I came across an job listing today for a Hollywood talent agency that is looking to hire a new agent to work for their company. I won’t name names, but here’s the job description:
“Talent agency seeking theatrical and commercial agents. Candidates must have two or more years direct experience working as an agent or talent manager working directly with the process of signing new talent. Seeking self motivated individuals that can hit the ground running. We do not care if you have a client list, we only care that you have an incredible signing ability. This position is commissioned based and it will provide enormous commission potential. We are only looking for Rock Stars!!!!!!”
So just to recap – they want somebody with experience signing talent and don’t care if you have a client list or not, as long as you have an incredible signing ability? And actually being able to work with your clients or do anything to help their career is so insignificant that it’s not even mentioned in the job description?
This is a great look at how too many talent representatives view their business. What makes a good agent or manager? Being able to sign clients. Whether or not you can actually service those clients is such an afterthought that it’s not even in the job description.
Just something to keep in mind the next time you think a manager or agent is the only thing keeping you from growing your career or the next time you wonder why your reps don’t seem to be doing anything for you.
The free Google Keyword Tool is a simple (and slightly addictive) tool that can be used to to discover how many people search for various terms using Google’s search engine. It’s designed to give people who are interested in running ads on Google an idea of what terms people are looking for that may be relevant to the product or service they are hoping to advertise. It is also often used by bloggers and website creators who sometimes create content featuring the more popular keywords in an attempt to rank highly in Google’s search results for those terms and in return receive a lot of free traffic for their content.
Those uses aside, the Google Keyword Tool can also be used to help give you an idea about the psychology of what comedy fans are looking for and help shape how you think about the content you’re creating and the audience for it. For example, here’s four observations I made after searching for a variety of different comedy terms in the Google Keyword Tool…
1. Audiences are looking for things that are “funny,” not things that are “comedy.”
One of the first things you’ll notice is the huge discrepancy between searches using the term “funny,” compared to searches using the term “comedy.” For example, Google gets 1.5 million searches a month for the term “funny videos,” but only 90,000 searches a month for the term “comedy videos.” This demonstrates that when people are looking for a laugh online, they’re not necessarily looking for something done by a professional (because “comedy” conveys something more professional than just “funny”), but rather they are just looking for a video that makes them laugh – whether that video was created for that purpose specifically or whether it was some guy accidentally getting hit in t he nuts. It’s worth remembering as you position yourself and your content online that people don’t care if you’re a “pro,” they just want to see things that are funny.
2. Broaden your definition of comedy.
A follow up to the emphasis on funny over comedy is that it’s probably worth broadening your definition of what comedy is because the Google Keyword Tool reveals that the kinds of funny content that are most searched for are probably very different than you might expect. For example, the most searched for “funny” term is “funny games,” which is searched for a whopping 4 million times a month. This means that nearly three times more people are looking for funny games online than are looking for funny videos, so maybe your efforts are better spent creating a funny game than they are a funny video. Other types of funny content that are frequently searched for in Google include “funny quotes” (searched for 2.7 million times a month), “funny jokes” (searched for 1.5 million times a month), “funny pictures” (searched for 1.5 million times a month), and “funny shirts” (searched for 300,000 times a month).
3. YouTube matters.
YouTube is much more than just a website at this point, it’s become synonymous with online video and the Google search results prove that. For example, more people search for the term “comedy YouTube” (110,000 searches per month) than search for “comedy videos” (90,000 searches per month). And another 670,000 people a month search for “funny YouTube.” It’s further proof that any comedian who is still ignoring YouTube at this point is ignoring the majority of people who look for comedy content online.
4. Like it or not, audiences define you by your race and gender.
It may not be fair for comedians to be typecast by their race or gender, but it’s clear that comedy fans are still looking for comedy based on these superficial characteristics. For example, there’s 22,000 searches each month for the term “black comedians,” 18,000 searches a month for the term “female comedians,” and 1,600 searches a month for the term “Latino comedians.” By comparison, genre-specific searches are much less frequent with just 110 searches a month for the term “alternative comedians” and just 91 searches a month for “smart comedians.”
