Retweeting Praise Retweeting praise is the most disgusting behaviour on the internet. It’s narcissistic in the extreme and makes you look a prize prat. Then I went to Edinburgh with my first show with no PR or management and zero buzz surrounding me. The Edinburgh fringe is essentially your shop window and social media plays a huge part in your ‘brand’. I HATE EVERYTHING I AM WRITING! I hate the idea of being a brand, a commodity. I started comedy in 2009 because I thought, unlike in musical theatre, I wouldn’t be judged on my looks, my gender wouldn’t matter - all that would matter would be whether or not I was funny. Unfortunately I was being naive (understatement) and your image is ridiculously important. I haven’t really cultivated an image in comedy and I don’t retweet my praise (a lot of the time I don’t even announce the gigs in the first place) or reviews. But in Edinburgh, apparently, things are different. And without PR I’ve been told I have to create my own buzz. My options were to go around the city pretending to be on the phone and saying, “I’ve heard a lot of good things about some chick called….Sooz Kempner?” near anyone who looked vaguely ‘industry’. Hire PR (coz I have £2000 in my back-pocket don’t I). Or to use social media to make myself look as big-time as I could. My audiences have been great. The room is always well-filled and reaction has been way better than I hoped for my strange little show. After each show if someone tweets something that makes me look like I’m an Edinburgh-success (whatever that is) I’ll retweet it…maximum of one a day. Coz EWWWWWW! I see people who retweet everything they receive. “Enjoyed your show”. Retweet. “Thanks for a fun show”. Retweet. Maybe I should be doing that but I think one a day is more than enough (that’s not to say I’m showered with complimentary tweets after each performance, big no). I’ve also heard comics talking about how gross retweeting compliments is. AND THEY’RE RIGHT! But having waited 5 years to take a solo show to Edinburgh I’ll try anything to get something from it. So if my Twitter feed is an annoying blend of narcissism and joy I apologise. Don’t worry. I hate me too. #DefyingGravity #mustsee #gratitude
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 07:46:47 +0000
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