Can 400 Comedians Make You Keep Netflix?

Katt Williams; John Mulaney. Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photo: Mpi04/Media Punch/Alamy, Bryan Steffy/Getty Images

For a fewer years now, Netflix has marketed its stand-up drama programming with the cheeky slogan “Netflix is simply a Joke,” attaching the words to everything from societal media handles and billboards to a monolithic drama festival it debuted 2 years ago. The ironic wit of the phrase, of course, is that determination is perfectly thing comic astir the platform’s towering relation successful the satellite of stand-up comedy. While TikTok and YouTube person helped motorboat much than a fewer careers by now, Netflix is wherever the astir palmy comedians spell erstwhile they rapidly privation to scope a planetary assemblage — and get paid accordingly.

The size and standard of the streamer’s stand-up concern volition beryllium connected show successful a large mode starting adjacent week with the instrumentality of the aforementioned Netflix is simply a Joke Festival, a 12-day (and night) marathon of much than 500 shows dispersed crossed astir 3 twelve Los Angeles venues that volition spotlight aggregate generations of comics, from Gen X legends (Chris Rock, Sarah Silverman, Katt Williams) and modern superstars (John Mulaney, Ali Wong) to much caller breakouts (Matt Rife, Fortune Feimster) and a slew of younger stars astir non-comedy nerds would request to Google earlier identifying.

As with the 2022 fest, astir each of these events volition beryllium accessible lone to folks who are successful LA and person a ticket. But dissimilar 2 years ago, Netflix volition beryllium giving its astir 300 cardinal planetary subscribers the accidental to ticker a trio of the biggest shows connected the docket unrecorded arsenic they happen: A Katt Williams concert; a celeb-packed roast of Tom Brady; and a six-night sketch/variety bid called John Mulaney Presents Everybody’s successful L.A. successful which Mulaney is expected to interact with dozens of the biggest names performing astatine the festival (or who are conscionable successful municipality for the week). While Netflix taped a fewer events from the 2022 fest for aboriginal streaming (and volition bash truthful again this year), the streamer hadn’t yet gotten into the unrecorded TV concern backmost then. Now it’s jumping successful with some feet, readying 1 unrecorded lawsuit implicit each of 8 consecutive nights.

Overseeing this immense undertaking: Robbie Praw, the exec who’s liable for moving Netflix’s broader stand-up drama concern and who has besides played a immense relation successful shaping the streamer’s occurrence successful the abstraction since joining the level 8 years agone this spring. While the festival itself is simply a analyzable patchwork quilt of programming (once again: 500-plus shows), adding successful much than a week of unrecorded broadcasts connected a level which hardly a twelvemonth agone buckled nether the burden of a Love Is Blind reunion peculiar is surely supersizing the accent levels for Praw and his team. And yet erstwhile Vulture caught up with the Montreal autochthonal by telephone earlier this week, helium was decidedly calm and reasonably assured the sequel to the Netflix is simply a Joke Festival volition beryllium much The Empire Strikes Back than Staying Alive. During our astir 45-minute conversation, Praw explained the determination to thin into livestreams arsenic good arsenic the broader goals of the festival. He besides talked astir however stand-up connected Netflix has (and hasn’t) changed implicit the past decade); wherefore the streamer is inactive penning large checks to definite comics; and however a caller procreation of comics raised connected societal media — similar Matt Rife — are changing the business.

So 1 of the large differences betwixt this variation of the Netflix is simply a Joke Festival is that you’ll beryllium streaming unrecorded from the lawsuit connected 8 of its 12 nights. Why did you determine to clasp unrecorded successful specified a large way? 

ROBBIE PRAW: We had our archetypal unrecorded amusement conscionable a twelvemonth agone past March 4th, which was with Chris Rock. That was specified an exhilarating thing, due to the fact that erstwhile you’re sitting successful a country watching stand-up comedy, portion of the joyousness is, “Hey, what’s going to happen? What is this idiosyncratic going to say?” Experiencing that unrecorded I deliberation truly plusses up the full acquisition and truly works good for the genre.

For sure. But if I could play devil’s advocator for a moment, determination are immoderate trade-offs for the location audience, too, aren’t there? The presumption mightiness not beryllium arsenic polished, oregon determination could beryllium method snafus which propulsion disconnected a performer’s pacing. And fixed that astir viewing volition instrumentality spot down the roadworthy on-demand, the statement against unrecorded is that you possibly wounded the long-tail of the task erstwhile it’s not edited and polished. 

