Teino Evans, Staff Reporter

Ity (right) and Fancy Cat. and Christopher 'Johnny' Daley. -Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer

Comedians say they are taking matters into their own hands and producing their own shows to guarantee their survival.

"Put it this way; if we as comedians wait on comedic promoters to put on shows, wi wouldn't get nuh work. It a become a profession now and comedians even a get fi charge more," Ity of the duo, Ity and Fancy Cat, told The Sunday Gleaner.

Ian ?Ity? Ellis and brother, Owen ?Blakka? Ellis, have been producing comedic shows and events on their own, under their production company, Ellis International.

So far they have produced shows such as ?International Comedy Fest?, which will have a staging in June, the ?Annual Caribbean Christmas Crack Up,? held in December, and the monthly ?Backyaad Crack-Up? in tandem with Christopher ?Johnny? Daley, among others.

?We are celebrating our third anniversary this month and the show features comedians from all over like The U.S., Canada and England," Ity said of Backyaad Crack-Up.

Needless to say, comedians such as Ity and Fancy Cat, Blakka Ellis, Johnny and others, who have already made their names as comedians, have no problem in staging their events successfully, as their audience is already guaranteed.

"Even if wi nuh advertise (Backyaad Crack Up) yuh have some people come every last Wednesday,? Ity said.

The same goes for Christopher ?Johnny? Daley?s Comedy Bus, as he says despite being relatively new to the business, the event has been growing.

"I don?t have a problem getting my audience. Comedy Bus is new, but I know we won our slot on CVM TV and when we do our show on the ground it works,? Johnny said.

Ity says such self-produced events have worked for artistes, for
example, Bounty Killer who has his annual stage show ?Saddle To The East?, Beenie Man with his ?Summer Sizzle? and Morgan Heritage with ?East Fest?, among others, so why not for comedians who already have a market

Evidence of growth

Ity said there was strong evidence of growth in the comedy industry, "and wi have more names in the business now, like Johnny, Elva, Pretty Boy Floyd, Dr. Michael Abrahams, Lemon and others. Johnny even graced the cover of Buzz Magazine last month, suh definitely, yuh can si seh di ting a expand. Suh wi definitely haffi do other things outside of performing to keep the ting going".

There are a few major plans in the pipeline where the further production and exposure of local comedic talent are concerned, as Ity says, ?right now wi all a do a DVD of the Backyaad Crack-Up show and we are now in talks with VP Records to be our distributors and that in itself is another indicator of the success. And even when ?The Ity and Fancy Cat Show? comes on air, but di timeline get push back because of Cricket World Cup, but wi have some sponsors already who have expressed an interest".

As for Johnny?s Comedy Bus, Johnny said they are now focused on the 'Seville Heritage Cultural Village', to take place in St. Ann. ?This is a Comedy Bus show and that is what we working on now, but Comedy Bus should be back on TV by September," Daley said.

He added that ?even Rohan Gunter, the winner of Comedy Bus, he is getting his name and face out there, so it?s growing and it?s a national product and our audience can look out for home-grown comedians doing shows near them."

Ity added another dimension, comedians going on tours.

"Normally yuh hear bout dem ting deh fi artiste, but there is a man in New York called Howard McCleod who is organising a five-week tour of the United States. From Jamaica, a Blakka Ellis and Ity and Fancy Cat and the tour starts at the beginning of October and will feature comedians from all over the world," Ity said.