Newsletter: Album taping in Chicago, Schtick shows (including Seeso show), Vooza interviews, west coast/NYC shows, and rants about the election

Hey! Lots going on – album taping in Chicago, Schtick shows (including Seeso show), Vooza interviews, west coast dates, NYC shows, rants about the election – so let's get to it...

Live album taping in Chicago in December
I'll be recording a standup album in Chicago on Wednesday, December 7 so if you're there come and if you know anyone there go ahead and tell 'em. Will be two shows that night at the awesome Comedians You Should Know show. Tix avail here and there's a $5 early bird discount code: MATT5



Schtick or Treat in NYC and LA this week – and on the TV
Our Schtick or Treat show is tonight in NYC at The Knitting Factory (show info/tickets). It's a NY Times Critic's Pick...



..and we're also doing it in LA for the first time this year! That show will be Sunday night (Oct 30) at The Virgil in LA (show info/tickets). Here's a writeup in LA Weekly. And I'm doing a full west coast swing (LA/SF/BC)...dates at end of email.

Also, the Schtick show we filmed a few months ago will debut on Seeso (NBC's new streaming comedy network) on Oct 27. They'll give you a free month trial so you can watch for free.



Interviews About Vooza
Couple of recent interviews I've done about our Vooza show that makes fun of the tech world and startups:

1) Traction Podcast: "Today, we talk to startup legend and self-made millionaire, Matt Ruby, founder of Vooza — thought leader, disruptor, and the next Steve Jobs. Alright, alright, so none of that is true — but we DO talk to a guy named Matt Ruby who parodies the startup world through his video production company, Vooza. Not only are they hilarious, but they partner with some REAL startups to create hilarious videos too."

2) I did another interview and now it's being presented as a "Masterclass" so basically I'm just like Aaron Sorkin and Werner Herzog.

3) I'm in character as idiot startup CEO in this interview with a Dutch broadcaster.

Also: Body language guru, Harvard psychologist, and TED star Amy Cuddy gives a shoutout to this "Power Pose" episode of Vooza in her new book "Presence."



NYC Shows
I'll be doing a special headliner show at NY Comedy Club on November 30 at 7pm. Last chance this year to see me do a full hour set in NYC! Tickets here.

And our HOT SOUP show is going strong every Tuesday night at Irish Exit. Last night we had a drop-in from Broad City's Ilana Glazer (photo).

Trump vs. Hillary
...and now here's some stuff I've written about the election. Follow me on Facebook or Twitter to see more.

Al Smith Dinner
Pretty sweet to see the political, religious, and business elite come together at that Al Smith Dinner. Totally backs up the separation of church and state when the Cardinal sits between the two presidential candidates. And I bet those journalists will do a great job of speaking truth to power as soon as they take off their tuxes, long white gloves, and ballgowns. And I appreciate how the most important guests are seated in tiers onstage so we get a physical representation of their relative status. Talk about a time saver! Yup, just a bunch of businessmen and politicians who definitely don't trade favors yukking it up at the Waldorf Astoria. Warms my heart to see these folks put aside their differences and come together to commemorate what truly matters: lavish displays of wealth disguised as charity. My only question: Does the creepy mask dungeon sex party take place before or after dessert?

Ivanka
Reality show idea: Ivanka hanging out for days with the people who show up at Trump rallies. Just discussing fashion trends, eating waffles in a diner, talking about her Jewish husband, etc.

Content
"How did their empire collapse?"
"Well, they used to have 'journalism' and then they traded it in for 'content.'"

Bones
Mad Men was watched by only 300,000 people every week. Same with Girls. Meanwhile, NCIS is watched by 20 million people every week. That’s how Trump is still in this. All those people who watch NCIS, CSI, and Bones are voting for him.

Keeping Hope Alive
Hope and change. Remember that? I know this time around it all seems awful and depressing. But let’s keep this in mind: This is what change looks like.