Yeah, but I deliberation what we’re trying to replicate is the feeling of sitting successful that room. And conscionable to beryllium clear, we motorboat a large magnitude of stand-up each twelvemonth successful the mode that you conscionable described. This is different mode to acquisition comedy, which is much akin to the mode that it’s experienced successful drama clubs and theaters and arenas each nighttime astir the world. It doesn’t negate the different ways that radical similar watching stand-up comedy.

And the upside for you arsenic a level is that “live” besides serves arsenic a large promotional and selling hook for the project.

Of course. We saw this with Chris Rock: The speech is happening with a captious wide of radical astatine the aforesaid time. It’s a bully mode to footwear disconnected a amusement which is going to beryllium staying connected Netflix for a agelong time.

The 3 projects you’re doing unrecorded this twelvemonth each consciousness precise distinct: A sketch drama series, a large stand-up special, and a roast. Did you bash that purposely truthful you could amended recognize what benignant of drama lawsuit works champion successful a unrecorded format – to benignant of maximize what you larn astir antithetic audiences? 

I deliberation it’s much astir 3 ways to entertain members. The happening that we’ve learned astir astir stand-up implicit the 10 years we’ve been doing specials present is however antithetic people’s tastes are. I deliberation it’s thing that successful euphony we look to recognize a small spot much — that reggae is antithetic from hip-hop oregon classical oregon whatever. And I deliberation that this is simply a small spot of designation that antithetic folks similar antithetic stand-up specials. Certainly immoderate folks volition emotion each 3 of these things and immoderate folks volition find 1 of these 3 things to beryllium their favourite thing. So I mean, sure, we volition person immoderate learnings. But this is truly astir however the tastes of our audiences are varied.

The archetypal unrecorded lawsuit is Mulaney’s series, which volition commencement connected Friday, May 3, and past instrumentality for 5 much nights the pursuing Monday. Why footwear disconnected that way? 
  
This amusement that we’re doing with Mulaney truly represents a batch of the bosom and psyche of the festival itself. I mean, it’s called Everybody’s successful L.A. due to the fact that everyone’s present for the festival. So we thought it made a batch of consciousness to person John footwear disconnected the festival. For radical successful L.A., you can’t miss that this festival is happening. We’re successful truthful galore venues and there’s truthful overmuch publicity for it successful Los Angeles. But to our comedy-loving members astir the world, we thought starting disconnected with John conscionable made a batch of sense.

You haven’t fixed retired excessively galore details astir what the amusement volition be. Can you springiness maine a amended thought of what audiences volition spot erstwhile they watch, including however agelong each occurrence volition be? 

Most of that should travel from John and not maine due to the fact that he’s truly been implicit each inch of this show. His fingerprints are each implicit it. But I deliberation the episodes volition beryllium determination betwixt 40 and 60 minutes, thing similar that. It’s truly astir exploring L.A. successful a week erstwhile the funniest radical are here. He genuinely has amassed a treasure trove of the biggest drama stars successful the world. There’s sketches, there’s truly amusive in-studio moments, but I americium going to permission it to John to specify his amusement a small spot more.

I enjoyed the trailer John made for the special, though I’m inactive not definite I’m sold connected his shaggy long-hair look.

I disagree! I mean, arsenic idiosyncratic who is starting to get bald,  I really person hairsbreadth envy. I don’t hold with your notes.

Whatever makes him blessed is fine. So successful summation to the 3 unrecorded events, you’ve said you volition besides beryllium signaling a fewer different events for aboriginal streaming, astir notably the Ali Wong special. But that’s inactive conscionable a fraction of the hundreds of events you’re doing. Is determination much you haven’t announced? 

I deliberation we’ve beauteous overmuch announced astatine this constituent everything that we’re taping. We’re taping Ali Wong. We’re taping Deon Cole. We’re taping different programme of up-and-coming comedians that we’ll beryllium putting connected the Netflix Is A Joke YouTube. But I deliberation it’s beauteous akin to past time. I mean fundamentally this is astir celebrating comedy. That is our northbound prima here.

I get that there’s a terms progressive erstwhile you determine to enactment an lawsuit from the festival connected the level — some the accumulation costs and past the licensing fees you person to wage the artists. But it inactive seems similar there’s a batch of large worldly taking spot which would find a large assemblage connected Netflix, similar David Letterman’s interrogation series. Have you considered a mediate crushed similar we’ve seen with immoderate euphony festivals connected YouTube and Hulu, wherever events are streamed unrecorded but don’t unrecorded everlastingly connected the service?  

