Educational background and successful comic career

Hi, I know I'm submitting a fairly unorthodox post, but I just wanted to get something off my chest. I was watching Conan O'Brian and in his monologue he said something along the lines of 'you don't need a college degree to do most jobs...you don't need a college degree to do my job'. I found that statement quite strange considering his Harvard background most certainly helped him make big strides in his career. Is a strong academic education beneficial for a good comedy career?

I'm a university student living in the UK interested in pursuing a comedy career after I complete my degree. I have a lot of confidence in my own ability and believe that the sky's the limit, however on statistical/historical evidence, I find that my path may have a few extra obstacles compared to some others looking forward to a comedy career themselves.

I've only recently developed a keen interest in a comedy career, perhaps in writing or acting, however I am already in the middle of my college studies, studying Biochemistry at University of St Andrews. I was like 'Right, this career isn't something I really want to do for the rest of my life, I want to do something else' so I looked to comedy. I do a bit of theatre when I can and I'm part of a sketch comedy troupe at university where I write and act, and I also do improv whenever I can find time.

Ultimately, I wish to enter a career in comedy television/film after doing a few stand-up circuits but in the current climate in the UK, this is quite difficult for people who didn't go to Oxford or Cambridge. Let me explain; the most popular comedy shows in the UK consist of panel shows and single camera comedies. If you look at the comedians currently well known for their roles in these shows, they are mainly Oxbridge alumnus.
Here are a list of comedians in the UK from Oxbridge off the top of my head: Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Richard Ayoade, Jimmy Carr, David Mitchell, Robert Webb, John Oliver, Sacha Baron Cohen, Rowan Atkinson, John Cleese...endless.
Most of these guys went to Cambridge Footlights as well.

Likewise, in the US, you'll find a few of the big comedy actors/writers having a strong education, notably from NYU or Harvard: Conan, BJ Novak, Greg Daniels, David Cohen, Ellie Kemper, Colin Jost etc.

Yeah fine, you could say that comedians do need a good ability to formulate witty thoughts constantly and need a high level of intellect. Most of these guys do have 'above average' intelligence. But the thing that confuses me is how it seems that everything seems to be handed on a plate to them. Graduate from Cambridge after doing a stint with the Footlights, you will probably pave the way to success in the comedy market in the UK. Graduate from Harvard after a stint with the Lampoon, your comedy writing/acting paths are endless (esp. for The Daily Show and SNL).

I'm not intending to be bitter (I'm not surprised that execs pick the top uni grads), or trying to find an excuse if my comedy aspirations completely fail, but it seems like the Oxbridge/Harvard group are a step ahead.

What do you guys think?

This issue has been fairly hotly debated on this forum quite a few times now. The last one where I dared to express the opinion that Oxbridge graduates had an easier time in comedy/media/entertainment etc was shot down by a couple of contributors, Marc P in particular. I cannot link via my phone, but it's a thread entitled 'Scriptwriting: Why Bother'. It's very detailed indeed.

Quote: TheBlueNun @ 4th November 2014, 11:54 AM GMT

I cannot link via my phone, but it's a thread entitled 'Scriptwriting: Why Bother'. It's very detailed indeed.

View original

https://www.comedy.co.uk/forums/thread/30730/

Thanks Zooo.

It's just a bit frustrating really. I'm definitely not intending to sound.bitter or blame the system if I don't succeed, but it feels like people who aren't as privileged of the Oxbridge treatment are less likely to open the doors to making a breakthrough with TV execs compared to the Footlights brigade.

I don't want to blame outside factors if I fail, because you do need a certain amount of raw talent and hard work to prevail, but I just feel like there are other things in my way. I applied to Oxford at undergrad and made it to the interview stage and had a decent interview, but Oxbridge's selection process at that stage isn't an exact science and they admit they may not always pick the best interview candidate to get an offer in the end (that's what my feedback letter said anyway). This has put me in the mindset that the guys at Oxbridge are no cleverer than I am, as long as I put in the same amount of hard work in and achieve similar results to them at my uni, and more. In fact, many of my peers at Oxbridge of the same age as me, achieved A Levels that were slightly worse than mine and you wouldn't think they had the intelligence of an Oxbridge student in a conversation with them.

