Meet Joey Thompson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joey Thompson.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Joey. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
It all started when my mom met my dad when he used the best pickup line I’ve ever heard… (I’m JK). I’ve always been in a tug of war between comedy and filmmaking so I decided to start a production company that specializes specifically in comedic entertainment content. It seems to be going fairly well. The moms on Facebook love what I do and if that’s not a barometer for success then I don’t know what is.

The true origins of my story started in high school when I produced and sold out of a comedy DVD on yearbook day. I did what anybody who wanted to pursue filmmaking would logically do…I applied and was accepted to film school at USC. By USC, I mean the University of South Carolina, the East Coast movie titan that nobody talks about.

While at the “real USC” I produced a comedy skit show which gained the attention of Comedy Central’s “Tosh.0” after seeing a few clips on Funny or Die. Two skits were featured on the program and for the first time, the dream felt tangible. Oddly enough, I would go on to produce a series of high-energy rap music videos about the Gamecock football team that became the first viral videos that anybody in Columbia, SC had produced. They were considered controversial at the time, but the notable production value helped my best friend and I secure a production contract with university.

I always joke that I accidentally was forced into starting a video production company by doing what I loved. In a lot of ways, it felt that way, but starting an LLC was an absolutely necessary step in my matriculation even if it felt “serious”. After years of producing professional video content for United Way, Dartmouth Medical School, etc., we grew tired. We weren’t pursuing our passion of comedy. I mean, I was the three-time runner up at the university’s stand-up competition and here I was wasting away making actual money in an economy that doesn’t typically support the arts or creativity (#sarcasm).

We decided to call it quits on the serious stuff and went full-on Manifest Destiny when we moved to LA to get truthful to our comedic roots. To be clear, we had a screenplay which quickly drew us management, so we had something that resembled a plan although I think we all know how mixed up things can get in LA.

The abbreviated version of my LA journey is that I got heavy into comedic acting and video production creating a string of multi-million view videos for myself & other creators. My most recognizable production maybe YouTube’s “Drive 2: The Uber Years” which was featured on the front page of Reddit as well as a slue of other media outlets that would make me seem cool.

Currently, my focus has shifted into making original characters that can be easily repeated and placed in a wide array of scenarios from scripted to commercial. The notable players in my roster of fictional characters that live in my head include: Barry McGunthrie Jr., Chad Whiteman III, and the Male Karens who each thrive across several social media platforms. I get tremendous enjoyment in watching these comedy creations grow and bring happiness to the world. I see how laughter can change a person’s demeanor and it’s encouraging.

I think for a while, I had issues putting myself in a neat package especially because my talents had been dispersed across several aspirations from: producer, director, actor, editor, screenwriter, filmmaker, and marketer. It reads confusing, but having professional experience in all those fields has given me the ability to communicate amongst with a wide array of creators and marketers alike. I understand the importance of getting a message across even though it may be wrapped in a comedy package. Clients still hire me for singular facets of my offering. This summer, I acted in a commercial campaign in Augusta, Georgia, while concurrently writing comedy marketing for Birddogs in NYC so I don’t mind shifting into certain gears depending on a client’s need.

To simply state my mission though…if you’re looking to create comedic content then holla at ya boy. Scuze me, I mean send a professional email and let’s make somebody laugh their ass off.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I actually have not had any issues, but that’s because my maiden name is Coppola. Haha no shade, but of course there have been many bumps in the road.

The reality is that if you’re going to do entertainment then somebody somewhere is going to have to care about and support it. There have to be numbers to legitimize what’s going on whether it’s money, views, likes, etc. It’s the reason agents often come into the picture after somebody is “hot” and not when they’re growing (which was a tough realization)

I think getting that initial traction was absolutely the hardest part for me. I have a feeling I’m not alone. I was creating stuff I was excited about but wasn’t always getting the reaction I hoped for. That’s the tough part about being an artist is that often a piece is created out of something pure and true, but maybe it’s not appreciated publicly so there’s not a prospect of business.

I think a hurdle I had to overcome was thinking more like a marketer which feels like death to an artist, haha. I knew I wanted to do entertainment but I needed to be a little more aware of how I was packaging stuff and who the audience was. It became less about being funny and more about how and who was going to be funny.

I am lucky that several of my breakthrough pieces are ones that I was very pleased about as an artist. Reality is wasn’t taken seriously though until I was validated by people who weren’t myself. I think it’s important to validate yourself though.

Once I started making viral videos, I rode that jubilation of success right into the brick wall of consistency. My focus shifted quickly into being consistent and proving that I had a repeatable formula for success. It’s tough to feel like you have caught lightning in a bottle, but now your product has to be your ability to consistently catch lightning in a bottle if that makes sense.

It probably feels like working for SNL when no matter how good you did something people already want to know what you’re gonna do next week. It’s been tough, but I’ll say I’ve had a much better time proving that I can be consistent than I did trying to break into the game. The first cut is definitely the deepest. (to be clear, I wanted the last line of my struggle to sound like a fortune cookie that is actually lyrics to a Sheryl Crow cover song)

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I produce comedic content focused in the medium of video. My ultimate strength is that I’m a creator so I’ve done it all. I’ve been hired to be a producer, director, writer, actor, stand up, editor, music producer, and marketer so I feel like I understand the ins and outs of many facets and can communicate accordingly. If there’s something I don’t understand or don’t directly offer then I probably have a friend I can bring in. I’m surrounded by a ton of filmmakers and comedians so solutions feel very in reach. It’s what I do!

Most importantly, I’ve made a ton of videos that have gone viral so I feel like I come from a place of experience and concern for product. I communicate very honestly about what I think needs to be done to make something successful based off of prior successes and more importantly failures. I’m definitely not somebody who is going to nod my head and say “yes” if I feel like something is being done incorrectly for the wrong reason. I’m never going to sit on the sideline, half-ass, and collect a check. I didn’t get in the game for money, I did it for love. I want those around me to thrive as much as I do myself.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Getting on the front page of Reddit for “Drive 2: The Uber Years” was such a joyous and momentous occasion. I wasn’t even aware of the implications of that until I saw the frenzy of articles and how everyone’s lives changed after. So many people who were involved in that project have continued to do amazing things in the field of entertainment and creativity and I love that. It didn’t hurt my career either, haha.

Beyond that, I am concurrently running two personal media brands @joeythompsoncomedy & @barrymcgunthirejr which will go viral in the same month independent of each other. That feels pretty awesome! I love watching characters take off and audiences not even realizing I had anything to do with both of them. I know plenty of people who run singular pages, but I don’t know many that run separate ones that do well entirely independent of one another.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: joeythompsoncomedy
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/barrymcgunthriejr
• Other: tiktok.com/joeythompsoncomedy

Image Credit:
Adam Della Maggiora

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