Working Clean

SwearingSince my hosting gig at the Palm Beach Improv last month, I’ve really tried to focus on writing clean jokes.  Actually, I shouldn’t say clean, because they still contain curse words, but it became obvious to me during that gig how many of my jokes are sexual in nature.  I feel if I ever want to appeal to a greater range of audiences and have the opportunity to do larger hosting gigs, I need to broaden my spectrum of material so that I can appeal to a wider range of crowds.

I’m not saying that I’m a filthy or raunchy comic by any stretch, but when I was actually forced to look at my overall set, after the fact,  I realized that almost all of my jokes revolved around sex or body parts. That’s not good.  Mind you, they’re funny and I do get a good response from the audience, but I feel like I’m limiting myself.

I think that forcing myself to move away from that type of humor will only help me grow as a comedian. Plus, it’ll add minutes to my repertoire which will also give me greater appeal. I guess I just need to get my mind out of the gutter.

Las Vegas, the recap

Jon Levine hosting Affiliate Summit West 2015 conferenceMy trip to Las Vegas for the Affiliate Summit West 2015 conference has come and gone and so has my very first opportunity to host a large conference. I figured I’d do a post-mortem, so here it is.

I thought you’d be taller

I was surprised that the emcee duties weren’t as involved as I thought they were. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, just that I thought it would be more work. There was very little prep and it was more of just a ‘show up and do your thing’ -type of attitude, which worked well for me. It also gave me time to meet with clients and do the other work that I’d normally do as just an attendee.

The 2-drink minimum now makes sense

Another first for this trip was doing comedy in front of an audience before noon. I grossly underestimated the importance of time and setting when it comes to making people laugh. Getting them to do so at 11am in Las Vegas the morning after a big party is pretty much a suicide mission. To top it off, I did 5 minutes of marketing and industry jokes. Afterwards, I received a lot of great feedback. During, I heard few laughs. The second day I did more ‘material’ and got a much better response.

The edge of madness

This was a marketing conference and one of the biggest (if not the biggest) in the sector, so it pulls people from all walks of life and all over the country. As I said, the first day I did marketing and industry jokes, with the meat of my set comparing the industry to the guys in Las Vegas who stand on the sidewalks handing out those porn cards (if you’ve never been to Vegas, it’s not worth explaining). Anyway, that’s as dirty as my set got. Porn. The word. No descriptions, no nothing. Later in the day, I spoke to some of my colleagues who received feedback from those that attended that I was ‘edgy’ and that I ‘pushed the envelope.’  I couldn’t believe it. So the next day I did jokes about cocaine and my penis.

Fin

Overall, this was an unbelievable experience and one that I’m so thankful that I received. I’m hoping that I’ll have the opportunity to do it again, whether it’s for the Affiliate Summit or otherwise. Like anything else, the more I do it, the better I think I’ll be.

The amazing talent all around us

iTunesI find myself amazed at the sheer amount of talent in the people that we’re all surrounded by. I’m not talking just in a performance sense, though it is something a performer did that inspired me to write this post, but really in anything. Whether it’s someone who’s really good at what they do, someone who thinks creatively to solve complex problems and even amazing parents who inspire and entertain their children on a daily basis.

This morning, I woke to find a post on Facebook from someone I know, Alison Sherberg.  This post detailed how her new EP, that has only been available for one day, has already broken into the top 100 in the iTunes Singer/Songwriter category. Alison is an extremely talented singer, songwriter and musician, but that’s not all. Alison has a special place in my heart because she was there when I first started my comedic journey.

The very first open mic I went to was at the Funky Buddha in Boca Raton and, never having been to one in my life, I wandered up the bar to see what the deal was. That’s where I found Alison, enjoying some hot tea to keep her throat loose for her performance that night. We started talking and, sensing that I was quite the noobie, she provided me with all of the information I needed and made me feel at ease for what was going to be my first step into a larger world.

