EP30 - James Alderson - How to go full time in less than two years and start your own comedy competition - a podcast by Simon Caine

James Alderson (@comedyjames) fell into a career in comedy after some personal circumstances made him want to give it a go. Two years later he's a full time professional club comic. I spoke to him about how he found a way of starting a career in comedy later than most and how he managed to start making money from it so quickly. James also founded and runs the South Coast Comedian of the Year award. We discussed this in detail including why a comedian would want to run a competition, what he gets out of it and the negative results of putting your head above water to try and help out fellow comedians.  I got him on the podcast to talk about -  - The Secret of being funny. - The different types of applause - The history of musical and variety comedy scene and how it has evolved into the circuit we know today. - Is Stewart Lee still “alternative” now that he has a TV show and mainstream success. - What it’s like to be a teacher of comedy at a university. “moments” in comedy and “comedy you can’t explain” but it’s funny. - The impact of TV on the variety of the circuit Twitter and how jokes get written fast and over and over again because of the limitations of the platform - What it was like being a comedian before social media. - The speed that “disaster jokes” spread before social media - What you need to “make it” as a comedian - What is the science / theory behind making a connection with an audience so they trust you. - The value of a day job and doing something for the love of doing it and not money The history of arts funding in the UK. AND MORE! This podcast would be useful to any performer who wants to know more about the history of the art form and the way it has (and will continue to evolve) as well as audience members who want to know how it became the large, mainstream art form it is today. You can stream the podcast here (with show notes) - http://simoncaine.co.uk/ATI/OliverDoubleOr get it on iTunes here - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/ask-the-industry-podcast/id946220937If you enjoyed it please consider supporting the podcast by becoming a Patron for only $1 (80p) per episode! https://www.patreon.com/AskTheIndustryPodcast Please buy a ticket or three to my Edinburgh Fringe 2019 show - https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/simon-caine-every-room-becomes-a-panic-room-when-you-overthink-enoughOr come see me on tour - http://simoncaine.co.uk/PanicRoom ----------------------------------------------------------------------My 2nd book is finally out! It's called "How To Make A Living By Working For Free" and you can buy it here for £5 (digital) or £8 (paperback). Here's the synopsis of the book -  The book is a how-to guide for artists to create their own online community for their work and how that community can support the artist to become sustainable in every way.The book takes a critical and in-depth look at the media's perception of "free content" vs the reality of what the general public see it as.If you're an artist in the modern age who wants a sustainable audience you're no longer just an artist, you're a community leader. If you'd like to read the first few chapters of the book you can find a PDF version of that here.----------------------------------------------------------------------Every little bit helps! Alternatively you can support the show by giving it a review in iTunes or just by sharing the episode with a friend or two!Thanks,SixWant more content from me? Why wouldn't you!Please check out my other podcast - The Audio Time Capsule. In each episode a guest comes on, leaves 20 questions, then a year later comes back on and answers them. I then edit it so they're talking to their past self.Here are the links -iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-audio-time-capsule-podcast/id1303205943Webstream - http://simoncaine.co.uk/AudioTimeC...

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