[Interview] East India Comedy on why success is no joke

Social Samosa recently interacted with one of India’s most popular comedy company, East India Comedy trying to figure out how they do what they do!

Founded in the year 2012 by comedian Sorabh Pant, East India Comedy comprises of seven rib ticklers who quickly gained popularity among the Indian audiences, and pride themselves on being the busiest comedy companies in India.

Apart from live shows. EIC have their very own YouTube channel where they treat their audience with videos taking on politics, religion and everything Indian, and with more than 477k subscribers they promise to make us all laugh for years to come.

Looking back, what was the one thing that triggered the beginning of East India Comedy?

It was the need for company! Working alone is boring

Comedy is the new 'It Factor' - with everyone trying to master this emotion of communication, what sets East India Comedy Apart?

I have no idea! We just talk about what we want to talk about! Our comedy is so varied – we do news comedy, sketches, music, Bollywood, performance-based, story-telling - that we probably don’t want to be apart from anything, but almost be a part of everything! (Haha! The guys are going to hate me for saying that!)

But seriously, we’re trying not to restrict ourselves, and maybe our constant experimentation is what sets us apart.

I’m not sure. You’re making me think!! Comedians don’t like thinking!!!

Within comedy, what kind of content works well? Have you seen any trends?

There are no rules. We get asked this a lot. But there’s a market for everything. Funny is funny.

We do news based comedy with EIC Outrage – it’s been doing well. It’s a little heavy, but the people who want to consume it, will. Obviously, music will do well. But yes, in general, the short format works, mainly because of tiny attention spans.

While you ace content creation, how do you make sure that the content is disseminated aptly? Please share your social media mix?

Right now we release simultaneously on Facebook and Youtube. They are both strong social media. We also use Instagram and Twitter for shorter clips / sample clips that are used to promote the main link.

How often do you work with brands? What kind of solutions are they usually looking for?

We get brand offers here and there. Few convert. Most brands want ads. Sometimes you get a brand who understands our content and we work collaboratively. It’s a good mix. I think, both brands and creators are figuring things out as we go along.

What is the core difference between branded content and content marketing according to you?

 idea. It’s all jargon to us!

What kind of briefs do brands usually give? What has been the most ridiculous brief received by you?

Like I said, mostly the brief is that they want an ad. Which is fine. We had a brand who wanted us to put out an ad that sounded very propaganda-ish to us. So we said no.

Please take us through your monetization model

There’s no model! Wherever we get money, we keep it! Mostly, video-making is a loss – expenses are higher. We fund the difference ourselves. However, hopefully, that will change in a few years.

Which has been the highest point in East India Comedy's journey? The point that made it all worth

It’s yet to come!

What would be your one tip to budding content creators and stand up comedians?

Put in the hours.