Austin Improv

HEY EVERYONE!

SHORT NOTICE: A SPECIAL INSIDE LOOK AT THE COMEDY INDUSTRY


As you may know there are some scouts for CAA (Creative Artsist Agency) in town checking out the Austin comedy scene.

A couple of them have generously offered to hold a free Q&A about the entertainment industry, your next steps, and offer some unique insight into the biz.

Tomorrow, Saturday Dec 3rd
ColdTowne Theater
Doors Open: 1pm Q&A 130p-3p.

Show up before 1:30 to guarantee a spot.

Please pass this along to anyone in your comedy community who might be interested.

Thanks everyone for coming. We had about 30 people show up on less than 24 hours notice.

Pretty impressive.
and very informative.

The best thing I got out of this seminar was to create really good things and get them out there.
Instead of thinking of a schedule to schedule mentality for smaller projects, think of the long view of putting energy into one thing and making it amazing.

Any other insights or a-has from anyone who attended?

Dave

Dave wrote:The best thing I got out of this seminar was to create really good things and get them out there.
Instead of thinking of a schedule to schedule mentality for smaller projects, think of the long view of putting energy into one thing and making it amazing.

I think I know what you're saying here, but I don't quite understand "schedule to schedule mentality for smaller projects." Do you mean, instead of doing six or seven creative projects and managing them all and having to keep them all small to manage the number of them, fewer shows for each of them, focus on one bigger project and do it up right?

Dave wrote: Any other insights or a-has from anyone who attended?

Yes please.

I am VERY sorry I missed this. As Dave Patrick noted, I'm also interested in hearing others responses to the talk.

I will say that devoting my energy to PIP is making a difference in our shows. We're doing fewer shows in 2012 so we have time to design and produce each show, as well as give ourselves time off while keeping a fair amount of momentum between those shows.

I felt some of the main takeaways from the Q&A were:

• There's more competition now than ever before between agencies to sign comic talent. As a result, more and more comedians are represented earlier in their careers than ever before.

• Some agents will hit the streets in cities like New York, LA and Chicago to see lots of shows and try to discover new talent.

• A few of the agents believe the lack of a prominent industry presence in Chicago and Austin enables comedians to take more risks and spend more time forming their identities. To some extent, New York can also be good for this (but there are a growing number of opportunities in New York, clearly).

• When asked if agents monitor sites like Funny or Die, all three claimed to visit them on a pretty regular basis.

• UCB is the hip place to train/perform in NY and LA, but agents aren't afraid to check out shows in other locations, and often do. One had just seen a show in a Chinese restaurant and enjoyed it.

• The most common way to get represented by an agent is through a referral. Clients refer some of their friends, family members and friends of agents offer the occasional referral, and even assistants and friends of assistants can refer. Obviously, your mileage may vary depending on who is referring you.

• Nobody's path to representation is the same. Dan Harmon (showrunner of Community) refers to all the stories of breaking into showbusiness as follows: "It's always banana peels and stop lights ... a series of random events. The only thing you can do is be persistent about it."

• Focus on the things you can control instead of the things you can't. Remarkably good material "always finds a way" to get noticed.

• Some actors want to do both comedy and drama. Pick one and stick to it. Most people are only good at one of the two.

• For writers, make sure your own voice can be seen in your material. That's what agents want to identify and share with decision makers.

That's everything off the top of my head. I could probably answer follow-up questions about those points if you have any. If I remember more of the panel, I'll post it. They discussed a lot of basic material as well, like the difference between agents and managers.

Thanks, Brad.

Yes, thanks Brad for posting all of that. A couple small follow ups, if you have time:

When asked if agents monitor sites like Funny or Die, all three claimed to visit them on a pretty regular basis.

Was there any mention of which sites in particular? Is FoD the pre-eminent one or were others mentioned by name?

Focus on the things you can control instead of the things you can't. Remarkably good material "always finds a way" to get noticed.

Was the things you can't control in this scenario mostly distribution?

Pdyx wrote:Yes, thanks Brad for posting all of that. A couple small follow ups, if you have time:

When asked if agents monitor sites like Funny or Die, all three claimed to visit them on a pretty regular basis.

Was there any mention of which sites in particular? Is FoD the pre-eminent one or were others mentioned by name?

One said she checks FoD every day. None other by name, and again, they said they'd watch a video if someone they know recommends it to them.

The most important lesson from the talk is the simplest one. Be good.

Pdyx wrote:Was the things you can't control in this scenario mostly distribution?

You can't control whether or not an agent shows up at your door and wants to represent you. Their point was, instead of worrying about that, worry about:

1) The quality of your product (this should always come first)
2) Your attitude/work ethic - Agents prefer working with people who have a positive outlook and work very hard to better themselves.
3) Your working relationships with people in the scene - If you've got a reputation for going around town burning bridges, that won't help you when it comes to representation and/or referrals. There are stand-up clubs that book acts solely because they enjoyed working with those comics in the past, even if the turnout wasn't great.

Thanks guys, I appreciate you answering those questions.