Top 10 Things a
Pr
Sera Ghaly
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing
comedy’s newest producer on the scene
about exactly what it takes to produce good
comedy. As it turns out, having good comedians is a healthy start, but there’s more to
it than that. According to Phoebe, a good
comedy production is a combination of logistics and hard work that although doesn’t
pay well, is highly rewarding.
Phoebe’s number one need (and probably the biggest struggle to acquire) is time.
Most comics and producers are not highly
paid, “if paid at all”, according to Phoebe.
This means most of those in the industry
are starved of spare time because of all
their working commitments. She says it is
imperative to make time to visit all of the
comedy rooms and check out most comics
to keep up with the constantly developing
industry.
Phoebe says overcoming this hurdle is
next to impossible without a passion for
comedy. “It’s not a part-time job”, she says,
and it consumes a lot of your personal time
to do it, and without a passion for the job
and the industry it would be too hard to get
motivated. I suppose that this is an ongoing
struggle for all those that are a part of the
creative endeavor. It’s important not to forget that the love of what you do is what motivates you when your efforts seem sometimes wasted.
Another necessary skill for comedy production, and a way to relieve the time problem, is
to be highly organized. Phoebe proclaimed
herself absolutely “organization obsessed”.
Running a show for her is next to impossible without her gadgets and tracking tools. I
guess this is where it pays off to be in touch
with technology, fellow comedians!
“Being around people who
are supportive not
only of their own careers
but the industry as a
whole is so inspiring”
Phoebe starts off using two main spreadsheets: “
categorized into MCs, headliners, middle
acts etc.” This stuff is important when trying