The road to comedic success can be hard. From awkward open mic nights and handing out gig flyers to pedestrians, to begging for a support slot on an established comedian’s tour – it’s a grind, often without reward. But for today’s aspiring quipsters, there’s a new adage: If you can make it on TikTok, you can make it anywhere.
Swag on the Beat are a comedy trio from Melbourne, made up of friends Jack Say, Sam Zito, and Isaac Gibbons, who after one viral TikTok have exploded in popularity, and now have more than 800,000 followers.
Sam Zito, Jack Say, and Isaac Gibbons are TikTok comedic trio Swag on the Beat.
“We were in Woolies during lockdown and decided to download TikTok and make a video. The next morning it had gone viral,” says Gibbons, 26.
The trio’s minute-long sketch videos rack up millions of likes and depict everything from wage disparity on building sites to the difference between Australian and American swearing habits.
“We get inspiration from things that happen to us, and we take that a few levels into the obscene. People watch it and go, ‘Oh, I’ve experienced that’,” says Gibbons.
“You’ve got to suck people in with the relatable,” adds Say, 25.
The group still have various commitments outside of comedy. Say is a music teacher, Gibbons recently graduated with a commerce and economics degree, and Zito recently left primary school teaching.
“TikTok is another full-time job. There’s the filming days that are eight-hour days, and then we also plan, write and edit outside it,” says Zito, 26.
Swag on the Beat’s online success has amounted to some pretty lucrative real-world gigs as well, including campaigns with Red Bull, Pepsi, and PlayStation. Recently, the boys signed a $55,000 deal with an overseas tourism board to spruik the country to Australians – not bad for comedians who’ve never taken to the stage before.
“We are looking to become comedians full time and quit our day jobs soon,” says Say.
There’s no denying TikTok has cemented its place as the “funny” app – the comedy hashtag alone has over 1645 billion views, and the most followed person on the platform is Senegalese-born comedian Khabane Lame (146 million).
Over 7 million Australians now use the app, and Australian comedians like Tom Cashman (@tom.cashman, 158,000), Jeremy Franco (@jezbreezy, 274,000) and Lizzy Hoo (@lizzyhoo 23,800) also have large followings.
While it does seem that TikTok favours the comedic, the lack of transparency around its algorithm makes it hard to tell what factors are the most impactful. The algorithm has been criticised by users and creators alike – in 2020, black content creators called out the app for its “racial bias”, which saw videos with #BlackLivesMatter and #GeorgeFloyd hashtags receive zero views, which TikTok later apologised for.
Swag on the Beat say that despite many attempts to recreate viral content they still haven’t quite figured out the algorithm.
“Sometimes you think you’ve got it down. And you’re like, ‘This will go well’, and then it just sideswipes you,” says Gibbons.
It’s hard to gauge how many comedians are even on the app, and how broad their appeal is. TikTok is notorious for its lack of data transparency. TikTok declined to provide The Age with information on the platform’s top-performing videos and where comedians rank among that.
However, Felicity McVay, the director of content and partnerships for TikTok Australia and New Zealand, says comedians are integral to the app.
“TikTok doesn’t share user data, however, the global community loves the uplifting and joyful content on the platform,” McVay says.
“Entertainment is at the heart of TikTok’s platform and comedians are a big part of this.”
TikTok recently conducted a livestream in partnership with the Sydney Comedy Festival, showcasing sets from established and upcoming comedians.
Melbourne-based comic and TikTok personality Aurelia St Clair featured on a similar livestream with the Melbourne Comedy Festival in 2021, and performed at the festival earlier this year.
Comedian Aurelia St Clair makes videos on TikTok.
Despite amassing hundreds of thousands of views on her videos reviewing well-known Australian suburbs, like Bondi and Brunswick, St Clair doesn’t consider herself a TikTok comedian.
“There are people who only do TikTok. For me, it’s always been about the stage, TikTok just came about.
“I’ve handed out flyers in front of Melbourne Town Hall at the comedy festival every year pre-pandemic. My first two years as a comedian I’d be at open mic comedy gigs and work hard to perform for really small crowds.”
Festival director for Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Susan Provan, says the festival does scout talent from social media, but it’s not guaranteed to book a show.
“Every performer who has started out with social media content needs time to develop the material and performance skills for live performance. Not everyone who excels at a quick joke for the internet can hold a crowd in a room for an hour. On the other hand, not every great live performer is a natural at creating engaging digital content,” she says.
It’s true that online success does not always translate to “traditional” success at comedy festivals but, considering where audiences are, does that matter? TikTok is where comedians like Swag on the Beat have found their audience, financial opportunities and careers. In their own words: “You gotta follow where the eyeballs are.”
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