School Of Laughs

Preparing for a live comedy recording involves choosing your jokes, timing out the set, editing, making segues, practicing it live, and more. Today I share the process I went through for my last recording. Things were a little different this time due to COVID-19. But the overall approach is still similar to the way I have done it in the past.

We cover a lot in this episode, including:

Leading up to show

• Determining the audience
• Understanding language and content guidelines
• Defining the set length
• Thinking about your PURPOSE behind the set
• Thinking about how you will RE-PURPOSE the set
• Choosing your jokes
• Establishing your P.O.V. (Point of View)
• Tips on timing out your routine
• Practicing your set
• Rewriting
• Editing
• Having a few extra short jokes in your back pocket

Day of Show

• Getting mentally ready through rest and planned distraction
• Giving yourself a margin for arriving on time
• Stage clothes
• Producers, makeup, and releases
• Getting wired up
• Hydrating
• Eye on the camera or the audience?
• Oh yeah, having fun!

You may have a different process for getting ready. Feel free to comment below and help others. This is the first of two parts of the podcast. Episode 236 will include the recording of the set and my reactions to it.

(c)(p) 2021 School of Laughs

www.SchoolOfLaughs.com

Over the past few weeks, I've received a handful of questions from listeners. I thought I would share the answers with everyone. The questions are ...

• Do you think comedy will return to the way it was before the virus?
• What books do you recommend to comedians?
• What are some crowd work tips?
• When do you make money in comedy?

LISTEN NOW:

Thanks to Bill Conger for sponsoring today's podcast through PATREON.

(c) (p) www.SchoolOfLaughs.com

Today I am happy to introduce you to my friend Dan Rupple. As a respected comedy writer, producer, and speaker, Dan has been featured on NBC Nightly News, CNN, FOX News, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Dallas Morning News, Radio America, and more.

Show Notes

• How did he get started in comedy?
• What is Isaac Air Freight?
• His spiritual quest as a young man
• Working with Bob Barker and The Price is Right
• Supervising Producer duties on David Letterman
• How to buy a carload of tacos
• Why David Letterman won't hug you
• Keys to being a great interviewer
• Getting a private comedy show from Carol Burnett
• How he became CEO of Master Media International
• His web series and podcast Life Off-Screen

and a whole lot more!

Thanks to Chelle Baxter for sponsoring today's podcast through PATREON.

Facebook Pixels and YouTube Shorts

Today I learn about Facebook pixels and Youtube Shorts with Zack Lyman. Zack is a funny comic out of Phoenix. When not on stage, he consults on marketing projects for companies and individuals. We tap into that expertise today to find out how we should be using Facebook Pixels in conjunction with ads to drive traffic and actions on our website.

There are a lot of things to learn. But don't worry, Zack explains it in a very tangible way. In fact, you can download his free e-book on his system for running ads in conjunction with Facebook Pixels.

https://www.marketingbeaver.com/ebook/

I also wanted to pick his brain on YouTube Shorts. This new Youtube option is still in beta testing mode. In short, it's YouTube's way of supporting vertical phone videos. TikTok and Instagram Stories are very popular. Now Youtube is playing catch up to find a way to include these types of videos on their platform. We talk about the benefits for a comedian to use YouTube Shorts as a way to increase visibility and subscribers.

This episode is brought to you by Patreon sponsor Ray Price! If you would like to help support the podcast visit www.SchoolOfLaughs.com/Patreon

Show Notes:

• Zack's days in Louisville, KY
• How Facebook pixels help you understand your audience
• The benefits of retargeting someone who clicks your ad
• Empty carts and how to increase conversions
• The natural factor of distraction with Facebook
• Where to start with Facebook ads
• The types of ad goals and how to maximize their potential
• Calls to action
• What is Youtube Short?
• The benefit of YouTube Shorts over Instagram and TikTok
• Being smart about your descriptions and keywords
• Why YouTube Shorts are worth some focus

(C)(P) School Of Laughs

www.SchoolOfLaughs.com

Today we review the year that was, the year ahead, and what we are trying to accomplish moving forward. Yes, it's the annual goals tracker episode! If you aren't a member of the Insider Tip Sheet Newsletter, you'll want to shoot an email to [email protected] and request to be added. This episode comes with a .pdf that is only available to Club 52 and Insider Tip sheet members.

