School Of Laughs

As we look back at 2016 for the final time, I wanted to make sure I admitted some mistakes, misconception and missteps. We can all learn from a mistake. If you don't, then that mistake becomes a habit and you will soon commit it again. You can (and will) make mistakes at every level of the comedy business.

To give some extra depth to the topic, I brought in two former students who are now full time to see what they learned as well. Jonnie W. and Brian Bates each share some hard earned stand up comedy lessons from the past year. Jonnie is a fixture in the Christian comedy world. Brian is also in that field but spends a majority of his time in the comedy club scene. I am fairly entrenched in corporate comedy.

So, the perspectives come from three comedians in three different markets. And also from a single fellow, a married fellow, and a fellow married with two kids.

We cover 3 lessons each in this episode. Specifically we talk about:

• How easy it is to lose focus on your health
• How over communicating may not be enough
• When one of us should have "Thought Bigger"
• How many gigs is too many gigs?
• How much new comedy material we should work up
• Why being the fastest joke slinger isn't necessarily a good thing
• Looking at the data to see what you are actually doing best at
• Having a bigger impact with the gift of stand up comedy

and a whole lot more.

In order to reach a bigger audience you need partners. When it comes to a video partner, you have to partner with FunnyandAmen.com Funny&Amen has over 20 years experience producing, directing, and shooting feature films, commercials, and LIVE recordings and is now producing clean comedy content. The team at Funny&Amen recently filmed me and it's some of the best video I have to promote my business. Check out the work of Kevin Hackenberg and his team at FunnyAndAmen.com .

This week's episode "9 stand up comedy lessons learned in 2016" is also brought to you by Patreon supporter Kay Dodd Stokes. To learn how you can support podcast through a small, monthly donation, visit Patreon.com/SchoolOfLaughs

"Club 52" is a 52 week, email based stand-up program. It will include a weekly challenge designed to help you become a better comedian. This year long program will feature an email every Friday from me. I will ask you to take a serious look at some of your business practices, writing processes, performance techniques, branding, marketing and a whole lot more.

The program starts the week you join and continues for 52 weeks as long as you are still supporting the podcast through Patreon at the $7 a month level.

Questions? Email me (Rik) at [email protected]. Or call 1-888-895-8549. Or, if you are ready, head on over to www.Patreon.com/SchoolOfLaughs to get started.

As we look back at 2016 for the final time, I wanted to make sure I admitted some mistakes, misconception and missteps. We can all learn from a mistake. If you don't, then that mistake becomes a habit and you will soon commit it again. You can (and will) make mistakes at every level of the comedy business.

To give some extra depth to the topic, I brought in two former students who are now full time to see what they learned as well. Jonnie W. and Brian Bates each share some hard earned stand up comedy lessons from the past year. Jonnie is a fixture in the Christian comedy world. Brian is also in that field but spends a majority of his time in the comedy club scene. I am fairly entrenched in corporate comedy.

So, the perspectives come from three comedians in three different markets. And also from a single fellow, a married fellow, and a fellow married with two kids.

We cover 3 lessons each in this episode. Specifically we talk about:

• How easy it is to lose focus on your health
• How over communicating may not be enough
• When one of us should have "Thought Bigger"
• How many gigs is too many gigs?
• How much new comedy material we should work up
• Why being the fastest joke slinger isn't necessarily a good thing
• Looking at the data to see what you are actually doing best at
• Having a bigger impact with the gift of stand up comedy

and a whole lot more.

In order to reach a bigger audience you need partners. When it comes to a video partner, you have to partner with FunnyandAmen.com  Funny&Amen has over 20 years experience producing, directing, and shooting feature films, commercials, and LIVE recordings and is now producing clean comedy content.  The team at Funny&Amen recently filmed me and it's some of the best video I have to promote my business. Check out the work of Kevin Hackenberg and his team at FunnyAndAmen.com .

This week's episode "9 stand up comedy lessons learned in 2016" is also brought to you by Patreon supporter Kay Dodd Stokes. To learn how you can support podcast through a small, monthly donation, visit Patreon.com/SchoolOfLaughs 

"Club 52" is a 52 week, email based stand-up program. It will include a weekly challenge designed to help you become a better comedian. This year long program will feature an email every Friday from me. I will ask you to take a serious look at some of your business practices, writing processes, performance techniques, branding, marketing and a whole lot more.

The program starts the week you join and continues for 52 weeks as long as you are still supporting the podcast through Patreon at the $7 a month level.

