or different. To help inspire you to think outside the box (to use an obnoxious term) with your content, I want to highlight three recent creations I’ve seen that are unique, effective, and really clever. Here they are…

The Footloose Remake

It took about a year to pull off, but a group of creative people (many of whom are comedians) teamed up to produce a complete remake of the movie Footloose. The “film” features scenes re-enacted by 54 different filmmakers, who each shot their scene wherever they were around the world. It’s a pretty amazing logistical feat and the finished product is really interesting.

What I like about this is that besides being unique, it leverages 54 different creators’ existing fanbases, it appeals to a built-in audience (Footloose fans), and it’s a great hook to get free publicity because it’s such a unique and fun idea. Here’s a look at how the finished product turned out:

The Eardrop Podcast

The guys over at the Earwolf podcast network recently created a new podcast called Eardrop that is a real departure from the typical comedy podcast. Here’s how they explain what Eardrop is: “We’ve invited some of our favorite comedians to call in and leave messages on our answering machine. These are those messages.”

It’s a really clever idea that (again) leverages multiple comedians they have relationships with and creates a truly unique and fun listening experience. There’s no rule that every podcast has to have the same format, so how come so many of them sound the same? I applaud the Earwolf guys for trying something different.

Myq Kaplan’s “IAmA” Reddit Post

As I’ve mentioned before, I believe that Reddit is probably the best social media site on the web. It’s got a huge community of people, and it’s easy to find threads dedicated to just about any interest you may have.

One of the more active sections of Reddit is the IAmA page, which is basically a page where people can post a message saying what they are “I Am A…” and then other readers can ask them questions about their experiences and interact with them.

I recently saw that comedian Myq Kaplan went on the site and posted the following:

“My name is Myq Kaplan. I am a stand-up comedian. I have been on Last Comic Standing, Conan’s Tonight Show, Comedy Central Presents, and now Reddit for the first time. Ask me anything, if that’s how this works. (PS Sorry for the weird spelling, I know. Or you’re welcome for it, I know!)”

That sparked a 368 (and counting) comment discussion with Myq about his experiences and likely introduced him to hundreds of potential new fans in a really genuine way. He was literally connecting with people as opposed to promoting to them. I don’t know if he set out to do it as a promotional thing or (more likely) because he digs Reddit and thought it would be fun to do. Either way, it’s great and another example of how there’s a lot more ways to connect with fans than most people realize.

I’m sure there’s a lot more examples of people doing unique stuff out there – please leave a comment with any cool things you’ve come across that you think people should see. Thanks!