None of this terrible stuff is new. It’s just that we’re finally talking about it. Cops have been murdering black people for a long time. But now we’re finally talking about it. Powerful men have been taking advantage of women forever. But now those women are able to speak up and fight back.

The truth can’t be denied anymore. There are tapes now. We’ve got iPhones and hot mics. There is proof. The rocks are being overturned and the creatures that hide in the dark are being exposed. Of course they’re angry about it. Of course they’re lashing out. This is their death rattle.

The voices of the oppressed are amplified now. A black woman in the White House just told a powerful white man that his behavior is disgraceful and intolerable and the country responded with an overwhelming “Amen.” I mean, imagine that sentence even being written 30 years ago.

People keep talking about how depressing the news has been this year. And I get it. But sometimes the process has to be painful at first. When you travel to a foreign place, your body gets sick at first. When your body changes, there are growing pains at first. When you take mushrooms, your stomach feels nauseous at first. But then you get to the good stuff. You have to fight through that initial tumult to get to the transcendent part.

We’re not there yet. But we’re closer than ever before. For however bad it seems, it's also the best it’s ever been. And it’s getting better.

These are hopeful times. This is what change looks like. Don't let the bastards grind you down.

-Matt

P.S. Another episode of our Club Scale show (written/produced by me and starring Dan Soder and Joe List) just came out. Watch it.

P.P.S. Shows I'm doing on west coast swing upcoming. LA/SF/Victoria BC...

LOS ANGELES

Friday, October 28
8:00pm peachy keen @ bar lubitsch

Saturday, October 29
8:00pm Good Heroin @ Stories BooksandCafe

Sunday, October 30
8:00pm Schtick or Treat @ The Virgil (LA)

Monday, October 31
9:00pm Kibitz Room Comedy Show
9:30pm The Business @ Little Joy

Wednesday, November 2
8:00pm Goodnight LA @ Bar Lubitsch
8:00pm Party In The Back @ New California Barbershop
9:00pm Rod Stewart Live @ La Cuevita (Little Cave)

Thursday, November 3
9:00pm Comedy Palace

SAN FRANCISCO

Friday, November 4
11:59pm Night Moves @ Pianofight

Saturday, November 5
8:00pm The Setup @ The Beer Basement (SF)
10:00pm Cheaper Than Therapy @ Shelton Theater (SF)

Sunday, November 6
8:00pm SF Punchline

Monday, November 7
8:00pm Doc's Lab
8:00pm milk bar

Tuesday, November 8
8:00pm Club Milk

Wednesday, November 9
8:00pm - Doc's Lab
9:00pm - Real Live Comedians @ PianoFight

Thursday, November 10
8:00pm mission position @ Alamo Drafthouse

VICTORIA, BC

Friday, November 11
8:00pm Heckler's (Victoria, BC)

Saturday, November 12
8:00pm Heckler's (Victoria, BC)

I give a "masterclass" on how to give good video

I did a Skype interview and now it's being presented as a "Masterclass" so basically I'm just like Aaron Sorkin and Werner Herzog.

What is it, you will ask? It’s the video content! Your marketing strategy needs video content like a breath of fresh air. And I’ve interviewed Matt Ruby, the CEO of Vooza to give you the perfect understanding of how to make promotional videos that sell.

More interviews/press about Vooza.

Presence and Vooza

Advice for writing Vooza episodes

FYI, I sent this to folks who write for Vooza.

--

Advice for winning Vooza eps:

* Keep scripts short. Finished video under 2mins is ideal. 90secs feels like

sweet spot but shorter works too. 3-3.5mins is upper range of what’s doable.

* The fewer characters, the better.

* The fewer locations, the better.

* Using existing cast members is ideal but occasional guests are possible.

* Think about how to tell jokes visually via editing/visuals/etc instead of just relying on dialogue

* Videos should relate to startups/tech world. The more we can riff off a real-life scenario that startups face, the better.

* Think about what will be shared. Funny is great but sometimes “I was thinking it but they said it” is just as good for getting people to spread video.