Questions? Email me (Rik) at [email protected]. Or call 1-888-895-8549. Or, if you are ready, head on over to www.Patreon.com/SchoolOfLaughs to get started.

Are you interested in screenwriting? Do you want to learn a few tactics on making crowd work, er, work? Then today you are in great luck! Comedian, screenwriter and former crowd warm-up Robert G. Lee joins us for a deep dive in both topics.

Robert G. Lee started dabbling in comedy in college. Afraid to go it alone at that time, he performed with others and in sketches. He had an opportunity to become the crowd warm up act for a sitcom and jumped on it. Over the years, he has performed that demanding (and sometimes fulfilling) task over 1,500 times. So yes, he does have some tips on how to take a roomful of strangers and unite them into one cohesive, audience.

From that experience, he began to ask for opportunities to perform small roles on some of the shows. As an extension of that connection with the sitcom folks, he also made his way into the writer's room. It was there he found he had a gift for writing. Although, the gift wasn't always welcomed. That resistance actually became a gift as he took all of his experiences and began to write his first film "Can I Get A Witness Protection".

Robert graciously walks us through the process of making that first film. All the way from gathering the funds, location, and actors to the post shoot prices, editing and distribution of the film.

We spend a significant amount of time diving into the structure of crafting a successful screenplay. This process, "The Theology of Story" can also be applied to your stand-up, a sitcom, or one man show.

The podcast covers a lot of ground on both crowd work and screenwriting. Specifically:

• How Robert got his "break" as a crowd warm up act before he was a stand-up
• Crowd work tips learned from first hand experience
• The different audiences on set of the Golden Girls, Perfect Strangers and Wings
• Why you make fun of the head of a gang
• How he took what he learned from warm-up sets and applied them to stand-up shows
• Why it is important to recognize your strengths and go with them
• Writing sitcom scripts
• Screenwriting approaches
• How he raised $200,000 to fund his film which was shot in 16 days
• Why the post production can take more than three years to complete
• Dealing with SAG, WGA and DGA in the film making process
• The formula of Balance-Unbalance-Quest-Crisis-New Balance in movies and LIFE
• What is a mid-point pinch and why it is necessary in story

and much, much more.

TO learn more about Robert G. Lee visit him at www.RobertGLee.com, @RobtGLee on Twitter, his IMBD PAGE and visit www.SaltWorks-Studios.com to learn how you can help fund his projects.

SCHEDULE YOUR CALL TODAY:

https://calendly.com/schooloflaughs

ALL CONTENT IS COPYRIGHT OF SCHOOLOFLAUGHS.COM

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Are you interested in screenwriting? Do you want to learn a few tactics on making crowd work, er, work? Then today you are in great luck! Comedian, screenwriter and former crowd warm-up Robert G. Lee joins us for a deep dive in both topics.

Robert G. Lee started dabbling in comedy in college. Afraid to go it alone at that time, he performed with others and in sketches. He had an opportunity to become the crowd warm up act for a sitcom and jumped on it. Over the years, he has performed that demanding (and sometimes fulfilling) task over 1,500 times. So yes, he does have some tips on how to take a roomful of strangers and unite them into one cohesive, audience.

From that experience, he began to ask for opportunities to perform small roles on some of the shows. As an extension of that connection with the sitcom folks, he also made his way into the writer's room. It was there he found he had a gift for writing. Although, the gift wasn't always welcomed. That resistance actually became a gift as he took all of his experiences and began to write his first film "Can I Get A Witness Protection".

Robert graciously walks us through the process of making that first film. All the way from gathering the funds, location, and actors to the post shoot prices, editing and distribution of the film.

We spend a significant amount of time diving into the structure of crafting a successful screenplay. This process, "The Theology of Story" can also be applied to your stand-up, a sitcom, or one man show.

The podcast covers a lot of ground on both crowd work and screenwriting. Specifically:

• How Robert got his "break" as a crowd warm up act before he was a stand-up
• Crowd work tips learned from first hand experience
• The different audiences on set of the Golden Girls, Perfect Strangers and Wings
• Why you make fun of the head of a gang
• How he took what he learned from warm-up sets and applied them to stand-up shows
• Why it is important to recognize your strengths and go with them
• Writing sitcom scripts
• Screenwriting approaches
• How he raised $200,000 to fund his film which was shot in 16 days
• Why the post production can take more than three years to complete
• Dealing with SAG, WGA and DGA in the film making process
• The formula of Balance-Unbalance-Quest-Crisis-New Balance in movies and LIFE
• What is a mid-point pinch and why it is necessary in story

and much, much more.

