THE COMEDY CONFERENCE
@CAMBRIDGE JUNCTION J3
Friday 22nd April 2022
For the first time, this year's Sound + Vision conference includes a day of conversations and debates about trends and developments in the comedy industry, curated and co-hosted by the team at ThisWeek Culture, who have been covering comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe every year since 1996 through their ThreeWeeks Edinburgh magazine.
Find out how to build a career in comedy today; get the lowdown on using livestreaming and other digital platforms to grow an audience and generate income; and join the debate about the future of the Edinburgh Fringe, and the role it continues to play in the comedy business in 2022. Hear from and debate with leading experts from across the comedy world.
THE FUTURE OF THE EDINBURGH FRINGE
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival has long been a crucial platform for comedians to hone their skills, grow their audiences, connect with the industry and launch their careers. But after a cancelled Fringe in 2020 - and a super streamlined edition in 2021 - what will things look like when the festival properly returns in 2022? There has been a long debate about the pros and cons of pursuing a comedy career through Edinburgh's big festival. Has COVID motivated a big re-think about how the Edinburgh Fringe works - and where it fits in? The experts discuss.
• Kate Smurthwaite (comedian)
• Flick Morris (comedy PR)
• Chris Cooke (ThisWeek Culture)
• Darrell Martin (Just The Tonic)
• Lee Griffiths (Soho Theatre)
COMEDY AND LIVESTREAMING - WHAT NEXT?
Lots of comedians had to quickly learn how to deliver their acts online when the COVID pandemic shut down the comedy clubs and art centres more or less overnight. What worked? What didn't work? How did comedians evolve, tweak or radically overhaul their acts for online delivery - and what technological tricks helped ensure a better audience experience? And as live entertainment slowly returns, where will livestreaming – as well as on-demand streams of shows - fit into the comedy mix long-term?
• Jason Wolfe (NextUp Comedy)
• Kaiya Milan (The Floor)
• Robyn Perkins (comedian)
• Chris Cooke (ThisWeek Culture)
• Pete Heat (magician)
PODCASTS, PATREON, YOUTUBE, TIKTOK AND BEYOND - MAKING COMEDY ONLINE
What online platforms are now part of the comedy making toolkit? And how can those platforms be used - to deliver content, grow audiences, generate revenue and evolve the artform? Our panel of experts will consider how different comedians have used different platforms in different ways. What works? What doesn't work? And what's the aim? Are podcasts and Patreon packages and YouTube channels and TikTok streams core revenue generators - or simply a way to access other opportunities? We debate.
• Lola Oyewole (TikTok)
• Tom Brandt (NextUp Comedy)
• John Harris (Acast)
• Jay Foreman (comedian)
• Chris Cooke (ThisWeek Culture)
PURSUING A CAREER IN COMEDY IN 2022
What does a career in comedy look like in 2022? How do early-career comedians go about finding an audience for and building a business around their comedy? And what business partners will they work with along the way? Where do online platforms, comedy clubs, comedy festivals, agents, managers, promoters and broadcasters fit into the mix - and what do the deals look like?
Our panel of experts provide a practical guide to pursuing a career in comedy today.
• Gaby Jerrard (Gaby Jerrard PR)
• Hils Jago (Amused Moose)
• Raffaella De Santis (entertainment lawyer)
• Chris Cooke (ThisWeek Culture)