Category: Blog Post

Please don’t jump to conclusions about what this post is about before you read the whole thing. Call of Duty is actually one of the most hated on franchises in all of gaming, arguably for good reason. Activision releases a new iteration of it EVERY calendar year, and the 4 DLC (downloadable content) packs each cost $15 extra. When playing the game online we are forced to listen to people insulting each other, 12 year old (“squeakers”) screaming into their mics, and a barrage a racial slurs. Despite all this the game sells well and sets records every year. This is because the franchise is brilliantly marketed, and has become more than just a video game.

Today I saw a video for the upcoming Black Ops 2 DLC which releases on 1/29/12 (my birthday!). Going into this year’s CoD I had no desires to buy any of the DLC. After the train wreck that was Modern Warfare 3 I felt like I had been robbed. When I watched the video, I found myself getting excited. A new zombies map?! A multiplayer map in a skate park?! My mood was changed because Treyarch and Activision put together a great video that got me, a married college grad in his mid-20’s, as excited as a kid in a candy store. How did they do this?

Like I said earlier CoD is more than just a game, it is a hangout. Whenever I get on Xbox Live about half of my friends are playing Black Ops 2, some are even playing the previous year’s CoDs. We can “party up” and mute everyone else in the lobby, talk strategy, joke around, discuss our joy over the Laker’s downfall, whatever.

Many of the best and most notable things in life are more than JUST one thing. Donald Glover is anĀ  actor on community, a rapper under the name Childish Gambino, was a writer for 30 Rock, AND does stand up. Jay-Z, in addition to being one of the best rappers ever, has multiple successful businesses. Michael Jordan played basketball AND baseball (okay, bad example). Call of Duty follows this patter; it is a video game, a competitive e-sport (yes, really), and a place for friends to meet.

What’s the takeaway here? I’m not one to be preachy and give advice, but this can be applied to anyone’s aspirations. I don’t think the phrase “jack of all trades, master of none” should have a negative connotation. One can be successful in multiple areas, and expand their reach by doing so. I’m not saying that I necessarily want to be the Call of Duty of comedy, but there’s a lot to learn from CoD’s business model and marketing.

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My wife and I recently built a new house, and the basement will be unfinished. We have already begun discussing the process of finishing it ourselves (even though the upstairs will be more than enough space for our small family), and what we plan on doing with the extra space once it is complete. Sure we could pay someone to do it, but where’s the fun in that? Doing it ourselves will allow us to create memories, and to do things to our exact specifications, and on our own time frame.

When you do something yourself the possibilities are endless. Not every human on the planet is capable of completing any and all tasks on a professional level, but taking control has clear benefits. This is true in any line of work. I have read a plethora of articles about entertainers who made things happen on their own; people who got book deals, television programs, who planned their own tours, and many other great things. Sitting around and waiting to be “discovered” is a thing of the past.

Last week I watched a few episodes of the Comedy Central show Workaholics, on Netflix. The show is funny. The guys who are on the show also write the scripts. What’s more, before they ever got the show they made short films and posted them on the internet. In fact, that is essentially how they landed the deal; a Comedy Central exec “stumbled upon” their videos and enjoyed them.

This type of story is becoming more and more common. However, I don’t think that the Workaholics crew made their short films in hopes of getting a tv show. No, they probably did it because they enjoyed making them. Consequently, someone recognized their talent and they were given a show. More importantly, they weren’t a bunch of one trick ponies. I believe at least one of them is a stand up comedian, others are trained in acting and improv, and obviously they have experience making films.

I’ve decided recently to treat my comedy career they same way that I will treat my basement. Of course everyone needs “permission” from gatekeepers at some point. This is why we didn’t build our own house, but had professionals do that. Accordingly, I’m not going to call late night shows and tell them that they NEED to put me on, but I’ll take control of my career in more realistic ways. My goal isn’t even to get “discovered”, but simply to get funnier and continue to enjoy the content that I produce (both on stage and off). Eventually when someone “discovers” me I’ll be ready, because I didn’t sit around and wait for it to happen. I’ll have put myself out there and learned how to be a better performer, writer, etc.

photoI’m trying to lose weight, so naturally this is what I decided to have for lunch today. I give it a 7.5/10 on the Manly Meal scale (which I just invented, right now). It is called the J.J. Gargantuan from Jimmy John’s. It contains every type of meat that they have (other than Bacon, which is part of the reason for the average score). Clearly, not everything I post on this blog will be about comedy.