We'll cover how to set attainable goals in bite-sized pieces. Specifically, we get into goals about:

• Writing comedy
• Writing with others
• Performing on stage
• Performing Virtual
• Creating Virtual Solutions
• Updating Websites
• E-mail Newsletter Lists
• Networking Ideas
• Cultivating your Social Media following

and much, much, more!

This goals tracker worksheet is one of my go-to for really understanding if I made any progress in the previous year or not. It also helps me pinpoint what I can do better and where I should spend my time. It will do the same for you.

Today I answer questions about comedy as I am interviewed by Josh Liston, host of Tips of the Slung and Punching Sideways podcasts. Josh is an avid listener of the School of Laughs podcast and noticed I left a few topics uncovered. He noted that occasionally I will say, "one day I should do a whole episode on that topic". But ... sometimes I never do. So, he made some notes and asks me to resolve those unanswered questions.

If Josh's voice sounds familiar, he was featured on Episode 216 "How Coivd Affects Comedy Across the Globe". In that show, I talked with folks in seven countries to find out what the lockdowns had done to their comedy scene.

So what questions about comedy do I finally answer?

What is the difference between skill and passion?

What goes into a comedy rider? What is the difference between sarcasm and comedy?

How do you identify your weaknesses as a comedian?

What groups like Toast Masters are there available to people who want to get extra stage time or story-telling experience?

What do you do when you have a joke that isn't like the rest of the act?

Virtual gigs, drive-ins, outdoor parking lots ... is this what it has come down to? I discuss the options for comedians with former students Brain Bates and Jonnie W.

If 2020 has taught us anything it is this: "adapt or die." There just aren't as many inside gigs as usual. If you want to earn some money you have to get outside your comfort zone. To keep your comedy chops sharp that may include some unconventional settings. This year Brian opened for Nate Bargatze at drive-in theaters. Johnnie W. did a few outdoor shows. I am doing more and more virtual gigs. It's not going to be the same as a packed comedy club. That's okay. Those aren't happening right now.

So we share what is working and what isn't in this mid-pandemic climate.

DRIVE-INS, PARKING LOTS AND VIRTUAL GIGS SHOW NOTES

In this episode, we discuss:

• The challenges of performing at Drive-Ins
• Gigantic trains
• How timing is affected at a Drive-In Show
• Comedy IS confidence
• Sharing a tour bus during COVID
• Recording a Netflix Special in a pandemic
• Crowds that go "tight"
• Vaccines
• Brians "Quarantine Video" Video
• Johnnie W. and the cabbie from Bangladesh
• Creative Virtual Gigs
• Comics who reinvented themselves lockdown
• Using free time for getting healthier
• Staying faithful to God

And much, much, more!

This episode is all about YOU!

That's right. It's time to pause and recalibrate. The podcast is going on its 7th year in 2021 and I want to make sure it still serves a purpose for you. It started out as a weekly comedy class-style show. Then evolved into an interview format. Where do we go from here? It's up to you. Let me know how I can serve you the best. Is it with micro lessons? Is it with behind scenes look at joke writing? Some kind of combination? I'm all ears. Except for my big mouth. ALSO … What are YOU thankful for during the pandemic? Have you had time to accomplish some major undertakings that you couldn't have done with a full schedule? Did you create something cool? Write a book? Finish a video series? Let me know. I want to share it with our listeners. What do YOU not miss about the old ways of doing stand-up comedy? For me, it's the airport. I don't miss shuffling around the Hudson News Bookstore trying to kill a 3 hr layover in Denver. And, what can YOU hardly wait to do again when this thing is under control? What was your favorite part of business as usual? I miss seeing my friends do shows. I love watching buddies crush it onstage as much as I like watching them experiment with new material and take chances. I have held off from going to clubs out of a responsibility to my family. But I look forward to doing it again next year. What can't YOU wait to do again? Send your thoughts to me at [email protected]. I will share them in the next episode.

