Campaign Story

Friends, supporters, and lovers of comedy!

I am creating my debut comedy SPECTACULAR and need your involvement and help.

So why a comedy ‘spectacular’ rather than a ‘special’? As you’ll know, television networks and streaming platforms these days are saturated with copy/paste stand-up specials for you to enjoy (or NOT enjoy as the case may be) and the lazy approach to production and writing makes much of this comedy feel disposable and trite. You laugh, you leave and then you go watch 100s of other ‘specials’ that follow exactly the same formula.

I have never followed the rules of this industry to the letter. I like to play with the foundations, stretch the boundaries and explore the unexplored territories in comedy by daring to leap into territories unknown and out of my comfort zone. That is why my first piece of long-form comedic art needed to be something bigger, more unique (crowdfunded and developed with supporters) and wide-ranging (stand-up, crowd work, musical comedy and sketch). It doesn’t need to be special, it needs to be spectacular.

WHAT WILL IT LOOK LIKE?

– 4 shows will be recorded in both Los Angeles and New York City (2 in each). The 2 LA shows will feature crowd work and improv, the 2 NY shows will feature an hour of written material.

– 2 additional shoot days will be used to capture the rap music video, comedy sketch and the monologue that will serve as the backbone to the piece.

– A team will work on animating a segment based on some of my character voices interacting.

My goal is to create an undeniably spectacular piece of work that will kick down industry doors, build even more of a following from comedy lovers across the globe and solidify my place as one of the most unique multi-faceted writer/performers on the circuit.

WHY WOULD I SUPPORT YOUR SPECTACULAR JEFF?

Dedication, belief and respect. This represents the culmination of over 17 years of experience in the entertainment industry and I have worked tirelessly to hone all of these skills for one purpose and one purpose alone, entertaining YOU. I started out in professional commercial radio whilst at college, became an internationally touring DJ/Producer for Ministry of Sound and Island Records in my early 20s and played at major festivals including Glastonbury, Bestival and Snowbombing.

This led to a chance encounter with a producer who auditioned me to be a television presenter for the BBC. I went on to host for BBC, BBC2, ITV2, Channel 4, Current TV, London Live, ABC and more. I also performed as part of an improvisation and sketch comedy group playing arts festivals across the EU. My love of stand-up comedy came next and I bowed out of big-paying TV jobs instead focusing on dominating stages around the UK to hone my skills for major producers Jongleurs and Highlights. I performed a full length one-man one hour show at Edinburgh Fringe Festival after just 6 months of stand-up comedy, a feat that no other British stand-up comedian has ever taken on. The show was met with critical acclaim and 5 star reviews, which led me onto 3 more years of new solo shows, touring theaters across the UK and the occasional international gig in Berlin, Los Angeles and New York City.

After charming the booker of the world famous comedy club, The Comedy Cellar, in New York City and taking to their stage to audition for her and the owner, I was offered a residency at the venue and the opportunity to take my skills to USA became a reality. Since my arrival in the US I’ve recorded shows for Amazon Prime, Comedy Central, NBC Sports and Comic Con, hosted major gaming events for Twitch, Ubisoft, Square Enix and SDCC, hosted red carpet premieres for Marvel and DC, awards ceremonies for Promax and corporate release events. I’ve produced multiple live stages shows in Los Angeles and New York City, taken up residency in shows in Las Vegas, LA and NYC for Spiegelworld, Comedy Cellar, The Stand, New York Comedy Club, Stand Up NY, The Comedy Store, Laugh Factory and Improv venues. I have appeared as a comedian guest on SiriusXM, Gas Digital, Compound Media and been the head writer on two seasons of Car Crash TV and multiple years of the BAFTA Games Awards.

As a voice actor I have become the voice of iconic characters including Peeves in Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, Ardanno in Star Wars: Rise OF The Resistance, Ghost in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare/Warzone and Prince Stefan in Battlestar Galactica:Deadlock franchises. I am set to play the lead, Guan, in a new animated series Road Of Vengeance (roadofvengeance.com) and have multiple new AAA and AA video games set for release in 2022 and 2023.

Whilst peers focused on just one form of art and performance, I invested hours every day into developing success and reach across multiple schools of comedic creation. I hope the dense list of achievements above (of which there are SO many more unlisted) show you that I’m a dedicated performer with business acumen, drive, ambition and most importantly of all… a transparent and honest soul.

WHY FUND THIS VIA YOUR SUPPORTERS?

The answer is simple. As soon as a major network or platform becomes financially involved in the creation of a comedian’s stand-up recording the costs increase, the returns diminish and most importantly… OTHER PEOPLE WANT CREATIVE CONTROL. This is not an option for me. I am making this for my own artistic expression and the enjoyment of my dedicated supporters and wish for the final product to be as pure, honest and true to my plan as possible.

WHAT WILL THE $40,000 USD BE USED FOR?

Believe it or not, this total is (by industry standards) considered a very modest amount for the pre-production, kit and staff hire, event organisation and post-production costs involved in producing an extended 90 minute comedy piece such as this.  I will most likely incur roughly $10-20k of additional costs beyond the goal total I am trying to raise here and that’s ok. I am willing to invest in myself and I hope that some of you are too.

The $40k raised will be used towards:

– Production staff costs including Director/Producer, Director of Photography, Assistant Producer, 3 x Camera Operators, 1 x Sound Engineer, 2 x Production Assistants, 1 x Merch Assistant.

– Post-production costs for editing/audio mixing/coloring/finishing.

– A dedicated PR Team, advertisement ad spend for social platforms to promote and publicize the final product.

– Camera, lighting and audio equipment for the recordings.

– Travel costs to fly the production team from LA to NYC and back.

– Catering costs to feed my team.

SO WHICH OPTION IS RIGHT FOR ME?

I’ve tried to keep the tiers spread into two main categories.

The $5 – $250 tiers offer physical treats, signed limited edition items and lower priced kickbacks for those who want to support this project without breaking the bank.

The VIP, Associate and Executive Producer tiers are for those either financially able to be more involved or people trying to establish themselves as a legitimate professional in the entertainment industry by helping to fund a new piece of exceptional content.

THANK YOU

Whether you are able to provide a donation in return for the limited edition items, perks, access and opportunities available or not, I would love every one of my true supporters to spread this fundraiser far and wide. I remain eternally grateful for those who believe in my abilities and aspirations. I love you all and thank you for taking the time to read this.

Yours Gratefully,

Jeff Leach xox