Using social media - Part Three: Twitter

It's ok if you are staring at this post asking yourself, "What is Twitter?" Plenty of people are trying to figure out that exact same thing. Twitter is the newest trend in social networking sites. When you create a Twitter account, you'll see a white box that asks, "What are you doing?" It's your job to answer that question in 140 characters or less, updating all your "followers" - people who add you on Twitter - to your current status.  You will also be updated about the people you are "following."  This accurately describes it, seriously:

All jokes aside, this can be a useful platform for you.  Twitter doesn't have to be about useless updates to annoy your friends.  It can be used to:

• Post links - this can be updates to your website, blogs, or anything else you find interesting.  
• Promote shows - tweet your upcoming tour or club dates to keep people informed!
• Interact with fans - on twitter, there's @ replies, your fans can direct something @ you or vice versa.  
• Tell jokes - post anything hilarious your thinking about, fans will love it, it feels like they're getting something extra.  You'll also get immediate feedback per @ replies.

Important: Don't limit yourself to my points, Twitter is new to me, too! As a matter of fact, add me.  Then experiment with it and let me know some new uses.  Have fun, and push the boundaries because I don't think anyone has quite mastered it yet.

Baltimore Improv Group

I went to check out my first improv show at Creative Alliance’s Patterson Theater last night. The show featured the Baltimore Improv Group know as BIG. For this performance, BIG featured three comedy troupes, Gus, the Moving Walkways, and special guests from the Philadelphia Improv Theater. As improv typically goes, the troupes took suggestions from the audience at the beginning of their set and built upon it based on reactions from the crowd.

I came in the middle of the Gus set, so I was pretty confused; although the audience enjoyed it very much. Their performance ended with a creepy scene set in a restaurant called “The House of 100 Eggs” and there was some weird sexual innuendo going on. Whoa. Next was the group from Philadelphia, a husband and wife team. Overall, their performance fell pretty flat, but I have to give them credit for having the guts to perform in front of strangers with no script prepared.

After a short intermission, I was wondering why I came to this thing and spent $12 on a Friday night! I live for weekends. I hit the bar hoping that the alcohol would help. However, it’s hard to get drunk in 10 minutes at a cash bar. Luckily, the Moving Walkways was actually pretty hilarious. They even made fun of Diane Rehm; it was so wrong, yet it worked.

Here’s a video featuring some of the members of the Moving Walkways:



Afterwards, the MC talked about the improv classes that they offer every Tuesday. It could be a great opportunity for someone thinking about comedy to improve on their skills and delivery.

Second City at Ram's Head Onstage Tonight!

As mentioned before, Second City is a renown comedy group in Chicago. Unfortunately, we all can't make it out to see the act out in Chi-town. Luckily though, the troupe has made it's way to Annapolis so comedy fans can check them out locally! Tonight, Second City will be performing  at Ram's Head Tavern; the show starts at 8 pm.

I've never actually been to the Annapolis venue, but the layout looks pretty chill. I happen to be going Sunday to check out a concert, and I'll be sure to review the venue as a destination for other comedy events. If anyone was lucky enough to check out the show, let me know how it was!

Chatting with Mike Von - Part Two

In case you missed it, read part one.
As an inspiring 16-year-old comic, Von began performing at a club in Baltimore called the Five Seasons on open mic nights. How was the first night? “I completely bombed. It had me second guessing myself.” Von wasn’t anticipating that the 30 and over crowd at the club might have a different sense of humor than his high school classmates.

Instead of giving up, Von realized that something had to change. “It’s all about tweaking your jokes. Just because you have a different audience doesn’t mean the same jokes won’t work. You just have to be aware of the environment and make sure the delivery is right.” He also points out that your audience must always understand your joke. For example, just because you’re talking about a situation in school doesn’t mean an older crowd won’t find it funny. The difference is that they have to fully understand the background information. Talking to a classmate, you can throw out the professor’s name and then the joke. With strangers, you have to set up the scene. Who is this professor; what are some funny characteristics? A simple explanation can be the difference between a laugh and a head scratch.

