...and as I walked
out of the theater I felt the greatest feeling ever:
this is mine for the taking. I don't have to stay
in NY for a month and beg the suits for an
opportunity. I don't have to use "the buzz" from the
show to scheme other avenues. I don't have to compete
with the people running the stage to be seen.
I don't have to worry about other acts taking the
air out of the room before I come on, and I don't
have to worry about the right people showing up to see
the show. This is a show they wanted,
they gave me the space, they are
supplying me with a crew and they are taping
it. On top of that? The crew, and all those involved,
want me to succeed. They want to do tech rehearsals,
they want to get light cues right, they want the sound
to be perfect, the entire night will revolve around
that one taping, and making sure everything runs as
smooth as possible. And I quote: "We want to make
you look good."
It's really unlike
any situation I've been in. In LA, you're begging for
time. Begging for space, begging for everything.
You're begging friends to help you if you even
DO get in to do your show and you're just another
headache to those running it. You pay out the nose
just for the privilege of playing certain venues and
most likely, the important people you needed to show
up? Never do. And tech rehearsals? Sound checks? Ask
Adam Darling how that worked for him at the Key Club
in March
(Entry
#863).
So to have a situation where the
"suits" themselves set this up? They're paying
the crew to make you look better? They're giving you
every opportunity to succeed? Absolutely unlike
anything I've ever been involved in. This is literally
mine for the taking.
Quick Aside:
Please realize that my LA based crew at CBS that
worked on The Egos with me were awesome. However,
this is unlike that situation because we're not
creating it in a TOTAL VACUUM. Comedy Central
WANTS this to work. The "suits" are walking in
there looking for any reason to greenlight this
show. Completely different energy to say the
least.
And I
almost named this entry "Competence
Personified" because the guy running the
stage, Paul Stein, straight-up knows his
shit. You could also tell he was used to
telling talent things, and not being listened
to. So to put his mind at ease, I just asked
him "what does talent do that makes you
crazy, and how can I avoid that." He seemed
to enjoy that green light. LOL. I'm sure he
rarely hears that question, and it's a great
insight. This guy has been running the stage
for 7 years. Imagine what he's seen. Imagine
the idiots he's seen blow this opportunity?
He has so much knowledge, and I don't want to
know the positive stuff. I want to gain as
much knowledge from the plethora of acts that
have stumbled and why they did...
...which is why I
get annoyed when people say you shouldn't "focus on
the negative". Bullshit. I focus on everything -
ESPECIALLY the negative. Trying to figure out all the
ways things can fail doesn't make you fail, it makes
you aware. Used to drive Donna crazy 'cause nearly
every situation at CBS that was positive, I only
rejoiced for about 5 seconds... 'cause I was already
onto the next step trying to scheme a way higher, and
running through the downfalls of taking the risks. I
don't mean to preach, or tell people how to run their
lives, but I can say with the utmost certainty that
blind optimism in this business will kick, your, ass.
I mean, ya gotta be able to jump, but you need to look
at what you're jumpin' into... not just pray it's a
cushion and close your eyes. 'Cause it may be a really
hard surface, but if you just LOOK at it - you
may be able to wear the appropriate shoes. And after
10 years? You just may have all the pieces to the
parachute to allow a friggin' skydive to be
successful.
I am ahead of
myself, I am overly confident right now. I know that.
But the truth is, I have never in my life failed to
live up to expectations when given the opportunity. In
fact, I feel I've surpassed them all. So you must
understand, that after seeing the space today,
realizing the support system behind me, and knowing
the type of acts Comedy Central is used to
seeing in this space? Whew. It's mine for the taking.
I don't mean the other acts are bad at all! Let me
rephrase that... shit I should totally rewrite
that. The other acts tend to require a bit more
imagination to see how it translates to television.
Meaning, they show all their skits, and maybe one of
the people in the skit stands out... and they go on to
other things, etc. My show IS the tv show. Comedy
Central already saw all my bits, liked them, and
wanted to see the SHOW. So they gave me this taping.
So what they will see will be completely fleshed out,
timed out, and written as a pilot to go
straight-to-air. Complete with the opening credit
sequence, commercial breaks, etc. My expectations are
absolutely to have each and every person at Comedy
Central come up to me and shake my hand while shaking
their heads 'cause they had no idea it was gonna be so
fleshed out.
...and although
that is an inordinate amount of pressure to put on
yourself, it's nothing compared to the pressure of
trying to make the initial opportunity happen. To me,
the hard part is over.
Now we have fun.
Two Egos pre-production shooting dates set: October
25th and November 1st. Can't wait to see my friends
again...
