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Thanks- I've helped friends get their albums out, and now that I've worked on mine, I figured it would be good to document all the steps I had to take to do it. It's not hard, but there are a lot of little things that you want to make sure get taken care of.

1. Splitting the tracks was natural for me based on the way I planned out my set. I pretty much knew where the splits were going to be before I recorded it. I had bits that I knew would work well together, and I arranged them so they would be after one another, allowing me to make them be on the same track. I'm not much of a one-liner type, so I didn't have the issue of putting completely different jokes one after another, and I had pretty natural stopping points for each. If I was, I'd probably just do a few jokes per track. If I had a callback that was just a couple jokes after the first one, I'd try to keep those on the same track. Think of the tracks as stand-alone releases. Try to make it so that someone will get all the jokes even if they never heard the earlier jokes on the album. Check out how Hedberg handled it on Mitch All Together: http://www.amazon.com/Mitch-All-Together-Hedberg/dp/B0000DZ3HR
   
2. I think I got across all the major things people should do- record more than one show, do some test recording, hire some help if at all possible. There are always things I'd want to do differently. I'm not wild about the camera angle we had on one of the shots, and I wish we had zoomed in a bit more, but the angle I'd really like to have wasn't physically possible to get in the room I was in. I wish I had run all of the audio recording onto a digital audio recorder so I didn't have to sync it all later. That was a giant pain in the ass. But in the grand scheme of things, for a project with essentially no budget, I'm very happy with what I've got as an end result.
   
3. I've sent it off for online distribution, but it's not officially released anywhere until May 9th, so I won't know for a while what the numbers are. I made enough off the door at the shows we recorded to pay the camera crew, so I was able to record it for essentially nothing. It was worth it for me just to have a good 45 minute demo tape that I can now send to bookers. Until now, all the good tape that I've had has been 20-25 minutes, so I'm happy about that. It was also nice to do that much time here in LA- it's pretty rare to get to do that much stage time for me, since I largely feature on the road right now, and I'm hoping this tape will help me get into rooms as a headliner.

It's a bit tricky to explain, but here goes:

I'm in my third year of a 4-year Drama & Theatre Studies masters course, so you have 3 years to get your standard bachelor's degree and then an extra year that upgardes it to an 'MDrama'. The final year has always offered stand-up comedy as an area of specialisation, where you do weekly gigs in front of a student crowd (with new material each week) as well as going into London to do open mics.

Up until now the third year had a module that was all about stand-up theory, but they changed it for our year so that it became half theory, half practical. The first six weeks we studied academic stuff on comedy (all the way back to Freud), the history of stand-up, comic devices, personas, etc etc etc. We had to write an essay about a chosen comedian, analyse one of their routines and explain why it was funny academicly.

That all set us up for the last six weeks which was purely practical. Weekly workshops where we'd be set different tasks (like, write some surreal material or instant character stuff or audience participation) and do it in front of the class. Then we took our best stuff and crammed it into 5 minutes, which we performed in a show on the last day of term (hence why I was asking about warm-up rituals for 10AM comedy). The focus was on getting us to produce something that we could easily take to open mic nights if we wanted to, and also to give us a taste of it to see if we wanted to do the specialisation next year.

The guy who teaches the course was on a BBC documentary about stand-up the other night, and he's also written a few books and journal articles about teaching comedy.

This one here has got some stuff about teaching stand-up: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Getting-Joke-Stand-up-Comedy-Performance/dp/0413774767

Hope that helps!

someone said watch dick van dyke which is good advice. I am about done watching every single SNL and I want to watch every Cheers and the Bob Newhart show. You can study and study and the great thing about studying comedy is its super fun. You laugh a lot, read a million books, READ Abjection in America http://www.amazon.com/Stand-up-Comedy-Abjection-America-Americanists/dp/0822325462 so you'll know your history. Bot don't only study comedy.

at some point you really need practice, I'm sure Philly has some great opportunities. Try to start your own show in Philly at some bar or coffee house you can get your friends to make it out to , start going to New York and Chicago on weekends and over the summer and try to make contacts. try writing an hour a day or if you're already doing that do something else like take a writing class, an improv class, or learn an instrument. i think the most useful comics are the ones that can do everything: write, act, edit, animate, shoot, draw, be multifaceted. think of yourself as an artist, above all. get a camera, tape a clip, scour for shows on the internet figure out who books what, and send out a million booking requests. nothing could be simpler.

