Talking About The Psychology Of Being A Stand Up Comedian Here

My name is Mike Hanson. I was in radio in Canada and in the UK for 30 years, over half of which was at the BBC. I left last year to start my own podcast production company. My business model is to make original podcasts in subjects I find interesting and marketing extension podcasts for established brands. My main podcast is called Psycomedy with Nathan Cassidy. It's about the psychology of being a stand up comedian. Nathan is a professional stand up who studied psychology at university. In the series he interviews other comedians on how they deal with anxiety, bad reviews, heckles, the loneliness of the road and other mental health issues. It's funny and insightful. You can hear it hear.

Nathan and I started this podcast in the summer of 2019. We recorded 10 episodes before releasing them on a weekly basis in August. Our public launch was at the end of August with a live show at the Edinburgh Free Fringe Festival. You can hear that episode here.

As I work for myself and Nathan gigs in the evening we are free to record in the day as our guests tend to be free during the day as well (being professional comedians). We release a new show every Friday morning and try to have at least two shows in the can so we're not scrambling to produce one. The interviews last about an hour which is edited down by me to around 45 minutes. As for funding, at the moment it doesn't cost anything other than our time (we mostly record at Nathan's so don't have expensive studio costs) but are hoping to secure a sponsor soon.

We haven't secured a sponsor yet but have approached a couple of brands. The focus of the show is primarily mental health so are looking in that field for a sponsor, but as it's based on comedy, lifestyle and 'fun' brands are also welcome, like alcohol. If anyone out there wants to sponsor a funny and insightful podcast get in touch! As for non financial benefits, it's just fun to do. Nathan is great to work with and shares in the workload. The last few years of my BBC radio career was in management where I spent more time in meetings than studios. It's nice to roll up my sleeves and edit audio again. I can do it all night.

We mostly record at Nathan's. The schtick is to create a 'psychoanalytical session' with the guest lying on his sofa and Nathan in a chair next to them during the interview. I use a Tascam DR-05 portable recorder with decent lapel mics. I edit on Pro Tools and mix in music I've written myself. We also film it and Nathan makes a 60 second video for social media to promote each episode. Nathan lines up 90% of the guests as he knows them all from the comedy circuit. We also play in clips of their recent shows to get their reactions to what was going on in their mind at the time, so I often go to comedy shows to record the sets.

Our show (and the others I work on) are on all major podcast platforms. We promote on social media. Our Facebook page has 15000 followers and we also use Twitter and Instagram. Nathan has also done some interviews in the press.

Depends on what your aims are. If you want to host your own show on a subject you care deeply about it's pretty simple. You don't need to spend a lot of money. If you have no background in recording and editing audio there's a lot to learn. If you don't have the time or inclination to do so, find some eager young person with those skills to help. If you want to make money, read up on monetising as much as you can. There is no one right answer or a magic formula for getting loads of downloads. Be prepared to put the work in and only do it if you can afford to or really really want to.

You can find out more about me and the company I set up here podpeopleproductions.co.uk or if you want to get in touch you can reach me on mike@podpeopleproductions.co.uk. My social handle is @podpeopleuk