IP Democracy: Comedy is Hard...But the Web Helps

There’s an old saw among actors which goes something like this: Dying is easy but comedy is hard. The Internet, however, is making it easier for comedians to break through the clutter and establish reputations if not club bookings. This Wall Street Journal piece by David Kesmodel takes a serious look at how the web is changing the face of comedy through venues such as MySpace, CollegeHumor.com and StupidVideos.com.

The poster child for web-driven comedy stardom is Dane Cook, who shot to fame through his MySpace profile and website (warning: if you click on this an audio or video clip of Cook’s routines may automatically play and they’re not all for the faint-hearted.)

Another comedian who made it to Comedy Central and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” by virtue of web comedy virtuosity is Eugene Mirman.

Mr. Mirman, 31, who has appeared on Comedy Central and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” doesn’t promote his site during stand-up performances. But he often tells the audience to simply type “Eugene” into the Google search engine, where his site often appears among the top results. “My goal will be to at some point exceed Eugene, Ore., as the most popular Eugene,” he said. “I’ve already beaten [the late playwright] Eugene O’Neill, but he probably doesn’t have much of a Web presence.”

Posted by Cynthia Brumfield on May 18, 2006 3:41 PM to IP Democracy