This dream was shared by Chris Todd, an aspiring comedian and writer. Chris shared his dream to start a comedy troupe with us in the winter of 2009 and has already made a lot progress on fulfilling his dreams. Check out his troupe’s website – www.Intellectuary.com, facebook and twitter. You can also read his blog and his personal twitter.
My dream is to consistently deliver humor to audiences using a variety of new and traditional media. I think the best way to accomplish this is to gather a team of funny people to brainstorm ideas and produce comedy in several different ways:
Social Media (Twitter): Updated Daily
Blog: Updated Weekly
Youtube (Mag.ma) channel: Updated Monthly
Live Comedy: Monthly
Home Run Swing Ideas (scripts, books, etc): Pitched Quarterly
These avenues for comedy should be intermixed, and branded under one production company name. Anyone reading the weekly blog should know that it is the same people who create a monthly video on youtube or who published an article in a magazine. The individual can be recognized for their work, but the group should benefit with every laugh. The group should meet (gchat/drinks/whatev) each week to discuss creative ideas to make people laugh…in any medium. Topics for blogs/videos/etc will be narrowed down and then each accepted idea will be given to a team member to excecute.
Most of this will cost little to no money. However, producing videos, if done right will have some expense. For an HD 1080pi camera, shotgun mic, mic pole, and editing software…looking at a minimum $500. If a good camera is used, add up to an additional $2000. It is almost all start-up costs, with minimal continued cost outside of props/upgraded equipment.
Monetizing this effort will rely heavily on traffic and audience…but also on tenacity and go-gettership. Blogs and videos will rely on a solid following, but can lead to ad sales and even merchandising. Convince a few hundred people we are funny…and have a clever logo/slgoan on a t-shirt and our money is back in hand. Getting articles published, books sold, screenplays sold can add $$ if properly written and patiently proposed to the right people. Connections and networking are crucial to the success of the “home run” swings. Live shows can generate $ after the team is established…or starts creating their own open mic/showcase shows and charge a small fee at the door.
The Dream Share Project