But again, it's about building a fan base. Then when fans see the fliers, commercials and billboards, it reminds them of the event they've already seen promoted on Instagram. Don't get me wrong: Traditional marketing is very important, but when you have a fan base, you can give them a heads-up about an upcoming performance or special in a matter of seconds. Luenell: With more than a million followers on Instagram, I feel like I reach more people with a single post than with fliers or other traditional marketing. The best part is that it then allows fans to share and repost to help it grow and to share in the excitement. Siddiq: Unlike in the past, where you would have a TV commercial to promote yourself, now you have the chance to put out material on multiple platforms to give pretext to what you are going to sell. So essentially your fans and friends are able to freely help promote your work with you. Reels and TikToks are where the majority of people watch stand-up comedy these days, and it is easily shareable. Rife: Social media is the most prominent promotional tool for rolling out a new special. How has social media (specifically TikTok and Instagram R eels) changed how you approach a special rollout? It's not the end-all be-all if you don't get with a network because you can still release independently if fans believe in you. If it's fans, you have to give them something they believe is worth watching. If it's a network or streamer, you have to get them to believe you are worth putting on their platform. Siddiq: Today it is still the same: You must get people to believe in you regardless of who they are. I know my situation is different from a lot of people, but I think it's my relationships that got me in the door at Netflix. I landed my special with Netflix under the umbrella of Dave Chappelle, who is executive producing my special, as well as a roster of other comics. Both men have Netflix specials and have been cheerleaders for me throughout my career. I've toured with Emmy winner Katt Williams and built a wonderful relationship with the award-winning Dave Chappelle. Luenell: I don't know the difficulty factor as it relates to today versus pre-streaming, but I will say this: I think it's difficult to land anything in this town without proper representation and solid relationships. However, the politics and what networks "think" people want is ever-changing and often out of your control. Rife: It has always been competitive and political. I know comics who have a larger amount of "comedy capital" - or gravitas, if I can put it that way - who are also getting turned down. Even with a following of over a million people across my social media platforms, credits and TV appearances, the just not acquiring specials like they used to. Jay: Finding someone who's willing to take a risk on new talent. What's the hardest part about landing a special deal today v ersu s pre-streaming? Many of the festival's shows were quickly made available for streaming on the platform, and 12 additional specials have been released since "Selective Outrage" premiered in early March.īut for comics who don't have Rock's name recognition, selling a comedy special to a streaming platform is no easy feat.įour comics at varying points in their careers - Morgan Jay, Luenell, Ali Siddiq and Matt Rife - share their experiences selling specials to the streamers today. Paired with last summer's Netflix Is a Joke comedy festival, which ran for 11 days and spanned 25 venues across Los Angeles, it would appear that Netflix is seeking to establish itself as an eminent hub for comedy - even though the next installment of the festival is skipping a year and will return in 2024. And it earned Rock $20 million from Netflix. shows for the week and becoming Nielsen's most streamed comedy special in a measurement week, with 798 million viewing minutes. Netflix's first live stand-up special, Chris Rock's "Selective Outrage," was an all-around success for the streamer, landing among its Top 10 U.S. (Illustration by Ross May and Patrick Hruby / Los Angeles Times photos by NBC via Getty Images Johnny Louis / Getty Images Neil Jou Noah Schutz) Comedians Morgan Jay, from left, Luenell, Ali Siddiq and Matt Rife.
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