026 - How To Create A Joke ft. Amin Hannan Chowdhury

Amin Hannan Chowdhury is a comedian and a creator based in Dhaka. He started working alongside Ashik, another rising comedian in the scene, through their self titled stage names Amin and Ashik

I have always taken a keen interest in the world of comedy, but with the rise of social media, it requires a different approach as a creative and as a creator to be a comedian. In this episode Amin and I go in depth about the creative process of writing a joke, what it’s like to do stand up comedy in a rising scene and how to deal with people who don’t find you funny.

00:00 Intro
02:30 Who is Amin Hannan Chowdhury?
06:30 Social media's impact on stand-up comedy
09:54 Building authenticity
15:00 Educating others on stand-up comedy
17:00 Catering to a mass vs. niche
18:20 Joking about controversial topics
20:14 Being safe with jokes
21:53 Criticisms
27:36 Defining your audience
28:55 Low-effort jokes
35:00 Custom jokes
37:40 Evolution of audience
41:31 Public speaking practice for jokes
42:30 Jokes on difficult days
45:50 Seeking validation
49:55 Authentic community
50:17 Turning trauma into jokes
53:48 The monetary side of comedy
58:19 Touring outside Dhaka
59:10 Repeating jokes
1:00:00 Consumption behaviour of content
1:02:40 Amin's dream gig
1:04:08 Cultural references for jokes
1:07:00 Future of comedy
1:08:45 Amin's goal in 5 years
1:10:00 Advise from Amin for new comedians
1:11:35 Outro

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