Gone are the days where comedians used to treat themselves as just a talent, they are more than that, one will say they’re also business people and they should treat themselves as brands or a brand called ME.
Not long ago, Savanna Comics Choice Awards and Comedy Central Africa hosted a comedy workshop in Sandton, Johannesburg to speak and enlighten young comedians about building their comedy careers and how they can penetrate the market.
During the workshop, comedy legend and actress Tumi Morake challenged the young comedians to start treating themselves as business people and brands.
“Treat yourself as a business, challenge yourself and align yourself with something or someone better than you, and learn from them, and make sure you have something to teach them,” adds Morake.
Kagiso Lediga, comedy legend and filmmaker also took the stage to advise young comedians on how they can get their work on television networks and streaming services, “You don’t start by approaching TV platforms. You just write a thing, find your tribe, then make a thing. The TV platforms will see it and come to you.”
Fellow comedian Bosch Bouwer also spoke about Jokes Writing and how young comics can go about it when it comes to storytelling: “Comedy is a gift. You can learn skills to write better jokes, but you were BORN FUNNY and brands and people will want to pay you for that gift.”
“Creators are sleeping on YouTube. It’s the only monetizable platform. You don’t have to only rely on brand deals. You are also your own brand.” – Jolene Roelofse.
Monde Twala, Comedy Central Africa executive advised young comedians to be intentional about what they do, starting with curating their line up on their live comedy shows and touring: “Line-up: Your line-up is so important, curate a line-up that speaks to the audience you want to attract. What’s your next comedy show looking like? Are you speaking directly to your audience’s vibe?”
NoJokesComedy Reporter
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