Variety says standup back

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on November 15th, 2006

What took them so long? We suppose that this piece was written from a hotel room in Vegas, which is where the industry is assembled for this weekend’s HBO Comedy Festival. Janelle Brown, writing in Variety, says:

Standup is in the midst of a stunning comeback.

We’ve been telling folks for five years that standup is back to pre-bust levels (and approaching boom levels for at least three years). Of course, we can’t expect Variety to be aware of anything outside of NYC or LA (or Montreal).

To what does Variety (and their sources) attribute this resurgence?

Why the sudden surge in live comedy at a time when the network sitcom is on life support and the economics of feature-film laughs have become tricky? Industry insiders say the Internet is the main reason. Every comic in America seems to have a MySpace page these days; and YouTube’s $1.65 billion payday was built on the backs of the sketch comics who posted their videos there.

Ya gotta love those industry insiders. They’ll tell the Variety reporter anything!

To be sure, the internet is helping, but it isn’t anywhere near the main reason. We have our own theories as to why comedy is back. And, as long as standup continues its slow, steady growth, the golden-egg-laying goose will continue to thrive.

from → News • 0 Comments - Let's discuss! • Print-Friendly • Back To Top