Classic Comedy Clip
November 6, 2017
Check out this old comedy clip featuring yours truly.
#Throwback
Category: Comedy
I’m Back, Baby…?
July 10, 2017
Hey everyone, Flobo here.
I’m a polymath. A multi-hyphenate. I do a lot because I like a lot of things. To me however, all roads go back to comedy. Comedy is the dream and the goal. About three years ago, I started standup comedy for the first time. It changed my life.
I’ve had lots of ups, but the beginning of this year, I had an extended down period. Nothing happened specifically, but the bookings dried up. I was less motivated to write new materials. When I did get stage time, I kind of threw up the old material and hacked and slashed my way through my sets. People were laughing but I wasn’t feelin’ it you know?
After an episode where I had a creative nadir in Dallas, Texas I thought I was basically done. Not done in the “being done with comedy” sense as much as the “Flobito is going to be nothing more than a hobby comic” kind of done. You know, the guy who talks about “trying comedy at one point in life” and doesn’t do it because “life gets in the way.”
It started a bad cycle. I had no time to write or think about comedy and I couldn’t get bookings. Because I didn’t get bookings , I had no fire to write and think about comedy. By March 2017 I was wholly out of the game.
But something happened.
There’s a monthly show I run in Burbank, and we had a show coming up in June. I booked myself an extended set. Calling it (and taking cues from Elvis’ ’68 special,) my “comeback”, I grouped up my friends. The buzz got me two other bookings around town. I did my set, and due to a technical glitch when prevented me from getting a copy of my performance, I got the opportunity to perform my set in front a whole new group of people. Slowly but surely, I was back. Less pyrotechnics and confetti, more flickery neon sign in a sketchy part of town kind of back.
You know, nadirs are an important part of the process and I was surprised when one happened to me. Though now, I’m glad it kind of rolled up when it did. Comedy truly is the truth. Sort of like a three alarm fire to a fireman or the ocean to a sea captain, you can get a “handle” on nature in some instances but you can never underestimate it. I needed a nudge that told me that my jokes weren’t there (or at least, not as good as my implied “talent” level). I didn’t get booed out of a club, but when I couldn’t get an open mic in downtown Dallas, the message came in loud in clear.
Listen to the signs all around you. If you’re a creative, the signs can be incredibly subtle.
Don’t Call It A Comeback
January 30, 2017
What’s going on, everybody?
If you’ve been following my exploits for the past decade, you’ll notice that comedy has been my most recent (and most intense obsession). When I had that near death experience in late 2013, I realized that everyone on this planet is on borrowed time and that is the motivation you need to go out there and accomplish your dreams.
So what the heck happened to me?
You see, after a year that led to brand new comedy heights for me, I kind of…tapered off.
The shows slowed up, the joke writing slowed down… and I just got slow. For a second there, I thought i was falling out of love with the “sport” of comedy. I wasn’t motivated to go to 6 open mics a week, or all of the things we comedians do to “pay our dues.”
Towards the end of the year, I saw some info on a relatively new comedy festival, the Glendale Laughs Comedy Festival. Presented by Comic Cure, it looked like a festival that helped out local charities. Long story short, it looked cool, I threw in $10 to apply and lo and behold I was accepted!
The night leading up the show, I was worried that I had gotten too rusty. That maybe, I didn’t “deserve” to be in the festival. Self doubt, he is NOT my friend. Though, the night of the festival, something really awesome happened…
No, I didn’t kill. In fact, my performance of three minutes was pretty quick. What did happen was the feeling of familiarity. I was shaking off the rust, but 1) isn’t wasn’t as bad as I thought and 2) I quickly got into a groove. It felt like I had come home, sort of heading home after a semester away of college.
- Meeting one of my comedy heroes, Tone Bell
Not to wax poetic, but maybe my love of comedy is a bit deeper than I had originally thought. I got the warm fuzzies y’all, and I found myself more inspired than ever before. It’s funny how that works.
It truly is.
-F
October 3, 2016
As I write this, more or less a week has gone by since the one night only comedy show, “Cookies & Beer” went down in Culver City.
It was an experience to say the least. It was the proverbial “roller coaster of emotions.” There was doubt, there was excitement, there was sadness, frustration,happiness, sleepiness…and that was all before the show even started. It’s interesting to see how months of planning and thinking about something can basically be over in a blink of an eye.
Long story short, it was my first “one man show” since deciding to go into comedy. I put one man show in quotations because even though I was the headliner, and even though I pulled in my longest set ever at about 28 minutes, I had help from some of my favorite people in and out of comedy.
