School Of Laughs

Have you ever driven 6 hours (one way) to an open mic for a quick 5 minute set and then headed home as the sun was coming up? Do you chip away at your vacation benefits one hour a a time so you can pursue your calling? Monty Mitchell has too. And then some.

Monty stops at nothing to get more time on stage and more opportunities to hug his fans. I met Monty in 2008 when he took my Stand-Up Comedy Class in Nashville. The shy, quiet guy in the back is now the confident, fun fella on stages everywhere.

Today, Monty stops by to discuss where he is at in his career. We talk about the ups and downs of being a comedian, including ...

• Starting at a later age (27 yrs)
• Borrowing money for the class
• Wrangling his buddies to get a ride to Nashville
• Driving 6 hrs each way to do 5 minutes at an open mic
• Finding ways to connect with club managers
• Bombing and bouncing back at the World Series of Comedy
• The type of road situations “You can’t teach”
• Tips on “flipping a tough crowd”
• The TREE analogy
• Spending time opening for Cletus T. Judd
• The debacle that a “free” show can be
• Getting better at tougher rooms
• Developing some merch to sell
• Wrestling snakes on CMT … CANADA
• Saying yes to all opportunities

And a whole lot more!

Monty can take funeral visits, drive-throughs, or a police officer's traffic stop and make them stories you will never ever forget. By the time you get to the end of his show, you've heard (maybe more than you planned to) about his life, family and cat. Monty Mitchell has been held hostage in the corporate world for years, and the comedy stage has been calling for him to perform. So perform he has across the nation, in bars, colleges, and on-stage. Monty's unabashed enthusiasm and comedic style turns any event (and open-minded crowd) into a great night of comedy.

Click below to learn a lot more about Monty Mitchell:

http://www.funnymonty.com

ABOUT THE SCHOOL OF LAUGHS:

Have you ever driven 6 hours (one way) to an open mic for a quick 5 minute set and then headed home as the sun was coming up? Do you chip away at your vacation benefits one hour a a time so you can pursue your calling? Monty Mitchell has too. And then some.

Monty stops at nothing to get more time on stage and more opportunities to hug his fans. I met Monty in 2008 when he took my Stand-Up Comedy Class in Nashville. The shy, quiet guy in the back is now the confident, fun fella on stages everywhere.

Today, Monty stops by to discuss where he is at in his career. We talk about the ups and downs of being a comedian, including ...

And a whole lot more!

Monty can take funeral visits, drive-throughs, or a police officer's traffic stop and make them stories you will never ever forget. By the time you get to the end of his show, you've heard (maybe more than you planned to) about his life, family and cat. Monty Mitchell has been held hostage in the corporate world for years, and the comedy stage has been calling for him to perform. So perform he has across the nation, in bars, colleges, and on-stage. Monty's unabashed enthusiasm and comedic style turns any event (and open-minded crowd) into a great night of comedy.

Click below to learn a lot more about Monty Mitchell:    

http://www.funnymonty.com

ABOUT THE SCHOOL OF LAUGHS:

Have you ever struggled with alcohol, depression or meaningfulness in your pursuit of a comedy career? You’re alone. Numerous comedians and entertainers get sidetracked by self-destructive behavior. Fortunately for us audiences everywhere, Jeff Allen was able to get his act together on and off the stage.

This veteran comedian started in 1978 and weathered many storms. His anger and edge led him to some dark places. Sound familiar?

After overcoming alcohol, he wondered if he would still be funny. Good news, he is funnier than ever and kept the best part of that edge in his comedy. In this insightful interview we cover a lot of ground. There are so many good nuggets for comedians both new and old alike.

Specifically, we talk about:

• What the landscape was for comedians in 1978
• How a move to Boston helped him establish his comedy chops
• How a heckler can change the dynamic of a room
• How he found himself standing over a cold-cocked cop
• Why he moved to Nashville
• Where he met his wife (we have a little in common here)
• How he moved to Phoenix and got cleaned up
• The peace and meaning finding Christ gave him
• Why using the dictionary and thesaurus is both fun and helpful when writing jokes
• How a corporate show took a horrible (and avoidable) wrong turn
• A chance with sit-com pilot for PAX
• How new jokes may bring back older material
• The future and a possible book and movie about his journey
• Jeff's podcast "An Examined Life"

And, many more great stories of self discovery.

Jeff' Allen's humble and insightful takes are like a gift to any comic who has a few obstacles to overcome. Hey, that’s all of us! Listen in and treat yourself to a meaningful conversation with something for everyone.

Find out more about Jeff at any of the following links:

JEFF'S WEBSITE

Have you ever struggled with alcohol, depression or meaningfulness in your pursuit of a comedy career? You’re  alone. Numerous comedians and entertainers get sidetracked by self-destructive behavior. Fortunately for us audiences everywhere, Jeff Allen was able to get his act together on and off the stage.

This veteran comedian started in 1978 and weathered many storms. His anger and edge led him to some dark places. Sound familiar?

