Spend a half-hour with Kyle Cease as he explains the mindset of comedians (VIDEO)

Just watched this new 26-minute interview with Kyle Cease, which isn't really so much an interview as it is an infomercial for his "stand-up comedy bootcamps," although it's not so much an infomercial as it is really the whole thing. In a nutshell.

Did this save you a bunch of money? Did it make you want to spend all of your money on a bootcamp? And by all, I mean all $299, with a money-back guarantee, as Cease himself tells me. Does it change your mindset at all on Cease, hearing what he has to say about the typical mindset of a stand-up comedian, and what it should be instead? Let me know, after you've watched him make his case. And if any of you ventriloquist dummies don't know why I'd ask questions as if this is an issue, then you haven't read any message board debate over this. Also: Kyle Cease himself says in this video that he believes comedians tend to have the wrong mindset, and wants to right it. Did he? Could he? Roll it!

Comments

[Nam Huynh]

I've attended two Bootcamps, I've paid for both, they always light a fire under my ass. The inspirational/motivational aspects alone are worth the price of admission. Kyle and Louie are two of the most genuine, kind and generous gentlemen I've had the pleasure of knowing. Bootcamp was an amazing experience, I use the lessons I learned there everyday. The comics I met there have been a great asset in furthering my schemes. Kyle and Louie's continued support after bootcamp has been priceless. I don't want to waste too much time talking to someone that will likely label me as a sucker and shrug off my words so here's the jist, as a consumer I'm quite happy with the service I paid for and will happily support it now and in the future. On a different note, the text in the comments section of your website shows up as black over a blue background. It's quite hard to read unless highlighted. Is there a settings page or something where I can fix this for myself? If not, I'd suggest considering it as it may detract patronage for your website.

[Seanoconnz]

I had to comment because this is too creepy. Guys, comedy is all about making people laugh. You are making it seem like this really creepy cult. Can you please stop doing that?

I love comedy. If I had a business card it would probably just say "comedian." Not "artist, actor, comedian, hairstylist." I'm glad Kyle Cease has made all of you feel better about yourselves. But it's totally sounding like a cult. If he really wanted to make you ALL to REACH your full potential, wouldn't he do it for free? Why do you have to pay someone else to find out how to feel good about yourself.

I am bringing this up because everyone seems like being funny is the least important thing to them and it's really about FEELING GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES and INDUSTRY CONTACTS.

Just stop! It's creepy. It's really fucking creepy. I used my real name and my real twitter. I just had to do this because I was fucking grossed out.

[Jimmy Shaw]

My experiences with BootCamp, 3 now, have been the best thing for my aspirations as a standup.
Everyone takes what they take from anything, but, to throw negativity on top of something you don't experience yourself, is always bad.
I won't bore you with my life changing stories, however, the one thing I will tell you that I appreciate from Kyle, Kevin, Louie, and all the comics and speakers, is that they teach you to know what you want from this. Not how to be funny, but to be serious about your career in this. To be serious about yourself. To be real about what you and your standup can and should be about...yourself.
For me, it stripped away the mental barrier most standups have at any stage in their career. My progress is based on myself. But, without BootCamp, I know I would not be anywhere near where I am at today.
I'm comfortable and confident on stage. And, I can talk about anything. That alone is worth every BootCamp I've gone to.
Plus the connections are amazing. I got my hosting gig through the waiter (now standup) from the first BootCamp!!!
Headliner comics know who you are. Not to brag about, but, just to talk to and hang with. And all the speakers love checking on your progress.
The BootCamp comics I've met are some of my best friends now too. It has turned out to be the best thing I've experienced and I never regret it.

[me]

Definition of Interview:

An interview is a conversation between two or more people (the interviewer and the interviewee) where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.

This video is not an interview. And all of you people have drank the Kool Aid.

I'm scared.