These are just the tip of the iceberg of the things you can find out by playing around with the Google Keyword Tool and I’d encourage you to experiment with some searches that relate to your own interests and see what you find. Oh, and in case you’re curious, there’s 2,900 searches a month for the term “How to be a comedian,” so that explains all the people at those open mics.
Here’s a question I recently got from somebody that wished to remain anonymous:
“I’m a teen comic in Dallas/Ft. Worth and am currently trying to build connections. One of those ways is through Twitter. Any advice on how to get more followers?”
This is a very common question and the answer can often be person-specific, but here’s 8 tips that are somewhat universal…
1. You don’t need more followers, you need better followers.
It’s easy to get caught up obsessing about the sheer number of Twitter followers you have, but what’s really more important is the quality of the followers you have. It’s much better to have 100 true followers that will help you achieve your goals (whatever those may be), than it is to have 1,000 random followers that won’t ever buy tickets to your shows, book you gigs, or really care about what you have to say.
2. Figure out who you want to follow you and go after those people.
Once you decide to raise the quality of your followers as opposed to just the quantity, you’ll need to decide what kind of people you want to follow you. All you said in your email was that you were hoping to use Twitter to “build connections,” but I’m not exactly sure what that means. If you’re hoping to build connections with people who can book you at shows or help your career, then you should focus on attracting those people as your followers. If you mean that you’re hoping to build fans who will attend your shows and support your work, then you should focus on attracting them as followers. Either way, it’s important to know who your target followers are before you can go after them.
3. Include your Twitter account in your email signature.
Here’s an easy one – add a plug for your Twitter account in your email signature, on your Facebook page, and on your website if you have one. Basically, these are easy ways to remind anybody that comes across you in any of these places that you’re also on Twitter and they should connect with you there.
4. Ask your followers to spread the word.
Even if you don’t have as many followers as you’d like, you’ve already got some and they’re a great place to start with your efforts to grow your following. Try to come up with some fun ways to incentivize your current followers to spread the word about you. Maybe it’s some kind of contest, maybe it’s a challenge, maybe it’s a game…it doesn’t really matter what you come up with, but if you can figure out a way to encourage the people who already follow you to spread the word that can be very helpful.
5. Tweet links to “viral” content.
In looking at your account, I noticed that you rarely ever post links to videos, articles, or photos, and I think that’s a missed opportunity. It’s a good idea to occasionally share links to content you haven’t necessarily created but you think is interesting, funny, crazy, or otherwise “viral.” People may be more likely to retweet a crazy video you shared than a joke you wrote.
6. Ask questions of your followers.
If you want people to mention your Twitter account (and therefore promote it to their followers by default), it helps to ask questions of your followers. When you ask entertaining or interesting questions, your followers will be more encouraged to reply to you and every time they do, they’re essentially promoting you to all of their followers who will see your name in the @ reply.
7. Use Twitter search to find appropriate people to follow.
Let’s say that you decided that you wanted to get comedians in Dallas to follow you, so that they will get to know you and potentially book you in local shows. Well, you can use Twitter’s advanced search to find people who are tweeting things that comedians in Dallas would be likely to tweet and then go follow those people and strike up a conversation with them. For example, here’s a search for tweets made by people who live in Dallas that reference the Addison Improv.
8. Guest blog or contribute to other projects that have large audiences.
Contributing some work to another website, video series, or project in exchange for the opportunity to plug your Twitter account is a great way to get your name out there. Most humor blogs will accept submissions from guest columnists, and most will also let you plug your Twitter account in your byline. It’s a great way to get your name out there in the context of a funny article, and promote your Twitter account at the same time. If readers like what you wrote, they’ll probably follow you.
The Huffington Post today chronicles the amazing story of how UCB comedian Chris Gethard managed to get Sean “Diddy” Combs to appear on his improv show last Friday night after a year-long campaign from Gethard and his fans.
I’d recommend reading the whole story, which is well told by HuffPo “comedy intern” Ross Luippold, but here’s an excerpt:
The evening was the culmination of a 13-month Internet campaign to get Diddy to appear in The Chris Gethard Show, a freewheeling talk/comedy show that touts itself as “the most bizarre and often saddest talk show in New York City.” Gethard began his personal mission of getting Diddy to appear on his monthly show on Christmas Eve 2009, in the form of a YouTube video of a personal plea to Diddy to appear on the show.