Thanks for listening,

Rik

In this episode, I get to catch up with a former student, June Colson.

I met June in 2017 at the Christian Comedy Association annual conference. She was eager to learn comedy but still wasn't sure if she was in the right place. After meeting some fellow comedians with similar interests she decided to give it a go. Lucky for us. If she hadn't, we wouldn't know about all the crazy characters in her life. June crafts great stories featuring her family members – especially "Hot Dog".

June was born in Indiana and now resides in Bowling Green, Kentucky. In 2020, she took first place in the Nashville Clean Comedy Challenge. The annual competition put together by Leslie Norris Townsend

Her faith in Christ has a huge influence on the cleanliness of her performance and her calling into Christian Comedy.

In this episode, we discuss

or CLICK HERE

JUNE COLSON SHOW NOTES

Today we talk about a variety of things, specifically:

• How we first met
• Her participation in my comedy classes
• The influence of good comedy friends
• The Clean Comedy Challenge
• What to do when your real life is almost unbelievable
• The support from her husband
• The Write Ten club with Joel Byars

And much, much, more!

Learn more about June Colson at:

https://www.junecolson.com

https://www.facebook.com/june.colson

(C) (P) RIK ROBERTS SCHOOL OF LAUGHS

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In this episode, I get to discuss the history of The Onion with founding member Scott Dikkers. Dikkers helped found the original Onion newspaper. He's served as The Onion's owner and editor-in-chief, on and off, for much of the last quarter-century. In 1996 Scott founded the website, TheOnion.com .

In the mid-2000s, Scott headed up the creation of "The Onion News Network" web series, serving as a director and executive producer. The series gave rise to many viral videos and a TV series on IFC. The web shorts won a Peabody Award in 2008.

Scott led The Onion's rise from a small, unknown college humor publication to an internationally respected comedy brand. He gathered a talented team of writers and editors over the years, working with them to develop The Onion's culture of creative freedom and brutal honesty, its distinct comic voice, and its reliable process for generating award-winning satire, day after day.

In this episode, we discuss the evolution of the Onion and quite a bit more.

Today we talk about a variety of ideas, specifically:

• Early funny TV that caught his eye
• Digging Dr. Seuss
• Difference between MAD and Cracked magazine
• An interesting way that Steve Martin's book Cruel Shoes affected him
• Conner O'Malley and his unique approach to comedy
• New publications like the Babylon Bee
• Niching down into satire and parody
• How a lawyer went from trying to sue the Onion, to becoming a lawyer for the Onion
• Hiring people to do the things you don't like to do
• A typical publication week at the ONION
• Advice on direction from Baratunde Thurston
• How Drupal editing almost killed creativity
• The Onion news segment on Dana Carvey Show hosted by Stephen Colbert
• The many "almost breakthroughs" while scaling The Onion's reach
• How a beginner can approach comedy
• My story about milk and Emo Phillips

And much, much, more!

Notable Quotes:

"Nothing inspires me more than when I see something that's not good."

"One of the highest compliments we can pay to a bit, or a joke or whatever is, oh, that's so stupid."

On hiring new writers:

"Early on, I would take anybody, anybody who came in and showed some eagerness to do it like that was the commodity. The commodity wasn't the writing talent. The commodity is "who's willing to step forward and say, I will try it, I will do it?"

On people wanting to write for The Onion

"I don't understand why all these people submitting to The Onion don't just start their own publication."

On getting started in comedy writing:

"It's such a slow, gradual process of starting to do something new and learning a new skill which writing comedy is. It can be tricky for people to get started and see any progress because most people are terrible at it when they start any new skill and comedy writing is no different."

"if you don't love it, you'll never succeed at it because you need that love to propel you through those early years when you're stuck."

Where can I find info on Scott Dikkers and his comedy classes?

www.HowtoWriteFunny.com

www.ScottDikkers.com

(C) (P) 2020

THIS PODCAST IS A PRODUCTION OF THE RIK ROBERTS SCHOOL OF LAUGHS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.