Thank You,
Eric Murphy

[Harold Crackenberry]

Hey Kyle Cease and desist from promoting your bullshit, ripoff so called comedy bootcamp. I've seen your set, and you wouldn't know comedy if it kicked you in the balls, you has been never was. Where do you get off raping people for hundreds of dollars to give them comedy advice? The only funny bone in your body was when Louie Anderson implanted his meat spear in your ass you loser. To all watching this loser, run he's a bad comic who couldn't "Hack" it in comedy and now he is just trying to make a living ripping off up and coming wannabee hacks!

[Kathy Mc]

Having attended the Aug 2010 Stand Up Boot Camp workshop at the World famous Comedy Store in LA as an observer and non participant, I feel I can voice my opinion on the subject.

First of all, I am not a stand up comic. Yes, throughout my life I have had the desire and dream to try my hand at this career. I have attended hundreds of comedy shows, watched countless hours of comedy TV, movies and spent lots time with folks who perform comedy. Perhaps this exposure is why my daughter is actively seeking a career in the business of laughter. She is immensely funny, intelligent, and hardworking. I swear she has been doing stand up since her stage was a crib mattress. In high school she refused to get a job and instead rented halls in Legions, VFW’s, and various rooms in order to sell tickets and stage comedy shows. She has been truly ambitious and dedicated to realizing her aspirations. I am glad to see my desire and dream has manifested itself in her life and I have supported her efforts 100%.

This brings me to Comedy Boot Camp in Minneapolis in March 2010. I pushed her to attend that event. She also thought that “funny can’t be taught” and many of her friends told her they thought it was a rip-off and she would gain nothing by attending. They steadfastly stuck by their guns and refused to support her participation; frankly many of them were rude and hateful because she chose to follow my “non-professional” advice in their chosen industry.

On the first day of that Mpls. Boot Camp, Louie Anderson recognized her talent and they have developed an excellent, on-going relationship. With his mentorship, I have seen an immense improvement in her routine, on stage performance, and her attitude toward her chosen career. He has become a wonderful friend and mentor, sharing his professional wisdom and experience to improve her abilities and showmanship. For the first time in her young career there is a support system, real opportunity in comedy, a place in her mind secure in the knowledge that her skills do have an achievable market and there are people in the show business that truly care about mentoring the “up and coming”. She has attacked and improved her career with enthusiasm since meeting Louie.

As stated earlier, I attended the LA boot camp as an observer and non participant. Louie and Kyle are doing the most amazing thing by infecting the group with the power of positive thinking, harnessing individual effort with enthusiasm to create a hugely powerful force. The difference in performances from day one to the final showcase is a truly amazing transformation. They criticize with brutal honesty in a constructive voice, the passion Louie and Kyle show for helping others see their full potential is completely real. I believe they have an incredible gift of mentorship and will be rewarded a thousand times over.

I came away from boot camp and retired my dream of a comic career. I realized the creative effort and unrelenting schedules are far more of a challenge than I want to exercise at this stage in my life. I discovered my role as a cheerleader and support system are important and appreciated by not only my daughter, but her professional pals as well. I thank Louie and Kyle for facilitating that late life lesson. I can’t wait to go to another boot camp to see all the talent, catch up with friends and make some new ones and experience the incredible Boot Camp energy again.

[Stu Baker]

I barely have enough energy to type this because I've begun to learn that entering into these kinds of discussions is misdirected focus if I want to become a better comedian. I generally prefer to attempt to write new jokes and look for places to perform.

The Stand Up Bootcamps are helpful experiences run by people who genuinely want the attendees to become better comics. While they might not be for everybody, they do break down barriers for many. Some people do have the wrong mindset about their own potential for doing comedy and one of the approach es of the bootcamps is to shine a light on those limiting beliefs and move past them.

I've known Kyle Cease for years and always found him funny, helpful, and a genuinely good friend. For me, doing stand up has been an amazing journey and advances I have made in comedy have accompanied growth I've had as a person. My friendship with Kyle has been good for both.

For the record, I have attended a few of his bootcamps and feel I benefited tremdously.

