Stand Up Bootcamp – Day 4

Editor’s Note: Comedian David Lew has agreed to document “Stand-Up Boot Camp” for AmericasComedy.Com exclusively. You’ll be receiving daily reports. This latest “Stand-Up Boot Camp” is run by two very famous, funny men — Louie Anderson and Kyle Cease. “Boot Camp” takes place over five days, eight hours each day, at the “World Famous Comedy Store” in Hollywood, where some of the most famous comedians of our time were first given the opportunity to perform and fine-tune their acts . . .  a tradition which carries on today. “Boot Camp” includes guest speakers, ranging from national headliners to managers and agents.

Day 4

10:25am- I walk past Louie as I first step into the back rooms of the Comedy Store and he turns and says “Paul Provenza is up right now…” AWESOME!! Paul is a legend and host of Showtime’s “The Green Room with Paul Provenza.” Paul has such a great view of stand up after being in the business for so long.

11:38am- Chris Porter is the 2nd guest speaker. If you don’t know who Chris is, he was a Last Comic Standing finalist and has an incredible Comedy Central Presents. Chris has been to all of the L.A. Bootcamps, and he is my favorite comic to work with at these sessions. He and I write very differently, and I always wish I can write the way he does. His focus is on brevity within the joke; being funny in the least amount of words.

12:00pm- Bret Ernst is up next. Bret has been on “Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show” and he also has been at every Bootcamp that’s been held in LA. Bret is a very passionate guy and it shows when he participates and he doesn’t sugar coat anything with his advice to the Bootcamp members.

12:15pm- Today is one-on-one day. Headliners break out into different rooms of the Comedy Store and help the comics. The comics helping today are Bret Ernst, Chris Porter, and Ruben Paul. The organizers, Louie Anderson and Kyle Cease, take a group of comics also. Once in groups, you perform 3 to 5 minutes and the headliner gives his two cents as far as stage presence, delivery, and possible tags for the material.

For this blog, I got to participate in one-on-one day. The first group I was in was with headliner Ruben Paul. Ruben was on the main room stage, where they are filming the sessions. I went up in front of Ruben and 4 other comics and surprisingly, it felt very awkward. Ruben could tell that I wasn’t being myself and brought that up.

It was interesting to be performing in front of only 4 people. It felt like performing at an open mic with 2 cameras on you, and an established headliner looking right at you.  I told stories about my mom being overprotective and assuming I’d be getting kidnapped.  Hilarious stuff! But my delievery was off, and Ruben picked up on that. He also made sure that he established that he’s giving me advice based on how HE would tell the story, and hopefully it would help.  Ruben pointed out that my stories have a narrative and I’m more of a storyteller than a one-liner comedian. The comics watching are also giving me tags that they thought were hilarious, and I definitely will use them.

1:30pm- Next, I went to Chris Porter who was holding court in the green room behind the main room stage. Which, by the way, is the most surreal thing, to think about the LEGENDS that have been in this room or ANY room of the Comedy Store. Richard Pryor, Bill Hicks, Jim Carrey, and so many more! I always get very nostalgic when I’m at the Hollywood Improv, Laugh Factory or Comedy Store; these were the places I wanted to be as a kid, being funny, living my dream. So I feel like I’m one step closer just by being here.

I walk in to the green room and there’s only 2 other comics in there with Chris. At first, I wanted to walk back out because I had just done a small group and didn’t want to go through it again. But I remembered how much Chris helped me last Bootcamp and felt I had to stick it out.
There were two other comics in the room, we’ll name them “Sheila” and “Pam.” Pam worked on a particular piece of material and I think Chris was able to help her figure out the fastest way to get the punchline out. “Sheila” had just written material that morning, so it needed more work, but she’s very likable and still made us chuckle. They felt the bite of performing in front of only 3 people who are also comedians. It is very difficult so kudos to both for doing so and still getting laughs.

When my turn arrived, “Sheila” had to leave for an appointment. So now it’s just me, “Pam” and Chris. I tell him I have an opener that I don’t like but it gets laughs; he immediately says “don’t do it then.” Well, that ends that bit. In the opener I explain that “I’m half-Chinese/half-Colombian, which just makes a fat Mexican guy.” I think it’s a little hacky, but its quick and it leads to other material that I LOVE. Chris tells me I still have to work on brevity; I talk a lot without getting to the punchline. Sadly it’s true, and something I always work on.

3:00pm- We wrap up and I go watch Bret Ernst help out students in the OR (Original Room). I want to go up, but I don’t get a chance as there were so many wanting to work with Bret. I looked for Kyle’s group and they were in the Belly Room. He was working with a 17 year old comic (who is also Louie’s intern), and they were focused on him making eye contact with the audience in the front. You could tell he lacked stage presence, and confidence. I noticed that the eye contact helped him connect and he told his jokes with a little more behind it and got more laughs than the first time he told it.

5:00pm- We wrap up the day, everyone seems very excited about having gotten so many notes from different headliners and going back to their notebooks to work out their material. Lukas Seely, a Seattle comic now living in LA, announced that he has a show that he runs at the Hollywood Improv at 11:30pm, and he’d appreciate it if people came out and give support. Lukas is also from prior Bootcamps and getting lots of work from Louie and Kyle, including a future spot on Showtime.

Later that night- Around 20 comics from the bootcamp came to the show which says a lot about the support system bootcamp offers.

Tomorrow is the big showcase for all the comics in the Bootcamp.  Everyone is really pumped but I also see nerves from some. Tomorrow brings more guest speakers, more critiques and the showcase.

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