As I was engrossed in my usual background noise while working, listening to Joe Rogan’s podcast, a particular episode featuring the comic Fahim Anwar caught my attention. Fahim shared his desire to give back to the venue that had been instrumental in shaping his career and that of countless others—the legendary Comedy Store in Los Angeles. It made me reflect on my own journey as a raver-turned-entrepreneur and how the venues I frequented were essential building blocks for my personal and professional growth. Fahim’s innovative approach to filming his comedy special not only served as a powerful promotional tool but also showcased his gratitude towards the roots of the culture. Inspired by this, I’d like to explore how musicians can adopt a similar concept to make a lasting impact.

Before delving into the specific ideas, let’s briefly discuss Fahim Anwar’s approach, as it sets the foundation for the concept we’ll explore further. The Comedy Store boasts three rooms, and Fahim performed his comedy routine in each of them, capturing the footage to create his special. By skillfully editing the videos together, he created a unique comedy experience. While I encourage you to listen to the podcast and watch the included links to gain your own perspective on the topic, allow me to share my thoughts on how you, as a musician, can apply this concept.

Suppose you’re a local DJ supporting established artists when they come to town. Instead of merely playing the same set, you can use your skills to create a captivating video that showcases your talent and the venues you perform at. Collaborate with a videographer to capture your sets, ensuring you also capture behind-the-scenes footage of your preparation and interactions in the green room. This behind-the-scenes glimpse will provide your audience with a deeper connection to your music and brand. Once you have accumulated enough footage from several shows, combine it into a comprehensive set with supporting B-roll footage. The resulting video, akin to a music documentary, can be shared on platforms like YouTube, effectively promoting your brand and expanding your reach beyond your local scene.

If you’re a touring artist who has played supporting roles and headlined in various cities, you can adapt Fahim Anwar’s concept into a tour recap video. As you travel from one city to another, document your journey—boarding planes, arriving at new destinations, driving to venues, and handling the routine tasks of touring. While these mundane activities may seem unremarkable to you, they provide a fascinating glimpse into the life of a musician for your fans and aspiring artists. By skillfully editing this footage, you can create a visually captivating recap that not only entertains but also humanizes the experience of being on tour.

The secret sauce to all of this though is how you feature these cities and venues and your fans in these cities. How Fahim did the intro at the beginning of his special, how he didn’t dress up or make a big thing of making an amazing production showed the raw element of what performers actually do and see. I mean maybe a lot of you reading this came up in posh clubs or overproduced festivals but there is nothing like that 200 cap club packed with fans who can put their hands out and touch you, or that warehouse party that screams old-school rave, this is where I came from and is my lifeblood to this scene. When I go to EDC, for example, I see that festival as “we made it”, we all started in the small dirty club or that dodgy warehouse, and now we broke into the larger game but on video at least in my humble opinion we want to capture primal features…so in the b reels talk from the heart and give some perspective and give back to your fans and especially those clubs that got you where you are today and get them on board they will appreciate you for sure.

Remember, it’s not just about the technical aspects of your craft but the emotional connection and sense of community that drive the music industry. Embrace this approach, and you’ll not only strengthen your brand but also inspire others to follow in your footsteps.

So I hope this article helped. If you want us to get involved in your future photography/videography projects we know some great ones so feel free to reach out to us.

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Credits:

Fahim Anwar comedy store special:

Joe Rogan + Fahim Anwar episode link: