Nope! Not yet, at least. Right now, everyone involved is doing it for the love of the game.

Any revenue we generate will be put right back into the project, whether that means hiring additional editors, upgrading our equipment, or working on our branding and design.

Right now, Meatball Factory is a way for Atlanta’s improvisers, comedians, and actors to showcase their talents and build their comedy portfolios. While it may not bring in immediate financial gain, it can be a great way to have fun and experiment with improv games while also potentially growing an online audience. By sharing your work and seeing how audiences react to your performances, you can gain valuable experience and potentially build a following.

My goal is to shoot twice a week, specifically on Mondays and Thursdays. However, this may be subject to change as the project progresses, and depending on my schedule and workload.

Yes! Dear god, yes. If you're a skilled editor and have a good sense of humor, please shoot me an email at contact@noahchrysler.com. I'm looking for talented individuals to help edit videos for this project. I'll provide training on my exact editing process for these videos.

Please note that this is currently an unpaid opportunity, but it's a chance to build your portfolio and showcase your editing skills. As the project grows, I hope to be able to offer compensation for your hard work..

Wear what you would wear to perform in an open mic or an improv show. I recommend looking somewhat put together and professional, but if that’s not your vibe, that’s also fine.

The shoots currently take place in my apartment, but I won't be posting my address online for obvious reasons. If you're scheduled to shoot, I'll send you a message with the exact location. As the project grows, I hope to have the shoots at different locations to keep things interesting.

You can find our videos on our TikTok account, @Meatball_Factory. Eventually, videos will be cross-posted to Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and other social media platforms. For now, I’m focused on getting the project to break through on TikTok.

My first goal is to form an online audience that appreciates improv and sketch comedy videos. Eventually, I have bigger plans for this project that I briefly outlined in the next question.

My ultimate vision for this project is to create an online comedy production company similar to established brands like College Humor, Rooster Teeth, or Barstool. The company will produce a wide range of online content, such as long-form sketch videos, various podcasts, meme accounts, let’s play series, live streaming content, live performances, and more.

The goal is to turn this project into a successful business that generates income and creates job opportunities for people who share a passion for creating engaging and hilarious content. While this is a long-term goal, I'm starting with this short-form improv TikTok project for several reasons. First, it doesn't require a lot of preparation. Second, it allows for a variety of comedians in Atlanta to get involved and aware of future collaboration opportunities. Lastly, it has shown promising results on the platform and has the potential to break through and grow an initial audience.

Yes! If you’d like final edits from the shoot, let me know and I’ll send them to you. I’d appreciate it if you could credit @meatball_factory when you repost content.

Look, I get it. You’re an artist. An actor. A writer. A filmmaker. An accomplished comedian. You’ve honed a craft, and you’ve got real skills that you’re proud of.

You might think that rolling around in the dirt with the lowest form of comedy - shortform improv - is beneath you. It’s cringe. It’s embarrassing. But hear me out.

If longform improv reliably generated usable, funny, easily consumable content for the internet, I would make a project focused on that. I’ve found, however, that it doesn’t. It takes time to establish base reality. It takes time to find truly funny games in scenes.

When you’re making content for the internet, you’re battling a retention graph. You’re trying to get someone to watch something for more than 3 seconds, when they could instead be browsing reddit or watching thirst trap videos. When it takes you at least 30 seconds to do object work, find a relationship, establish base reality, and then frame a game in a scene? Online audiences have already stopped caring and scrolled away.

By focusing this project on short form improv games, the large majority of content shot for this is usable, postable, and easily consumed by an online audience. With quick, snappy games, we can generate reliable laughs that are perfect for sharing on social media. Plus, it's a great way to involve a variety of talented comedians and build a community.

Of course, this is just the beginning. As the project grows, we'll explore other avenues like sketch comedy, podcasts, and other types of improv. But for now, let's embrace the joy of shortform and make some fun content that people actually want to watch.

And hey, if that's not your thing, no hard feelings. But if you're going to be a snob about it, maybe stick to smoking your pipe in a bookstore while jerkin’ it to George Carlin’s autobiography, or whatever it is you do, you sophisticated comedy aficionado.