It was a funny thing. The whole idea of “Cookies & Beer” came from a challenge from my girlfriend. It was just a topic on the wall with a premiere date. The thing dominated my creative life for months, as I had to juggle that with my dayjob, my weekend job, and other projects that I was working on. At times it was a pain, and at others it was pure pleasure.
When the lights went down, everything was set. The other comics in the room brought their A-game, some of my best buds came out, the saxophonist was rarin’ to go, and we had beer and cookies.
It was magic.
I learned a lot about myself that night, to be honest. Trufthfully, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me in comedy. Until then though, I’m going to keep on with my Cookies & Beer, baby!
Straight Outta Shape
March 21, 2016
Hello world!
So those of you that have been following my exploits, you’ll know two things about me: 1) I’m a comedian and 2) I don’t consider myself an artist or scientist of the craft, but rather an athlete of comedy.
For a period when I started comedy up until a month ago, I performed pretty regularly. Sometimes it was once a week, and other times it seemed like every night I was hitting the stage. I was rolling. The experience helped me to become a better comic and performances fueled getting booked for other performances.
But then something stopped.
I’m not talking about a hard stop, mind you. It wasn’t like I had an abrupt injury or something that took me out of going on stage. If that were the case, at least I could rationalize that into an eagerness to get back in the game. No, I realized that over the period of a couple of weeks, “real life” got in the way. By real life I mean:
- I got a new job.
- Started ramping up my comic book efforts with “Legacy” coming soon.
- My mobile DJ job started coming firing up as well.
When I had realized what was going on, it had been three weeks since I had performed comedy on stage. Okay, so I know what you’re thinking: Three weeks? That’s it? Cry me a river, guy. But you see that’s the point:
If comedy is something I wanted to pursue, if I truly believed it to be my passion, then it should happen no matter what’s going on in “real life.” Comedy should always be part of my “real life.” I realize that this all sounds dramatic as I type this out, but I still believed it. The fact three weeks went by and I didn’t even notice the time, really disturbed me. I mean I remembered to eat, do laundry, gas up the car, call home, and take out the trash but I “forgot” about my craft? When I decided to frantically do a couple of open mics back to back to get myself in a new groove I did not perform as well as I had liked: I had become out of shape.
This is the part where I try to tie a post up into a need action item for you to consider with your own projects, but truthfully I have nothing here. Here’s what I can do: I can get back into the routine of doing more open mics and try to put writing back in my routine. It is going to be “mechanical” for a while. That is, I may not feel like writing or performing but I am going to keep doing. Hopefully, it’ll become more natural.
I’ll establish a new routine. I will get into shape.
Hey! Hey! Hey!
All That You Deserve (VIDEO)
February 29, 2016
I got the opportunity to delve into my upbringing and will to overcome bullying in “All That You Deserve: A Comedy Show with an anti-bullying message.
Originally recorded December 12, 2015.
Headlining Champ
January 18, 2016
Stand up comedy is a special thing. It’s easy to play the game, yet it’s hard to master. There are a bunch of know-it-alls and there are a bunch of novices. Guys can get famous overnight and they perform side by side by the guy who’s grinded twenty years of his life on the open mic circuit. It is never as simple as the “funniest wins,” because we’ve all seen the comic on TV that we just don’t find funny.
But unlike most art forms in the world, there is an equalizer. In stand up, the equalizer is being the “headliner.” Headlining usually means that the comic in question is the main attraction, or at the very least they are the last comic of the night so they should command your attention. Before and after the show (most level-headed) comics consider everyone an equal. However, when the show starts there is a clear hierarchy. The MC gets and keeps the show going, the early acts warm up the crowd and the headliner is in essence the main draw of the night.
We just accept this. It’s part of the game.
It’s almost like a cultural thing. Growing up in Brooklyn, most people commuted on public transit. We would all hang out in front of a bus stop, and when the bus came we all made a rush to the front of the bus. “Get in where you fit in” is what we called it. Head one borough over to Queens and things were way different. Folks there would stand side-by-side with each other in a single line, parallel to the curb. When the bus arrived, the first person would be the first in line. Single file.
We just accepted this. It’s part of the game.
There is something about being the headliner that is pure. The oft-repeated fantasy of seeing your name in lights doesn’t really happen if you’re third on the bill. In my experience working in the professional wrestling industry, the main event is what got people to buy tickets. Then there’s this whole issue of the undercard not outshining the main event, but that’s an entirely different post for another time.
