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| photo taken by Clayton Hodges |
One of the cool things about working for Austin Fusion is all the cool stuff I’m able to do, and the amazing people I’ve been able to meet. The coverage for the Moontower Comedy and Oddity Festival was no exception, and I was able to meet and interview the very talented Janet Varney.
Janet Varney was at the Moontower as part of the sketch
group Theme Park. Jessica and I sent over a request for an interview based on
her involvement with SF Sketchfest.
She is a co-producer and creator the festival that’s grown to be one of
the most talked about comedy festival.
I wanted to get her opinions and insight on Moontower. All the typical questions you tend to ask
when someone has knowledge on a subject you’re writing about.
To my surprise, and joy, we ended up talking about so much
more than that. Yes, we talked
about the festival, and if you read the Moontower article on Austin Fusion
(link) you would of read her wonderful insight. We also talked about her new job as the voice of Korra from
the Avatar series in The Legend of Korra,
her new podcast JV Club. By the
end of the conversation, we (AFM staff) had a woman’s crush on her; she’s just
so sweet!
I hope you enjoy, and please check out all that Janet has
done. I promise you won’t regret
it.
JV Club Podcast on The Nerdist Network
JV Club Facebook page for bonus material
Keep an eye out for some
upcoming projects. An online show
with Ben Stiller’s company, called Burning Love, and her show with dear friend Neil Patrick Harris on The Nerdist YouTube Channel (spoiler, there are lots of puppets)!
LMM: How has your experience been at Moontower, at our
inaugural year?
JV: I’ve been so
impressed. Our festival just
celebrated its 11th year, and to be in the first year and it be this
smoothly run, with excellent communication leading up to it, it’s nailing
everything.
LMM: What was behind
starting the Sketchfest?
JV: The whole reason
we did the festival was because we had a hard time finding places to perform.
We wanted to do a run, but couldn’t afford a theater to rent, so we asked five
other sketch groups if they wanted to help with the rent, and promoted it like
a festival. What we were doing was unique enough that we got some crazy
coverage, and we sold out every show.
The second year we took applications from elsewhere, and had two
headliners; Fred Willard and his sketch group, and Upright Citizen’s Brigade.
The following year we asked a few more headliners, and it just grew out from
there.
LMM: Do you find
that people want to be involved now?
JV: Yes. The word of
mouth has been really great, and the ripple effect of those involved has been
amazing.
LMM: With listening to so many podcasts, the
weeks leading up to it, they all seem so excited to be involved with it.
JV: Yeah, it’s so
great. What podcasts are you listening to?
LMM: Oh man. Um…The Nerdist, Jordan Jesse Go, Pod F. Tompkast, Marc
Maron. I’m listening to like 19.
JV: I’m such a music
nerd, and I have some friends who listen to NPR when they drive instead of
music, and I envied them. How can
they learn while driving? I just
want to zone out and listen to music.
With the shift towards podcasting, things began to change for me. Now, I just listen to Radiolab
podcast.
LMM: It’s been
great, since I have a desk job, I can listen to all these shows. Once I finish catching up, I am excited
to download a few new ones. Yours
is next on my list.
JV: I’m always
shocked when people come up to me and say they’ve listened to mine. It’s so new, and I know how many other
amazing choices they have.
LMM: How has your
experience been with starting JV Club podcast? Did having friends with podcasts help?
JV: It’s been so
great. I recorded so many episodes
before I started airing them, and I’m glad I did it that way because it was
really scary putting the first episode out. With the podcast, you’re not playing a character; it’s a raw
form of you. I’m just talking, and
if it doesn’t resonate with anyone I can’t blame him or her. My friends have really helped in this
venture; it’s been helpful to see the process on so many different types of
shows, and of course dealing with the feedback. The negative comments hurt my
feelings, but the positive things have been the most exciting feelings in the
world. A few reviews even said they were surprised how well done it was for a
first episode, and I appreciate that compliment, but it should be taken off me
and placed right on those other people that showed me the way. Without them, who knows what I’d be
doing.
LMM: All of the Nerdist podcasts are great;
you know you’re going to hear something great. It’s also a great way to be introduced to new comics.
JV: I’m so glad it’s
become what we hoped it would, and that it hasn’t been over saturated. There are so many choices, and there is
something to celebrate about that.
That’s something great about the festival, too. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve seen
so much standup, but I really prefer a comedian on a podcast. It’s not that their stand up isn’t
great, cause it always is, but at the end of the day I would rather hear them
talk. What surprises them, when
talking to a guest, is more electric than their act on stage. That’s my best way to get to know a
comic.
LMM: When you get to hear them on the podcast, you
connect with them on a different level, which makes you understand their
standup even more.
JV: I couldn’t agree
more.
LMM: I hate to ask
the typical question, but with the movie Bridesmaids being such a hit, do you
feel it’s a new era for the female comic?
Do you feel there is more pressure to succeed?
JV: I think it has
made a huge difference. It sucks
to go to a place, in the middle of celebrating, to be so excited yet worried
that the trend will end. I really
hope it doesn’t end. In a way I
feel the pressure that we have to find a way to ride the wave. We shouldn’t have to feel this
way. We should be able to feel
that our work is valued, not because it’s part of a trend.
LMM: Can we discuss
your voice over work in The Legend of Korra? How has that experience been?
JV: I was so excited
when I found out I got it. It’s
been so well received, and I’ve never experienced anything like that
before. It’s a great show.
LMM: I had a huge
debut.
JV: It’s has a huge
fan community, a protective anime fan community who know everything and more
about the series. If you know it,
you know it and love it.
JH: I started watching the show, and I wanted to ask,
did you have an influence on the visuals of Korra? I ask because you both have the same striking eyes.
JV: Oh, thank you, that’s very sweet. No, they had the character totally
drawn. I wish I could say I
inspired any of it, because she’s awesome, but they had already illustrated the
character. I, by the way, didn’t see any association at all. She’s awesome. I
saw the character and was nervous about how to audition. Oh, right, it’s a voice, and you don’t
have to look like this.
LMM: Is the first
thing that you’ve done that’s been so fan oriented?
JV: Yes. This something fans are inspired by and reach
out about their love of the show.
It’s the first thing I’ve ever done that… I get so emotional about
it. There is something so pure
about it. They love the show, and they love and approve of me. I get tweets from these fans, “You
equal Korra. Korra equals awesome. You equal Awesome.” It feels so real,
good natured, and positive. I love
that.
LMM: You’ve been
doing a lot of new technology, with the online series and podcasting, is it fun
coming back to something like Moontower, when you have an interaction with an
audience.
JV: It’s been
great. There’s nothing like it. I
don’t get to perform live all that often, so getting out in front of an
audience, in a different city outside of LA, like Austin is great. There is freshness here. The audiences are smart, savvy, there
to support; and that’s why people love performing in a city like Austin because
they feel like everyone is having fun.
Performing in a city, be it a show or a festival, that supports your
craft (comedy) makes such a difference.
The fans make it all so worthwhile.