I believe that if a person wants to succeed in comedy, there are many paths to success. One can certainly succeed without going to bootcamp. I imagine one could succeed without asking other comics for their advice, reading about stand up in books, studying the great ones of the past, always writing new jokes, and performing as much as you can, The formula that has worked for me has been to use as many tools in the toolbox as I had available. Bootcamp has been a very useful tool.

[Myles Weber]

Kyle Cease has helped me out tremendously. I attended his 2nd bootcamp he ever did, and it changed my whole outlook on life and the stage. My comedy has gotten so much better, and real, and funnier since that week. I just released my first comedy album on iTunes, and it has got nothing but positive responses. A person who bought my CD was listening to it in their car. He was laughing so hard that he took he crashed into a parked car. He's fine! But in his words, "You're too funny to drive with." I am very proud of my CD. And it is great because of the things I learned from Kyle. My stand-up is at a whole new level now, and I am getting a lot of work really fast because of it. Kyle lights a fire under you that drives you to chase your dreams. And that's what I'm doing, and I owe it all to Kyle.
Thanks man.
-Myles Weber

[Harold Crackenberry]

Why don't you wannabee comics read the truth from an actual talented "working" comic.........what a bunch of losers you are, trying to justify spending money on an art form that can't be taught.....Pathetic!

http://www.dougstanhope.com/

[Joe Roberts]

I went to the Boot Camp in Minneapolis MN. I was very sceptical at first. Now I can say it was the best money I ever spent. It helped me unblock my self creativley. Kyle is a good man. He is helping people move ahead in comedy.
Comic and Club owner: Joe Roberts

[Frank]

this is fucking ridiculous. 60 comments. 3 of which are by kyle's brother kevin. only 5 are responses to other comments. the other 55 are the exact same positive review in different words. the fact that stand up boot camp told its followers to post on this is despicable. 60 comments is about 59 more than the site's average per article. the fact that there are people on here who are making fun of this blog proves that they aren't regular readers and that means they came to this site solely to comment on this article. but what a better place to advertise your pointless shit then on a site that only comedians read? bound to get a few more students (customers)! and don't tell me to not knock it before i try it. i didn't say anything negative about the camp because it is true, I've never been there. I am however knocking the blatant promotion on this comment section which goes hand in hand with the rest of the crap they do. also, why make fun of the camp when someone else can do it much better than me?:
http://www.dougstanhope.com/journal/2010/7/12/comedy-death-camp.html

[Don Steinmetz]

"A successful man (or woman) is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him" David Brinkley.

I too don't usually like to chime in on these types of discussions because of the futility of changing the opinions on either side of an argument. You generally will not change the mind set of either party especially once the debate becomes so heated and people regress to school yard name calling.

Any form of education, information sharing and learning from individual comics or in a class setting like Kyle's Boot Camp, The Groundlings or from my original comedy class at Scottsdale can only help make you better and improve your chances of success. 50 years ago to achieve a High School diploma was the ultimate goal of most people and now a basic college degree is barely enough to get you a entry level job in today's market so now we must get Masters and more to be competitive in the job market.

Getting to those who have done it and are willing to teach it for a price may be your choice to take to achieving your individual goal in comedy. The other way of hard work and getting on the road, hanging around and asking individual comics how they got to where they are isn't wrong either. Neither method is the wrong way because it boils down to simply the drive and desire to succeed which gets you what you want in this industry.

Learning from individual comics is invaluable. Closing your mind to new experiences or options to learning because you feel the "old school" way is the only way is only allowing personal arrogance to close down opportunites for growth in your chosen profession.

I have know Kyle for many years and went to a few of his Boot Camps. I didn't drink any coolaide and am not waiting for the comets since I understood the meaning of what was being said in the class and knew enough to take out of it only what I felt I needed to help me with my goal in comedy. I met many great comics and got some very sound advice and made some great contacts for future work.

What I do know about the core character of the man is Kyle's sincerety to help others. Is his Boot Camp the perfect system for success? Of coarse not, no one has that, but he has experience and I have witnessed him at the Miami Improv headlining to packed rooms only to get a standing ovation after all 6 shows. Is this the work of someone who has not learned the skill of stand up?

