Sketching Your Path To Success

For a lot of theatre arts graduates -- actors and writers alike -- sketch comedy is a taunting platform to launch a career. Small local theaters thrive off the zero overhead production costs. They offer performance opportunities well into the night by selling their space nearly 24/7. Couple that with TV and film mentors constantly suggesting improv class, and you’ve got yourself a huge pool of talented comedians looking to make their mark on any available stage.

I recently asked a few questions of two of my peers who have been tackling the Los Angeles sketch market since college graduation in the mid-2000s. The first is Gene Augusto, a writer and performer for the LA based sketch group Dumbshit Mountain whose work has been featured on Cracked.com, Newsweek, and Yahoo News. Also, Amber Kenny, described by the AV club as "a sentient burst of sunshine" is a writer/performer (Super Kudzu), stand-up comedian, podcaster (The Long Shot Podcast featuring Eddie Pepitone), and dancer (Liquid Feet).

CG: What is the endgame for a sketch comedian? Is SNL top of the mark?

GA: Of course SNL would be a dream job but personally my endgame is to make a living writing and/or performing sketch. Fortunately, we are in a very exciting climate for sketch comedy with shows like Key & Peele, Portlandia, and Kroll Show on TV and websites like Funny or Die, Cracked, and College Humor constantly cranking out great content. I hope the audiences continue to crave quality sketch comedy leading to even more opportunities.

AK: I want to get paid to make people laugh. This feels like an idiotic and childish dream
sometimes, but then I remember that people do dream. A dream of dreams would be to have
my own TV show that I could staff and cast with my insanely talented friends. Laughing all day -- sounds like heaven. Also, I want to be just famous enough to go on Dancing with the Stars (a show I've never seen).

CG: With the internet being such a viable platform, going viral, albeit random, seems to be all the rage. Yet with success there is strategy. What is your strategy?

GA: It’s a lot of pressure to set out to make every video a viral sensation every time. Instead I
focus on trying to make the best video I can with what resources I have. Approaching popular subjects or characters in the zeitgeist could be helpful in finding an audience, but I think it’s important to have your own completely original spin and say something new.

AK: My comedy dance team releases a video every Tuesday. The podcast comes out usually on
Wednesdays. I promote on Facebook and Twitter. I try to be entertaining or funny even in the
promotion. I try not to compete against myself when it comes to promoting a show or a video or a podcast, but sometimes it happens. Word of mouth is still best -- so you hope that someone likes your content enough to share it themselves.

CG: Have you met sketch comedy peers that went on to write for mainstream narrative programming? ie. tv, film?

GA: LA has a fantastic improv/sketch comedy community emerging from its various schools like Upright Citizen’s Brigade, The Groundlings, iO West, Second City, and independent training centers like The Miles Stroth Workshop. I’ve had the opportunity to work with or learn from working writers from SNL, MAD TV, The Whitest Kids U’ Know, and Fox’s ADHD. You can catch these working professionals mounting shows at different venues across southern California.

AK: I know a ton of people who write for TV. That still seems to be its own thing. Meaning -- you can get noticed for your sketches or standup or videos or whatever, but you will still need to submit a writing packet to get a writing job. It's insane that I know people who write and
perform on the TV shows everyone watches. I feel conflicted about my goals -- part of me thinks I should be "playing the game" more and trying to get a traditional narrative comedy job. Yet part if me likes the idea of forging a new path.

CG: How do you balance the late night demands of sketch comedy whilst maintaining a steady income to live and breathe in Los Angeles?

GA: Lots of caffeine. I do have to work a day job to pay the rent. Indeed having to go to work at 9:00 a.m. the day after you’ve put up a show and stayed out well into the night is challenging. I try to make the best use of my time and set aside an allotted amount of time every day to write or work on videos. I treat it like a second job. Hopefully I can make a career out of my passion or marry an extremely rich benefactress who has a pool.

AK: I have a regular person day job. I feel like I'm in the minority and need to transition out, or I’ll be a secretary the rest of my life. I like knowing my bills will be paid. What scares me is that this sense of security is making me complacent. I find myself writing at work (which makes me feel like I'm cheating on both my job and my comedy). As far as scheduling and keeping "such a crazy pace" -- it only feels that way if you stop and think about what you're doing. If I wasn't doing comedy, I'd probably be going to bed around the same time -- just watching more TV. I usually get home, brush my teeth, and crawl into bed. I whine about wanting more free time, but when I have it I go nuts.

If you’re a comedy writer that has the knack for getting up on stage, sketch comedy is a great resource to both network with peers and showcase your talent. There are countless arenas in the Los Angeles area tailored to your craft, which offer both classes and performance opportunities. Bottom line: it can keep you motivated. Surrounding yourself with like-minded creatives (especially ones who are more talented than you) is always inspiring, even if it’s 2:00 a.m. at a black box on a Monday.