After overcoming alcohol, he wondered if he would still be funny. Good news, he is funnier than ever and kept the best part of that edge in his comedy. In this insightful interview we cover a lot of ground. There are so many good nuggets for comedians both new and old alike.

Specifically, we talk about:

And, many more great stories of self discovery.

Jeff' Allen's humble and insightful takes are like a gift to any comic who has a few obstacles to overcome. Hey, that’s all of us! Listen in and treat yourself to a meaningful conversation with something for everyone.

Find out more about Jeff at any of the following links:

JEFF'S WEBSITE

Do you have beginning comedy questions about stand-up? Are you just dipping your toes in the waters of writing and performing? Today I am joined by three current writing students in this “after school special”. They each bring forth a slew of excellent questions. I am willing to bet many of these have crossed your mind as well. Questions like …

• How do you know that you wrote a joke no one has ever written before?
• How can you protect your material from being stolen by open mic comics?
• Writing faster than people can steal
• Why cobbling material from other comics never really works
• Should you listen to other comedians while you develop your own act?
• Why you should watch comedians you don’t like
• How to learn from other comedians
• The “style trap” new comedian can fall into
• Converting longer stories into stand-up jokes
• Core sentences and how to isolate them from a story
• Having someone recap your story so you know what details matter
• Trying out material on friends and family
• Do you need to hang out with comedians
• Why you should hang out and build shows with comics who are 100% different
• Finding a comedy scene when moving to a new town
• Using the crowd as your personal Yellow Pages
• Using google and Youtube to check your jokes
• Malcom Gladwell’s 10,000 HOURS theory as it applies to comedians
• Should you worry about performing the same set the following week at open mic?

And much, much more!

If you have beginning comedy questions that need answered just send them in! Email them to [email protected]. I will answer them on the podcast or in a blog post.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like this “after school special” …

And frequetly asked questions are tackled on our YouTube channel:

Do you have beginning comedy questions about stand-up? Are you just dipping your toes in the waters of writing and performing? Today I am joined by three current writing students in this “after school special”. They each bring forth a slew of excellent questions. I am willing to bet many of these have crossed your mind as well. Questions like …

And much, much more!

If you have beginning comedy questions that need answered just send them in! Email them to [email protected]. I will answer them on the podcast or in a blog post.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like this “after school special” …

And frequetly asked questions are tackled on our YouTube channel:    

Have you performed for birthday parties, marines, comedy club audiences and judges for America’s Got Talent? Have you ever swallowed a balloon (well, not during a border crossing)? Our guest today has, too!

Have you performed for birthday parties, marines, comedy club audiences and judges for America’s Got Talent? Have you ever swallowed a balloon (well, not during a border crossing)? Our guest today has, too!

Have you ever thought that you have more to offer an audience than laughter? Being a comedian is perfectly admirable all by itself. No doubt. But do you have more to offer? Feel like you are missing out on your calling?

Today, as I was catching up with former student Chris Cherry, one random question led us down a path of potentially redirecting his career. And I think this is a potential path for anyone who has skills or expertise already in place outside of stand-up.

Listen in as we discuss:

• The changes in his act during the past 8 years
• Early material vs today
• His job as a mentor to middle school kids
• Getting inspired to do comedy at age 5
• Trusting his gut and ditching a set en route to his first show
• Joining forces with other comics (enthusiastically)
• The ideal gigs he is after
• HOW HIS BACKGROUND MAY BE THE KEY TO HIS FUTURE
• Networking struggles on the road
• Tips on getting to know managers
• The power of EVERNOTE in developing relationships
• Web site tweaks
• and why A.C.N.E. might be the best thing to happen to CHRIS!

If converting your stand-up into a speech is on your radar, let me know. I might put together an online course if there is enough interest. This combination of a comedy act plus a message has enabled me to reach more audiences on both fronts and can be a tool for you as well.

If you have ideas for Chris and the program we talk about, feel free to forward them onto me at [email protected]. Or connect with him on Instagram, Facebook or his web site:

If you think you might need some help writing jokes, editing your premise and creating punchlines thick with techniques, consider taking the online stand-up comedy writing course offered by the School Of Laughs. Use the coupon code below for 20% off. Click the pic to learn more.

Have you ever thought that you have more to offer an audience than laughter? Being a comedian is perfectly admirable all by itself. No doubt. But do you have more to offer? Feel like you are missing out on your calling?

Today, as I was catching up with former student Chris Cherry, one random question led us down a path of potentially redirecting his career. And I think this is a potential path for anyone who has skills or expertise already in place outside of stand-up.

Listen in as we discuss:

If converting your stand-up into a speech is on your radar, let me know. I might put together an online course if there is enough interest. This combination of a comedy act plus a message has enabled me to reach more audiences on both fronts and can be a tool for you as well.

If you have ideas for Chris and the program we talk about, feel free to forward them onto me at [email protected]. Or connect with him on Instagram, Facebook or his web site:

If you think you might need some help writing jokes, editing your premise and creating punchlines thick with techniques, consider taking the online stand-up comedy writing course offered by the School Of Laughs. Use the coupon code below for 20% off. Click the pic to learn more.