<\/p>\n
As a subset of the entertainment industry, the comedy industry has long played by the same rules. Consequently, the challenges budding comics face have much in common with those of would-be actors and musicians on their way to success. The \u201cbig break\u201d comics long for could be a spot on that season\u2019s Saturday Night Live<\/a><\/em> lineup, or a role on a rising director\/writer\u2019s fresh new take on comedy<\/a> for the new generation.<\/p>\n But what if comedians didn\u2019t need a big break to start the career of their dreams? What if opportunities like became the gravy on top of an already successful career, instead of its prerequisite?<\/p>\n That\u2019s where NFTs come in.<\/p>\n First, let\u2019s examine what the current landscape is for comedians. In 2018, The Hollywood Reporter<\/a> <\/em>alleged that comedians active in the Los Angeles comedy club circuit could make \u201canywhere from $1,250 to $2,000 per week.\u201d Wow! That\u2019s pretty good. Except that such a claim wasn\u2019t anywhere close to what that average LA comedian made at the time.<\/p>\n To unpack this so-called \u201ccomedy gold rush,\u201d Vulture<\/em> sat down with a different group of LA comedians to get a more realistic grasp of the average comedian\u2019s earning power. Predictably, they found that most comedians in the scene weren\u2019t making six-figure wages<\/a>. Emmy nominee Ian Karmel even went so far as to say that he\u2019d made \u201cmaybe $500 total doing stand-up in L.A.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s a far cry from the fictionalized life of Jerry Seinfeld that we saw throughout the 90s. Most comedians simply can\u2019t afford to live comfortably off of shows alone. Like most other creatives, comedians typically have to diversify their sources of income.<\/p>\n Want to support a comedian you like? Well, now you can buy NFTs to do just that. In the case of Jambb<\/a> and its planned decentralized entertainment network, this venture has worked with entertainers across a wide crop of the entertainment industry \u2014 comedy included \u2014 to deliver fans more engaging and meaningful ways to interact with their favorite entertainers. Case in point, part of 2021\u2019s run of Non-Fungible Jokin\u2019 comedy shows saw Hannibal Burress<\/a> take center stage. Clips of which became available on Jambb\u2019s NFT marketplace<\/a>.<\/p>\n Through the platform<\/a>, users can collect comprehensive sets of digital memorabilia for their favorite rising comedians. Specifically, bits and pieces of their routines, podcasts, and even exclusive access to otherwise-unreleased specials. Jambb focuses on helping users mint and collect clips of their favorite comedy routines and specials as NFTs, which is a refreshing formula that could help young comedians sustain themselves financially while they take their first professional steps.<\/p>\n Among other things, YouTube is known for lowering the bar of entry for video artists, especially comics. Since its 2005 launch, the video-sharing platform has been dominated by skit-based comedy. Creators like ProZD<\/a>, CalebCity<\/a>, Joel Haver<\/a>, and a litany of others regularly amass millions of views via content. But there\u2019s a problem: YouTube\u2019s monetization model rewards creators who upload longer-form content<\/a> onto the platform, as this format has a higher likelihood of ad revenue (which is how creators get their cut). But comic NFTs could circumvent this barrier, potentially enabling anyone <\/em>with an ounce of funny-bone aspiration to become a comedian.<\/p>\n TikTok isn\u2019t any better, either. Although the platform can potentially set you up for a litany of branding and partnership deals<\/a>, the platform itself can be a bit of a stickler when it comes to its creator payouts. Got a million views on your last TikTok? Here\u2019s 20 bucks<\/a>. Go nuts.<\/p>\n That isn\u2019t to say successful creators on these platforms can\u2019t make a living regardless. However, the path to becoming<\/em> successful doubtlessly requires luck, particularly in the form of a blessing from the algorithm. So what are comedians still on that journey themselves to do? Getting into NFTs could be a start.<\/p>\n Like anywhere else on the internet, humor is highly valued within the greater NFT community. Humor kept the community together during the rough first few months of the crypto bear market<\/a>, after all. A deluge of absurd projects<\/a> flooded OpenSea\u2019s charts during this span of time, most notably the new NFT community mainstay Goblintown<\/a>.<\/p>\n The NFT community even has a few figures well-regarded for their comedic chops that have built communities around their comedic sensibilities and overall attitudes toward the growing space. In between hosting slots at Rug radio, kmoney<\/a> often puts into words the community\u2019s feelings about recent developments in the form of humorous video skits<\/a> on Twitter<\/a>. Similarly, stand-up comedian Leah Lamarr<\/a> has garnered notoriety in the space through her guest spots on the Web3 game show Internet Game<\/a>, along with the honor of being TIMEPieces x Robotos\u2019 2021 entertainer of the year. Now, as a show of thanks for the warm welcome she received from the NFT community, she\u2019s on a comedy tour named after the technology<\/a>.<\/p>\n For comedians, NFTs and the community surrounding it are gradually building themselves up to be yet another alternative to the traditional route for new comedy careers. Social media enables you to build up an audience, sure. But in Web3<\/a>? Even the smallest of comedians has a fair shake at building out a full-fledged community.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nThe status quo\u2019s biggest pain points for comics<\/h2>\n
An extremely positive and preferred method of engagement to heckling<\/h2>\n
Fixing a broken model<\/h2>\n
Non-fungible humor<\/h2>\n