Obviously our precedence extracurricular of the festival is ever to bring the champion shows, the champion comedians, the champion movies to our members, and whenever there’s an accidental to bash that, of people we will. But I deliberation the differentiator betwixt this and the Coachellas and different euphony festivals is, stand-up comedians can’t pain their material. They genuinely request to movie and motorboat their specials astatine a clip erstwhile they are done touring that material. If I watched No Doubt astatine Coachella, I could spell spot them successful performance 2 weeks aboriginal and that would beryllium fine. It doesn’t enactment for drama successful the aforesaid mode due to the fact that you would cognize each the material. Our extremity present is to enactment the creation of basal up connected a pedestal and person our artists enactment their worldly retired to the satellite erstwhile it makes consciousness for them.

What astir making wealth from the festival– is that besides a extremity astatine this point? Do you request to enactment butts successful seats and merchantability retired arsenic galore events arsenic possible?  

Well, we surely privation butts successful seats due to the fact that we privation our comedians performing successful beforehand of large crowds of their fans — and that’s happening. But yeah, that’s not our goal. We’re highlighting the information that Netflix is simply a large spot for comedy.

So the anticipation is not that this turns into different nett halfway for Netflix, the mode the institution is doing with its in-person experiences for shows specified arsenic Bridgerton and Stranger Things?

That’s not our extremity close now.

Speaking of money, the famed Just for Laughs drama festival canceled its lawsuit this twelvemonth and filed for bankruptcy. You’re an alum of JFL, truthful I person to inquire whether you deliberation the occurrence of Netflix is simply a Joke mightiness person had a antagonistic interaction connected it, oregon if it raises the unit connected you to capable the spread near by its departure.  
 

First of all, I deliberation Just For Laughs volition beryllium back. It’s specified an important festival and truthful unbelievably important for emerging comedians. But no, I wouldn’t accidental that. I don’t truly correlate what we’re doing present versus what has happened there. I deliberation that events similar this are precise important. There was conscionable a great festival successful Austin past week and there’s the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and immoderate different precise important festivals astir the world, and we conscionable anticipation that they each enactment healthy. And rather frankly, I deliberation we’re benignant of blown distant that this happening has grown truthful rapidly successful specified a abbreviated play of time. We’re going to person implicit 500 shows. We’re astatine the Hollywood Bowl, successful the Forum, and Crypto Arena. We’re doing a [5,000 idiosyncratic event] astatine the Rose Bowl, and we’re astatine the Troubadour and the Comedy Store. We instrumentality the work of having this footprint seriously, but we’re seeing festivals flourish each astir the world.

Netflix’s stand-up concern has besides grown precise rapidly implicit the past decade. Early on, the institution was a disruptor that made waves by offering immense paychecks to apical comics successful speech for having ownership of the shows for your library. More recently, it feels similar determination are little headlines astir immense checks and much buzz that you’re softly licensing shows for shorter windows. So I’m wondering however the concern exemplary and the marketplace for stand-up has changed since you guys got into the business. 
 
I don’t deliberation it has evolved that overmuch to beryllium honorable with you. You’re correct: We person licensed immoderate things. But mostly it’s beauteous akin to erstwhile I started. When we started doing these things 10 years ago, it was a infinitesimal wherever stand-up was truly valued astatine Netflix, but the marketplace extracurricular of present was truly quiet. And arsenic we spell into 2024, I deliberation we’re seeing truthful galore signals from the marketplace that there’s a batch much involvement successful stand-up comedy. And I’m not conscionable talking astir the different networks. I’m talking astir comedians flourishing connected TikTok oregon YouTube oregon successful immoderate cases their ain podcast. So there’s an ecosystem for stand-up drama that didn’t beryllium 10 years agone and it’s a overmuch bigger concern present than it’s ever been.
I’ve said this before, but 20 years agone erstwhile I started my career, determination was possibly 1 enactment that could bash an arena each 2 years. It was similar an Andrew Dice Clay oregon possibly a Blue Collar oregon Kings of Comedy tour. And if you look astatine this festival, I deliberation determination are 15 shows astatine that level successful conscionable 12 days. The drama satellite is wholly antithetic now, and that’s a bully thing. It’s a awesome that we made the close stake erstwhile we started to put heavy successful the space.

I cognize you said you’ve ever done immoderate licensing, but is determination much of it going connected now? Is the exemplary changing?

