Comedy to Cash
or
Mockery to Moolah

A couple weeks ago, I was on “This American Life” on NPR.
The segment was on Volkswagen’s recent emission scandal, and was written to sound like a Frontline documentary, or like a stereotypical NPR or PBS spot. A really cool gig…

But that’s not where the story begins.

I listen to a lot of NPR. My wife got me hooked a while back. Being a natural mimic and seeing the comic potential, I wrote a parody called “This United States Life” in 2013:

(I play all the voices on it)

Just by playing and doing what comes naturally to me I was also unknowingly preparing myself for a real gig!

Here’s the real “This American Life” spot:

(Also play all the voices on this one)

So, go out there and hand some fun with the things you hear every day. Play with it, script it, record, edit – do whatever it takes to turn your playtime into a new character for your repertoire. You never know when one might turn into a real job!

See you in the booth!
Joe

 

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com