* Parody of popular video formats can be effective (e.g. parodying a famous movie scene or popular online video format – like those recipe videos with only hands in them or Facebook videos with text all over ‘em or Apple product intro videos)

* Mockumentary style videos (with interviewer offscreen) or more traditional sketch can work.

* Too many jokes can be distracting. It’s fine to identify the “game of the scene” and just drilling down on that one concept.

* Inspiration for tone: Portlandia, Key & Peele, Mitchell & Webb,

Christopher Guest movies, etc.

* Happy to provide feedback to simple ideas, rough scripts, paragraph “treatment” of episode, etc. No need to polish up a “perfect version” before showing.

* Top episodes of 2015 fyi: http://vooza.com/top-10-vooza-videos-of-2015/

* Don’t try to do too much. One good joke that really nails it is better than a sprawling episode. Good example: http://vooza.com/videos/hackathon/

Vooza turns 150

Holy moly, we've made 150 (!) episodes of our Vooza show. Crazy. Here's the 150th which is about the latest pukey buzzword in the tech world: Storytelling. Good time to say I'm so proud of the awesome/hilarious team that makes it all happen. It's so cool to be able to give comics I love a platform to show what they can do (especially when they take some pretty iffy scripts and spin 'em into gold). And Jesse Scaturro is a hero who does an amazing job directing and editing it all. Can't believe this lil' experiment has turned into a legit show with millions of views and led to companies like Turkish Airlines and Mailchimp hiring us to make cool shit for them and it's kinda been like film school for me so thanks to everyone involved. More fun stuff on the way too. Onward!

How do we pay the bills at Vooza?

How rappers are like entrepreneurs

Watch out, Kanye and Zuckerberg. Jordan Temple and I get all hip hop in the newest Vooza video.

 

Why the mob loved to watch The Sopranos

Showtime is taking its new show Billions to the bankers and financiers on Wall Street and beyond.

"People love to see themselves, good or bad, depicted in popular entertainment," said Showtime's evp and CMO Don Buckley. "I remember reading quotes years ago about how the mob loved to watch The Sopranos."

I've noticed this with Vooza too. Sometimes people will ask, "Don't people in the tech world get mad at you for making fun of them?" And I've never actually experienced this. If anything, it's the opposite. People who work in the tech world day to day respond to it the most. They never go "You're making fun of me." They go "I know someone like that."

It's an interesting phenomenon to me. We all relate to the same issues and see people doing bad things but rarely do we look in the mirror and say, "I am the problem."

Top 10 Vooza videos of 2015

Here are the top 10 Vooza videos of 2015, ranked by number of views at Vooza.



More at Vooza.com.

Vooza's a unicorn (i.e. worth over $1 billion)

Vooza’s now worth over $1 billion dollars which means it’s a “unicorn” which means it’s time to celebrate. Also, everything on the internet is true.

Presentation: "Laugh it up: how to use humor & native advertising to get noticed"

Me ➜ at a marketing conference in Nashville ➜ "Laugh it up: how to use humor & native advertising to get noticed". Description:

MATT RUBY:
Laugh it up: how to use humor and native advertising to get noticed

FILMED THURSDAY, APRIL 30TH 2015
CAUTION: Drinking beverages of any kind while watching Matt Ruby’s session may result in liquid spewing all over your screen due to uncontrolled laughter. In one of the most popular sessions at Marketing United, Matt shares tips for adding humor to your marketing to grab attention and personalize your brand. He also plays clips from Vooza, his video comic strip that spoofs tech startups. They’re awesome, smart and hilarious – you’ve been warned.

Geared toward marketing folks who want to learn how to make stuff that doesn't suck.

Giving terrible advice as the founder of Vooza

Couple of recent Vooza videos starring ME. First one filmed live in front of 2k people in Amsterdam...

Next Generation Marketing
Millenials? Been there. Generation Z? Done that. In this conference talk, Vooza’s CEO explains how to reach the next generation with your marketing.