Scenes From A Hat - I’ve found this format to be one of the most reliable games for generating this type of content. You’ll receive a prompt like “Bad things to say on a first date” and then we’ll each take turns at delivering different punchlines and bits.

Remember that, even when you’re on the backline, you’re still a part of the performance. The best way to support the other improvisers there is by being engaged, listening, and reacting to their bits.

Premise Lawyer - You’ll be given a ridiculous belief, and it’s up to you to justify in a short monologue why it is your character believes that ridiculous belief to be true.

New Choice/Change - You’ll be given a premise for a two person scene. You and a scene partner will perform that scene. Occasionally off screen, a third improviser will say “New choice!” or “Change!” and you’ll have to change the thing you just said or did. It’s a real hoot.

Weekly Challenges - I might give you a challenge that you can prepare for before the shoot. For instance, I might ask you to prepare the “world’s worst dating profile” before our shoot. In the week before our shoot, you would prepare the dating profile, and then you would present it to the other improvisers on the day of the shoot.

I’ll regularly introduce more games each week. If you have a shortform game you think would work well for this, please let me know.

I'll be using my best judgment to select performers. I'm looking for funny people who have demonstrated their ability to generate laughs in the past, and can provide evidence of their skills. At this time, I'm not sure how many people will be interested in participating in this project, so I can't say for certain how competitive it will be. If you aren't chosen to participate, please don't take it personally.

To increase your chances of being featured, please send me an email at contact@noahchrysler.com with Meatball Factory in the subject line. Please include links to any videos of you performing improv, standup, your acting reel, or sketches you've been in. Having past examples will give me a better sense of your skills. While you can mention your improv training and comedy experience, videos and real examples are weighed more heavily.

While I won't be casting anyone based solely on their identity or background, please note that diversity is something I’m cognizant of, and that I do believe in the importance of showcasing a diverse range of voices and perspectives in this project.

We aim for a PG-13 to light R-rated vibe. Tone-deaf jokes that cross the line and are explicitly racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, or xenophobic, aren’t welcome. Bigotry and racism aren’t welcome.

That said, the final decision about what makes it past the filter lies with me. I have a pretty dark sense of humor, and I understand that improv games can lead to crude jokes that may not reflect your true opinions. Nonetheless, we're not here to target or harm people.

Just use your best judgment, and recognize that this stuff is being posted on the internet, where it has the potential to live forever.

If I think you’ve crossed the line during a shoot, I’ll likely let you know. I also might just remove certain bits in the edit that I think go too far.

When it comes to making creative decisions for this project, I'll be relying on my own instincts and judgment. As the project evolves and the world around us changes, my creative voice may evolve as well. If you have concerns about something that’s been posted, reach out to me. I'm open to feedback and discussion. Please remember to approach me in a friendly manner, and understand that my intention is never to intentionally upset anyone.

No, you will not be able to preview the footage before it's posted. Please keep in mind that anything you say or do during the shoot has the potential to be included in the final published edit, at the discretion of myself or other editors working on the project. As a participant, you do not have final control over the content.

By agreeing to shoot, you acknowledge and understand this.

While we may consider removing published content on a case-by-case basis if it features you and you would like it removed, please note that we ultimately reserve the right to make those decisions ourselves. Creating these videos requires time, energy, and money, and I’m reluctant to set a precedent of removing content just because someone is retroactively embarrassed.

If you're concerned about a piece of content that's been posted, please reach out to me directly via email at contact@noahchrysler.com or by DM on social media @noahchrysler. We're open to feedback and discussion, but please approach us in a friendly manner and understand that our intention is never to deliberately upset anyone.

If you're feeling unwell or have been exposed to someone with Covid-19, please don't come to the shoot. We also recommend that participants follow guidelines from health officials, including getting vaccinated, wearing masks, and practicing proper hygiene.

The best way is to send me an email to contact@noahchrysler.com. You can also DM me on social media @noahchrysler.