I'm relying on my flailing YouTube channel (only 800 subscribers) to broadcast my material with friends and promote it heavily. Apart from that I've got an indie short film series I'm making with a group in mockumentary format which we plan to submit to channel4.

It's tough.

Yes, people from Oxford and Cambridge do have an advantage in all walks of life.
That's why people want to go to Oxford and Cambridge.
Which is why it's hard to get in.
And why only the best do get in -'cos they get to pick the best.

But you sort of need to get over that.
Plenty of people succeed without those letters after their name.
Come to think of it, plenty fail with those letters after their name.

My advice?
Do the best work you can.
And lose the chip.

Can you link to your YouTube channel to get some feedback from the comedy fans on here? It may also be worth seeking the assistance of the other writers on the critique threads; many of them are working in the media in various ways and should be able to point you in the right direction.

The writer of the current C4 show 'Scrotal Recall' Tom Edge has also written about his experiences in one of the sitcom threads. The show wasn't my cup of tea but many BCGers enjoyed it hugely. Defo worth a look and he didn't go to Oxford, Cambridge or even Hull!

The thing which I've pondered for a while now though is that the academic climate's changed quite a bit to what it was before. The current crop of students in the 18-24 age range were brought up in an era where there's been record breaking numbers of people achieving outstanding A Level results straight A/A*s. I myself got A*AA, so this has caused vast over subscriptions at the top unis recently, and the competition for Oxbridge is increasing exponentially. This means that many of the brightest in the country do get turned away by Oxbridge by virtue of meeting quotas more than anything.

This begs the question of whether execs recognise this trend and understand where the younger generation of budding comics/writers are coming from. In many cases, people who got rejected by Oxbridge have gone to places like Imperial, UCL, Durham,Manchester, Kings, Edinburgh and St Andrews (ie. Russell group). They definitely are of Oxbridge calibre, but they were just unlucky in the admissions process.

I'm just curious that's all.

Quote: TheBlueNun @ 4th November 2014, 3:59 PM GMT

Can you link to your YouTube channel to get some feedback from the comedy fans on here? It may also be worth seeking the assistance of the other writers on the critique threads as many of them are working in the media in various ways.

View original

I would, but our material in the past hasn't been great, but we've got a dedicated fan base from one of our videos which did well but unfortunately got taken down for copyright violation.
I'm a new member here, so I'm just wanting to see what goes on; we've got some sketches in the works so you will be seeing me around posting stuff in the near future

Stop brooding about the unfairness of life - you're actually pretty privileged. Finish your degree and carry on writing. If you're good enough you'll succeed.

Hold on to your horses; it's difficult to convey a neutral tone on the internet, you've misconstrued my words. I'm not unhappy or bitter about the way my life has turned out or envious of the success of Oxbridge grads (although what I'm saying here may suggest otherwise; completely unintentional). I'm merely wondering whether more awareness should be made for people who didn't go to Oxbridge, because nowadays people do see rejection from there as a reality due to the strong competition. I'm merely curious, it's not something which I'm obsessing over at all because I know others have succeeded, it's just a question that came up in my head really.

I'm not going to give up my degree and future dayjob to pursue comedy yet by any means, but it's always been a passion of mine that is more than just a pipe dream

If you want to be successful you need to cut everything down to a sentence.

I have no ambition so can continue to write as I like.

Haha, I guess I'll just need to stick at it and hope something comes to fruition.
I'm hoping the self-created path I'm creating through YouTube and indie film may get some recognition after I submit some material to some competitions and use it as part of a showcase reel in the near future

Every man and his dog are currently trying to break through in to comedy via the internet.

In reality, hard work, good luck and talent are all that is required. If I could pick one it would be luck.

Quote: A Horseradish @ 4th November 2014, 6:46 PM GMT

If you want to be successful you need to cut everything down to a sentence.

I have no ambition so can continue to write as I like.

View original

No you don't.

I do.