I'm on twitter https://twitter.com/420BinLaden69

This is a terrific book for teaching you one aspect of one style of jokewriting. It focuses on the setup-punch, 'misdirect' style joke (ie "For years I've been looking for my girlfriend's killer... but nobody will do it." -Jeselnik) and is a little dated, and it's just one guys creative process for writing a particular style of joke, but it's definitely worth a read. But it won't cover every aspect of writing and performing good comedy.

Also, this one is a great book about mindset and pretty much everything other than the actual jokewriting: http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Stand-Up-Comedy-Sankey/dp/0878300740

I'm usually anti-gift-card, but maybe a club will let you buy a certificate. That way you can buy a gift that plays to his tastes without committing to a show he won't like.

Or, you could always buy a comedy album for him. A CD, or vinyl makes a great gift, if he has a turntable.

Or maybe a book written by a comedian, or about comedy. Kilph Nesteroff just released a history of comedy that's been getting good reviews.

I love this question. All writers, no matter the medium, have faced this question. You're doing the right thing starting and ending strong with what you've got. You can tell where your week points are. That honesty is good!
It shows you have a high standard for yourself. A certain level of taste, if you will. And you're trying to meet it. So just keep working on generating new material.

Always be writing things down. You should have a notebook stuck to your hand like glue that's a constant stream of funny things you encounter, whether you said it or it was a daily experience. You might not write every day but keep it handy. Not writing something great that popped into your head is a huge missed opportunity. You never know what will build into something great. These don't come often. So most writers seriously sit down an hour or two a day for the express purpose of thinking about their material and coming up with new bits. Stories from childhood they can reflect on as an adult, recent personal or world events, you name it.

Figure out what your rules are for what works for you. Don't just curse to curse or be gross to be gross. It has to convey a story or an insight into life or who you are. Keep searching for your style, your voice.

Also, and this is gonna sound totally high school stupid but it helps... Remember why you're doing it. Why are you doing it? It's not just to make people laugh, that's why all comics are there. But why are you doing it. that's a different answer. A very personal one. Get this on paper to your satisfaction. Let it be your driving reason for creating material.

Test your new material out in the middle of your set. See how well you can work the crowd differently each night based on the vibe and city. You know you can't settle for chuckles. You want full guffaw. That's what sitting down with your stream of consciousness writing is for. To filter and edit what you have newly discovered. Don't stay out too late. Be well rested every morning (or whenever you usually get up) so you can continue working on your material and writing things down with a clear head. Watch how Jerry did it. When you get stuck, check out a book on how to write comedy. There are many. Good luck!

This is something I juggle a lot. I'm not sure if I'm really good at it or not - time will tell. My approach tends to be to spend a few months emphasizing my focus on one thing at a time and let others kinda 'simmer' on the backburner. Not necessarily totally avoid them, but put a lot less effort in. It's impossible to do everything at once and it's also not practice to do 'everything a little bit at a time'. Because even though you may be able to break up a 40 hours work week into 4 projects by working on each 10 hours at a time... there's all that "offline" thinking you're doing in the shower, on the toilet, hiking, running, whatever and that can't be distributed well into 4 different projects. Same if you are delegating any work or collaborating with people - its tricky to coordinate these types of schedules with a bunch of different people (especially if it requires in-person meeting).


There's a great book called "The Renaissance Soul" which discusses how to collaborate multiple projects. This was really helpful in calming my discomfort and to find a strategy that worked for me. For example, some people focuses "seasonally" on different projects. Some people will combine multiple passions into a single project (I'm doing that with a physics sketch comedy show". Another example that's "working" for me is that I'm involved in mental health activism and an advocate for self-directed learning for teens -- so, big surprise, a lot of that content ends up making its way into my stand-up comedy. So that sorta combines some passions.

I know this goes against your original question, but I was told by comedy teachers to not get too caught up in reading comedy books (ex: how-to's). Before I started doing improv, though, I read "Bossypants" by Tina Fey (I do stand-up now). It's a quick, easy read and the writing's awesome. Ellen Degeneres: also a great writer. Found [this] (http://www.amazon.com/Seinlanguage-Jerry-Seinfeld/dp/0553569155/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414942127&sr=1-1&keywords=jerry+seinfeld) too.