“I want to live in a world where I can make a video like this, and you’ll somehow see it,” Gethard said in the video, addressing Diddy. “And you’ll come and make an appearance on my show. Even if that appearance is thirty seconds long.”
Gethard encouraged his followers to use the Twitter hashtag #diddygethard — the logical way to reach the rapper, whose Twitter account, @iamdiddy, boasts over three million followers and is updated with remarkable frequency. Within days of posting his video, Gethard was on the phone with Diddy explaining the barrage of #diddygethard tweets. (Gethard’s last name rhymes with “tethered,” which clears up a more unseemly interpretation of the hashtag.)
“Twitter is weird,” Baer said. “This show could not have happened three years ago. Three years ago, Gethard might have said, ‘Who knows how to contact Diddy? I would like to get Diddy on my show.’ And people would have said, ‘Maybe? No! How would you do that?’ But now you can.”
Soon, Gethard reached an even larger audience to promote this idea that was slowly turning into a reality. During an appearance on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” to promote “Big Lake,” Gethard spoke at length about his intent to book Diddy on his show using Twitter. That night, #diddygethard was a Trending Topic in New York City. Now that the campaign had gained enough traction, the comedian approached Diddy backstage at “SNL,” where Diddy formally promised, on camera, that he would appear as a guest on The Chris Gethard Show. Soon after, the show was officially booked for January 14th, 2010.
Here’s a look at Gethard’s original YouTube video plea for Diddy, and his Jimmy Fallon appearance:
I watched Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work tonight and I’ve got to say it’s one of the best documentaries I’ve seen in a long time and should be required viewing for just about anybody that’s interested in a comedy career. In addition to that, there were two things in the documentary that jumped out at me as being relevant to Connected Comedy readers:
1. Are you willing to work as hard as Joan Rivers?
I’ve previously asked you to compare your effort to that of NBA player Kevin Durant, but it’s probably even easier to compare yourself to Joan Rivers. It’s clear in the documentary that Joan works HARD…and not just on projects that pay her a lot of money. She’s constantly writing new material, working on her act in small clubs, and scratching and clawing to create new opportunities for herself. Here’s a clip from the documentary that should give you a sense of just how hard Joan works at creating content:
2. What are you going to do on Monday?
In the documentary, Joan’s agent (I think) tells a great story about Richard Pryor. Years ago, the agent had met with Richard Pryor and was talking to him about his plans for Pryor’s career. He said something to the effect of, “We’re going to do this, and we’re going to do that, and then we’re going to do this…” But then Pryor interrupted him and said, “I don’t care. What are we going to do on Monday?”
What a great quote and a great way to look at things. It’s important to have goals in your career and have a sense of where you want to go, but what’s more important is to think about what you’re going to do right now, in the moment, to get there. You can’t control what you’re going to do down the road in your career, but you can control what you’re going to do on Monday. And that’s probably more important anyway.
Over the past couple years, we’ve seen the bottom fall out of the entertainment content business and it’s become increasingly difficult to monetize content of any kind.
In the music business, album sales have disappeared and taken record labels and record advances with it.
In the movie business, studios have slashed production company deals, cut back on the number of movies they produce and scripts they buy, and they’re selling fewer movie tickets each year (despite the illusion of increased box office grosses which are solely due to more expensive ticket prices that hide the fact that fewer people are actually going to the movies).
And of course in the comedy business, there’s fewer TV development deals, fewer comedians that are able to sell tickets, depressed DVD and album sales, and in general comedic content doesn’t generate the kind of money that it used to.
It all adds up to a pretty dismal portrait of the entertainment industry. But, I think there’s a way out of this mess if you look hard enough.
The value of entertainment content is decreasing, but the value of entertainment experiences is on the rise. And it’s now easier than ever before to create an experience if you’re willing to put in a little work and creativity.
While people seem hesitant to shell out cash for content, they are eager to spend money on something that gives them a unique experience – and in many cases, the more unique the experience you can offer, the more likely it is to succeed.
