LIVE! { at the time....}

   If you are reading on a smartphone, use landscape / hold phone sideways. 

I'm a big Demetri Martin fan. As with most things, some people will love a certain comedian, or hate them, or land somewhere on the spectrum of "huge fan" to "meh". 

I think back to all the comedians I have watched over the years - both LIVE (LIVE) and on HBO. Or NETFLIX. Going to Comedy Clubs was the thing to do in the 80s and 90s. I was a regular (sat in the front row... ready for abuse) at Rascals Comedy Club in New Jersey. 

Steve Martin was one of the first comedians to fill a stadium. Remember Andrew Dice Clay? 

Andrew Dice Clay is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He rose to prominence in the late 1980s with a brash, deliberately offensive persona known as "The Diceman". In 1990, he became the first stand-up comedian to sell out Madison Square Garden for two consecutive nights.

And then I thought about the Zoom Comedy Shows that we did during the pandemic. That's all we had was Zoom - it was a Zoom Show or nothing. Our "Coffee in the Clouds - with COMEDIANS" was a ton of fun. But the comedians would frequently comment how you really need a LIVE audience to make it work. You need the energy of the crowd, preferably in a small room with a low ceiling, to make the laughter fill the room. Zoom was cool - but not for comedy. 

And that brings me back to Demetri Martin LIVE! { at the time } special. What is "LIVE" anyway? We do trade shows LIVE but also allow folks to attend LIVE (virtually) when then cannot make the trip. Later this month is TriNet's National Small Business Summit in New York City - LIVE! Monday to Friday LIVE (April 29th - May 3rd) with a few hundred people in the room - and thousands of people attending one or all five days LIVE (from home). And if you cannot make any of it, the recordings (live at the time) will be on their website. 

And so... a career of a comedian usually goes like this: LIVE - small room. LIVE - bigger room. LIVE - STADIUM! LIVE (at the time) ala HBO or NETFLIX. LIVE (at the time) movie or TV show. Maybe they will write a book. And, then if their career lasts long enough, back to LIVE - small room. 

I thought about my career - sales. Face to Face selling (LIVE!) Telephone sales. Direct Mail, Social Media, Trade Shows, Events, Webinars, Email, SMS/TEXTS, what's next?  There are many ways, many paths to the goal. Very similar to a comedian - there are many paths to getting a laugh. Or a sale. 

With a comedian, getting an HBO or NETFLIX special - that is a very big deal. That is a "you made it" moment in the career of a comedian. Technology changed the way that comedians (or singers) grow their careers. I understand that as of this Sunday Blog, someone named Taylor Swift just launched a new album with 300M+ downloads in 24 hours. Huh, streaming media is a very good example of LIVE! ( at the time...). 

I remember when HBO first went live in 1972. I remember getting NETFLIX CDs in the mail, before they made the pivot to online. I remember going to the movies to see a Disney movie as a kid - it was a big deal on a Saturday afternoon. The movie had a start time - don't be late! 

A Yankee Game (LIVE!) at the stadium, or LIVE in your living room? Watching The Masters LIVE - AT the Masters or watching it via Masters.com ???  Jerry Seinfeld LIVE at a Comedy Club in the 80s or SEINFELD on TV or Jerry Seinfeld (sold out) at Radio City Music Hall in NYC - or 2024: Jerry Seinfeld back to small Comedy Clubs (surprise!). Which would you pick? Do you want to see Jerry Seinfeld LIVE (LIVE) in NYC, or will you wait for the HBO special? Assuming of course you are "huge fan" and not a "meh". 

You, yes....you just read this LIVE! At the time... Just like I wrote it. 

Live. At the time. From good ol' BOONTON USA. 

www.BoontonWorks.com