I don't think you need to read the whole book (there's a small summary that's a few pages out there), but I found Greg Dean's book helpful for learning how to write simple setup/punchline jokes.

For improv (and it applies to sketch too imo), the UCB manual is the best book I've read.

For writing, this book from one of the founders of The Onion is really good. I think if I had to recommend just one comedy book, it would be this one.

My buddy bought this book for me to make fun of me saying I wasn’t funny. Jokes on him, I am now not only not funny, but also have all of the fundamental knowledge of what makes stuff funny and the tools necessary to grind out jokes.

The Comic Toolbox: How to Be Funny Even If You're Not https://www.amazon.com/dp/1879505215/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_AKFPCbCDNY86N

Seriously tho it’s a great book and gives you the formula for creating quality bits

http://www.amazon.com/PWMA170-Wireless-Microphones-Lavalier-Handheld/dp/B0071I47SA/ref=sr_1_8?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1422650656&sr=1-8&keywords=pyle+pa+system
This is the one I have, it is very loud small and cheap. I have only been using it at the small open mic I cohost, in a small room, so I keep the volume pretty low on it becuase it can get really fucking loud. It looks crappy, but I can easily hear the comics even when I stand outside to smoke. No outputs though :(. Small enough to carry the whole set up n a backpack.

Here's a link to a similar one from the same ppl on Best Buy
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/pyle-200w-vhf-wireless-battery-powered-pa-system/1306850221.p?id=mp1306850221&skuId=1306850221

It depends on what kind of venues you are looking to use it in. It also depends on your budget, I just use mine becuase its cheap. If you are producing pro shows, you would probably want a nicer one, just so it doesn't look so lame. Also its nice to have an actual mixer, so you can position your speakers in different places. If you have tons of cash it would be really cool to have a set of small speakers every couple of rows, so the volume can be lower, but still be easily heard in the back. Fender Passport is the standard for a simple two speaker set up that still looks decent, but it will cost you more than my junky 1 speaker set up. If this isn't helpful, tell me more about what you'll be using it for

I would. However, I've always assumed that transcripts of standup specials would be subject to IP laws, which is why we haven't seen this happen.

Some of my favorite podcast episodes ever were when Ari Shaffir got permission to play and dissect some standup specials with his guests. It's a fascinating discussion.

Stewart Lee's book also does this: he transcribes his specials and then footnotes them. Easily one of my favorite books on comedy now.

Wow thanks, I really need to hit a bunch of open mics and suffer some bombs to neutralize all of this validation.

I'm still trying to develop a solid writing habit to be honest, it's very difficult for me to maintain a steady productive flow.

I'd recommend reading Poking a Dead Frog by Mike Sacks and Sick in the Head by Judd Apatow, both are collections of interviews and advice with amazing comedians and comedy writers. You can get some fantastic advice there but mostly it's just inspiring and motivating.

For writing specifically, the only book I'd seriously recommend is How to Write Funny by Scott Dikkers, he was a founding editor of The Onion and it's a slim, no nonsense book.

Since you already have your audio sorted...I'd recommend this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Action-Cameras/Sony-Action-Cam-HDR-AS100V-Definition-underwater/B00HNT5NHQ

It's cheap. Easy to use. Takes good enough low light HD video. Is rugged, so won't break if someone knocks it over or drops it or spills beer on it.

Also, adding a small tripod will make for better video and makes it less likely to end up in someones pocket.

https://www.amazon.com/UBeesize-Portable-Adjustable-Universal-Compatible/dp/B06Y2VP3C7

How I Escaped My Certain Fate by Stewart Lee is the best book on stand up I've read.

http://www.amazon.com/How-Escaped-My-Certain-Fate/dp/0571254810

Your cellphone is the best camera.

https://www.amazon.ca/Rode-VideoMic-Directional-Microphone-Phones/dp/B018KIJGU8/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1538871985&sr=8-9&keywords=rode+video+microphone

​

https://www.amazon.ca/Upgraded-Version-Octopus-Portable-Adjustable/dp/B00WO65Z6C/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1538872101&sr=8-3&keywords=joby+tripod+iphone

So there's potential here, but you definitely have that complaining=comedy vibe going on, I'll give you the information handed down to me by Redditors.