There’s been a small much of that. I deliberation there’s been immoderate consciousness that immoderate artists similar shooting their specials and owning it. So determination has been an emerging licensing woody template that we bash present that we weren’t doing a fewer years ago. But successful presumption of our volume, it’s been reasonably steady. Obviously this twelvemonth due to the fact that of the festival, we’re doing a ton of stand-up. But I don’t deliberation that determination is simply a large shift. I deliberation possibly there’s an consciousness that determination are antithetic deals to beryllium done to entreaty to antithetic artists. And our extremity is to conscionable fig retired however we get the champion things connected Netflix and not person an entrenched presumption connected however each woody needs to get done. We conscionable privation the champion comedians to beryllium disposable for our members successful a beauteous competitory landscape.

Would you accidental you’re penning less seven- and eight-figure checks than you did a fewer years ago?  

No. I deliberation it goes up and down, but I wouldn’t accidental that. I deliberation it’s beauteous similar. In presumption of the output, it’s similar. I deliberation what you’re referring to is, determination was a infinitesimal wherever we did a batch of deals astatine that level. But those comedians came retired implicit a three- oregon four-year span. It’s not similar they came retired each astatine the aforesaid time. The world is we’re inactive doing a batch of ample deals for comedians, and the crushed wherefore is due to the fact that those comedians are attracting large audiences and it’s rather frankly a joyousness to spot that we’re astatine a constituent wherever truthful galore comedians tin bid what they’re commanding due to the fact that their audiences marque the economics of that marque sense.

And immoderate of those large numbers look to travel retired of nowhere. Were you amazed by however good Matt Rife’s peculiar did past year? 

I can’t talk to the specifics of each idiosyncratic woody successful that way. But if you look astatine the illustration of Matt Rife – determination are precise fewer comedians that are young. He has travel into this marketplace and is speaking to an assemblage that astir different comedians aren’t speaking to. Well, Matt Rife is speaking to a batch of radical who are younger. He’s conscionable sold retired this monolithic tour. He’s going to beryllium the youngest comedian ever to merchantability retired the Hollywood Bowl; I deliberation he’s possibly the youngest to adjacent play the Bowl. So it’s precise chill to ticker the adjacent procreation of comedians benignant of popular up close successful beforehand of our eyes.

Two different examples: Andrew Schulz and Shane Gillis. We did a peculiar with Shane past year, took a flier connected it — and he’s going to merchantability retired the Crypto Arena, the Forum, and the Greek. And again, helium appeals to antithetic tastes and antithetic audiences. That’s truly what it’s astir for us. And that’s wherefore I deliberation Matt has recovered his — I don’t cognize if I should accidental niche, due to the fact that it’s specified a large instrumentality base, but the folks that helium speaks to, immoderate of the different comedians we person connected Netflix whitethorn not.

How are you looking to spotlight and physique up those newer acts? Is the festival designed to bash that?  

We’ve had a dependable watercourse of multi-comic specials. I’m successful my bureau close now, and I’m looking astatine the archetypal multi-comic peculiar that we did successful 2017, which is called The Standups. There were six comedians, but the archetypal idiosyncratic was Nate Bargatze. Nate Bargatze conscionable filmed a drama peculiar successful an 18,000 theatre successful the circular and sold retired 2 nights of it, and we were filming that. And the aforesaid night, we were filming a Fortune Feimster special, and she was 1 of the six radical connected The Standups. The adjacent idiosyncratic was Deon Cole, and we’re shooting a peculiar with him during the festival. Then we had Nikki Glaser connected that show, who — spoiler alert — is going to beryllium doing our roast of Tom Brady, arsenic good arsenic Beth Stelling, who we conscionable launched a peculiar with astir six months ago.

So we’ve been utilizing these multi-comic shows arsenic a mode of elevating voices. We’re besides present doing it sometimes with these licensed deals. We spot idiosyncratic movie thing and we conscionable look astatine it and say, “Hey, we person a existent accidental for this idiosyncratic to detonate connected Netflix with us.” But each these multi-comic shows that we’ve done, if you look astatine the lineups, you spot endowment that has past stayed with us. A fewer years agone we did a amusement called The Comedy Lineup. One of the stars of that amusement was Michelle Buteau, who we present person a bid with. Another prima was Taylor Tomlinson, who’s present 1 of our biggest acts. So I deliberation we’ve been doing that reasonably consistently.

You person truthful galore antithetic kinds of comedians connected Netflix, but immoderate of them person generated blowback from audiences due to the fact that of the contented of their work. Dave Chappelle is the astir notable example, of course. The company’s apical enactment has made it wide successful the past mates of years that it’s not going to propulsion shows which make a batch of antagonistic response. And you talked astir this with Vulture two years ago. I’m funny however you spot things today, headed into a bid of unrecorded events wherever the risks of a backlash to a gag are not insignificant. 

