Dear Barbara, Joshua, and Paul,
I’m writing this now before the Best of Fest show at 12:30am and I’m too keyed up and can’t form a sentence to express myself appropriately. (And I’m so thrilled and honored to be a part of that!! Thank you!)
Thank you for everything you have done for everyone for these past two weeks of an incredible Burbank “Covedy” Festival! I was so thrilled to have the opportunity to take part and to be able to take classes, participate in panels, meet other comedians from all over, watch shows, and to also perform on shows was incredibly inspiring and invaluable!
Everything was scheduled in such a way that we were able to do everything if we wanted to and not miss anything. And everyone was so friendly and caring. I know you all had hundreds of personalities you had to deal with, questions to answer, technical things to figure out and you were all so pleasant, fun, down to earth, and welcoming. I felt like I was at the super cool summer camp of my dreams that I had always wanted to attend when I was a little kid!
The variety of classes that were offered was really wonderful too! Some I didn’t even realize I would need to know! And Paul, you are a gifted teacher. So patient and calm when dealing with all kinds of folks. I know I ask a lot of questions and you answered them and had such a good vibe with everyone. It’s hard to round up all those folks in person and I’m sure it’s even harder on zoom. But all the classes I took were really great!
Being a comedian who performed from 2000-2007 but then ended up taking 12 years away and has now been back for 19 months; has been a wild ride and an eye-opening experience. Things are very different with social media, streaming platforms, and that sort of thing.
The working hard, writing, hitting the stage, hustling is the same. But I’m open to learning everything that I can and just being the best me that I can be and as open as possible. I’ve had some hard life experiences including almost dying and that’s actually helped me to be really honest on stage and grateful for a second chance. So when that little voice said “You’re too old, it’s too late now. You tried already” I was able to stop listening to that negativity. To have heard stories this week from so many other comedians has only reinforced that I just keep working and moving forward.
Thank you for this well run, well organized, fantastic festival. It’s a whirlwind of activities that are so needed for everyone to learn about the business and about ourselves as artists. I’ve been to a few festivals in the last few months and none of them were this valuable of an experience. You showed that you are trying to help the comedians along with working with the industry to show them the talent that’s out there. It’s really amazing.
I’m blabbing on and on. But this has come at a time when the world is a huge mess, we don’t know what’s going on day to day with the pandemic, the election, the insane weather, and to have this bright and shiny two weeks full of joy was just a godsend.
Okay, now I have to rig up my green comforter/screen home video/film unit for the show. I’m ready to have some fun and laugh with all of the other comedians. Looking forward to it!! Can’t wait! *I know I sound like Pollyanna but I’m just kind of lacking the right words right now*
Sincerely,
Vickie Plummer