I’ve been doing comedy for about a year and a half and I’ve only headlined once. In fact, I hadn’t really thought about how many gigs I’ve headlined until I decided to write this article. Maybe because I’ve seen headliners perform on a completely different level (in a good way) on past shows, and I’ve seen headliners completely end the show on a whimper (in a bad way) in others. In fact, a comedian’s skill or talent truly has no bearing on their place in the lineup. It straight up, doesn’t matter
But it does.
Headlining goes beyond making people laugh for an extended period of time. Like a pro wrestling champion, you are given the ‘title’ of entertaining the crowd. The promoter (comedy or otherwise) has put their faith in you that you are going to entertain to your fullest potential. In short, it’s an honor and it’s the one people fight for.
-F
What I Learned from #McDonalds and #Wrassleroos
January 4, 2016
Hey everybody!
You know, I feel people have been trying to describe my generation its motivations forever. While I consider myself Generation Y (The last analog generation while carrying the torch for the first digital one), I’ve been repeatedly told that I am a “millennial.” While I’m still not sure what that means, I have been reading up on the subject and usually boils down to these three things: Rejection of extravagance, reluctance to commit to “grown up” things, and a revisionist approach to the American Dream due to a commitment to an entrepreneurial endeavors. Say what you want about the first two (and yes, I am aware of the #RichKidsOfInstagram and #TheGreenTeam, I can say that I’m all about the third.
I am an entrepreneur.
Sure, I’m at the point that expenses are outweighing revenues, (It happens to companies many times my size) but I’m committed to making that work for me. A couple of months ago, I went into detail into the many jobs that I have, demonstrating that I’m fully entrenched in the “gig economy.”
But quite frankly, all of those jobs were killing me.
Forget the whole loss of productivity, I had my hand in so many projects operating so many “different parts of the brain” that the whole thing became exhausting. Spinning wheel metaphor aside, I always felt like I was behind the ball. Enter McDonalds:
Ah yes. As a poor kid and an even poorer college student, it was safe to say that McDonalds saved my life on a number of instances. It was a beacon of light that destroyed the shadow of hunger. There’s something comforting in realizing that no matter how hard things were financially, if you had $3 in your pocket you wouldn’t go hungry. Mickey D’s was an American Institution, so much so you could at one point get two apple pies for a buck!
But Millennials had to go and ruin it.
Let me (facetiously) explain. People of my age had a growing consciousness about their food. They needed to know where things came from, if the food was sustainable and how it was going to impact our collective health. Soon, it was “uncool” to go to McDonalds.The symbol of the Golden Arches itself became a symbol of poor health. Being seen with a bag with a yellow M on it was the mark of shame that only people who “didn’t care” would be caught dead with and…
…where was I? Oh yeah…
McDonald’s tried to counteract this by appealing to everybody. Hey, people like chicken wings? Mighty Wings it is! People like Starbucks? Bring on the McCafe! The menu was bloated and with it came longer wait times. Customer appreciation plummeted and sales were in the toilet. After a protracted debate with franchise operators, McDonald’s pared down the menu and brought a new emphasis on improving the quality of their food. The new outlook wasn’t perfect, but the company had to focus on what was important to them, or what “brought them to the dance.” Nobody wanted complex espresso drinks and chicken wings from a burger joint. They wanted classic Grimace.
Here’s a different but similar example, take Wrassleroos:
Wrassleroos is a company that makes professional-wrestling themed underwear. Seriously. Check out their website. I’ll wait.
Unlike a great American hamburger, the concept behind Wrassleroos was niche to begin. While I want to believe everyone is a wrestling fan, I fear that’s not quite accurate. The line started simple enough, featuring underwear with references to some of the biggest stars of the sport. There was soon a desire to create multiple designs for more and more individual wrestlers and soon, the offerings had increased so much it was putting a strain on the manufacturing process. This situation is more closely tied to the woes of scalability, but the end result was the same: Too many offerings. Not enough focus.
Wrassleroos, like McDonald’s, took a hard look at their menu decided to focus on the products that was most beneficial to them. I guess my point through off of this is to say if I consider myself a walking business, that I had to do the same.
Some pruning never hurt anybody.
There’s advantages to every job and responsibility I do. Though you want to give everything 100 percent, that’s just not possible. I had to lay out all of my jobs and decide which was the one that 1) kept the lights on 2) kept me fulfilled and 3) able to expand upon (there’s that scalability thing again). Simply put, after doing that it was easy to see some jobs not making the cut.
I’ll probably have to brown bag lunch a couple more times a week, but the idea is that with the room to focus on the two or three things/businesses I feel will have the most value, the quality of work will sure to improve.
And when it does, I’ll be eating a Quarter Pounder with nothing on but my Simply Ravishing Wrassleroos on.
