My comedy mentor Darcel “The Fat Dr.” Blagmon changed my comedy career with one quote: “In order to be a great comedy writer, you must first learn to become a great writer.” While the words may sound simple enough, the concept of the idea blew me away. I started performing stand-up comedy to become a comedian, not a writer. Comedians are restricted to guidelines when they are performing. Writers, on the other hand, they are forced to follow guidelines, especially when submitting scripts and sitcoms to anyone in the industry. What did I learned from The Fat Dr.’s statement? It would be a disservice to anyone’s comedy career if they did not learn more about writing. So I created the following challenges to myself:
- Study the different forms, styles, and history of comedy.
- Read books, articles, and videos from people whom I consider to be virtual mentors.
- Interview those mentors if possible after reading their work.
- Publish my articles online as a means of sharing what I learned with my audience.
If you decide to work with potential mentors, learning how to communicate with them is critical! Prior to writing for Stage Time magazine, I began writing content for the DC Comedy Writers website. I didn’t know anyone famous, nor did I have people in the industry I could call for help. If you have ever worked in sales or telemarketing, you might identify with this process known as cold calling. It’s a terrible task to call someone you don’t know, and asking from something. Every business have an ugly part, but it doesn’t need to be so painful. Here are the steps I used to contact my mentors:
Send an inquiry email:
Introduce yourself to your mentors, and ask for an interview. Keep your email short, but remember to include the following points:
- A simple introduction about yourself
- Why do you want to interview them? (probably based on their industry expertise)
- How will the interview to be utilized? (website, blog, podcast, etc)
If your request for an interview is accepted, start discussing it using social media. You want to create a level of awareness and excitement with your online community.
a) If you are using Facebook placing the “@” sign in front of their name (i.e. @wayne manigo) will place your message on your wall and your interviewee’s wall.
b) If you are using Twitter, use a common hashtag based on the subject (i.e. #comedy).
Conducting the interview:
Make the interview fun and exciting for yourself and your subjects. Asking targeted questions based on their history and knowledge. Show your excitement and prove to them that you are not wasting their time.
NOTE: I am horrible at taking notes while conducting phone interviews, because I prefer to focus on the conversation. Using UberConference.com allows me to record my interviews into .mp3 files, and I transcribe them at a later date. I’m using the free account, and it works like a charm.
Share the published content:
Once the content is available online, remember to share it with your mentors. If you play your cards right, they may help you promote it. It they choose not to, don’t take it personnel.
Cross promote your content:
Consider the amount of articles published on the web each day. Some of those articles become popular because they were discovered on more than one web search engine. When promoting your content, I suggest using the following websites:
- Google+
- Pintrest
There are additional sites that you can submit to (including tumblr.com, reddit.com, etc.) to assist you in gaining additional exposure. The websites mentioned above should be considered as a starting point to promoting your content.
Keep in touch with your mentors:
How does it feel to know your mentors are aware of your work? Pretty darn good is my guess! It would be a shame to continue building those newly created bonds. Stay in touch with those people! Follow their internet activities and update them with your statuses. This is how you build friendships and relationships. Many of my mentors began passing my name to their colleagues. That was an unexpected surprise, but when you treat people with dignity and respect, good karma is bound to come your way. It’s a comforting feeling to know if I need their assistance, they are a phone call or email away.
Keep writing!
© 2013 Wayne Manigo