I watched Alison that night play her ukulele and sing an amazing song. Soon after, we became Facebook friends. I’ve quietly followed her musical career and how it’s blossomed from that person I saw on stage in Boca, to one who’s music is now climbing the iTunes charts.

It was this thought that reminded me of how much talent there is around me and how lucky I am to be surrounded by it. I’ve had the pleasure and the honor of working with people who are incredibly talented and it’s something that I never take for granted. I do my best to learn from each and every interaction I have, whether it be with another comedian, musician, business person or just a creative thinker. In doing so, I think I’m strengthening my own talents.

On the road again…

Las VegasI’ve got a mission this week and that’s to get a solid bead on who to contact at a comedy club to try and get a spot while I’m traveling and how best to contact them. I’ve had this thought before and have asked a question here and there, but now with my upcoming trip to Las Vegas, I’d like to at least attempt to get some stage time while I’m there.

These are the questions that I have in my head and, once I get the answers, I’ll update this post in the hopes that it’ll help someone in the future.

1. Who’s the person to contact at a club to get in and what’s the best way to get their contact info?

2. Once I have that info, what do I send them? Is it just the dates available? Do I include a bio and a link video?

3. Is there something in particular that I should communicate to this person that’ll give me a better chance of getting a spot?

Those are the only three I can think of. If you’ve got more, leave them in the comments and I’ll see if I can get them answered.

When is the “right” time?

Jon Levine HeadshotThis item came up again during our show and it’s something that I’ve been thinking a lot about since being admonished about it by another comedian. What I’m talking about is the question: when is the “right” time to do things in your career?

Another comedian, who shall remain nameless, brought up several times that they think some of the things I’ve done have been too soon in my career.  The fact that I had headshots taken and have a Fan Page on Facebook particularly irk them.

Now, I completely understand where this person is coming from and I don’t necessarily disagree with their point of view; I’ve been doing this less than a year, so it may very well be premature for me to do these things. However, my thoughts on the matter are two fold:

One, why does it matter to other comedians what I (or anyone else) does? And two, when is the “right” time to do these things?

For the first point, I personally believe that people are too concerned with what others are doing and not focused on doing the best they can. This is not just in comedy, but in everything. I tend to look at the things I do in life the way a professional golfer often describes how they compete. I’ve heard time and again pro golfers say that when they’re on the course in a tournament, they’re only focused on playing the best round they can play because there’s nothing they can do that will effect the score of the other golfers they’re ‘competing’ against. You don’t play defense in golf. They’re focused on what they’re doing and forgetting about everyone else. I approach lots of things, including comedy, in the same way. I’m doing my thing and making the decisions I feel are the best for me and my journey. What other comedians are doing has little to no effect on what I’m doing. That doesn’t mean I’m not open to criticism, advice or help; on the contrary, I welcome it. I just don’t look at what other people are doing and think it somehow has an effect on me, the same way I think that what I do shouldn’t have an effect on anyone else.

The second point is more of an unknown. When is the “right” time to do certain things in your career?  I don’t think there is an answer to that one. I think it depends on the person and their outlook. I truly believe that perception is reality and the better you present yourself, the more opportunity you’ll have. Along those lines, the person with the headshots, website and Facebook Page is going to be perceived as being more professional than the person without them. It doesn’t make them better, more deserving or more worthy of the opportunity, but in the eye of the preceptor, that’s how they’ll be seen. So, why wait?

Now, I certainly don’t believe in putting yourself into situations that you’re not ready for. I don’t care how professional I might look, if someone asked me to do my own 30 minute special, I’d turn them down so fast it would make their head spin. I’m not ready (and probably won’t be for another year to do 30 minutes of anything), but I don’t think that means I need to wait until I am ready for a 30 minute special to start the wheels turning. I actually think that part of putting yourself out there can be, and is, a driver to do more and push you along.

You’re never going to learn to swim unless you jump in the pool.