Founder Tips: Innorupt
Vooza’s founder gives a crazy email tip, explains how to write a mission statement, and shows how to combine innovation and disruption. #innorupt

Profile of me in Splitsider: "Comedy as a Startup"

Comedy as a Startup is a Splitsider profile on yours truly and the shows I produce. Well researched piece! Excerpt:

So it was with great joy and a few droplets of pain that I devoured the web series Vooza in more or less the afternoon I discovered it. Here is the startup world in all its sleek hubris and ridiculous jargon, its mosaic of turtlenecks and button-downs, its insistent self-congratulatory self-congratulation...

Like Vooza, Club Scale is directed by (Jesse) Scaturro with a sleekness befitting of the world it skewers. (Joe) List and (Dan) Soder bring a disorienting honesty that speaks to Ruby’s love for Christopher Guest; they’re almost adorable, in fact, once you overlook their characters’ unabashed dickery. This is sort of true of the series as a whole, though: behind the flashing lights and dancing bodies is the distinct feel of just some buddies hanging out.

The piece also says I am birthing "a bizarre new model for indie comedy." Well, that explains these cramps.

Inc. magazine interviews me about Vooza and making funny videos

In "Content May Be King, But Branded Video Content Rules Marketing Tactics," Inc. magazine interviews me about Vooza and how we make funny videos for companies. I offer some tips for creating video content at the end of the piece:

Looking to reach consumers on mobile? Then look to creating and consistently distributing valuable, relevant video content - and make it funny.

As for tips or tactical advice for content creators looking to connect with a targeted consumer audience on mobile, Ruby offers this guidance:

Start with the audience. Figure out who you’re trying to reach with your content and then reverse engineer from there. For example, we like going after Apple because Apple fans are so insane about their products.

Expect to roll out a lot of content consistently over time. It takes a while to build up an audience.
Get an email list going--it’s still the best way to reach fans.

Answer this question: “Why would people want to share this?” Because if people don’t share it organically, it probably won’t go far. For example, designers love sharing this CEO video with each other because they can all relate to the know-it-all CEO who thinks he/she knows best how to design a logo.

The more heavy-handed you are with the sales pitch, the less likely people are to share it. Let the funny lead the way whenever possible.

Don't be so fearful to push people's buttons. Have some edge. Make fun of people. HBO is great because there are no advertisers who say, “Don’t say that.”

Find your intersection. What's the thing that you can make that no one else can? That's your island. For Vooza, it's funny plus tech.

Make it findable. Think about how people search for things online and get into that stream with the right headlines, keywords, etc.

More press coverage on Vooza.

How to be that guy with the Apple Watch who everyone hates

More at Vooza.com.

I spoke at a marketing conference about Vooza, humor, and native advertising

Here are some photos of me onstage at the Country Music Hall of Fame. I sang Jolene along with Dolly...er, not really. The real deal: Last week, I gave a talk at the Marketing United conference in Nashville. I showed some of our Vooza videos, made some jokes, and then gave a legit presentation on how we work with advertisers at Vooza and how brands can make stuff that doesn't suck. Here's some of the crowd response on Twitter (and some related links at the end):

@mattruby crushing it at #MarketingUnited w/ his discussion about creating compelling content. pic.twitter.com/YBURFIhdUY

— Mark Scrivner (@MarkScrivner) April 30, 2015

Lots of laughs already for @mattruby at #marketingunited pic.twitter.com/JadG83Szuf

— Waffle (@WaffleSocial) April 30, 2015

According to @mattruby, the key to next gen marketing is marketing to the fetus. #MarketingUnited @voozahq pic.twitter.com/TsWN7X0tGP

— Alexandra Boisvert (@xandraraye) April 30, 2015

@mattruby THAT made my day. Great content ;) #MarketingUnited

— Kayla Nicole (@kaylaaanicole) April 30, 2015

@voozahq bringing some humor & info on #NativeAds to #MarketingUnited @myemma @LiveIntent pic.twitter.com/iLtDWhURJk

