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I’m not rich. I’m not famous. But I AM a working artists!

I recently attended a fascinating workshop on how to grow on social media. I learned nothing new. Basically the message was post a lot, be good, and engage with those wanting to engage with you.

In the room were a few hungry young comedians that ate it up alongside a number of frustrated experienced content creators that were more concerned with trolls and stumbling blocks.

The one problem with the “course” was a lack of substance. There was no advice on how to brainstorm ideas. There were messages of being fearless, not giving an F…, but no tips on how to get past those ego and insecurity blocks.

One message I think was clear: if you want to go viral, you have to treat your social media channels like a TV show, or even a mini network. It’s a full time job. Similarly, comics that do one show a week can’t compete with the few that choose the life and hustle for stage time 5-10 shows a day. And most of those give up, sometimes moments before breaking through.

But you don’t have to be a YouTube star to be a successful content creator. The chances of you paying your bills strictly as a content creator are lower than being able to pay your bills as an actor or comic. Most “actors” and “comics” don’t even get paid.

In 2002, I was a struggling actor. It’s more correct to say I was a struggling waiter, with big dreams. I had done a few things, paid runs at dinner theater and non-union tours of Broadway musicals and a few stipend gigs singing opera, etc.

My wife had the idea of starting a comedy troupe. By 2003 we were doing gigs at corporate events, colleges, and k-12 schools. By 2005 those gigs and ticket sales to 4-8 public shows a week added up to quitting our day jobs. We found a hack, a middle-class existence. We were not going to be stars, but we can pay our bills. In 2014 we bought a house.

I wrote the book QUIT YOUR DAY JOB 2 years ago, a guide for artists to monetize their talents.

The problem with just about everyone in that room is the same with most “artists” – very few are thinking like an entrepreneur. Your channel is your business. If your goal is to get paid producing content, PRODUCE CONTENT. Do the research, write, perform, edit, market.

Content Creation 101

1. create content
2. monetize content

If your only income stream is views you need a few million views a day to pay the bills.

My success is that I have never had a goal of being a YouTube star, BUT we were on MySpace selling ourselves in 2003. My product is me. I perform shows. I teach comedy. Now I create work for other performers. We work with corporate teams, student groups, libraries, schools, summer camps, birthday parties, Parks, colleges, universities, etc. etc. etc. Now I have books, blogs and other educational tools.

1. I’m always creating!
2. My focus is entertaining and teaching.
3. I have numerous ways to monetize those skills.

Monetizing Your Content

• If you add up my social media, blog, and self-published books, I’m making a few hundred a month directly from my content. After 23 years of creating “content” these items make enough to reinvest into marketing. To the public these items are $0-15 each. Every so often I get a brand deal of sorts. Various products and companies give me $200+ to put a banner ad on the site for a couple months. THIS BLOG has 8000+ subscribers and averages 800-1000 viewers a day.
• I have one public show and 2 classes weekly that bring in a few hundred a month in profits. The shows often break even or lose a buck or two, but altogether not a loss. I pay every teacher AND every performer for these flagship shows. Public is paying $20**–**50, more if they buy a lot of food and drinks at the club.
• I produce 2-10 private events a week – improv comedy shows, comedy workshops, murder mystery shows, trivia, game nights, and character events (me as Santa with elves, and we just did our first princess party). Public pays $300-5000+

What I just described was a sales funnel. Usually you hear these terms applied to a webinar scam (um I type webinar but auto correct said weiner, so im leaving that lol), sorry, yes, most are useless crap preying on wannabe content creators. Most currently are titled, how to create a successful webinar. Everyone has become those late-night infomercial guys from the 80s. NO MONEY DOWN REAL ESTATE, PLACE AN AD….. CREEPY GUY ON A BOAT….

I never intended to create a sales funnel. All I did was remember a conversation I had with a Greek artist that set up shop at a mall outside my restaurant gig back in 1995 or so. He said, “Look at this. That’s $5000. I sell one of those a month, most months. Those are my masterpieces. After I’m dead they’ll sell for millions. See that, that’s $5. I sell 10-100 of those a day. Those are prints of my best works. I add a touch of color live, sign them. Less than a minute of work each. In between sales, I paint.”

I also read a book from a Jazz musician on how so self book yoir next tour. He can work solo, or if there’s enough scratch ($$$) book a trio, or even a full big band.

A lot of “artists” hate the term “content”. But everything is content. Some content is better than other content. But at the end of the day, whether it’s love performance, video, audio, or print, your music, comedy, painting, story telling, etc. etc. etc. is content, and if you’re not monetizing it, I call it community, educational or showcase theater.

A professional artist finds a way to get paid. A VERY VERY rare few get “discovered” and have people manage that for them. Most will just give up, sad but true. But while millions complain about bad luck and nepo babies, a few of us are squeaking out a living, creating art, or in my case, joy and laughter, one show and class at a time. I work in fromt of people as an entertsiner or teacher about 10-20 hours a week, but spend 40-60 hours a week emailing clients, creating contracts, casting shows and posting “content” to my blog and social media feeds. I’m day job and bad boss free since 2005.

• Be curious!
• Be tenacious!
• Have Fun!!!