matt ralston

Steve Hofstetter Proves Comedy Doesn’t Pay

HOF

If you haven’t seen the show Laughs on Fox you’re doing something right with your life. It features short clips of stand-up comedy, and an innovative segment showing screen grabs of tweets a staffer spelunked for. The show was created by Steve Hofstetter who is a comedian and internet based marketer who writes filler articles about Online Dating and tags other people’s Youtube videos to drive traffic to his pages. He’s a good comedian in the same way Napster was a good band.

Hofstetter’s show generated some minor headlines when it was revealed he doesn’t pay the comics who perform on the show. He serves as Executive Producer, so whatever money coming to them landed firmly in his pocket, or in the form of a no doubt 50% marked down cold cut platter at his production office.

Hofstetter defended his policy of not paying the talent he is profiting from by repeatedly stating that the comedians benefit from the exposure afforded by donating their time to the show, and that he will recommend them for club bookings in the future, a bartering system which in his words is invaluable and in reality could be quantified in the tens of dollars.

I actually told the guy who changed my oil last week that instead of issuing the $30 dollar payment I would introduce him to Norm Reeves, who happens to own a large chain of Honda dealerships. He is eternally grateful.

Laughs is a Non-Union show, meaning it is not subjected to regulations required by the Screen Actors Guild which requires performers be paid and given bathroom breaks and an ample stash of granola bars.

Hofstetter has passed off his show’s Non-Union status as a favor to the performers, as opposed to a way to skirt the regulations which have been widely agreed upon by TV networks:

Imagine telling a young comedian that he or she gets to be on TV for the first time, but has to spend $3,000 to join a union in order to do so?

That would certainly come as a shocking blow, since virtually any comedian not intent on committing career suicide aspires to join SAG so as to avoid getting stiffed by producers like Steve Hofstetter, and hence be granted opportunities to appear on more legitimate shows such as Laughs with David Letterman or Laughs with Conan O’Brien. Hofstetter has an answer for this:

If you are in the union and want to work a show like ours, I’d advise you to switch to a SAG/AFTRA status called “Financial Core” – it’s a designation that allows you to accept union and non-union work with no reprecussions (sic) at all (other then not being allowed to ever run for SAG office). Frankly, I think everyone should be Financial Core.”

You don’t have to be George Shapiro to understand this is a God Awful idea. Why would someone put the work and monetary investment into joining SAG (the fee to join is $3,200 dollars but not due immediately) only to renounce the protection to which the Union affords them? Do you join the Plumber’s Local 78 and decide to fix the overflowing toilet at Pizza Hut for a large pepperoni because you have lost self respect? Probably not.

Hofstetter claims he is now paying his talent and has gone on a full on offensive, often invoking some boarder line unethical and certainly irrelevant emotional appeals in regards to his personal struggles – the memories of being screwed over by shady club bookers not included.

He has comically overcompensated by his usury tactics by creating something called the Martin Grant which promises to: Aid a talented comedian with rent, car payments, or anything else that will help them focus on developing their art. 

It is open to any comedian who has Never made more than $10K at stand-up comedy in any given calendar year.

He definitely knows his target audience. You can donate to this fund on the website, or just give the money to Adrian Peterson to hire hookers. I checked on Steve’s Grant, and it is not registered as a 501c(3) non-profit, meaning there is no accountability regarding how this money is being used. I checked with my lawyer, and what he is doing isn’t actually illegal, just sketchy.

Steve: If you want to help comedians why not take the direct route and pay them for their services provided instead of starting some self-serving foundation aimed at aiding the same desperate hopefuls you are screwing over? The SAG day rate is enough for a down payment on a car.

In the meantime if anyone wants to come paint my house I will enter you in a drawing to do it again and get paid next time and send you on your way with a crisp twenty I have ironed in front of you while starching my Ed Hardy shirts.

You may also bring a camera and take pictures of the house to add it to your portfolio while you cry at your temp job.

Thanks,

Matt Ralston

 

 

 

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