When did growing up become a “thing”? I think that Peter Pan and whoever wrote the iconic jingle for the Toys-R-Us commercials (“I don’t wanna grow up, I’m a Toys-R-Us kid….”) would be appalled by the amount of maturity in society today. People discover their first interests and hobbies when they are children, but so often those interests are abandoned as people get older. I started playing video games as a kid; in fact, one of the best Christmases ever was when my brother and I got Super Mario Bros 3 for the NES. I STILL play video games, albeit less frequently because I have a family, job, and am working on a Master’s degree. Regardless, so many people think that it is immature, childish, or irresponsible for people to continue loving the things that taught them how to love in the first place.

I still love to read graphic novels, more commonly known as comic books. One my favorite series is called The Runaways, about a group of teens who realize that they have super powers and that their parents are part of a criminal group called the Pride. It is well written and illustrated, and grabs my attention just as well as a “more mature” non-illustrated book would. I love The Walking Dead, recently read Batman: Year One, and I got seasons 1 & 2 of Batman Beyond for Christmas. I’m a self-respecting, hard-working adult; I love reading graphic novels, playing video games, and watching cartoons.

In fact, if you know me, you know that I also have my own comic strip (you can see an old one below). It isn’t meant to be laugh-out-loud HILARIOUS, but almost more of a journal of my experiences as a comedian. It is called “Comic About A Comic” (I agree, the title is clever. Thank you for noticing) and most weekdays I post a new one on my Facebook fan page as well as here on my website. It is loosely based on my comedy, and like comedy there are occasional exaggerations that are grounded in truth. None of the characters (other than yours truly) are based on real people, because not all of the things that I write about are “happy”.

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By now you may be wondering why I titled this post the way that I did. The answer is because comic books aren’t for children. Any form of media, can be used and appreciated by people of all ages. When I watch Sesame Street with my son, I can appreciate the fact that someone took the time to write the episode and that the people in the episode are actors playing a role. But really, my appreciation of comic books goes deeper than that. I’m not usually into literary analysis, but comic books have room for plenty. In fact, I took an English class as an undergrad that was based solely on graphic novels. We read Batman: The Long Halloween, Blankets, Y: The Last Man, and others. It was one of, if not the greatest class that I have ever taken. The authors of these books are often pushing messages that can’t be seen at the surface, ones that children would easily miss.

So I create comics, and I read them. I will continue to do so until there are no more good ones to read, or I lose my eyesight. You should too, because you don’t know what you’re missing.

Yesterday I bought a new notebook for my jokes. There are several reasons for this; my previous one was falling apart, I wanted one that is a little nicer with lined pages, and it symbolizes taking my comedy career to the next level.

A lot of the time I would flip through my previous notebook before going on stage, and occasionally I would come across hidden gems that I had forgotten or half-written jokes that needed working out. Also, my previous notebook contained a lot of my best material (as it should). Of course there are times when I take the stage with little idea what material I am going to do, but quite often I relied on my previous notebook to help me decide which jokes to tell.

That’s why it is time to put it in the past.

I’m not necessarily throwing out all of my old material, but I plan on writing and creating much more (jokes and content ) that I did last year. I think that a new book will help with that. Now, when I look through my notebook it will be blank (initially). That’s not to say that I won’t open and close sets with battle-tested jokes, but I won’t be using them as a crutch as much. There’s power in vulnerability, at least when it comes to art. Of course when you’re getting paid or auditioning for something, vulnerability could be dangerous. In low pressure environments however, vulnerability is what helps people grow.

