I get emails all the time that basically go like this:
I’m in a comedy class, but then I found your stuff online. What makes your stuff any better than what I am getting in the comedy class that I am in?
Here’s my take on comedy classes and comedy workshops:
While they may be a great starting point for the most BASIC information about stand-up comedy, don’t expect to learn much about how to create a headliner level stand-up comedy act.
Related Article: Didn’t Get What You Wanted When You Took That Stand-up Comedy Class Or Workshop? Here’s Why…
Why do I say that? Ask your stand-up comedy teacher these questions and pay close attention to the responses they give:
1. How can I know that I am performing at headliner level?
2. What’s the sentence structure that 95%+ of all punchlines have?
3. How many seconds of laughter should I shoot for each minute and how do I achieve that?
4. If I want to talk about a topic, how do I develop punchlines for that topic?
5. Can you explain comedy timing and tell me how to have great comedy timing?
See if you get ANY actionable information on the questions above. More than likely you will get some generic mumbo jumbo that tells you nothing about:
- How to capture your sense of humor for the stand-up comedy stage
- How to recognize and capture your own natural sense of comedy timing on paper
- How many punchlines you need in a minute and how most will be structured
- The most important factor for getting big laughs in a stand-up comedy routine
- Preparation and performance improvement strategies
- Developing headliner level material — right from the start
- What a punchline really is and how easy they are to create
These are just some of the elements of developing a hard hitting stand-up act that are included in the Killer Stand-up Online Course.
But if you don’t have some natural comedy ability to begin with…
It doesn’t matter how many stand-up comedy classes, workshops, books or systems you get — including mine. Folks simply cannot “write” themselves into being funny on stage unless they have some comedy talent to begin with.
Even then, there’s no need to “write” anything, especially “jokes” the hard, old school way when individuals can work on mounds of topic based stand-up comedy material at a time using the Killer Stand-up Online Course.
I hope that answers the question I presented at the beginning of this article. If it doesn’t…
All I can say is that individuals who have comedy talent and who are willing and able to apply my methods tend move along very quickly in their stand-up comedy adventures as evidenced by these Success Stories.
And I don’t think any stand-up comedy teacher anywhere can show that kind of measurable, undeniable proof that folks can get remarkable results when provided with the right tools and skills needed to get the laughs they want on stage like I can — and I am proud of that for sure!
Last but not least — I can hardly say anything unkind about stand-up comedy workshops and classes because…
Over 90% of my customers come from stand-up comedy classes and workshops because students can’t seem to get the solid, actionable information they need to move ahead quickly and capitalize on their talent.
I find the difference that KillerStandUp provides seems to be that the whole course is catered towards each comedians own personality. I can imagine that a comedy class would cater to one specific stem of comedy. People should always make sure that any class or online course has actionable information. Theory can only go so far.
I was in the middle of a Stand Up Comedy class when I discovered Killer Stand Up. Killer Stand Up really helped me shape my bits. However, being able to practice with the members of the class, get feedback and make adjustments was also critically important. The class also included a “graduation” which was 5 minutes in front of a live audience of 250 people. I was thankful for both opportunities. But… for shaping my bits and hitting punchlines, Killer Stand Up brought it home.