— Ali Swerdlow (@swerdtoyourmom) April 30, 2015

Loving this #MarketingUnited session with @mattruby from @voozahq! #TheProblemWithMarketing pic.twitter.com/nwsK7QJotD

— Courtney Corlew (@clcorlew) April 30, 2015

@mattruby comedian and founder of Vooza says next gen marketing is marketing to the fetus. 😂😂😂😂 #MarketingUnited pic.twitter.com/zNiMKCvB0x

— Jason Martin (@martinjasonm) April 30, 2015

. @voozahq much needed laughs and great info and concept! #MarketingUnited

— Tess Helmandollar (@tesshdollar) April 30, 2015

Brands are too fearful. Push peoples buttons. Have some edge. Make fun of people. @voozahq #MarketingUnited

— Andrea Arnold (@jesuisandrea) April 30, 2015

Rehashing #MarketingUnited Day 1: most memorable sessions = @annhandley @jennita @Lifeisgood @voozahq Looking forward to Day 2!

— Jackie Brown (@jaxcomm) May 1, 2015

@mattruby THAT made my day. Great content ;) #MarketingUnited

— Kayla Nicole (@kaylaaanicole) April 30, 2015

@voozahq Super funny, super insightful. #MarketingUnited pic.twitter.com/8OrZdVBgzr

— Maslow's Path (@MaslowsPath) April 30, 2015

Pure genius @voozahq #MarketingUnited Marketing Depts need 2 think beyond millennials, Gen Z. pic.twitter.com/Iy8nWuOOG5

— jbstockton (@jbstockton) April 30, 2015

Matt @voozahq is awesome. Funny stuff. Amazing intro video and fetus marketing strategy. #MarketingUnited pic.twitter.com/XSkAFjh7Mw

— Dave Delaney (@davedelaney) April 30, 2015

Really awesome native advertising presentation by Matt Ruby fr @voozahq. The videos are hilarious #MarketingUnited tech & funny is cool

— jbstockton (@jbstockton) April 30, 2015

OMG @voozahq this is *the* best way to end the day at #marketingunited. New fan for sure.

— Forward Push (@ForwardPush) April 30, 2015

Some of the stuff I talked about in case you're interested in more info:

1,000 True Fans [Kevin Kelley]
The Economics of Internet Comedy Videos [Splitsider]
Jerry Seinfeld Aces Product Placement [Brand Channel]
12 video sharing triggers [Econsultancy]
How Publishers and Brands Can Measure the Value of Native Advertising [Content Standard]
Brands as publishers [Curve]
Brands as Publishers [Huge]

Editing tip: "Matching is for sissies"

The Man Who Makes the World’s Funniest People Even Funnier is a look at the man who edits Apatow/Feig movies.

One of White’s mentors at Sundance was Dede Allen, who cut “Dog Day Afternoon” and “Bonnie and Clyde.” Allen instilled in White an unfussy approach. “You run into editors who say, ‘I can’t make that cut, the glass of water is in the wrong place in that take,’ ” White said. “But I’ll say: ‘Who cares? The performance is strongest in that cut!’ Why would you match the glass and take on that worse performance? ‘Matching is for sissies’ — that’s one of the things Dede would say all the time.” White argues that as audience members, we “look at actors’ eyes most of the time, so as long as they’re engaging, you’re going to be connected to that person, and whatever happens elsewhere in the frame is less important.”

Reminds me of one of Airplane creators David Zucker's rules:

That didn`t happen: Completely defying logic is bad, but something that is on and off the screen so fast that we can get away with it is OK. Example: Robert Stack in ``Airplane!`` yells to Lloyd Bridges, ``He can`t land; they`re on instruments!`` And of course we cut to the cockpit and four of the actors are playing musical instruments. Seconds later, in the next scene, the saxophone and clarinets have disappeared. If it`s done right, no one in the audience will ask where the instruments went.

We used that as a guiding rule during edit of this Vooza episode...



...At 1:20, Steve's gums get all bloody. In the next shot, they're all clean again. "That didn't happen."

