His homespun video for "Everyday Normal Guy," a rap glorifying the mundane and the average, has logged more than 20 million hits on YouTube since November 2007. His follow-up, "Show Me Your Genitals," came in May 2008 and has racked up 40 million–plus views. Lajoie received emails from four of the biggest talent agencies. Later, the ultimate hometown opportunity came along: a spot at Montreal's Just for Laughs comedy festival.
"The traditional path used to be that you'd get into a festival, get seen at a festival, sign a deal with a big manager, then you'd get your sitcom," says Lajoie, who now co-stars on the FX series "The League." "There was only one path; now there are a billion different ones."
The Internet has burst the comedy industry wide open. Any Facebook or Twitter post, video, or meme-generating website has the potential to be seen by the world—and that includes members of the industry. "We used to have to wait for comedians to come to Los Angeles or New York; now we can look a lot sooner," says Jordan Tilzer, a manager at the West Coast–based Roar.
It's easier than ever to get noticed, both before and after securing representation. But exposure's no longer half the battle; it's actually quite a bit less.
STAND-OUT STANDUP
"It's tough to make your goal 'to be noticed.' Your goal should be to be incredibly great at what you do," says Kirsten Ames, a manager based in New York. When scouting new talent, she's drawn to comics who have a sense of purpose: They know what they want to do with their careers and, frankly, are doing it. "If you want to be doing television or writing for TV, you should be shooting videos and putting them up on YouTube," she says.
This is the golden age for comedians looking to hone their craft. Twitter feeds are spaces for rehearsing jokes. Relatively inexpensive video equipment can produce quality recordings of standup sets. Sites like Tumblr allow for one-click embedding on easy-to-build personal websites. Distribution networks for video sketches are built into comedian-friendly havens like CollegeHumor.com and FunnyorDie.com. Facebook gets the message out even further. It's easy to mix and match based on a comic's whims.
"It's important for comedians to have an idea of their brand," Tilzer says. And the thinking shouldn't begin with representation but beforehand. Managers are looking for a foundation to build on, and the tools for constructing it are readily available to comedians.
Tim Robinson, a performer on Second City's mainstage in Chicago, has appeared in a wide swath of videos—some with Second City, some with members of his improv group Cook County Social Club, some with others. He says the variety demonstrates that his sense of humor carries across multiple projects—the beginnings of a brand. The first thing his now-manager did after seeing him perform live was Google his name and see what was out there.
But Robinson cautions against overthinking the process. "If you're writing something only for a manager or agent to see it, it's probably going to come off that way and feel a little fake," he says, "as opposed to doing something you find funny and doing it for yourself." He adds, "Sometimes you come up with an idea, instantly fall in love with it, and say, 'I want to see this happen the way it's in my head right now.' " Those are the kinds of ideas that managers and agents notice—and sign comedians for.
Just for fun, comedian Thomas Middleditch, a client of Ames', made a short animated video. He showed it to Ames, who saw promise and set up a few meetings. Now Middleditch is developing his idea for MTV.
AFTER THE DOTTED LINE
For as long as people have told jokes into cameras, signing with an agent or a manager has been a rite of passage. "We're comedians, so of course insecurity takes over sometimes," says Robinson. Having representation "validates you," he adds.
But today, being signed means the work is just beginning, due to an industry shift happening on two fronts. The Internet has brought more distinct comic voices into the mix, with the accent on "more"—the herd has grown in size. At the same time, the recession has dried up film budgets, dispersing stars across the board.
"Big movie stars want to do indie films. They want to do HBO and Showtime, guest spots on TV shows," Ames says. "These all used to be places where comedians could get a break. Now you have to be better than anybody else—make producers and directors more excited about you than, in some cases, Jeremy Irons."
When Lajoie first took meetings with representation, he says, he heard the same thing over and over: "You're a triple threat." Now when he goes in to read for a movie role, he's up against 10 or more comedians at his level. It's easy to get lost in the shuffle.
The competition is fiercer than ever, even in a relatively new medium like Web series. Rob Corddry was already an established "Daily Show" star when he introduced "Childrens Hospital" three years ago, a Web project he did on his own during the Writers Guild of America strike. It was adapted into an Adult Swim series last year. It can be discouraging for a greener comic, but the solution is to meet the daunting task head-on.
MAKING IT UP AS THEY GO
The same rules apply both before and after securing representation: Work with the (mostly free) tools at your disposal. "The time where people were getting development deals based on seven good minutes [of standup] is over. Now people need to be savvy with what opportunities are out there, and just as active about creating opportunities for yourself," says Ames. "You have to self-produce, even if you have a manager."
The rules of an Internet-fueled comedy industry are still being written, and comedians, agents, and managers are getting hip to the amorphous state of the business. "The most successful comedians, in my opinion, are Mike Birbiglia and Demetri Martin," says Ames. "They work their asses off, and they don't have naiveté about the business. You have to give your people things to make things happen."
Not only are comics learning how best to help their representation, but agents and managers are recalibrating their mindsets. When it came time for Lajoie to put out his first album, he and his manager sat down with music executives of all stripes, some with impressive offers. In the end, his manager advised him not to sign and instead to put out the album himself. Lajoie did the same thing with his second album, out two months ago. The smartest business strategy was the one that matched his creative spirit.
"This is a really good day and age for creative people," Lajoie says. "If you're good, there's nothing stopping you from going up in front of an audience. You're gonna fail. You're gonna suck. Then you're gonna get better. So why not? Doing is so much more fulfilling than not doing.