I respect the information that surely immoderate folks won’t respond to definite things. But astatine the extremity of the day, we privation to springiness radical options. And portion of that is, immoderate people’s favourite happening to bash connected a Saturday nighttime whitethorn beryllium to ticker a Dave Chapelle special. For immoderate people, it whitethorn beryllium Taylor Tomlinson oregon Mae Martin oregon Sarah Silverman oregon John Mulaney oregon Chris Rock. And we don’t privation to artifact those choices for our members. We privation to springiness them the option. Our members person the quality of clicking connected something; they person the quality to unopen disconnected something. You could bargain a ticket, oregon you don’t request to bargain a ticket. If we’re doing our jobs good — particularly successful an creation signifier that’s often connected the bleeding borderline of large discussions of things that are going connected successful civilization — I deliberation it is precise important that we springiness our members that choice. But we surely recognize if past not everything is for everybody.

Tell maine much astir what you cognize astir Netflix’s stand-up assemblage contiguous versus 5 years ago. You person a batch much information than you utilized to. Has thing changed astir who watches what successful the stand-up space? Have tastes evolved implicit the past fewer years?  

Something that we’re seeing much and much is the cultivation of fandoms by idiosyncratic artists. That happens sometimes extracurricular of Netflix. Your neighbour whitethorn not cognize who this idiosyncratic is, but they’re selling retired the arena successful your municipality that night. The displacement is little astir the creation of stand-up per se, but much astir however idiosyncratic comedians person truthful galore roots to talk to their assemblage and cultivate it and turn it. I deliberation that’s what I’ve been seeing. In presumption of the creation of standup, it’s beauteous akin to what it’s ever been. And I would accidental there’s much standups. So successful that mode it’s not similar. If you spell to immoderate drama nine oregon immoderate unfastened mic successful this country, you’re connected a waiting database to get connected that stage. So there’s surely much of that.

But I deliberation the large alteration — and we’re portion of this flywheel — is however radical talk straight to audiences. Oftentimes present they’re coming to Netflix with diehard fans that are truthful excited that they get to ticker their favourite idiosyncratic connected Netflix, which [otherwise] could beryllium a precise costly nighttime retired betwixt tickets and babysitters and parking and each that stuff. We deliberation it’s a beauteous bully proposition that you get to spot that idiosyncratic connected Netflix. So I deliberation the fandom of it is what has changed fundamentally successful the past 10 years.

So are we successful a caller benignant of aureate property for stand-up, akin to the precocious ‘70s and aboriginal 1980s?

I deliberation this is much sustainable. I deliberation that there’s been a batch of stories written astir the booms and the busts. I deliberation this is simply a precise unchangeable ecosystem now. I mean, 5 years agone you were hearing, “There was a boom, is determination astir to beryllium a bust?” This is simply a genre that has been underused conscionable due to the fact that we didn’t person these ways of reaching idiosyncratic audiences.

Do you spot stand-up astatine Netflix arsenic connected to different areas of programming connected the platform? Is portion of your ngo to find endowment that could bash different projects for different divisions?

Yeah. I deliberation what we truly are excited astir is the flywheel of talent: You commencement moving with Michelle Buteau and past she has her series, oregon Ali Wong goes from her peculiar to her movie to evidently Beef and past wins each award. We’re truly funny successful taking the endowment that we enactment with and for folks to spot them crossed Netflix. And we’re doing much and much of that.
But it’s very, precise collaborative. Remember, comedians often utilized to bash stand-up arsenic a mode to get [cast successful TV] shows. That dynamic has changed present that stand-up comedians are truthful palmy connected the road. So we’re trying to truly perceive to our comedians connected what different projects that they privation to bash and trying our champion to beryllium a location for them.

One country wherever you could seemingly make caller endowment is done a sketch drama show, benignant of similar the 1 Mr. Mulaney is doing adjacent week. It wouldn’t needfully person to beryllium unrecorded from New York, but you get what I’m saying present — SNL. Is that benignant of amusement thing you deliberation could beryllium doable connected Netflix? 
 
You’re talking astir 1 of the astir iconic shows of each time. I deliberation anyone would emotion to beryllium doing thing similar that. We person nary contiguous plans, but I deliberation we’d obviously beryllium unfastened to a amusement similar that, particularly present that we’re doing much and much successful the unrecorded space.