Rob O'Reilly

When someone interrupts me, I usually ignore it at first and...

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:27:57 -0400

When someone interrupts me, I usually ignore it at first and hope that it stops. It’s important to still seem likeable as a comedian, and if you get aggressive too early, you lose likeability. But if the interruptions continue, I will usually interact with them. And kind of tell them to stop, but in a joking tone. Like I’m not upset, but you need to shut up.

There’s two types of hecklers. Those that like you, and think (incorrectly) that they are helping the show or trying to be funny themselves. The other type of heckler is someone who doesn’t like you and is intentionally messing with you or booing. 99% of hecklers are in the first category, and will shut up when you ask them to. But when it’s the latter, things can become aggressive.

One time, I said I was about to get off stage, and this guy started clapping. As in, he was happy I was leaving. It was rude, and I’d had enough of him, so I walked off stage and knocked the hat off his head. I asked him if he’d like to take it outside, but he cowardly shut up.

How to Perform at Colleges

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:09:16 -0500

A lot of comedians ask me how to get into the college game, so I’m going to make it nice and easy.

The easiest way to get into the college game is by showcasing at a conference called NACA (National Association of Campus Activities). There are 6 regional showcases (Mid-America, South, Central, Northern Plains, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic) and then one national showcase every year. Basically you have to be selected (based on your 3-5 min video) to the showcase. Then you perform with a bunch of other entertainers (musicians, lecturers, magicians, etc). The audience is composed of all the various college activities boards of colleges in that region. So they decide who they like and book you to come to campus. Just being selected to perform on a NACA is very difficult. And submitting cost money.

You can either submit yourself or go through an agency. All the college entertainment agencies make it clear on their websites how new potential clients can submit. They always want the same video they’d send to NACA, so send them all a 3-5 tape cut together with your absolute best material. Put the best stuff up front because the people making the selections for NACA are going to not finish watching most of the videos - they’re looking at thousands of them. The main college agencies you’d want to submit to are:

The College Agency, Neon Entertainment, KP Comedy (Kirkland Productions), Joey Edmonds, Sophie K, Bass Schuler, Auburn Moon, H2F, Admire Entertainment, Cutting Edge Entertainment, GG Greg Agency, Summit Entertainment, BE Colleges. If you end up with multiple college agencies wanting to represent you, I’d chose the one who seems the most personable and who doesn’t have other clients on the roster that fit your same description. The best time to submit to agencies is around April because they’ll be submitting to NACAs over the summer.

All agencies will take a 20% cut of your gigs. But I’d recommend going with an agency if you’re new to NACA. Until you’ve seen at least one NACA, you don’t know what to expect.

To submit yourself, you have to buy a self-representation membership, which cost around $235. Information on how to represent yourself is here:

http://www.naca.org/Membership/ProspectiveMembers/Pages/AssociateMembership.aspx

You don’t necessarily need to go through NACAs to do college gigs, it just makes it easier. But you can also just start going to as many college’s websites as possible, and looking up the email info for their “student activities board” or “student activities council” or “campus activities board”. Email them that you’d like to perform and can offer them a discount.

Good luck!

Vertical stripes versus horizontal stripes

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:27:04 -0500

Vertical stripes versus horizontal stripes

Gay Toys

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 15:38:11 -0500

Gay Toys

Apples and Oranges

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 14:04:22 -0500

Apples and Oranges

The Holocaust

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 13:46:38 -0500

The Holocaust

New sketch video I made

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:39:09 -0400

New sketch video I made

mattfisher: My Sister Paid Progressive Insurance to Defend Her...

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:43:38 -0400

mattfisher:

My Sister Paid Progressive Insurance to Defend Her Killer In Court

I’ve been sending out some impertinent tweets about Progressive Insurance lately, but I haven’t explained how they pissed me off. So I will do that here as succinctly as possible. There’s a general understanding that says, “insurance companies— oh they’re awful,” but since Progressive turned their shit hose on my late sister and my parents, I’ve learned some things that really surprised me.