2015 In Review #Moviepilot #SDCC #Standup
December 28, 2015
2015 has come and gone. It was the roughest, toughest, most exhausting, difficult, beautiful, amazing, glorious year ever. I was looking through my photos for the year and I realized I’ve been through a lot. Though I battled unemployment for a long spell during the summer, a lot of great things happened that have been simply amazing.
I got the chance to achieve my dream of running a panel at both Stan Lee’s Comikaze and San Diego Comic Con
I got the chance to meet my favorite comic book artist, Shawn Martinbrough
I finally got my comic book SILVERSTREEK off the ground and also had the opportunity to have a full fledged comic book signing thanks to Villainous Lair Comics.
On the comedy front, not only did I get to perform in my own showcase in December called “All That You Deserve”
I’ve brought jokes to San Diego Comic Con, wore a dress for a Breast Cancer awareness comedy show called Dress 4 Breats, and performed in my hometown of NYC at The Stand
As a digital brand manager, I finished up my work with FOX and brought the cultural event BritWeek to the forefront in the Los Angeles Area. Currently, I’m working with a test and measurement equipment rental company in SoCal.
With the help of Moviepilot, I had the chance to have some pretty cool experiences. For example I was included in the press junket for The Transporter Refueled.
Check out the VIDEO I was featured in!
And even though my last novel came out December 2014, the official marketing push was definitely all up in 2015:
And storytelling, comedy and hustling all came to a head with the advent of “Ringside Comedy,” a monthly comedy show the features heavy hitter in stand up and a couple of first timers who know how to have a good time. #DeathToBringer shows, so we reinvented the Pro-Am!
It’s funny. While these things were happening, I never noticed these things were happening, you know? Almost on a daily basis I battle “failure,” or at least the feelings thereof. I guess I never took the time to look back down the hill to see how far I’ve come. I could only imagine the hills you all have climbed in your lives.
…Mom’s Spaghetti
October 19, 2015
Because there’s vomit on his sweater already!
Being a comedian or public speaker can be nerve-wracking. Whether it’s trying out a new bit or topic, or performing a new (or larger venue) the feeling coursing through your veins is indescribable.
I mean, I’ve tried: Excited? Stressed? Rushed? Electric? Who knows?
If you’re like me there’s this cycle I go through before I go on stage. It’s usually 1) Doubting the material 2) Positive Affirmations 3) Hyperventilating/Pacing 4) Wanting to take a nap 5) Then having my heart race before
What I’ve learned is that you have to go back to the think you worked on. You’re always going to think your stuff is not good enough. This is especially true if you peek from behind the curtain to see a restless crowd, or if someone goes on before you and does exceptionally well.
Realize you’ve been booked/asked to appear. The audience is already going to be receptive of you on some level. Your work will eventually have to send them to that entertainment promised land, but you get some time in the shallow end at first to find your footing.
“Kid, you got chops. Now it’s time to show the world.”
Walking That #GumRoad
August 17, 2015
Hello everyone!
Before my comic Silverstreek was available on Comixology, it appeared on a site called Gumroad. The site allows you to upload digital goods (or facilitate sales of physical goods) on their website. Using their clean interface, customers can easily access and purchase your content.
It worked well for me.
So when Gumroad e-mailed creators about joining their “Small Product Lab,” I jumped at the chance. Small Product Lab is a challenge for creators to make a new product on Gumroad in ten days or less. The arrangement helps Gumroad spike their number of offerings, but a real community grows between creators as they embark on their ten day journey. It allows you to focus on things you’re good at, and not let the things you’re not good at weigh you down.
So with only ten days, I quickly realized that creating another comic was out of the question. Enter, “How To Be A Better MC”
I hadn’t realized it at the time, but I’ve done a lot in the live event space. I’ve ran panel discussions at Comic-Conventions, I’ve ring announced for professional wrestling and I’m making my way as a professional comedian. I don’t have all the answers, but I felt as if I can share the answers I do have with others. You know, to help other “Masters of Ceremonies.”
What happened was I condensed the “basic” knowledge of the craft into a 25 minute audio recording and uploaded it to Gumroad (and by extension, the world wide web). Like many of my projects, I don’t expect to make a dime. However, the creative “beast” that lives within all of us that pushes us to make things seems oddly satisfied. Oddly satisfied because the project wasn’t even on my radar until I had started.
Do me a favor, and check it out if you have a moment. After you do, let me know what you think.
-F
Happy Comedy Anniversary
August 10, 2015
On August 10, 2014 I took the stage for the first time as a comedian.
