After four years of posting my nearly all of my videos and performance critiques online I’ve decided to no longer continue doing so. Here’s why:
- There’s been little to no interaction between my visitors and I about the performance critiques. Given the lack of response after four years, posting the videos has become too time consuming to continue. When I started, I was on stage 3-4 times a week. Now it’s 15-20 times. That’s time I can spend on other comedy things.
- Diminishing marginal returns. The more I do it, the less beneficial detailed analysis of each and every performance becomes. I still plan on watching all my videos and making notes where applicable just while on the go instead of only while at the computer.
- Doing this consistently has made me overly results focused, and not enough process focused. While careful review improves comedy, it leads to me having less fun on stage as I start thinking about how to grade the performance while I’m up there, which leads to worse results on stage.
- I want to start getting booked more, so I want fewer “less than stellar” videos around. I’ll still post some new videos on the site but less frequently.
- I’m still gonna leave my critiques on my site, but I will no longer link to Performance Critiques from the front page.
- Generally speaking, it seems few people want to watch a 7 to 20 minute stand up video on the internet that isn’t from a TV broadcast. And the people that do want to watch, don’t want to watch the same comedian day after day. Fans much more appreciate 30-60 seconds of something funny instead of a longer pieces.
Other thoughts:
- I still highly recommend reviewing all your videos
- I haven’t run into someone not booking me by having these videos online, but then again most of my bookings have been through people I already know, not cold calls. It’s possible (but not sure how likely) that someone was gonna book me but never contact me after watching the wrong critique.
- My site will still be updated regularly, but with content that I think is more interesting to others: Book quotes from interesting books I read, clips of my sets and new jokes and interviews with comedians.
As one last video share, take a look at my first time on stage (July 1, 2008) compared to now June 30 (2012).
First time ever:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGLx4Fyy6Fo
June 2012:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9MIgM87OfQ
