Writing "funny" stuff for a living

Evening everyone.

Over the past year, I've been lucky enough to earn the majority of my income from writing "funny" stuff; mostly speeches, radio prep, scripts for drama-based training, etc.

Like everyone else here, I've had a few things on Newsjack, various podcasts, etc, but I'm very chuffed to be earning a living writing jokes, even though it's in a semi-anonymous kind of way.

I know there's probably a few professional Radio and TV writers on here, but is anyone earning a living as a comedy writer in other ways? If so, what kind of stuff do you do?

This is purely out of curiosity, by the way!

Hi

I earn a living doing similar, but I'm impressed by radio prep.

Last time I had a go I found it to be a largely closed shop.

So do your punters come to you or do you go trawling the work for hire sites?

Quote: sootyj @ 23rd August 2015, 9:13 PM BST

Hi

I earn a living doing similar, but I'm impressed by radio prep.

Last time I had a go I found it to be a largely closed shop.

So do your punters come to you or do you go trawling the work for hire sites?

View original

Hello!

I actually stopped doing the radio prep a while ago, as I found it was taking up a lot of time, and not bringing in much money ... AND the speech-writing was/is paying a lot better.

But I was doing it through a radio prep service, not independently. I'd be writing daily gags, and they'd pay you for every "gag sheet", etc. I think they had quite a few freelancers, so it wasn't usually five days a week.

What kind of stuff do you do?

Dave

Honestly anything I can get my hands on.

Speeches, corporate funny videos, occaisonally writing for proper comics, mostly writing "bucket list stand up routines," up gagging lectures, blogs, humourous video scripts for explainers or advertorials, comedy edited a couple of books and there's a guy who ghost writes motivational books. I add jokes and cartoon scripts for them.

Oh and I write some gags for an international arms dealer the other day.

And a couple of sermons and a wedding service (aetheist) based on Firefly for a private detective. The bride and groom were strict menonites coming out at the wedding as aetheist scifi geeks.

nb was the radio prep FM Jock?

Quote: sootyj @ 23rd August 2015, 9:30 PM BST

Honestly anything I can get my hands on.

Speeches, corporate funny videos, occaisonally writing for proper comics, mostly writing "bucket list stand up routines," up gagging lectures, blogs, humourous video scripts for explainers or advertorials, comedy edited a couple of books and there's a guy who ghost writes motivational books. I add jokes and cartoon scripts for them.

Oh and I write some gags for an international arms dealer the other day.

And a couple of sermons and a wedding service (aetheist) based on Firefly for a private detective. The bride and groom were strict menonites coming out at the wedding as aetheist scifi geeks.

View original

Ha! Brilliant. I've done some very odd speeches lately too. You sound like you've got several fingers in a number of pies. I'm intrigued by the "bucket list stand-up". Are they people who just want to try it as a one-off?

Quote: sootyj @ 23rd August 2015, 9:30 PM BST

nb was the radio prep FM Jock?

View original

That's the very place! Have you written for them?

Nah maybe I'll have another go

Yep pretty much the definition but some people seem willing to invest a fair bit of money into it.

I've noticed that you're on Elance. I haven't really checked that out yet.

Have you had much work from it?

Yep lots shame its closing

Where do you source most of yours?

Quote: DavidE81 @ 23rd August 2015, 10:04 PM BST

Have you had much work from it?

View original

Sootyj has had a few jobs here and there (about a hundred).

I'm about 23 myself.

Just had a quick look at E-lance...
Christ there's some piss-taking crooks on there.
I'm sure you guys are all treading v. carefully - but I pity the inexperienced writer who wanders onto the site.

It's a juggle.

I mean there seems to be a near endless supply of writers willing to write a blog for $2.50, or a screen play for $50.

But if you play the long game and seek out those willing to pay a bit more, the money can go up.

Especially if you've like me got a fairly decent rep.

Basically if you're not going to write your own wedding speech, why on earth would you pay $10 for a bad one? You could just steal one off the internet for free.

Or if you're dream is to have your vision turned into a pilot script.
You probably won't pay $5000, but why pay $25 for one that's barely written in English?

At that point there's a passable living to be made.

Quote: sootyj @ 23rd August 2015, 10:29 PM BST

Yep lots shame its closing

Where do you source most of yours?

View original

I work freelance for a few different companies, which is where I get the bulk of my work: wedding and after-dinner speeches, scripts for corporate training things, stuff like that. I do sell the odd short story every now and then, but nowhere near often enough to class it as "income". My next plan is to write a few articles, and see if I can break through with that.

To be honest, I find it tricky to find one-off jobs! I get a bit through word of mouth, but I'm always looking for new avenues, hence my question about Elance. I've been a bit "old-school" about it so far. No website. No Elance account. I think I need to drag myself into the 21st century.

I take it they're soon to be "no more" then?

Quote: Lazzard @ 24th August 2015, 4:54 PM BST

Just had a quick look at E-lance...
Christ there's some piss-taking crooks on there.
I'm sure you guys are all treading v. carefully - but I pity the inexperienced writer who wanders onto the site.

View original

I think that's probably true of the world in general! Bloody humans ...

They're being absorbed by upwork.

So when you say you work for companies is that like speech writing agencies?

Quote: sootyj @ 24th August 2015, 5:03 PM BST

At that point there's a passable living to be made.

View original

I think that's a good point. If you focus on "making a living" rather than "Making it!" it's relatively doable. Or at least it has been so far ... (Touch wood!)

Yeh the price for short stories is just depressing