Andrew Schulz: Revolutionising Comedy Using Apple’s Business Model.
You’ve heard the story of Apple, probably one too many times. But the ingenuity of Apple’s approach has pioneered a whole new wave of business models. What do I mean? I’m talking about the vertical integration which Apple has employed. From hardware to software, services to payments they cover everything. They own the whole ecosystem and therefore once someone buys an iPhone they are likely to listen to Apple music, whilst using airpods or Beats by Apple earphones, pay for their latte using Apple pay and pretend to do work on their Macbook too. That’s something special.
So what does all this have to do with comedy? Well, there’s a revolutionary in the midst of the stand up comedians: Andrew Schulz. And he’s learnt from the philosophy of “own the whole ecosystem” and has started applying it to the world of comedy, changing the business model forever.
A Snapshot of the Traditional Model.
Since the 1960’s, there were really 2 ways that comedians could make it:
- Get a TV special with a network like HBO, Comedy Central, Comedy Dynamics and now Netflix.
- Get a sitcom or do movies, much like Robin Williams, Kevin Hart or The Wayans brothers.
This model made sense, but it meant there were a lot of gatekeepers before the comedian ever saw an audience. Here’s what the traditional route to market looked like:
- The comedian would come up with the material
- Agent books comedian for gigs
- Comedy clubs have to let comedian refine material
- TV networks/ Movie networks maybe give the comedian access to a wider audience
The Rise Of Podcasting.
This has changed in the last decade, we’ve seen comedians like Joe Rogan (The Joe Rogan Experience) & Bryan Callen/Brendan Schaub (The Fighter & The Kid), really lay the path for comedians in terms of the value of podcasting. Andrew Schulz, noticed this and doubled down on the idea of building a loyal audience through podcasting and social media. That’s great but you’re still dependent on the big networks for a comedy special (which incidentally is seen as the big championship prize for stand up comedians). So for Schulz, just having an audience wasn’t enough, he wanted to have leverage for the deals he would get with the networks.
Teamwork Makes The Dreamwork.
His first step was building out a team; A collective of comedians, writers, videographers- everyone that you would typically get along that value chain of comedy. He brought them all together as a team that could support each other and help build each other’s careers.
When it came time to start developing his own special, he realised he was completely free from any dependence on networks to provide a team to shoot/edit and distribute his special.
“Free Does Not Mean No Value” — Andrew Schulz.
When it came to distribution he took a brazen move; He released his first few specials completely for free on YouTube. Of course, releasing your special, effectively your golden goose, for free was unheard of in comedy circles, yet, this was a calculated move. This stunt created so much PR towards his comedy special and drew in viewers. As you’d expect, the comedy was great so it retained the viewers attention and also caught the eye of the big networks like Netflix & Comedy Dynamics. They approached Schulz and wanted to partner with him and pay him fees for his next special. There is a big difference between partnership vs employed by a network.
0–1,000,000 Real Quick.
He got 7 figures for his second special. From putting out comedy specials for free, to getting paid 7 figures for one special on one of these platforms. And still he owns all the creatives, rights and audience.
Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop.
And he hasn’t stopped there, he’s recently built Schulz Studios in New York City.
It’s essentially a creative compound for his whole team. Comprised of:
- 3 podcast studios
- Live event space
- 2 green screens
- Live broadcast space
- Editing suites
Now this is really thinking ahead, and really applying how Apple thinks about it. He owns everything from end to end- from the content creation to the distribution to the whole audience.
You can check out the full build of the studio on Modern Builds.
“We’re not destroying the industry, we’re just shaking it up so that we can work together in a better way, because we’re doing more than we did before…” — Andrew Schulz
The View From The Top.
This represents what Creative Jungl is all about: applying a business brain to a creative space, and I think Andrew Schulz mirrors that entirely, so I really recommend you check out his content. He has one podcast with Charlemagne Tha God called The Brilliant Idiots, and another podcast called Flagrant 2, with fellow comedian Akaash Singh. Like I said, his early specials are on YouTube for free, go check them out.
Take a really keen interest in how he is building the business model of comedy and revolutionizing the space and go buy some “Fashun” products too! For Schulz, applying Apple’s level of business strategy to this seemingly forgotten industry has not only sky-rocketed his own career, but laid the path for comedians to come. He’s left the blueprint for how the business model should, and will look like in coming years.
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Creative Jungl, a network of creatives and entrepreneurs who get together to figure out the best way to start, run and expand great businesses in the creative industries. Follow us on Instagram or Linkedin for more content and join us on slack to connect and discuss with other creative entrepreneurs.