I’ll try to cleave to the facts. On June 19, 2010, my sister was driving in Baltimore when her car was struck by another car and she was killed. The other driver had run a red light and hit my sister as she crossed the intersection on the green light.

Read More

Podcast

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 19:58:35 -0400

Podcast:

Check me out on episode 42 of Gandhi, Is That You? It’s a great podcast that gets to the core of Rob O’Reilly

Dictionary Green | Free Video Clips | SPIKE

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 15:49:29 -0400

Dictionary Green | Free Video Clips | SPIKE:

Five years ago, Barry Rothbart, Dan Boulger and I made an internet pilot for SuperDeluxe that didn’t get picked up. The premise was remarkably similar to that of the movie Mystery Team. I was a 22 year-old detective who still solved kid crimes. Though none of us knew about that script. Just parallel thinking.

A College Humor video where Yoko breaks up our Rock Band

Tue, 29 May 2012 16:02:25 -0400

A College Humor video where Yoko breaks up our Rock Band

A College Humor video where I play John Lennon

Tue, 29 May 2012 16:01:23 -0400

A College Humor video where I play John Lennon

Today my Charades Sketch is on the Funny Or Die homepage!

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:23:32 -0500

Today my Charades Sketch is on the Funny Or Die homepage!

Check out my new CD “Don’t Sioux Me” on...

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:02:15 -0500

Check out my new CD “Don’t Sioux Me” on iTunes, Amazon or Spotify!

I’m in LA Weekly’s 10 Comedy Acts to Watch in 2012

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:59:56 -0500

I’m in LA Weekly’s 10 Comedy Acts to Watch in 2012

I made LA Weekly's top 10 Acts to Watch in 2012!

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:34:38 -0500

I made LA Weekly's top 10 Acts to Watch in 2012!

New CrossFire Video!

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:44:33 -0400

New CrossFire Video!

Halloween Jokes!

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 17:57:21 -0400

1: What do vampires call tampons?

teabags

2. Why don’t ghosts have babies?

Because then they’d be apparent.

3. What do mummies release when they exercise?

Pharaoh-moans

4. Why aren’t any mummies in AA?

They’re in denial.

5. Why do modern witches take forever to get where they’re going?

They’re feminists, so they refuse to use brooms

6. Why doesn’t Frankenstein live in LA?

There’s already enough Steins.

7. Why don’t any werewolves live in LA?

Everyone would just think they’re Armenian.

I have a new podcast! Along with co-host Katie Levine, we get...

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:07:14 -0400

I have a new podcast! Along with co-host Katie Levine, we get guests to admit embarrassing stories during a game of Never Have I Ever.

So far, guests include Pete Holmes, Brendon Walsh, Karl Hess, Nick Rutherford, Claudia Cogan and Adam Cayton-Holland.

It’s on iTunes or at:

http://neverhaveieverpodcast.com/

Did anyone else think this Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows...

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 15:49:01 -0400

Did anyone else think this Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was antisemitic? Holy shit. They go to the bank, and the “bankers” are short, hook-nosed goblins who are counting money! Seriously? How did the people who run Hollywood let this movie get made?

You can’t just make fun of stereotypes by disguising groups of people as creatures. What’s next? ”I’m a werewolf and I like chicken and watermelon because I’m wild!”

George Lucas did the same shit. Remember the intergalactic league of nations in Star Wars? The fish people who spoke like propaganda depictions of Chinamen during the Boxer Rebellion?

That whole Harry Potter movie was a Christian allegory. He’s a Christ figure who goes to purgatory and sees Voldemort as an aborted fetus. Subtext: abortions are evil.

I’m sick of this Christian bullshit, so I’m writing my own movie that makes fun of them the same way. Except the Christians will be zombies, since their messiah came back from the dead 3 days later. But they’ll all be fat, stupid zombies living in the Midwest. And they’ll have ignorant views, like, “Don’t let them goddamn Mummies build a pyramid at ground zero!”