TO learn more about Robert G. Lee visit him at www.RobertGLee.com, @RobtGLee on Twitter, his IMBD PAGE and visit www.SaltWorks-Studios.com to learn how you can help fund his projects.

SCHEDULE YOUR CALL TODAY:

https://calendly.com/schooloflaughs

ALL CONTENT IS COPYRIGHT OF SCHOOLOFLAUGHS.COM

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

As a comedian, entertainer, or speaker your income is directly tied to how much quality content you develop, perfect and deliver. Are you ready for some financial goal setting? Looking back at what brought you income (or didn't) in 2016 is essential in making pans for the new year. It doesn't happen automatically. You've got to focus now and lay out the plan for success. As the new year begins, take some time to think about financial goal setting and where yo want to end up this time next year.

We all have different reasons for doing what we do. Some of us perform because we wouldn't be happy doing anything else for a living. Others perform because it is the best path to bringing home the bacon. Crispy, delicious bacon. Still others are approaching the season in their lives where planning for retirement is an unavoidable necessity. Regardless of where you are in that spectrum, deciding on your path to financial success is important. The three areas below are worth thought for anyone wishing to improve their bottom line in the new year.

Did you earn money in the past year? We must start there. If you did you should have clear records of where that money came from. Take a few minutes and label the various sources of that income. Sources may include:

• performances
• writing
• acting
• speaking
• coaching
• merchandise
• royalties
• voice over work
• blogging
• podcasts
• youtube

or other areas depending on your specific expertise. Spend time on your financial goal setting as it applies to these sources of income.

Feel free to shoot me an email to [email protected] for a free "Goals Tracker Checklist". It includes over 50 different areas you can target for improvement. The next two episodes will go over these goals and offer some ideas and guidance on which ones might be most important to you.

Request it today … [email protected]

Next to each column list your income, expenses and net profit. Then list them in order from largest to smallest net profit. Did you spend a considerable amount of time on the lesser paying sources? Unless you have specific plans for making those areas grow, you may want to cut back on the time you spend in exchange for such little return.

Conversely, look at the areas where you made the most income. Look at each gig and track it backwards to identify HOW you got the opportunity. Do you see a commonality amongst your higher paying engagements? If so, spend more of your time replicating that formula.

For example, if your 4 top paying engagements were all the result of being hired by a speaker's bureau - you need to be connecting with more speaker's bureaus. If you generated a lot of income from merchandise, develop more items and spend more time promoting them in places when you are offstage as well.

In short, multiply what works and eliminate what doesn't.

If you only make money from comedy when you are on the stage, you will always need to be on the stage. That may sound obvious, but it is sad to see so many performers living paycheck to paycheck, gig to gig because that is the only source of income for them.

Like it or not, you should spend time on eliminating spending that isn't leading to any income. As you gather your information for taxes, look at how much you spent on travel, internet/wifi, hotels, fast food, coffee, subscriptions, memberships, etc., Ask yourself if these expenses were necessary or simply convenient? We all have our "creature comforts" or little things we do out of habit. Make sure that they are helping you achieve your financial goal setting for the new year. If they don't, eliminate them before they sandbag your income in the new year.

If you think the quality of your show is the primary reason you aren't making more money, check out one of our LIVE COMEDY WRITING session episodes. Or better yet, sing up for the online comedy writing course and take your material to the next level. Don't let this be the year you wasted because you didn't invest in yourself.

Again, if you are for some creative goal setting and want to track the goals in 2017, please email me at [email protected] and ask for the "GOALS TRACKER CHECKLIST".

Here's to a year full of success and improvement – however that looks for you.

Rik Roberts

"Club 52" is a 52 week, email based stand-up program. It will include a weekly challenge designed to help you become a better comedian. This year long program will feature an email every Friday from me. I will ask you to take a serious look at some of your business practices, writing processes, performance techniques, branding, marketing and a whole lot more.

The program starts the week you join and continues for 52 weeks as long as you are still supporting the podcast through Patreon at the $7 a month level.

Questions? Email me (Rik) at [email protected]. Or call 1-888-895-8549. Or, if you are ready, head on over to www.Patreon.com/SchoolOfLaughs to get started.

As a comedian, entertainer, or speaker your income is directly tied to how much quality content you develop, perfect and deliver. Are you ready for some financial goal setting? Looking back at what brought you income (or didn't) in 2016 is essential in making pans for the new year. It doesn’t happen automatically. You've got to focus now and lay out the plan for success. As the new year begins, take some time to think about financial goal setting and where yo want to end up this time next year.

