Characteristics of
Jake Freeman
We all love comedy and going to a good comedy show to escape our everyday life. For the
comedians, it’s a different story. Jake Freeman goes behind the scenes.
As the audience take their seats and the lights
dim, Michael Connell, suited up, bounces onto
the stage. He pulls out a harmonica and says
“I would like to sing a song I wrote myself.
This song is called the day after the rock concert.” He puts the harmonica close to the microphone and produces that dreaded ringing
sound. The audience erupts with laughter.
“I can be found on my website, Facebook,
Instagram and Tinder,” he jokes to the studio
audience during a commercial break on the
set for 31 Questions. “I’ll do anything to get
people to come and watch.”
While becoming a comedian, you need good
jokes and stage presence. Write the material,
try it out on stage, and receive adulation. The
thing about comedy producing is that there
are so many stages to it. The comedy producer has so many different elements during
production and the run of a season. It also
requires business initiative and enterprise.
Take comedian and writer Michael Connell for
example. He’s performed at corporate gigs, at
parties and even on Rove.
“Reputation is one of the key aspects in
making it in the industry,” he tells Yawp Magazine, “your reputation as a comedy producer
is based on how many people you can get to
the shows you produce. Comedy is a business and there’s no emotion in business. That
might be one of the hardest parts of being a
comedy producer; keeping things professional. As a comedian you need to make work for
yourself. Just putting on a show will set you
apart from 90% of comedians who just sit
around waiting to be handed a gig. Everyone
wants to know the person handing out stage
time, and if you can put on even just a half
way decent gig comedians will beat a path to
your door. Just start producing well attended
Oscar V. Jonas had similar advice. Jonas who
started performing cabaret, now a producer
and director of Special Event Video (Cabaret
and Burlesque) spoke with Yawp Magazine
about the challenges of taking on the role.
“I was performing cabaret since I was young
and then I decided I wanted to direct my own
productions. I manage a lot of people in my
productions. Our events consist of magic
shows, circus, vaudeville and most of them
incorporate comedy in it.” But how does he
et,” Oscar explains to me, “I do a full time hospitality job and all my earnings go to that. Previously I was doing a full time science degree
at uni, full time hospitality job and performing
and in the end I dropped out of the course.”
Special Event Video (Cabaret and Burlesque)
was establ \