Phil Hanley didn’t invent crowd work, but because he started comedy in some of Canada’s roughest rooms, he got very good at it. Here we see Phil describe those early days and how they shaped the comedian he is today.
Phil Hanley didn’t invent crowd work, but because he started comedy in some of Canada’s roughest rooms, he got very good at it. Here we see Phil describe those early days and how they shaped the comedian he is today.
This is some outtake footage from the second batch of Modern Comedian episodes. Some of it was shot for fun and some of it was just too long to squeeze into the episodes. Enjoy this bonus footage.
Chris Gethard is an amazing person with a big heart, who also happens to be one of the most entertaining people around. Last year, Chris was cast as the lead in a sitcom that was canceled right away. So he decided to stick with something that was he could control … a public access show on the Manhattan Neighborhood Network. The decision to pause a more typical acting career in Los Angeles in favor of a public access TV show was not an easy one. But as we see here, the show has become an important thing in a lot of people’s lives, particularly young people with mental health issues. As Chris says, it is the closest thing to a ‘calling’ he has ever experienced.
Watch The Chris Gethard Show:
http://thechrisgethardshow.com/
Yannis Pappas is one of NYC’s favorite native comics, born and raised in Brooklyn - a rarity amongst his peers. Few can write good jokes as fast as Yannis.
A year into stand up, Yannis was shot in a traumatic botched armed robbery attempt. In this episode, we see Yannis tell the story while working out some new jokes on the subject.
Mike Lawrence is one of the best up-and-coming young comedians in New York City. He moved there from Florida more than six years ago, and has been extremely driven in his goal to do stand-up on TV. Here we see Mike reflect on his early days in stand-up and describe what he thought doing a set on TV would mean for his career. As a side note, this video was released two days after Mike’s 30th birthday. Happy Birthday Mike!
Ted Alexandro is a staple in the New York comedy scene as well as a traveling headliner with numerous TV appearances on Letterman, Comedy Central and more. Ted thought he was going to be a jazz pianist as he entered college but as fate would have it he discovered stand-up and didn’t look back. Here Ted discusses his history with Jazz and the similarities he sees between his musical background and his stand-up performances.
Joe DeRosa is a classic stand-up comedian. His material is honest, from the heart and very funny. We went into this shoot not knowing exactly what we wanted to capture — then, during a set, an audience member confronted Joe about his material while on stage. It is a moment every stand-up comedian dreads, and it completely changed the dynamic of the show. Here we see that confrontation, Joe’s initial reaction and then a more focused breakdown two weeks later.
You may have seen Steve Agee on The Sarah Silverman Program but he is also a very funny stand-up. Like many comedians, Steve hated his material in those early years until some advice from fellow comic Janeane Garofalo helped him to drop some old habits and find his voice in comedy. In this episode Steve demonstrates his new style by telling a very embarrassing story on stage for the first time.
Sean Patton is a lovable, hilarious dude. He started his comedy career 11 years ago in New Orleans and now finds himself living in both Brooklyn and Hollywood. Like most city dwellers, Sean loves the pedestrian lifestyle, which he finds more of in Brooklyn than in Hollywood. Here we get a brief tour of both neighborhoods.
EPISODE 9 - Power Violence is a comedy group in Los Angeles. They are young, ambitious and every Sunday they spend the entire day preparing for their live show that night by making a video, writing sketches, hanging out and having a good time in their 10 bedroom rental mansion.
Subscribe to Power Violence on YouTube at…http://www.youtube.com/user/POWERVIOLENCEVIDEO
This is a bonus episode of cut scenes from the first 8 episodes of Modern Comedian. It features Kurt Braunohler explaining the Urban Disorientation Game, Lynn Shawcroft talking about Mitch Hedberg’s lack of stage fright & a few new shots of Mitch’s writing (be sure to pause it and read the sideways notebook with the farmer’s tan joke at 3:04 for a lost gem) …Rory Scovel does local publicity on radio and TV from an episode which we shot and then later ditched entirely. It also features Andy Haynes and friends goofing around in the green room before his Conan set and lastly… Todd Glass explains more details about how to throw a proper party. If you haven’t seen the previous episodes of Modern Comedian, you should see them before you watch this one or it may not make sense. Thanks so much for watching and there are many more new episodes premiering weekly beginning in mid-November of 2012 exclusively at PBS Digital Studios on YouTube. Please subscribe if you do that sort of thing.
EPISODE 8 - Todd Glass is a comedy legend. His house parties are legendary because he meticulously plans out the evening in advance, creating the perfect atmosphere. Todd knows how to truly entertain and surprise his guests with doctored deserts, spontaneous music and genius off-the-cuff comedy bits he pulls his guests into.
Dave Stone is a great young comedian from Atlanta who just made the move to LA. To save money and because he’s on the road a lot, Dave lives in a cargo van that he customized. Follow Dave on Twitter @davestonecomedy and me @scottmoran9876
Episode 6 is Andy Haynes. Andy is a super funny dude who is carving out a nice career for himself. Here we see Andy driving around LA doing some warm up sets in preparation for his most recent spot on Conan. Watch this video…. then go watch the actual Conan set here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCHwCvvP8Xg