Here’s some examples:
In the music industry, sales of music (content) are way down but concert sales and revenue (experiences) are way up. Musicians have started to realize that the key to their financial success is now their ability to create and monetize these experiences and that if they do, it’s even better for them than the old model. You know who it’s bad for? The record labels. But that’s there problem and they know it, which is why so many of them are now trying to do “360” deals with their acts so that they can get a piece of the “experience” money from touring, merchandise, etc.
In the movie industry, there’s a reason why you see more movie theaters offering better food, serving alcohol, allowing you to reserve a seat, and offering other appealing amenities. It’s because they’ve realized that the movies themselves (content) are no longer enough to get people to theaters, but people are willing to pay for a better theater-going experience.
I believe that the secret to monetizing the comedy business in the coming years will also be figuring out a way to create experiences that people will pay for. Sure, the content is an important piece of the puzzle, but your content really will serve as a marketing hook to attract an audience that will then be interested in ultimately buying the experience you have to sell.
This is all still evolving, but if you look closely you can start to see some examples of how it’s already working.
One of the biggest comedy events of the year is UCB’s Del Close marathon. Sure, you can see most of the participants in the show all the time at the theater, but the marathon format turns it into a unique experience that people want to be a part of.
And here’s another creative one that I noticed recently:
Patrick Melton is a Los Angeles-based comedian who hosts the popular Nobody Likes Onions podcast. On an episode in late December, he spitballed live on the air an idea to offer something unique to his fans, something he dubbed the NLO Experience.
Essentially, Melton had an empty room in his apartment and decided to offer fans the opportunity to book themselves a stay at his apartment for a weekend and the chance to sit in on tapings of the show, hang out with him and the show’s other regular comedian guests, and go to some of the places that are regularly discussed on the show for a small fee.
Check out this video from the 16 minute mark, to see Melton describe the idea:
In speaking with Melton recently, he told me that his listeners loved the idea and he had already booked just about the first half of the year. It was a great idea and one which fans clearly are more than happy to pay for because it’s offering them not just content, but a unique “experience.”
So what’s the point of all this?
The point is that if you’re interested in monetizing your talent, you should think about what kind of unique experience you can offer people beyond just the brilliance of your content.
Want to sell more tickets to your stand up shows? Well, figure out a way that you can make those shows a better and different experience than every other stand up show out there.
Want people to pay you to make a video series? Think about how you can create a series where they will get a unique experience for their contribution beyond that of just being a passive audience member.
Creating great content is important, but it’s only half the battle.
Here’s a question that I recently got from a reader:
I’m a female comedian/storyteller who’s been in the business for about three years. I’d really like to open up some performance and exposure opportunities for myself by getting a commercial agent. Only problem is, I don’t know how to go about that. I’ve heard that the best way to get an agent is to have someone in the industry who already has an agent refer you. But the people that I know with agents are not extremely close friends of mine, and I don’t want to impose such a big favor. Any advice?
Thanks!
Sincerely,
Seeking help and an agent.
Now before I reply I want to say that landing a commercial agent isn’t exactly my area of expertise, so take these suggestions with a grain of salt. That said, here’s a couple ideas that may help…
In general, you’re probably correct that the best path to landing an agent is to have a recommendation from somebody who already has an agent, but that’s far from the only way to make it happen. You didn’t say where you live, but I would assume that your chances of landing a commercial agent will be exponentially higher if you live in New York or Los Angeles. That doesn’t mean that you can’t do it from elsewhere, but I’m guessing it will be much more difficult that way.
Location aside, I think you should focus your energy on trying to develop a relationship with an agent or somebody that works at an agency in any way that you can. Rather than just sending somebody some info about yourself and begging them to represent you, maybe you can figure out a way to develop a relationship with an agent in a way that they get to know you first (and will then be much more likely to want to help you out).
Assuming you know the names of some commercial agents or agencies that you’d like to get to, search for them on Twitter and/or Facebook and try to follow them. Then interact with them on those social networking sites in genuine ways (don’t just pester them about repping you) and maybe you can start to build a relationship with them. All you really want to do is try to connect with them to the point where you can eventually ask them to consider repping you – they may decline, but at least you can get yourself on their radar.