The first time that a comedian tells a joke that works (not just gets a few chuckles, but really WORKS) is magical. Its an unparalleled feeling that I won’t bother to try and describe. The only way to continuously have that feeling is to write new material, try it, and be surprised the first time that it works. Then of course, you rework it to make it better but even then you are expecting laughs as you perform the bit.

Long story short, a new notebook will help me to grow and get better. It will force me to put past successes and failures behind me.

Today I read an excellent article entitled Things To Consider When Submitting To Write For A Late Night Show! I’ll link the article at the bottom of this post. The article was written by a comedian named Sara Schaefer who recently got her own show (with a fellow comedian) on MTV, and was in charge of hiring her own writers. One of the things that she mentioned is the fact that sending in a writing packet that had links to videos/pictures/etc can hurt one’s chances of getting the job because their press packet may be printed out and reviewed. In other words, if they have a hard copy of someone’s submission, they can’t click a link to watch or view whatever content is being referenced. Reading this piece really got me thinking; we live in an amazing time when people can instantly apply for jobs across the country with a few mouse clicks (no this was not the first time Iā€™ve realized this, but the article reminded me of this reality).

How did she get submissions from comedians/comedy writers from across the country? Probably via e-mail. Once again this is not a revelation, but it reiterates the fact that no matter where someone lives they have the ability to get their name out there and have their voice heard.

What’s my point? Even though I live in southern Utah, whichĀ isn’tĀ exactly a hot spot for comedy (or anything, other than the Utah Shakespeare Festival), there are plenty of ways of using the internet to create content that can be accessed by millions of people. That’s not to say that everything, or anything, that is created will be seen by that many people or that it will result in a job orĀ recognitionĀ of any type. Regardless, it is important to create things because it forces you to flex your create muscles and makes you more versatile. This is why I create my comic strip (you can read it here). Not for recognition, but because I enjoy doing it and it forces me to be creative, in addition to simply working on my own jokes for the stage. Of course it is hard to find anything that can substitute for actual stage time and face-to-face interactions, but relevant creations can supplement that.

One comedy website that I frequent is called Connected Comedy. In fact, I found the article that this post is loosely based on because someone in the Connected Comedians Facebook group posted it there. Connected Comedy is constantly preaching about the important of creating things, and having an online presence. The chances of being “discovered” while living in such a small town are slim to none, but those chances can be increased by creating things. My goal is not to be “discovered”, but I feel like writing and performing while living in obscurity will better prepare me to write and perform on larger stages (literally and figuratively) once I am not in obscurity. Consider it preparation. It is unlikely that anyone ever got a job writing for Letterman, Conan, Leno, or Fallon without having any practice writing. I consider these short blogs, my comics, getting on stage, etc my practice.

I think that generally when big artists are found, they already have a finely tuned act. The people who find these artists are probably asking themselves “why has this guy/girl never been seen before?!” I don’t have the answer to that question, but I do know that these artists have laid the ground work. Plenty of what I produce may be terrible at first, but it might evolve into something better. At the very least I’ll learn from my failures. On that note, I’m off to harness the power of the interet….

Link to the article:Ā http://saraschaefer.com/2012/12/things-to-consider-when-submitting-to-write-for-a-late-night-show/

Link to Connected Comedy:Ā http://connectedcomedy.com/

People should research comedians before they go see them perform, plain and simple. This isn’t an original idea of mine, either. This is common knowledge among comics, but not among audience members. With any other form of entertainment, or art (and yes, comedy IS art) people at least do a Google search before spending their money. For some reason, with comedy that is not the case.


Over the past few months there have been several stories about audience members who got offended by things that a comedian said or did on stage. If you are the type of person who doesn’t like jokes about murder, apples, fat people, or sneakers, then don’t go see a comedian who talks about those things. Furthermore, if you don’t do your research before PAYING to go see a performance then don’t complain or act surprised that something unexpected happens (because really, you should have no expectations at all, since you didn’t do your research).

