As part of my work with The Humor Mill Orlando sketch comedy team, I played a key role in their sketch comedy festival which went virtual this year due to COVID-19.

The Second Annual CFL Sketch Fest features original video and taped live sketch comedy from groups throughout the US and Canada. I was in charge of pre-producing interview segments from all the participants, building out a graphics package for the show, and co-hosting along with some of my fellow Humor Mill cast members and Humor Mill founder Kelly Rands. Not only that, but I also switched the whole show using Streamyard and OBS Studio. It was a packed broadcast, including a long-form interview with comedian Kelly Vrooman, who you might recognize from The Sunny Side Up Show on PBS Sprout back in the 00s.

After watching from the sidelines while everybody and their Aunt Gertrude produced live-streamed shows and festivals this year, I had a lot of ideas going in. Some worked, some didn’t, some I abandoned entirely because they didn’t fit the fest. Obviously, Kelly Rands had the heavy lift of recruiting and organizing all the sketch teams and building the run-of-show. It was a team effort in every sense of the word. I took it as a high compliment when our headliner Kelly Vrooman said “You’re rocking it, by the way. This is, like, the smoothest virtual event I have seen so far.” In 2020, when everybody is doing virtual events, that’s really saying something.

The marathon 3-hour stream got my live-streaming itch going again. Now that I’m done with the ebook, paperback, and audiobook versions of Fan Podcasting: The Complete Guide, I think I’m ready to start streaming on a regular basis again. I’m formulating the idea now for a short daily show, something to sharpen my skills after taking a year and a half off from streaming a few times a week. Keep an eye on the Do Anything Facebook page in the coming weeks for more on that. I’m managing the kids at Pandemic Elementary (brought to you by Microsoft Teams), so it’ll likely be early. A morning show of sorts…

Overall, I had an awesome time prepping and hosting the sketch fest. The Humor Mill has been one of my few outlets to collaborate with others during this whole pandemic, and it was nice to jump in and help make their big event a success, even if I didn’t get to perform in front of an in-person crowd this time.

Maybe next year…

Bonus: Look for me dressed as a sexy lumberjack-type at the end of one of The Humor Mill’s sketches from the fest, which I also edited.