Another idea would be to reach out to those agencies and see if you can work there – either in a paying job or as an intern or volunteer. It might be a little work, but it’s another way to get yourself in the door and get them to know who you are. Plus, you’ll probably learn a lot about the business and will have a better understanding of how it works and what they’re looking for that will help you in the long run.
If you can’t hook up with anybody via social networking and don’t have time to actually work in an agent’s office, then maybe you can come up with a creative excuse for them to meet with you that has nothing to do with you pitching them to rep you. For example, if you have a blog you can reach out to an agent and ask them if you can interview them for a post on your blog. People like getting attention and being considered experts in their field, so the chances are that the same person who would never take your call if you were looking for representation will be more than happy to spend an hour talking to you for an interview for your blog.
All of these things are excuses for you to make a contact with somebody who may be able to help you down the road. There’s no guarantee they will of course, but you should be able to at least open a couple doors and get to know some people.
One final note: if you’re having a hard time getting any agents to pay attention to you, aim lower. Almost every agent started as an agent’s assistant and you’d be surprised how helpful those assistants can be. Agents’ assistants are also a lot easier to get to pay attention to you because they are also looking to discover those hidden gems that they can bring in to their bosses and help further their own career. Basically, they’re as hungry as you are so it’s in both of your interests to help each other.
Again, you should be able to use Facebook, or Twitter, or LinkedIn to track down assistants and lower level employees at agencies and reach out to them to see if they can help you. Even if they can’t help you now, those agents’ assistants will be agents soon enough and they may be able to help you then.
Hope this helps and if anybody else has a question for me, feel free to email me any time.
The other day I watched the Behind The Music special on Public Enemy and noticed several things about the group’s success that seemed applicable to the comedy world as well. Here’s a few things comedians can learn from the success of a militant old school rap group (believe it or not)…
1. Each Group Member Had A Unique Role
I think one of the things that made Public Enemy compelling as a group was that each of its members were very different from each other and they each filled different roles. Chuck D was the politically aware lyricist, Flavor Flav was a crazy sidekick, criminal, and clown, Professor Griff was the militant head of security, and Terminator X was the DJ with the futuristic collage of sound.
When you think about it, they were each so different that you wouldn’t necessarily expect them to be in the same circle of friends, let alone in the same group. But that mixture of personalities and ideas made the group way more interesting than they would have been if they were all like Chuck D or all like Flavor Flav.
In thinking about comedy groups, (whether formal improv groups or informal cliques), it’s interesting to me that most of them feature a bunch of guys (or girls) who are essentially the same. Same look, same viewpoint, same style. And in most cases, the “same” isn’t nearly as interesting as different. It was in the case of Public Enemy, and I bet it would be in the case of comedy as well.
2. They Weren’t Above Their Audience
There’s a story in Public Enemy’s Behind The Music about how the group insisted on not arriving to their gigs in limos or fancy cars, instead demanding to arrive in nondescript trucks or vans. The reason? They wanted their audience to be able to relate to them and to send a subtle message that they weren’t above their audience despite their success.
One of the things I’ve noticed in all entertainment recently, but particularly in comedy, is that audiences seem to have a lot of resentment toward the idea of a comedian being above them. I’m not exactly sure why – though I would guess it has something to do with the fact that any kid in their bedroom can now show off their own “talents” to the world via the Internet – but it seems like audiences revolt at the idea that you’re somehow better than them because you’re a “professional.”
However, the flip side of this trend is that they eagerly embrace you if you convey the message that you are one of them. For example, I imagine that some of the success that Chris Hardwick has had in recent years since branding himself as The Nerdist has come at least in part because it’s a persona that emphasizes that he’s on the same level as his audience – he’s one of them and they love him for it.
Being “the Nerdist,” is a much different message than being “the guy who co-hosted Singled Out on MTV.”
3. They Were About An Idea, Not Just Music
Public Enemy stood for much more than its music. The group stood for an ideology, and had a clearly defined viewpoint that people rallied around. My guess is that this got them a lot of fans who may not have necessarily loved their music, but loved what it represented and wanted to support the movement behind the music.
