A couple weeks back, I alluded to a paying improvised gig that I had landed.

I still can’t give you all the details, but I can give you some of the details.

So I’m going to do so.

But first, I think, for a change of pace, by which I mean what I do every episode, let’s have a theme song.

Your Daily Lex.

So, the way it worked was this.

As you may recall, I do a lot of things with comedy sports here in New Jersey, and comedy sports is worldwide.

There’s one in England, and there’s all over the U.S.

And when you are part of comedy sports, you also join the Comedy Sports Worldwide Facebook group, which is for all active, and I think alumni, members of comedy sports.

So it was there that I saw some post about an entity that was hosting auditions.

You already know where this story is going to go, but I decided I’ll do this audition.

And it says the audition will be mostly improvised, because they need an improviser.

So they want a 30 to 50 year old man.

And reading about what they wanted, I thought, I could probably do that.

What’s the worst that could happen?

I’ll audition.

I mean, most people who audition hate auditioning, because you don’t get all the things you audition for.

But it’s the same as job interviews.

It’s a good practice.

If you’re going to be doing it more, even if you’re not right for a part, going through the audition or going through the interview process is a good skill, because you don’t get that much time to practice it most of the time.

So, I’m going to do this audition.

And a couple days after I submit, and you’ve got to submit the headshot too, which is really the most, in some ways, intimidating part.

Because if they just write back and say, no, you have the wrong look, which they wouldn’t say explicitly.

But if that’s the point, like, no, we don’t even want to see you.

It’s kind of brutal.

But they wanted to see me.

Great.

And they sent a script, which I looked at.

And it was all going to be happening over Zoom, or actually over Microsoft Teams, which is like Zoom, but worse.

And I had decided pretty early on, I wasn’t going to memorize the script, but I was going to position it right under my camera, so that I could look at it while appearing to maintain eye contact, which is precisely what I did.

And they’re like, just pick some things on the script and read those for us, and you can shoot it through.

They were laughing a lot.

I’m like, look, I did a bunch of them.

They were like, yeah, do them all.

So then I just did the rest.

Great.

They’re like, now we’re going to do some improv stuff, and we’ll explain each improv game to you.

Great.

No problem.

And, you know, we do one thing where I’m supposed to be an expert in certain topics, and they’re going to throw me questions, and I have to answer them.

That’s going well.

Then they’re like, now we’re going to have you do a TED Talk.

And we’ll tell you the topic of the TED Talk, which, by the way, was, I’m thinking, it was something about, like, beauty standards and what’s wrong with them and how they’re unfair.

But they’re like, we’re going to provide the slides, and you won’t know what the slides are, but we’ll just change the slides whenever you feel like, and you do a TED Talk that incorporates the imagery.

I know this game.

And, I mean, really, most improv games are like, there’s three different improv games, and there’s just different permutations of them.

But I knew what to do here.

And, listen, sometimes you’re in the zone, and I was in the zone.

I was crushing it.

Sometimes it was as if it were scripted, I guess is the way to say it.

Like, I had something where I was talking about, you know, and, listen, sometimes you really got to stick your neck out, and they change slides, and it’s a giant giraffe.

Like, I didn’t know that’s what was coming, but it was perfect for having just said stick your neck out.

And I’m like, way out.

Some of the folks, and there were probably like eight people on their side, all in different locations.

Some of them were laughing so hard they had to mute their own team’s connections because they didn’t want to be, like, overpowering with their laughing.

So, you know, the whole audition process was about 40 minutes or so.

It went well.

They had also asked me about myself.

And for what they were looking for, I was very well suited because the character is meant to be kind of like a tech guy, like a CEO type who’s got a lot of experience with, you know, startups and tech culture.

And I was like, boy, I kind of am this person, and I certainly know this person.

So, yeah, did that audition, and then a bit later got the note that I indeed was cast.

And I’ll be doing some shooting for this gig in, I guess, the beginning of next month, which is pretty soon at this point, in another state.

So that’ll be fun.

What’s extra fun is I’m not just doing the parts that go on video.

You know, in my career, I’ve gone to many conferences, expos, went to the Macworld Expo many times.

Then there’s the Podcast Movement Conference.

There’s other ones.

But, you know, you’ve seen these things where there’s all these different booths set up.

In one case, at least, early next month, after a couple days of shooting, I will be attending such an event for this industry in character, and that will be insane.

I’ll talk more when I can.

I’m not being coy intentionally.

In fact, I kind of hate coyness in general.

I’m fine with the fish.

But, yeah, will you ever be able to see some of what I’m doing?

Yes, it will be online in various forms at some point.

Probably not the stuff that I’m doing at the Expo, but the actual videos we’re shooting.

Oh, another fun thing that happened was after I booked the gig, they’re like, by the way, can you rollerblade?

And I was like, no, I definitely cannot.

And then a day later, they’re like, okay, can you scooter?

And I’m like, I don’t know.

Lauren’s like, anybody can scooter.

Just say yes.

So I said yes.

And then Lauren’s like, well, we have a scooter so you can practice.

Over the weekend, I found that scooter.

And that scooter is great if you’re like two feet tall, which I’m not.

But I think I could do it.

So I’m not too worried.

But I wish I had a full-size scooter I could bring, or an adult-size scooter.

I’m not going to buy one, but still.

Anyway, that’s a little bit more color on the paid improv gig.

And my coy fish joke earlier was really good.

So thank you.

That’s the kind of improv that got me the gig.

Lex.

Lex.

Lex.