Live Comedy L.A.

Just had a quick brainstorm related to yesterday’s post about the Comedy Store that I wanted to get down.

From a business model perspective…I really feel that it is in everyone’s best interest for a comedy club to be owned by a media company. It needs to be a part of a larger organization that does not rely on the current revenue streams (tickets and drinks) as its sole income. A media company can leverage the assets (comedians, show development, scripts, etc.) into other income streams. No one individual can do that (or VERY few).

If an individual owns it…you may see a better working environment. More programming options…more pride. However, it will be difficult for them to pay comedians because of the economics.

As much as I love comedy…I would not advise anyone to be in the comedy club business unless you are in the business of creating intellectual property that you can sell and distribute on a large scale OR comedy is an ancillary part of your larger business…think Dave and Busters or the casinos.

At the end of the day, it’s all about the line-up. And Chris Millhouse put up a good line-up on Thursday night at his “Comedy Abuse” show at the Comedy Store. Anytime you have Tom Papa, Tom Segura, and Sam Tripoli, you’re good to go. Plus, some how Chris got a bunch of hot girls there. I would say there were 40 people in the crowd. 12 - 15 were hot girls. That’s stunning.

Tom Papa is an terrific, seasoned comedian that everyone should really go see. I’ve talked about Segura so many times. Always great. But the set of the night was Tripoli’s. He can be so entertaining because of how much he feeds off the crowd. He’s so good with the audience. On Thursday, he wrangled a dorky Asian guy and a hot Persian girl on-stage to help the guy learn how to pick-up girls. Just awesome. If you’re a TV exec, don’t give Tripoli a script…just turn him loose. Your show will be 10 times better. A live sports show maybe. Why aren’t they giving comedians more sports jobs. Comedians, sports, and smokin’ hot chicks…the trifecta of success. That doesn’t get old…ever. HBO needs a filler for Inside the NFL. Let’s do this.

The other comedians did well. I thought Chris Millhouse was very good. Adam Ray and Mark Serritella did their thing. I didn’t appreciate Brian Swinehart going on stage higher than a kite, though. Maybe it’s me. Do what you want when you are home or writing but be professional. Your performance suffers. The audience comes first - that should be your mantra. I can’t go to my job lit…neither should comedians. The only comedian that might be able to pull this off is Rogan…but he can handle an isolation tank.

Fun times were had though. I’ll keep you in the loop on when the next Comedy Abuse show goes up.

I will be hitting Chris Millhouse’s “Comedy Abuse” Show tomorrow night (Thurs., Sept. 11th) at the Comedy Store for the first time. Should be a great show. Feel free to join me.

In fact, if you mention Live Comedy L.A. at the door….you get in FREE! Pretty cool.

Comedy Store - Main Room
8:30pm
Comedy Abuse with Chris Millhouse
Brian Swineheart
Mark Seritella
Adam Ray
Tom Papa
Sam Tripoli
Tom Segura

In my opinion (sometimes it’s humble…sometimes it’s not), Tom Segura understands what stand-up comedy is all about. No subject is off limits and there is no “line”…so to speak. That’s stand-up comedy. It’s the one place you are allowed to say anything you want and the audience is allowed to laugh. Very few comedians take advantage of that power and freedom like Segura.

One of the most prolific writers of comedy in Los Angeles, Segura’s jokes are racial, sexual, and most importantly intelligent. I have seen Segura perform 8 - 10 times in the last year or so and he consistently delivers new material every time. Two of my favorite jokes are “Guys with ponytails” and “Men who wear tank tops”. You can check out the videos below.

Segura is no doubt on the cusp of going big. He is currently headlining shows across the country and performing along side the likes of Jay Mohr. Also, you can catch him as Teddy Loons in “Cutman”, which he co-wrote with Ryan Sickler.

Of course, I say check him out live:

Comedy Store - Main Room
Comedy Abuse Show (Send Chris Millhouse a note for 1/2 off = $5)
Thursday, September 11
8:30pm

Videos provided by the good folks at Rooftop Comedy - they understand what stand-up is all about also.