All that said, is there a place where comedians should draw the line? My act isn’t super edgy, and isn’t profane at all, but that’s me. I don’t usually get heckled as a result of my content, and if I am heckled I’m not the type to “go off” on the heckler. My material is fairly laid back, and it would be near impossible to get back into it after screaming at someone for interrupting. For comedians who are more edgy or “controversial” in their acts, I do feel that there is a line that should be drawn when handling hecklers.

Is a comedian in his or her “right” to rip a rude audience member to shreds? If they are the headliner, sure. But is it necessary? I don’t think so. Being kind is always a plus in my book, but I agree that nobody should have to go to work (yes, comedy is work) and be called names or disrespected. For big name comics there is a point where they can get away with a lot. They could walk half the crowd and a venue would still bring them back, because they are a draw. In most cases they have labored for years to get to that point, and yes, they have the right to verbally respond however they please to someone who is being rude.

For audience members there is a simple solution if you don’t like what a comedian is saying/doing on stage; walk out. Leave. But please do so quietly. If you were seeing a play that sucked or was offensive, you would never imagine yelling at the actors would you? So why is yelling at a comedian any different. Once again, I have to wonder why someone would pay money to go see someone talk for an hour without learning about that person in advance. Also why would someone act surprised when a comedian who talks about kicking animals (or whatever) responds in a less than kind way to being screamed at by an audience member.

Movies have ratings, restaurants have Yelp, and comedians (ideally) have websites and youtube clips, or at least a description of their act on the venue’s website. The comedy club, theater, etc may have a great reputation, but that doesn’t mean their act is necessarily for you. Do your research.

I think that for a comedian it is almost better to be an unknown in a sea full of big fish, than to be a sharkĀ  (or sea lion, or whale, or other medium to large-sized sea creature of your choosing) in a pond with few fish. That’s my situation right now. As much respect and appreciation as I have for the comedians and comedy scenes that exist here in Utah there is so much more to see out there. Let’s be clear, I’m not saying that I’m the best comic here or even that I’m a “big fish”. However I will readily say that I’ve reached a point where performing in this market isn’t helping my career as much as it used to, and might even be hurting it in some ways.

During my first year in comedy I mostly performed on campus, and I loved it. After a while though, I started to realize that people would laugh at jokes I told no matter the quality. I even found myself writing FOR them at times;

“Hey guys, what’s the deal with that crazy thing that happened on campus the other day?Ā  I’m gonna talk about it for a few minutes and it’s gonna be hilarious, but only to you because you know about it. This joke is in no way universally funny!”

I’m glad that I was quickly able to realize what was happening. That realization, combined with my love of stand-up led me to start going to comedy clubs. I still did well there, but not nearly as well as I did on campus, I had to work harder and be more relatable to a wider audience.

Now I feel like I’ve reached the point where Utah as a whole has become the equivalent of those campus experiences that I used to have. I’ve performed in other states, but the majority of my performing has been here. There aren’t nearly as many opportunities to get on stage here as I would like, and I think that it is important for a comic to work different types of audiences.
Someone can hit a ceiling in any occupation. A high school basketball star would likely get lit up if he stepped on the court with a bunch of mediocre NBA players (guys like Lebron and Kobe are the rare exceptions to this statement).Ā  I’m not saying that where I live now is the minor leagues, but it might be. In fact, anywhere that anyone lives is the minor leagues in a sense, because familiarity can kill your sense of reality.

Comedians that live anywhere outside of New York, LA, and maybe a couple other cities may not really have a sense of how good (or not good) they are. Those cities are saturated with comedy, and with audiences that have heard a lot of comedy. I went to New York this summer to check out the comedy scene, it was eye opening in a lot of ways. Also, Comedians who have only performed in New York and LA might not know how well their act would work (or not work) on the road.

One of my main goals right now is to find out where I am really at, and to use that knowledge to get better. Not just here in the middle of America, but other places. If that means driving three hours to Vegas (or x number of hours somewhere else) to do a low paying (or not paying) gig somewhere then so be it. I’m in this for the long haul, not the short term, so I see this as an investment. I’ll let you know how it goes. =)