Can I also say I agree with everything Kyle has told me? No... I can't look at life through others rose colored glasses and believe everything I hope for will come true. But does that really water down his message? No because the message isn't about you getting everything you hope for. It is about getting everything you work for.

Through Kyle and many other means I was able to raise my game to where I have featured at a major club and I have worked with many great comics. For that I thank all of my comics friends, headliners, Kyle, Tony and many other guys/gals who paved the way for us up and coming comics.

So as Brinkley said..keep throwing the bricks..and someone will build the foundation of their success on what you have thown away.

Enjoy the rest of the debate...

[Cory Michaelis]

I'm not drinking any of the Kool Aid.

Kyle Cease does not try to teach people how to be funny.

Interestingly, Louie Anderson rarely gets criticized for Stand Up Bootcamp.

There is no crime in making money and when Kyle and Louie eventually money on Stand Up Bootcamp, I will congratulate them. They should not have to apologize for the money that will be well earned. People that think they are making a lot of money now might be good at math but leave out important parts of the equation.

Some of the people that attend Stand Up Bootcamp will not become successful comics because they aren't quite funny enough and/or they won't work hard enough. I teach high school, and some of my students will not be successful in certain subjects because they aren't quite talented enough and/or they won't work hard enough.

I believe reading and education help people advance more quickly in any content area, profession, or skill. Many comics disagree. I am right.

All art forms can be taught. That said, I doubt there is any amount of training that will make me a million-dollar painter. The same is true for a lot of wannabe comics. It isn't Kyle and Louie's responsibility to screen them, they are adults that have to screen themselves.

It hurts the egos of some comics to believe that lots of people are capable of being funny with a little training. Toughen up.

I am a reasonable adult that doesn't need help deciding how to manage my money. I certainly don't want advice from other comics on how to manage it - especially comics who are so against making money.

Finally, this blog post wasn't all that negative and the blog in general is quite good. I was actually disappointed that Mr. McCarthy didn't take a stronger position on the video and/or Stand Up Bootcamp.

[Jay Hollingsworth]

If you were trying to become a singer and sounded nothing like Frank Sinatra, but he was giving a class on how to improve as a singer would you take it? If you were a painter that painted nothing like Picasso, but Picasso was giving a class... on how to become a better painter would you take it? If you were a martial arts instructor and you were 6'8", 300+lbs (me), would you be interested to hear what Bruce Lee (who was 5'7", 135lbs) had to say? My point is this; I view comedy VERY similar to when I trained/taught martial arts. I look to every headliner, feature & even 1st time open mic'ers to learn & grow. You can have an absolute opposite point of view as a comic or a different voice of another comedian and can still learn so much from them if you're just open. I took the class, I recommend it. If you don't want to do it, don't. Pretty simple. But if you do take it and you're willing to apply what you learn, it IMHO will help you advance in whatever you're trying to advance in. I saw a comedy legend last weekend, come in at 3pm to watch his previous nights set to see where he could improve for his next show. This guy had been doing comedy for 34+ years. I think anyone can be open to listening to other comedians and learning. And yes I listen to Doug Stanhope and make my own decisions.

I know some will argue Kyle or Louie or both are not the "Bruce Lee" or "Frank Sinatra" of comedy etc... which you're entitled to that opinion, however nobody can really argue with the success they have both had in comedy, along with the many comedians they have involved with bootcamp (Craig Shoemaker, Ralphie May, Bret Ernst, Eddie Brill, Harland Williams, Alonzo Bodden, Russel Peters, Chris Porter, Kevin Nealon). If you don't think you can learn anything from bootcamp or these comedians and it's a waste of money, then for you, you're probably right.

I think all discussion & feedback is good, I think Stanhope's article was great, cause it gets discussions going and I think people should be open to all points of views and then decide for yourself. Don't be a sheep either way. The same people regurgitating Stanhope’s article saying “Bootcamp students are sheep following Kyle” or “Stand-up comedy isn’t about community it’s about being a loner” etc… are the same people going to all of Stanhope’s anti comedy fests and taking all of Stanhope’s advice. It’s the same thing on the other side of the spectrum. And for the record I think Stanhope as a comedian is brilliant.