Von decided to leave Baltimore and start advancing his career further. He currently lives in Chicago and says that it’s a great “training city” for young comedians. “You get to meet all the comedians from New York and L.A. because they all pass through here.” And when they come, there’s always a chance Von may be the act right before them. He already has a pretty impressive resume for his age; he’s opened for Tracie Morgan and David Allen Grier. Chicago is also home of the renowned Second City, which features a lot of famous comics, giving up and coming acts opportunities to network and learn. Von has met Tina Fey and Steve Carrell at Second City, just to name a few.

As far as social media, Von uses networking sites, mainly Facebook, to promote his talents. However, he is one comic that does not follow the trend of posting Youtube videos. “There’s a lot of comics that steal, and there’s no way to know most of the time.”

Von’s main goal is to host a late night talk show on HBO, something similar to the Arsenio Hall and Chris Rock shows. He admits that will take years of working in the industry and building a reputation, but he’s hopeful.

Von’s advice to aspiring comedians is to have patience. He says, “Rappers can have one hit single, but a majority of popular comedians have had to work at it for years.” Also he stresses, “What sets you apart from the rest of the bunch?” It’s important to develop a unique style, not copy off of someone else’s success.

Von will be featured in a documentary about up and coming talent in Chicago and the life of a standup comic. The working title is “The art of laughter.” He will also be performing at the Baltimore Comedy Factory, along with his father, April 10 and 11.

Current Happenings in Baltimore

Exactly what is going on in the next couple months in the comedy scene? I’ll try to be a source for local comedy events, but, as always, if you something to add, please comment or email me. So far:

March 30 : There will be Stoop Storytelling at Centerstage. This performance features seven people who are given seven minutes to tell their stories and entertain. The theme is “You want fries with that?: Stories about jobs, careers and working for ‘the Man.’”

Centerstage is located at 700 N. Calvert Street. The show starts at 8 pm.

April 3: Lily Tomlin, an Oscar nominee and Tony and Grammy award winner, will be performing stand-up at the Lyric Opera House.

The Lyric Opera House is located at 140 W. Mount Royal Ave. The show starts at 8pm.

April 10-11: Mike Von, a Chicago-based, Baltimore born comedy doing stand-up back home at the Baltimore Comedy Factory.

The Baltimore Comedy Fatcory is located at 36 Light Street. April 10 shows: 8 pm, 10 pm and 12 pm. April 11 shows: 7 pm, 9 pm and 11 pm.

April 12: Comedian Alabama, manager of the Baltimore Comedy Factory, will be performing stand-up Easter Sunday at the club.

The address of the club is listed above. The show starts at 7 pm.

April 18 : Dave Attell, known for his show Insomniac, will be performing at Rams Head Live in the Power Plant downtown. -

Rams Head Live is located at 20 Market Place. The show starts at 8 pm.

I Love Comedy Central - SouthPark

It’s been forever, but the wait is over! South Park’s 13th season finally begins this Wednesday. Oh? It was only November when the latest episode aired? Well, that feels like forever, especially when you consider that I’ve resorted to Rock of Love Bus and Bad Girls Club, just to name a few. Those are comedies, right? Moving on…

Reminiscing, it’s hard to believe that I watched my first episode of South Park as a 13-year-old eighth grader. I wanted to see what everyone in school was talking about; what was this crazy show? I wasn’t prepared for what I saw that night, and neither was my mom, who was curious about my sudden interest. After we finished the “Merry Christmas, Charlie Manson!” episode, we both agreed it was pretty funny. Was it appropriate for me? That was debatable; my mother even remarked that there was going to be “a lot of offended people.” And even though she said something to the effect of, you shouldn’t watch this show again, she knew it was nearly impossible to censor my media intake. Anything my parents popped in the VCR, whether it was The Lion King or Goodfellas, I watched. So, of course I watched South Park, and the episodes continued to get more outrageous, yet sophisticated.



By far, one of my favorite shows of all time, South Park has definitely been getting better with age. I know all things must come to an end, but I’d love to make an exception for these four boys from Colorado.

Check out the season premiere, Wednesday, March 11 at 10 pm.

