About Us
Jim Richardson's journey through Stand-Up Comedy
"Jim Richardson's background spans nearly four decades in keynote speaking, theater, public speaking, Stand-Up Comedy Workshops,
plus: coaching speakers and performers.
"Jim holds a Masters Degree in Fine Arts from Carnegie-Mellon University's renowned Drama Department in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
Bachelors Degree in English and Minor in Television & Film Direction, plus a Masters Degree in Creative Writing, San Francisco State University.
He was awarded “The NDEA Fellowship in Playwriting” at C-MU, and has conducted Ph.D. Studies and Research at both C-MU and Harvard Universities."Jim Richardson not only talks the talk, but he walks the walk.
Horace J. Digby, "Horace J. Digby Report" podcast
He has given hundreds of speeches, classes, seminars and consulting sessions.
"Jim has created over 1,050 pages of workbooks and 21 hours of recorded audio for his "Home Study Program" that summarizes his live Workshops.
"He has written over 200 stage, film and stand-up comedy reviews for the San Francisco Sunday Datebook Examiner-Chronicle and other publications, produced comedy shows at hundreds of professional comedy venues, and created the first college-level, for-credit Stand-Up Comedy course in America.
"His private clients include competition winning stand-up comedians, Emmy award winning television personalities, actors, and leaders in fields such as religion, law, politics and business.
"From 1981 through 1983, Jim had the invaluable experience of conducting weekend 'Comedy Marathon Contests' for beginning comedians.
Jim organized and led a total of 48 of these four-hour-long contests, one every six weeks.
"Each Comedy Marathon consisted of:
A main 'Five-Minute Monologue Contest' allowing judges to spread points
between five Writing and five Performance categories, another first in the USA.
All previous contests had, then as now, favored performing over writing by as much as seven out of eight categories.
Comedy Marathon contestants could now be rated for their intelligence and taste!
"Plus, to further develop his student's skill set, all the Comedy Marathons featured four “Mini-Contests,” three to five minutes each, on a specific topic: Improvisation, Impressions, Topical Monologue, etc., with different topics rotating each month. No comedy event, either before or since, even remotely resembles these Comedy Marathons as a viable training ground for emerging stand-up comics.
"To be one of the six judges at each Comedy Marathon, all judges had to earn a living as a professional writer and/or performer.
Jim invited top radio, television and print media professionals from San Francisco and California's North Coast.
"To prepare them for all five contests, Jim's students were required to create 19 minutes of new, original material every six weeks.
"Comedians came from a wide area to compete, but when the dust cleared,
Jim Richardson's students won 47 out of 48 competitions,
giving convincing proof that Jim's academic approach to developing comics
was faster, better, more efficient, and ultimately more successful
for the comics and the audience,
than the traditional
open mic system.
. . . More info. on Comedy Marathon Contests
"There was something special about Jim Richardson's coaching,
and as word spread, professional comedians began hiring Jim as their coach.
"Jim Richardson's coaching, consultations and prepared teaching materials
go a long way to train you in professional arts:
how to create the needed variety of techniques for both writing and performing unique material.
"Jim Richardson's web site is loaded with tips, tutorials, techniques,
and tricks of the trade not only for comedians,
but for any public speaker who needs to give presentations that extra count.
"I've been a professional presenter for years,
and the six hours I've spent with Jim Richardson's web site (so far)
has been one of the most valuable learning experiences of my career."
— HORACE J. DIGBY, Writer, Filmmaker and Broadcast Host
Winner of "The Robert Benchley Society Award For Humor."
Actually, there
are no amateur stand-up comics.
Either you are funny, and get paid to perform,
. . . or not!
8-)
To be notified of when Jim's next in-person, Four-Lesson, 3-day weekend
“Fundamentals of Stand-Up Comedy”
Workshop will be offered
so you can get Jim's
training in world-class writing and performance skills,
sign up for Jim's E-Mailing List.
To learn the exact same “Fundamentals of Stand-Up
Comedy”
Lessons
from the comfort of your own home or office, through Internet
video conferencing,
go here to register today.
Then, you can receive Jim's famous 200-page Workbook
well in advance
of Lesson One.
Who should attend?
For
stand-up comics, business keynote speakers, politicians, ventriloquists
and other solo acts.
Jim has been working professionally:
* in the
theater since 1967 (more than 48 years!)
* Jim began working with stand-up comics in 1977 through his
company ORGANIZED COMEDY
and 1980-1983, taught the FIRST Stand-Up
Comedy course for credit through a college or university in the USA
at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park,
California, one hour north of San Francisco.
* In 1988, Jim began working with professional speakers who were already
good and, as one put it, "made us great!"
* By 1996, even politicians began contacting Jim to help out with their
presentation and interview skills during that year's election
Jim's objective:
To
guide you to become successful at the national level.
Most comics and speakers come into performance almost by accident,
with no high-end formal training in writing and performing.
I fill
in your gaps.
Why?
To accelerate your career development.
This is necessary as other comedy schools are offered by comics untrained
in teaching.
Thus, they lack a coherent progressive program that
can monitor your growth from any point in your career
Who does Jim expect to show up for his Stand-Up Comedy Workshops?
1) Some folks who attend will have never even performed at a local
open mic.
2) Others may have been PROFESSIONAL COMICS for 10-20 years,
and
want to brush up on their basics
to advance stalled careers.
Successful Clients:
My students and clients have won most of the major Stand-Up Comedy Competitions
in the country,
including the grand prize on Ed McMahon's 1991 "Star Search" TV show:
$100,000!
These excellent comics have gone on to write for, co-produce & host
national TV shows
and WON many, many TV Emmys.
For private group study, both in-person and via Internet video conferencing:
Stand-Up Comedy Workshops
For individual study:
*One-on-One comedy coaching and co-writing.
**Home Study Program.
All can now be taught on a schedule customized to your needs through Internet
video conferencing.
* Coaching & Co-Writing your Act or Speech:
I work with most of my clients long-distance, from all over the world.
You send me your video and scripts.
Then, we consult over the telephone.
And/or via Internet video conferencing, which has many advantages over the phone:
as one of my clients put it,
“Jim, it's
like you are right here in my living room!”
8-)
** Home Study Program:
21 hours of audio, plus
1,050 pages of workbooks and related handouts.
For more information on my Workshops,
plus my Home Study Program packages
and Coaching & Co-Writing consulting services,
please
contact me:
jim@Stand-UpComedyWorkshop.com