In the grand scheme of things, look into the class, if you want to do it, great do it, if you don’t, don’t. If people take this class or another class and it helps them, then good for them. If you don’t take the class and you are successful, great, keep doing what you’re doing. I don’t claim to have all the answers, I really don’t have any, I just know that I’m a comedian that feels I can always improve, always learn and I will do everything I can to learn, grow and get better, whether the feedback is coming from Louie Anderson, Kyle Cease or Doug Stanhope.

[Josh Homer]

Hey guys,
www.sheckymagazine.com also put up a post about this. You guys should run over there to.

I'm not saying anything negative about Kyle or his class, as I have not been, and it seem you guys got what you wanted from it. I'm just saying if you are active in the online comedy discussions you really need to get over to www.sheckymagazine.com and show some love to Brian's and Traci's site!

Have fun.

[Mike Honcho]

Bobby Bird...you are a fucking annoying piece of trash. I read your comments on facebook and you sound like a pathetic loser. Kyle is not your friend, he doesn't give a fuck about you. It is fake. Fake because he feels sorry for you. He may think you have a mild retardation, and by your lack of proper grammer and constant weening for attention, maybe you do. But someone has to be honest with you. I am not trashing Bootcamp, I am trashing you. You are the reason Bootcamp gets a bad wrap. You and all the other Kool-Aid drinking nobodies who were told for a weekend they were somebody and now think they run the comedy scene everywhere. You can benefit from Bootcamp, but don't kid yourself, you will never have a better understanding of comedy than other comics that put in the work. Taking Bootcamp and not putting in the work would be as bad as taking steroids and not working out on a daily basis. Just going to open mics and bragging about it on facebook is not putting in the work. I could sit and listen to Kyle talk about comedy all day, not that he is very knowledgable about it, but because he is passionate about it, and that I respect. What I don't respect is him feeding the delusional minds of dipshits like Bobby Bird and making them actually believe that after a few years of doing comedy that they deserve to quit their jobs and go at it full time, trust me man, I have seen your shit, you are no where near ready, not saying you won't be, but really, you're not funny and nobody likes you. And that goes for most of you bootcampers. I am singling Bobby out because his name is funny and he posts stupid shit like, "Everyone post your videos to prove you've been going to open mics." That is as bad as sitting in the middle of a shopping mall and screaming out to everyone that you are a comic, you just want attention, and you want everyone to know that you are trying to be a comic, I have an idea, how about you shut your fucking mouth and work to become one, if your product is good you won't have to advertise it. Oh and Kevin Cease, it must be really cold in your brother's shadow. Man, I don't know what it would be like having to introduce yourself by first explaining to people who your brother is. You talk a lot of shit online too, but that may be from a mild retardation as well, who knows, all I do know is that everything you are is because of your brother, so don't get jealous one day and kill him, just continue to accept your role.

[Mark Herron]

Ya'll are straight up ridiculous.

[Phillip J. Fry]

I attended a bootcamp and it wasn't for me. Kyle is very excited, and that is great, but he also spends a lot of time selling, even after we've already paid. I did learn things that would have taken me some time and some heartache to figure out. You'll get the same advice at any comedy club: get on stage often, don't be a dick, make yourself easy to book.

To the people who go to multiple bootcamps but don't get on stage, stop, you are being duped. To the people who went and got motivated and got on stage, good for you.

Now let's go do something "amazing" and quit wasting our time on this.

[Adamconover]

Kyle, if you're reading this: speaking as someone who's more than open-minded about your the value of your classes, you should know that the fact that you sent out an email blast in order to get 65 people to comment on a one-paragraph blog post reflects much more poorly on you than anything that was written in the original post. It's an odd, unsettling thing to do that portrays your classes in a very strange light.

[Desiree']

im a high school student and i have decided to do my senior project on becoming a comedian, i heard about this bootcamp and i am very interested! would anyone be willing to fill me in on what happens and the cost???

:)thank you