The Roommates' Take on Social media
Ian Edwards and Paul Elia are two stand-ups who have recently been getting attention online through their sketch series “Roommates,” a show built on the simple premise of two completely different people stuck living together. We sat down and chatted about what social media has done to stand-up — the good, the annoying, and the genuinely confusing — and how Roommates came out of all of it.
Social media has changed the game of stand-up in recent years. How has it affected how you both view stand-up? And was that part of why you started Roommates?
Ian: Yeah, there are tiers of comics now. You’ve got the mega-famous comics people will see in theaters and arenas. Then you’ve got the social media people, and that includes some comics who are genuinely hilarious, have big followings, and sell out clubs. And then there’s the comics who are truly talented, working the circuit, performing at the Cellar, just beasts — but without a large following. And clubs aren’t putting those people on weekends because they don’t move tickets. Which is tough to see. Things have changed, and I think we’re all still trying to figure it out.
Paul: The social media game has shifted what’s valuable to different people. Your set, jokes, and intellectual property is still valuable, but the desire to put it online is higher than the desire to protect it for most comics and clubs. So, people are putting stuff out there faster.
I keep wondering if the desire to put stuff out so quick makes for a weird churn problem. I always think about Gary Gulman’s state abbreviations bit — the first time he performed it was apparently eight years before it went viral on Conan. If he’d been farming clips back then, we might have seen a decent early draft instead of what became a genuinely great piece of comedy. How many excellent bits are we not seeing because people are releasing first drafts?
Ian: Could be, but I’ve also watched a friend post a joke for the first time, reading it off her phone at an open mic, and then post updated versions as it evolved, and people actually appreciated seeing the growth. She got multiple rounds of content out of the same joke. I don’t fully get it, but I can’t say it doesn’t work.
Things have changed that way. I know I have fans on the road that will ask me to do specific bits. I’ve been heckled for it — people shout out at shows asking me to do a specific joke. And I’m like, “But you know the joke. Why would you want me to say it? You’ve already heard it.”
Paul: It’s like musicians. They put out an album and tour it. Comedians put out a special, but you don’t tour it after.
Ian: Maybe now we can.
Paul: Haha, maybe.
Ian: If audiences want to hear the hits live, maybe that’s actually changing. I genuinely don’t know yet.
So, where did Roommates come from in all of this?
Ian: I had shot a special and wanted to promote it. And I could see the work Paul had done — the eye he has, what he can make happen. So we started working together. And it was also a way to put content out that wasn’t my stand-up material. Not doing clips from my set, but still being seen.
Paul: We tried it out, and then we just kept doing it because people responded to it.
Watch the latest episodes of Roommates:
