Many people know about the
hilarious comedian Louis C.K. but did you know he is of Mexican and Hungarian
descent? (IMDB Profile) Louis Szekely was born in Washington D.C.
but lived in Mexico City, Mexico, until he was 7 years old. He has dual
citizenship in both the U.S. and Mexico. He started doing stand-up comedy in
1984 in Boston, MA. He was so terrible
his first time out the gate that he didn’t attempt stand up again for a few
years. In addition to being a stand up comic, Louis has worked as a writer
on The Chris Rock Show, Saturday Night Live, and his own television shows Lucky
Louie (HBO) and Louis (FX). One thing that makes him unique as a comedian is
that he discards all of his material every year and starts from scratch in an
attempt of always remaining fresh and relevant.
In
December 2011, C.K. released his independently produced comedy special Live at
the Beacon Theater via his website.
According to the Emmys
2012: Louis C.K.'s Digital Download Experiment Pays Off article
by Seth Abramovich from the Hollywood Reporter, the special has grossed over $1
million. I have chosen Louis CK’s success story for this first blog post
because he is a great example of what a strong work ethic and dedication to his
craft can yield…a successful self-produced, edited, and distributed work that
is entirely representative of the comic himself.
The show took place in
November 2011 at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. Louis C.K. not only
produced his special but he personally edited the work as well. Four weeks
after the taping of the special, he launched it as a digital download on his website for $5. The
show was produced for $250,000, and with the $1.1 million in sales as of
September 2012, he has shown that it is possible to take the corporation out of
the picture. (Abramovitch.)