To say it was a rush would be an understatement.
(For the record, I was nervous BEFORE they called me on stage but was actually calm when I got on. I tried emulating the greats that paced the stage, but the stage was so small I looked like a wreck)
Truth be told, the moment changed my life. Being on stage and being able to share stories and experiences with people is a thrill. Sure, over the course of the year I had my share of growing pains. I’ve dealt with “bringer shows,” sudden rescheduling, having appearances bumped, flooding my friend’s collective news feeds with my event info, and having not-so-stellar performances, but I’m still doing it.
There’s something very empowering about how simple stand up comedy is. Someone with a microphone tells jokes. There doesn’t have to be pyro (but there is), you don’t have to know music (but performances have their own “music theory) and you don’t need a backing band (but even the greats do them). There’s something really “old school cool” about the comedy profession.
Okay, enough waxing poetic. That night rocked and I’m thrilled to see what Year Two brings!
-F
(San Diego) Comic Con 2015 Was The #BestConEver
July 20, 2015
Two weeks removed from San Diego Comic Con 2015, and I’m still riding high. My third Comic-Con (and like seventh con overall) was far and away my favorite. This year, I used the event more as a professional development ‘conference’ than an appreciation of all things geek. Trust me, I got my nerd out moments in, but when I focused on bettering my craft, all of the other giveaways and exclusives were just icing on the cake.
I got down to San Diego on Wednesday night and immediately had feelings of FOMO (That’s, “Fear of Missing Out”). Some of my buddies got there earlier for Preview Night and got some pretty cool exclusives. I was a bit jealous myself, but I knew #Sdcc was a marathon not a sprint.
Thursday
Not only did I have time to walk the convention floor, I got the majority of my shopping out of the way. I even had time to meet an old friend from my childhood.
Cause we homies see?
I also let a friend from back home know I was in town for the Con. I got the side mission quest of finding rare Funko Pop Vinyl dolls. It’s amazing how much of a following those things have. I accept the mission, and it ended up being the perfect thing to do during periods of downtime.
Plus, I got the chance to perform my stand up act LIVE in San Diego during the event! The Mission Brewery was home to the Red Guerilla Comic Comedy Con, and I set the show off as the first act of the night.
Friday
Those of you that know I’m also a comedian, probably know of my dream to host a late night talk/variety show. Ever so often, I try to see these shows live, to see how the pros do it. Though I’ve seen Leno and Craig Ferguson do it, Conan O’ Brien was in town doing his show for the convention. I mean, what a way to kill two birds with one stone. I didn’t think I would actually get in, because of the sheer number of people that are in town that weekend, but not only did I get in, I got to see the action from the second row! Plus, the panels from Hall H were guests on the show, so I didn’t have to camp out all night to see the Game of Thrones or Walking Dead cast.
Saturday
Three years ago, I wanted to up my creative game. I wanted to create more things for people to enjoy. I stumbled into Doug Neff’s panel/seminar about going from fan to creator. The panel (and subsequent book) was called “Epic Win,” and it has since changed my life. I recommend it to any one trying to make their creative works happen:
The “professional development” angle really came in handy when I opted to have a thirty minute private session with Mr. Neff. Sometimes just putting your idea into words can really put things into perspective. The session was an out of pocket expense sure, but I feel as if it will pay off in the end.
Then the highlight of the weekend came to the forefront. I got to realize a dream of mine of being on a panel at Comic Con! The panel, entitled “Not So Strange Bedfellows: The relationship between comics and professional wrestling. Yes, you read that right. This year I came as an actual comic creator, so I had a lot to say: ;-P
Sunday
After scoring some more Funko pop dolls for my buddy, I waited on line to see comic artist Shawn Martinbrough. Funny thing is, we have a ton of mutual friends on Facebook, but this was the first time actually getting to talk to the man that taught me how to appreciate artwork as much as the written word on the page.
I waited a long time for that autograph, but it’s not for sale! Haha
I also got to run into my friends/co-creators over at Moviepilot! They treated me as if I was family and they were a sight for sore eyes!
After a long weekend being out in the sun and eating junk food, I (knowingly) came back home a bit under the weather. However, I can tell you that it was worth it. Suffer now and enjoy it all later, am I right?
-F
Insta-Throwback
July 13, 2015
To the time I did a comedy show in San Diego during Comic Con #SDCC2015 #GoodTimes
Mic Time At Flappers
June 22, 2015
As comedy heats up for me, I’m making sure to step my game up every time I hit the stage. Check out a recent performance I did over at Flappers Comedy Burbank.
-F
