Publicity
Twitter Gives Rise to a Network of Amateur Comedians
By Rex Huppke
Appeared in the Chicago Tribune
On May 18, 2009
Sean Cusick, who teaches comedy writing at the Second City Training Center, said Twitter provides a sound training ground for comedic writing, largely because of its quick pace and immediacy.
“The creative process is similar to what we use here at Second City,” he said. “It’s rooted in improvisation. You’re walking down the street and you say, ‘Holy crap, this just happened,’ and then you’re Twittering about it. The best comedy tends to pop into your head.”
That’s what Aimee Brock — known to her followers as “Aimee_B_Loved” — has found.
“Sometimes you only have a 140-character thought and it’s probably best if it’s not expanded,” said Brock, 24, who works as a copywriter at a branding agency in Wichita, Kan. “The type of things that people would worry about if you said them out loud are usually the kind of things I come up with.”
Things such as this recent tweet: “Is it still illegal to kill and eat a panda? I’m asking for a friend.”