"How do I market to your fetus?" and other bits from my Vooza talk at The Next Web Europe conference

Yesterday I spoke at The Next Web conference in Amsterdam in character as an idiot startup CEO (spinoff from our Vooza show). It was fun. The venue looked like a combination of a spaceship and Qbert. Video coming soon.

Nu on stage bij #TNWEurope @mattruby pic.twitter.com/NIa7e3TSgl

— Judith (@judithjus) April 23, 2015

I think @mattruby should have the lead role in "Steve Jobs - Reloaded". Premiering soon on @netflix. #tnweurope pic.twitter.com/gbs0V9zTDw

— Ben Donkor (@FR314) April 23, 2015

If you mean "We are embarrassed by our product and desperately need more time," you say "We are in stealth mode." @mattruby #TNWEurope

— Michael Korcuska (@mkorcuska) April 23, 2015

#TNWEurope @mattruby Startups have to lie - about everything they do. pic.twitter.com/JbaPqtcdZj

— Aleksandar Papež (@AleksPapez) April 23, 2015

Startup tip: you lie! Use acronyms, fancy job titles (Janitor vs. Garbage ninja) says @mattruby of @Vooza #TNWEurope pic.twitter.com/VyQw1AGcFA

— Saskia de Laat (@Writeaholic_nl) April 23, 2015

"I'm most proud of what I've said no to" @mattruby #TNWEurope #TNW15 pic.twitter.com/lH5WqRsgpP

— TEDxAmsterdam (@TEDxAms) April 23, 2015

Oh boy, things are getting weird here. @mattruby is the tech version of South Park. #TNWEurope pic.twitter.com/mTxbuYpVw4

— Tobias Mauel (@TobiasMauel) April 23, 2015

Congrats @TNWconference for bringing @mattruby on stage. No lunch sleep at #TNWEurope . So #funny ! pic.twitter.com/s4PhAaT4Ga

— Maren Lesche (@Maren_Lesche) April 23, 2015

LOL! More Vooza and @mattruby on http://t.co/fMk7FdqN5v. Great stuff! #TNWEurope

— Jochem Koole (@JochemKoole) April 23, 2015

'focus on marketing to fetus in utero' = born consumers ;) @mattruby @voozahq #TNWEurope #TNW15 pic.twitter.com/3oofuILcto

— Romy G (@RoomG) April 23, 2015

Never heard of @voozahq before #TNWEurope. Shame on me. @mattruby is soo funny & full of #startup wisdom. Good speaker choice @TNWconference

— Maren Lesche (@Maren_Lesche) April 23, 2015

I'm slightly annoyed with how funny is the talk from Vooza's @mattruby! #TNWEurope pic.twitter.com/Xzzd7JgZWQ

— Pep Rosenfeld (@peprosenfeld) April 23, 2015

Just been appointed VP of VPs at VOOZA @voozahq by @mattruby - feel very special & important! #TNWEurope pic.twitter.com/AhBr0SXip8

— Nicolas (@nicolasnow) April 23, 2015

The art of bullshit by the genious CEO of #Vooza Matt Ruby @ #TNWEurope 2015 pic.twitter.com/ZetAaf0ejX

— Reza Atlaschi (@Technifista) April 23, 2015

"our app helps people create meaningful connections" equal to "our app lets teenagers sends naked pictures"CEO of Vooza is rockin #TNWEurope

— Diana Bogdanova (@Dianatalks) April 23, 2015

Here's a clip from my talk last year:

The mile high startup!?

Our cast at Vooza (along with some other great comics) just made a weird/funny video of tech geeks taking over a plane for Turkish Airlines. Includes ping pong table, fixie bike, selfie stick, and lots of self-important "we're changing the world" BS!

"Meet the Man That Gets Paid to Make Fun of Tech Startups"

"Meet the Man That Gets Paid to Make Fun of Tech Startups." Hey, that's me. It's an interview about Vooza, which the interviewer calls "some of the funniest lampoons of the tech and marketing industries I’ve ever seen."