Comedy’s much different than music, but the same thing can apply. Sure, guys like Doug Stanhope and Bill Maher are great comedians, but I’d also bet that a decent portion of their fanbase is attracted to the ideas they represent just as much as the jokes in their acts.
4. They Were Original
When Public Enemy first came on the scene, there was nothing like them out there. They were a true original – so much so that record labels didn’t know what to do with them and didn’t want to touch them, until Def Jam took a chance on them. And what did Def Jam do with them? Put them on the road as an opening act for a white hip hop group (The Beastie Boys) whose audience was primarily suburban white kids – the same kinds of kids that were in many ways the “bad guys” depicted in Public Enemy’s music.
But Public Enemy’s originality and the originality of Def Jam’s plan for them cut through all of that to turn the group into one of the first true multicultural hits in hip hop. That’s how powerful originality can be.
It’s tough to be an original, especially in a comedy world that seemingly has seen it all at this point. But the more original you can be, the more success you’re likely to have.
5. They Embraced Their Mistakes
Not only was Public Enemy unafraid of being original and taking chances, they actually embraced the mistakes they would make along the way. When the band was developing what would ultimately become its signature sound, they had more than their share of screwups – an accidental scratch here, an offbeat drum there, and the occasional out of tune guitar riff.
But rather than getting rid of those errors and trying to make their sound more polished, they decided to include the mistakes because they thought that having a rough sound would reflect what the band’s message was all about. As a result, their music developed a truly unique sound that a perfectly polished production style never would have achieved.
In comedy, most things also don’t turn out perfect. But it’s too easy to scrap projects or forever tinker with them in your quest for comedic perfection. All that does is prevent you from moving forward.
Sometimes, like Public Enemy learned, your rough edges can be more interesting than you think.
Here’s a few things I’ve come across recently that are worth a click:
• Splitsider recently interviewed some of Twitter’s top comedy writers/performers in a pair of posts about the secrets to their 140 character success stories. Part 1 includes comments from Family Guy, Conan, and SNL writers, while Part 2 features interviews with comedians like Doug Benson and Rob Delaney.
My rock band has leapt across treadmills, camouflaged ourselves in wallpaper, performed with the Notre Dame marching band, danced with a dozen trained dogs, made an animation with 2,300 pieces of toast, crammed a day-long continuous shot into 4½ minutes and built the first ever Rube Goldberg machine—at least that we know of—to operate in time to music. We are known for our music videos, which we make with the same passion and perseverance we do our songs. Our videos have combined views in excess of 120 million on YouTube alone, with countless millions more from television and repostings all over the Internet.
For most people, the obvious question is: Has this helped sell records? The quick answer is yes. We’ve sold more than 600,000 records over the last decade. But the more relevant answer is that doesn’t really matter. A half a million records is nothing to shake a stick at, but it’s the online statistics that set the tone of our business and, ultimately, the size of our income.
We once relied on investment and support from a major label. Now we make a comparable living raising money directly from fans and through licensing and sponsorship. Our bank accounts don’t rival Lady Gaga’s, but we’ve got more creative freedom than we did as small fish in her pond.
• You may not have heard of XtraNormal yet, but the chances are you’ve laughed at a video made using their services. This article examines the video company that may just be the next big thing in viral comedy.
• If you’re thinking of writing a book and are waiting around for a publisher to agree to publish it, you might want to take a minute to read this article about how e-books are changing the economics of writing.
• Here’s a nice overview of Keith and the Girl, one of the most popular comedy podcasts around. The show’s been around since 2005 and has attracted more than 50,000 daily listeners, including more than 60 fans who have gotten show-related tattoos on their bodies. They must be doing something right.
I like to go on walks occasionally to get some exercise and clear my head. Unfortunately, Los Angeles has been buried under a constant rainfall for the past week, so I haven’t managed to go on a walk since the apocalypse (that’s how a little drizzle is viewed in the City of Angels) began.
