| Hi,
I love Chris Rock.
I used a story about him to get $100,000 in college scholarships back when I was 17. (You can read about it here if you want.)
In fact, I love all stand-up comedy.
In the last couple years, I've gone to see Louis CK, Aziz Ansari, and dozens of other comedians live at Madison Square Garden and clubs around New York City.
Watching a great comedian is a blast, but it's also a masterclass in how to be a better businessman and a better leader.
They teach you all sorts of things. - Testing: Jimmy Fallon tests his material in front of a live audience, every night, before recording The Tonight Show. He never risks a joke bombing because he only goes live with proven material.
- Influence: Where's the line between what you can say and what you can't? Sometimes you can watch a comedian — even a great comedian — slip in one thoughtless sentence and see a room of happy, laughing people go quiet and angry like you're flipping a light switch. And even more fascinating, sometimes they do it on purpose to set up the next joke.
- Reading the room: Even though they're rehearsed, it's amazing to watch a great comedian change their pacing, or even their jokes, based on how the audience reacts. Watch two recordings of the same set from different nights. They're never exactly the same, and that's not because the guy on stage forgot what he meant to say.
| | I have so much respect for great comedy. Which is why I have so much respect for The Second City.
The Second City is a factory that creates comedy superstars.
If you've never heard of the program, they are an improv troupe in Chicago that's been around for almost 60 years.
Their alumni include: | | Not to mention Stephen Colbert, Bill Murray and Mike Myers (if you live under a rock, he's the guy who played Austin Powers).
Among dozens of others.
Their track record of turning their students into stars is so good that if you want to audition you have to book a slot 4-6 months out. And they still have so much demand that they've published 2-3 guides for how to audition on different parts of their website.
I've wanted to do one of their workshops for years.
They've even got a whole arm of their business devoted to high power training for executives and CEOs that use the same techniques that have launched so many performers to stardom.
But they're so expensive that they're normally reserved for huge corporations like Cisco, Facebook, and Google. (All of whom have sent their team leaders to The Second City.)
That's why I'm so excited about today's announcement.
Thanks to our scale, we've gotten The Second City to agree to do a special workshop exclusively for Forefront this September.
It's going to be open to all Forefront attendees, no matter which of our 4 tracks you choose, and it's going to be insane.
We've still got tickets available, and this workshop is just the tip of the iceberg.
So if you haven't already signed up, click on the button below to reserve your spot.
Jay
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