Using Social Media - Part Two: Facebook

Facebook is a social networking site that allows comedians to connect with fans on a more personal level than Youtube. Comedians have a few different options on Facebook to communicate with fans. They can create all of the following:

• A personal page – This should not be limited to keeping in touch with close friends and family, although it’s great for that. It can also give fans the opportunity to communicate directly with you, and you back to them.
  
  
• A fan page – This is for your audience to be updated about things that are happening in your career. You can create a calendar of upcoming events so that your fans know when you will be on tour. This is also a place to talk about upcoming projects, post videos and other media, and promote yourself to potential fans.
  
  
• A group – here is where your fans come together to show their support for you. They can network and share information with each other. Also, it shows their friends that they enjoy your work, helping to further promote you.
  
  
• An event – Send a personalized invitation to your fans reminding them of an upcoming show or a role in a movie. If there’s a date that you want your fans to be aware of, an event will notify them, via their inbox. Even if they don’t check your fan page frequently, this is a definite way to make sure you get their attention about important things they probably don’t wont to miss.
  

Chatting with Comedian Alabama - Q & A Edition

Comedian Alabama not only does stand-up, he also manages the Baltimore Comedy Factory downtown. After a quick chat with him, here's what he had to say:

What is your real name? Are you originally from Alabama, and if so, what brought you to Baltimore?
Well my birth name is Deshawn Frazier, and I’m orginially from Talladega, Alabama, home of the world’s fastest NASCAR track in the world (my small city’s claim to fame). I moved to Baltimore in June 2001; my then wife was from B’more and I followed her up here.

When did you decide that you wanted to pursue comedy as a career?
I’ve been in this business for seven years and this is my world. I pursued stand-up prior to arriving here in Maryland. I went to open mics and began developing different routines. I also met veteran comedians who helped me out with advice and I took it all in. I developed my own comedy style.

What comedians inspire you? How did you develop your style?
I grew up watching Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Sinbad and many more. I studied comedian greats like Milton Berle and Redd Foxx, and I admired the way they’d get the crowd laughing and they never stopped laughing.

How has the Internet helped with your career or the club? Do you have any upcoming projects, events or shows you want me to mention?
The Internet is good for finding clubs and helping me to promote outside of the box. I have an Easter show, April 12th at 7 pm. I’ll be doing stand-up at the Baltimore Comedy Factory that day.

Chatting with Mike Von - Part One

As soon as Mike Von calls me back, I understand exactly why he's a comedian. Outgoing, comfortable, talkative, and of course, funny, are just a few of the characteristics that describe Von. I left a message on his machine Sunday night, and wasn't really expecting to hear from him until much later. I'll admit, I was a bit discouraged after what seemed like several blow-offs (things did eventually turn around). To my surprise, Von called me back within just a few hours and greeted me with a friendly and enthusiastic, "Hey Erica, what's up? It's Mike Von!" As he walked to his car after finishing up at school for the day, Von graciously granted me my first interview for the blog.

Von, 22, is a Chicago-based comedian who was born and raised in Baltimore. Although his myspace page states that he's been involved with comedy since the age of 16, Von says that his interest was initially spark at 14 years old from being "the funny guy" in school. Reciting hilarious anecdotes that entertained his peers was a talent that he discovered early on. Working at Wendy’s only helped; he had plenty of ridiculous stories to tell from his experiences there. If you ever worked in fast food, you know all too well. Some of Von's influences include Jamie foxx( who he wrote a paper on when he was a sophmore at Dunbar), Bill Behr, Craig Robinson, Eddie Murphy and Pablo Francisco. It also helped that his father was a comedian and comedy writer; if you're from Baltimore, you might now him from the "Kiss my bumper" commericals.



While most might think this was a career Von was encouraged to do, it wasn’t that way initially. “My parents weren’t really excited about me going into comedy. [My father] knew what a tough business it was.” Although he didn’t have their full support, Von was determined that his career was in comedy. So, what else was there to do but to start sneaking out at 16-years-old to perform at clubs?

Part two coming tomorrow...