We all have different reasons for doing what we do. Some of us perform because we wouldn't be happy doing anything else for a living. Others perform because it is the best path to bringing home the bacon. Crispy, delicious bacon. Still others are approaching the season in their lives where planning for retirement is an unavoidable necessity. Regardless of where you are in that spectrum, deciding on your path to financial success is important. The three areas below are worth thought for anyone wishing to improve their bottom line in the new year.

Did you earn money in the past year? We must start there. If you did you should have clear records of where that money came from. Take a few minutes and label the various sources of that income. Sources may include:

• performances
• writing
• acting
• speaking
• coaching
• merchandise
• royalties
• voice over work
• blogging
• podcasts
• youtube

or other areas depending on your specific expertise. Spend time on your financial goal setting as it applies to these sources of income.

Feel free to shoot me an email to [email protected] for a free “Goals Tracker Checklist”. It includes over 50 different areas you can target for improvement. The next two episodes will go over these goals and offer some ideas and guidance on which ones might be most important to you.

Request it today … [email protected]

Next to each column list your income, expenses and net profit. Then list them in order from largest to smallest net profit. Did you spend a considerable amount of time on the lesser paying sources? Unless you have specific plans for making those areas grow, you may want to cut back on the time you spend in exchange for such little return.

Conversely, look at the areas where you made the most income. Look at each gig and track it backwards to identify HOW you got the opportunity. Do you see a commonality amongst your higher paying engagements? If so, spend more of your time replicating that formula.

For example, if your 4 top paying engagements were all the result of being hired by a speaker's bureau - you need to be connecting with more speaker's bureaus. If you generated a lot of income from merchandise, develop more items and spend more time promoting them in places when you are offstage as well.

In short, multiply what works and eliminate what doesn't.

If you only make money from comedy when you are on the stage, you will always need to be on the stage. That may sound obvious, but it is sad to see so many performers living paycheck to paycheck, gig to gig because that is the only source of income for them.

Like it or not, you should spend time on eliminating spending that isn't leading to any income. As you gather your information for taxes, look at how much you spent on travel, internet/wifi, hotels, fast food, coffee, subscriptions, memberships, etc., Ask yourself if these expenses were necessary or simply convenient? We all have our "creature comforts" or little things we do out of habit. Make sure that they are helping you achieve your financial goal setting for the new year. If they don't, eliminate them before they sandbag your income in the new year.

If you think the quality of your show is the primary reason you aren't making more money, check out one of our LIVE COMEDY WRITING session episodes. Or better yet, sing up for the online comedy writing course and take your material to the next level. Don't let this be the year you wasted because you didn't invest in yourself.

Again, if you are for some creative goal setting and want to track the goals in 2017, please email me at [email protected] and ask for the “GOALS TRACKER CHECKLIST”.

Here’s to a year full of success and improvement – however that looks for you.

Rik Roberts

"Club 52" is a 52 week, email based stand-up program. It will include a weekly challenge designed to help you become a better comedian. This year long program will feature an email every Friday from me. I will ask you to take a serious look at some of your business practices, writing processes, performance techniques, branding, marketing and a whole lot more.

The program starts the week you join and continues for 52 weeks as long as you are still supporting the podcast through Patreon at the $7 a month level.

Questions? Email me (Rik) at [email protected]. Or call 1-888-895-8549. Or, if you are ready, head on over to www.Patreon.com/SchoolOfLaughs to get started.

As a comedian, entertainer, or speaker your business is directly tied to how much quality content you develop, perfect and deliver. Are you ready for some creative goal setting? Setting aside time to hone your craft is absolutely imperative to your success. But it doesn't happen automatically. As the new year begins, take some time to lay out a plan for becoming undeniably funny.

Feel free to shoot me an email to [email protected] for a free "Goals Tracker Checklist". It includes over 50 different areas you can target for improvement. The next two episodes will go over these goals and offer some ideas and guidance on which ones might be most important to you.

Here's to a year full of success and improvement – however that looks for you. Rik Roberts www.SchoolOfLaughs.com

As a comedian, entertainer, or speaker your business is directly tied to how much quality content you develop, perfect and deliver. Are you ready for some creative goal setting? Setting aside time to hone your craft is absolutely imperative to your success. But it doesn't happen automatically. As the new year begins, take some time to lay out a plan for becoming undeniably funny.