But today I ventured out into the rain for a walk and realized that walking in the rain actually has some lessons to offer people pursuing a comedy career. Here’s five of them:
1. Timing Is Everything
One of the reasons I ventured out for a walk today is because the rain had stopped. I looked out my window all morning and it was dry and, thinking the worst had passed, I finally ventured out for a walk in the afternoon. Sure enough, 20 minutes into my walk the sky opened up and it started raining again. Not the best timing on my part.
I had missed the window of opportunity today to have a dry walk, just like so many comedians miss their various windows of opportunities to take advantage of the tools they have available to them. Whatever you’re creating, timing is important. For example, there’s lots of comedians who now do all the same things that Dane Cook did in order to build his legion of devoted fans. The difference? Dane did it first and his timing was right.
The timing of when Dane first embraced using online tools to build a direct connection with his fans was the exact moment when a lot of these tools were exploding – particularly on college campuses. Dane flooded things like Napster with his content at a time when virtually no other comedians were doing so and he reaped the rewards. Don’t wait around when you see an opportunity hoping that it will still be there whenever you’re finally ready to go after it because if you do, you’ll likely wind up getting caught in the rain again like I did.
2. Don’t Forget Your Hood
The first 20 minutes of my walk was great – it felt good to get some exercise and be outside, so I was sufficiently annoyed when the rain started to fall. But even though I expected a dry walk, I still was wearing a hooded sweatshirt just in case I needed it. Sure enough, the rain fell and I was able to pull up my hood and carry on.
Whatever you set out to do with your comedy, you should bring along your own “hood” so that you don’t have to give up on your goal if things don’t necessarily go as you plan. Just because you think that your blog is going to be a huge hit, doesn’t mean that it will be. And what will you do then? Will you abandon it if only five people read your first five posts? Or will you push on, start to add more features and new content, confident that you can ultimately achieve your goal of building a larger audience?
3. Sometimes You Need To Change Your Route
When it started raining I abandoned my typical walking route and chose to go on one instead which would keep me a little closer to home in case the rain got too unbearable. Being able to adapt on the fly is important in pursuing your own comedy goals as well, because your audience might want to take you in a different direction than you anticipate.
For example, you may see yourself as a stand up comedian who happens to do a podcast but what if your audience sees you as a podcaster who happens to do stand up comedy? Does it matter? Maybe, maybe not, as long as you are getting to do all the things that you love.
There’s a film called The Room (read all about it here) that was made by a filmmaker who intended it to be a serious low-budget independent film, but the film turned out so laughably bad that’s it become a huge Rocky Horror Picture Show-like cult hit and way bigger than he ever could have dreamed. Does that make him a success? A failure? Or just somebody who adapted to his career taking a different route than he originally expected?
4. You May Be Scared Of The Rain, But Other People Are Not
The rain’s kept me from walking for the past week, but even as it started coming down I noticed how many other people were outside – running and walking even as the rain fell. Whether I viewed the rain as a dealbreaker to my exercise plans or not, there were clearly other people who didn’t let it stop them from their exercise goals.
I think it’s important to remember that while you may find excuses for why you’re not pursuing certain things, there’s always going to be other people out there that aren’t so easily deterred.
I’m sure you can come up with lots of reasons why you’re not blogging, or making videos, or performing live as much as you want and that’s fine for you. Just know that there’s other people among your peers that aren’t being stopped by those same excuses. And they’re more than happy to attract the audience that you’re not willing to go after yourself.
5. It’s OK To Get A Little Wet Sometimes
As I mentioned before, I wound up walking for over an hour in the rain and returned home more than a little wet. And at the end of the day I felt great about it, because it’s OK (and it’s probably good) for you to get a little wet every once in a while.
When it comes to comedy, not everything you try to do is going to be met with sunshine. A lot of it is going to fail and you’re going to get wet. But that’s ok – it’s not the end of the world and you can’t let the fear of failure prevent you from trying new things.
Make a video series that nobody likes? So what, make another. Tried to put on a live show that nobody came to see? Big deal, it’s happened to everybody. I went for a walk and got a little wet, but I’ll dry off and ultimately it won’t matter that I got wet. And the same’s true for your projects – nobody’s going to remember the ones that fail, they’ll only remember the ones that work.