1. Don't wear a hoodie or read directly off of your book/note sheet.
   
2. Write jokes, not speeches/monologues
   
3. Book
   
4. Keep your set short and end on a high note

And Here’s the Kickeris the first that comes to mind because it’s all interviews of comedy writers. Born Standing Up by Steve Martin was really good too. I’ve never found a how to guide on stand up that helped me unfortunately. Really the best lesson for me was to bomb at open mic a few times.

I really loved this book And Here's The Kicker.

Also Andy Kaufman's biography Lost in the Funhouse

Greg Dean's Step by Step to Stand Up Comedy was really helpful when I was starting out.

The book helped me a lot in my writing. Especially those parts are great where Dean dissects a bit and shows its evolution from an idea to a polished routine.

Performing, it did not do that much - but I think that you'll learn performing mostly by doing it over and over again and seeing what works for you.

There's a common saying amongst photographers that the best camera is "the one you have with you". For that reason, get yourself one of those $20-30 little flexible tripods with the spring-loaded holster to hold a smartphone. Link: https://www.amazon.com/Joby-JB01325-GripTight-GorillaPod-Phones/dp/B00M9C9EVS/.

Bring that with you everywhere and film sets constantly. Don't wait for when you're "running your set". If there's a crowd, decent lighting, and a place to set your phone up, the recording you get off your phone will easily be good enough for submissions. If you record all the time, you're also more likely to catch those "lightning-in-a-bottle" sets. It's not high enough quality for immediate release on Netflix, but unless your phone is beyond garbage, you'll have something a booker can look at, review, and get a decent sense of your act without getting distracted by low quality.

This book changed how I write jokes:
https://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Funny-Step-Step/dp/1499196121

It's all about subtext and joke forms. Very quick read.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0141025158/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491928978&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=the+naked+jape&dpPl=1&dpID=51Z6%2BBzbHWL&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0571254810/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491941534&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=stewart+lee

from a glance at the table of contents, would you say it's a waste of time to read?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0325001790/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=36EJLW9RCOX12&coliid=I3LKPWTUCRN7Y8

Please, for the love of god! do not quit. Keep sucking until you suck less. If you think that's hard try working for a living. It sucks and you will suck for just as long at a job where they pay you to get better. If possible do stand-up instead. Also, don't be afraid to take people's advice who are not cynical assholes.

Surprise: A lot of people don't understand that a good joke catches you off guard. You start walking someone down a path and change it at the end.

Premise, Punch Line, Tag:
-Premise: short as possible while giving the listener a vivid description.
-Punch Line: a violation of the premise
-Tag: additional punch lines that can optionally build off the previous punch line/tag.

Premise: "There’s a reason it’s called 'girls gone wild' and not 'women gone wild.' When girls go wild, they show their tits."
Punch line: "When women go wild, they kill men and drown their kids in a tub."
This joke set's us up to think that Louis CK will talk about how when women go wild it's milder. Instead it's horrifying.

Source Material: You're young and I'm going to guess you don't have any profound insights to share at this age. So pay attention to people. Pay attention to how they talk, where they look, how they feel and what they do. Pay attention to yourself. What are you thinking about when interacting with others? What do you think they're thinking about? Do you have messed up thoughts? Congratulations! We all do but we don't say it or pay enough attention to them. Keep these observations in a notebook.

Also, try to keep your material general so most people understand what you're talking about. This doesn't mean you can't talk about obscure subject, it just means it's harder to set up a premise.

Some things to riff on:

• Other people (if you know them personally change their name)
  
  
• Weird experiences you've had
  
  
• Crazy people on TV and different ways of thinking about their actions (if everyone things the crazy person sucks, find a reason to like what they're doing)
  
  
• Your desires (really wanted that lambo but I don't know how to extort people yet, that will take college)
  
  
• Anything that you can get people thinking one way and switch it on them
  
  Read some books:
  
  
• How to Write funny by Scott Dikkers
  
  
• This one was recommended in another post
  
  Some people say that reading books about comedy is useless like taking a stand-up course. These people are cynical assholes. Ignore their pessimism and devour as much information as possible. Drew Carry read 5 stand-up books then became famous. You can bang your head against the wall trying to carve a new path or you can just read what people have already discovered.
  
  Cheers!