Feel free to shoot me an email to [email protected] for a free “Goals Tracker Checklist". It includes over 50 different areas you can target for improvement. The next two episodes will go over these goals and offer some ideas and guidance on which ones might be most important to you.

Here’s to a year full of success and improvement – however that looks for you. Rik Roberts www.SchoolOfLaughs.com

Leslie Norris Townsend lost her parents when she was in her teens. In order to support her three siblings, she started entering beauty pageants in hopes of bringing home a check. The awards also helped pay for college. The contests required her to do a "talent" which helped her develop her singing and innate ability to improvise. Those skills translated into a job with Disney. Her comedic chops in the Disney show got strong enough for her to tackle stand-up comedy.

We cover a lot of ground in the interview including:

• How I first met Leslie
• How she auditioned for the Hoopty Do Review and beat out 9,996 others
• How that experience helped her write jokes without even knowing it
• Becoming great at auditioning
• Her experience with the Harvey Lembeck Improvisation Workshop workshop
• Improvising with Jimmy Brogan, Jack Lemmon, Henry Wrinkler, Ray Liotta and Bryan Cranston!
• How Harvey Lembeck helped Leslie develop "The Miss America" character
• Her first time onstage at the Improv on Melrose
• How she prepared six comedy sets for her Star Search run
• How the other comedians wanted to "split the $100,000 prize money" before the finals even occur
• Why you should take risks and put yourself out there
• How she ended up cashing in $100,000 twenty years later

and much more.

Leslie brings the humorous, human, experience and audience participation, to a perfect blend by creating a show that moves its listeners from tears to laughter, while motivating, mesmerizing and ultimately captivating each one. Taking many into hysterics!

Leslie is the producer and host of her own regionally successful, televised, talent shows: Dream Big, & Wish Upon A Song.

Visit Leslie Norris Townsend at http://www.funnyleslie.com

"Club 52" is a 52 week, email based stand-up program. It will include a weekly challenge designed to help you become a better comedian. This year long program will feature an email every Friday from me. I will ask you to take a serious look at some of your business practices, writing processes, performance techniques, branding, marketing and a whole lot more.

The program starts the week you join and continues for 52 weeks as long as you are still supporting the podcast through Patreon at the $7 a month level.

Questions? Email me (Rik) at [email protected]. Or call 1-888-895-8549. Or, if you are ready, head on over to www.Patreon.com/SchoolOfLaughs to get started.

Leslie Norris Townsend lost her parents when she was in her teens. In order to support her three siblings, she started entering beauty pageants in hopes of bringing home a check. The awards also helped pay for college. The contests required her to do a "talent" which helped her develop her singing and innate ability to improvise. Those skills translated into a job with Disney. Her comedic chops in the Disney show got strong enough for her to tackle stand-up comedy.

We cover a lot of ground in the interview including:

• How I first met Leslie
• How she auditioned for the Hoopty Do Review and beat out 9,996 others
• How that experience helped her write jokes without even knowing it
• Becoming great at auditioning
• Her experience with the Harvey Lembeck Improvisation Workshop  workshop
• Improvising with Jimmy Brogan, Jack Lemmon, Henry Wrinkler, Ray Liotta and Bryan Cranston!
• How Harvey Lembeck helped Leslie develop "The Miss America" character
• Her first time onstage at the Improv on Melrose
• How she prepared six comedy sets for her Star Search run
• How the other comedians wanted to "split the $100,000 prize money" before the finals even occur
• Why you should take risks and put yourself out there
• How she ended up cashing in $100,000 twenty years later

and much more.

Leslie brings the humorous, human, experience and audience participation, to a perfect blend by creating a show that moves its listeners from tears to laughter, while motivating, mesmerizing and ultimately captivating each one. Taking many into hysterics!

Leslie is the producer and host of her own regionally successful, televised, talent shows: Dream Big, & Wish Upon A Song.

Visit Leslie Norris Townsend at http://www.funnyleslie.com

"Club 52" is a 52 week, email based stand-up program. It will include a weekly challenge designed to help you become a better comedian. This year long program will feature an email every Friday from me. I will ask you to take a serious look at some of your business practices, writing processes, performance techniques, branding, marketing and a whole lot more.

The program starts the week you join and continues for 52 weeks as long as you are still supporting the podcast through Patreon at the $7 a month level.

Questions? Email me (Rik) at [email protected]. Or call 1-888-895-8549. Or, if you are ready, head on over to www.Patreon.com/SchoolOfLaughs to get started.