About Rik

Hi my name is Rik Roberts. I’ve been a professional comedian since 1991. I live in Nashville, TN with a wonderful wife, two young kids and a love for encouraging creativity.

When I first started pursuing comedy, I found it frustrating that some nights I would do well and other nights perform so poorly I wanted to quit. It seemed like the same jokes that worked the night before weren’t funny at all the next. I was literally throwing things out left and right trying to find out what was a “keeper” and what wasn’t.

During that early part of the journey, I performed hundreds of shows at bowling alleys, college bars, church fellowship halls, comedy clubs and even a couple of zoo’s – and would still have inconsistent sets.

Then I was asked to run a comedy workshop at my home club Zanies in Nashville. At first I said, “you can’t teach people to be funny”.

I was told, “look at all your best jokes, analyze them and figure out WHY they are getting a laugh. Then, teach that to the people who come to the workshop”.

It took me months to analyze my material before I knew the answers. And then my progress skyrocketed. Turns out “you can teach people to be funnier”.

What changed? I discovered that regardless of the topic my “keepers” had more than a clever punch line. They were jokes that utilized multiple comedy techniques. Meaning, I wasn’t relying on one single angle to generate a laugh.

At first I didn’t know these techniques had names (some didn’t and I named them myself). I also found trends in the structure of my sets that worked (and some that didn’t).

Now, I can look at my jokes the way a quarterback looks at a playbook. I can read audiences like Peyton Manning reads a defense. And I can construct a joke like James Brown can build a Brick House.

You can, too.

I am now performing for the groups I want to, as often as I want to, and without having to worry if the show is going to go well or not.

You can, too.

To discover how you can learn these techniques, apply the same approach and see similar results you can start by simply signing up for the monthly “Insider Tips” newsletter. If you want more than tips and are ready to dive into an incredibly thorough comedy course, get started today with the online comedy class. It’s a ton of fun and you can take it at your open pace.

If you would like a sample of my teaching technique and how I break down joke writing, check out podcast 119  STAND UP COMEDY EXAMINED.

I look forward to helping you take powerful, purposeful steps towards building your comedy career.

Thanks,

Rik Roberts

Principal / Janitor

School Of Laughs