Episode 60: Ben Sorensen

Ben Sorensen 1

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And I'm just a little independent podcast. Check out the show notes for a direct link to pod corn and sign up today. I know, I'm glad I did. My guest is an Australian comedian host, voiceover artists, keynote speaker marketing guru. And we're going to find out what else tonight. I've got Ben Sorenson with me, Ben, how you doing?

Get I, well, do you know

Ben Sorensen:[00:02:54] what you're yeah. You are accurate with both of them because it is tonight for you [00:03:00] to die. For me, I'm like two jugs of coffee in all right.

Scott Curtis:[00:03:07] And I'm drinking whiskey and root beer. So that's what we're done.

Ben Sorensen:[00:03:13] Root beer is nothing that really hasn't sort of. Uh, w root beer is you have it over in the States. Hasn't really taken off, uh, in, in Australia as such. We have a lot of fake SaaS Barilla. Yeah. But that is. Very different.

Scott Curtis:[00:03:29] Yeah. You know, it's funny. I haven't drank root beer for years and years and years. And I had one at, uh, we went through the drive-through of a fast food restaurant and I got one and I forgot how much I liked it.

So now I'm getting this diet a and w which is just, you know, it's a pedestrian root beer, you know, it's not the best thing in the world, but I got to say it's really good as a mixer too, because it doesn't matter how cheap the whiskey is. It still tastes good and root beer. So I'll take it

Ben Sorensen:[00:03:58] over roll.

That's uh, [00:04:00] that's a great cost saving. I love it. I love it. Follow us for more tips. I'm I'm glad,

Scott Curtis:[00:04:06] I'm glad we could, uh, uh, help people out with the old root beer and whiskey stuff and hit the subscribe button. So, first of all, Ben, where are you from?

Ben Sorensen:[00:04:17] Uh, I'm from Melbourne, uh, which is the self-proclaimed coffee capital of Australia every morning.

So it's, it's funny. So when I, um, there's, uh, I used to live in a place down the road called Brunswick East, and every morning I used to get up and I could actually use my nose to smell. Uh, where I'd get coffee for the day, because every, I had like nine award-winning roasters around me. So you can just walk around.

That smells a bit of that. It was literally crazy and like the pinnacle of privilege too. That's very much around, around us and to the point where in Melbourne. [00:05:00] Um, uh, so, so in the U S and a lot of other countries, Starbucks is I is a sign of affluence. Whereas here in Australia, it's a sign of effluence.

Yeah, no, no. Self-respecting, Melburnian goes to Starbucks unless, unless you like the sugary drinks. Yeah.

Scott Curtis:[00:05:23] Yeah. And that's, that's about what they do. I see. I'm not a coffee guy, so w w we can't talk a whole lot about coffee. I just don't drink it. I buy it when my kids are in town.

Ben Sorensen:[00:05:34] We can, we can be friends now.

Yeah.

Scott Curtis:[00:05:36] Yeah. I like the smell of it because when my kids are home, we brew it. We've got a coffee maker and all that kind of stuff and we brew it and I love the smell of it. I just can't drink it. I drink root beer instead. So

Ben Sorensen:[00:05:48] yeah, espresso martinis. I find that's a gateway drug sometimes.

You got to have fancy little gloss as well. Yeah.

Scott Curtis:[00:05:58] That might be something to check out. [00:06:00] Let's talk about stand up first. So you do so many things, but what, when was your first time doing stand up? W w how old were you? What was the scenery? You know, what happened? You

Ben Sorensen:[00:06:12] know what I think there's, there's two different, I'm a little bit different in that sense.

Now I love stand up and I still write, uh, segments and routines and. Uh, most of them are actually used when I compare an MC. Okay. So I have a bank of all of these that I just draw on. Like, you know, a lot of really, uh, witty comedians wittier than I. So that you can just pull it out of the bank, eh, like a Joan Rivers used to talk about having, um, all these filing cabinets of great routines and great jokes and the situation had turned up and you'd go, Oh yeah.

Okay. I got one for that. And that's kind of how I work. So I, I started very, very young. Uh, I was [00:07:00] doing. Uh, comedy shows when I was like 14, 15, I started doing like board-level. Uh, so I was doing, uh, dinner theaters and stuff like that with variety shows. So I get up and do a piece there. Uh, and we'd also have skits that we do and we'd write.

So that was a really great start. And I don't, you know, it's really funny cause I don't talk about that particularly much. And then I sort of moved into, uh, being, or wanting to be a musician, uh, which went terribly very, very terribly, not just the point. It was just shocking. So, um, I ended up singing with the, uh, Queensland youth choir.

Um, Uh, obviously in, in Queensland and I used to open a few of their shows and, you know, again, great experience in front of an audience and then jumped across to doing some, uh, [00:08:00] kids TV stuff, which, uh, meant I knew every fart joke in the book. And, you know, and then it's just sort of, it's, it's really being driven by the live events and the opportunities that come through that, for example, panel shows and all sorts of bits and pieces in, in that realm.

Um, this year is the first year though that I'm actually doing, I Oh, Running a Melbourne international comedy festival venue. We tried last year, but COVID killed it. So there'll be some more opportunities to do stand up there. And I think, um, uh, M uh, the comedy festival in Melbourne is the second largest in the world next to Edinburgh.

So I'm really fortunate that that's in my own backyard.

Scott Curtis:[00:08:47] Yeah. Yeah. So let's this, isn't on the list of my, uh, Rapid round questions, but starting as early as you did, have you ever had a fear of performing in public and you just [00:09:00] got over it or have you just been kind of brazen and just go up and do it?

Ben Sorensen:[00:09:06] I'll go a blissfully ignorant. Okay. Yeah. And part of that is due to our I've recently discovered is due to, uh, my autism. Uh, basically when I go on stage, I want to make sure it's funny and entertaining for me. And if everyone else wants to come along, I'm more than, more than happy. Whether I talk to one person, five people, 10 people, or 20,000 or more.

Um, the process in my brain or the framework in my brain is pretty much the same, so I'm not massively stressed.

Scott Curtis:[00:09:37] Okay. That's, you know, I talked to another guy that, um, I mean, he's, he's suffers from a lot of maladies and, and it's a dyslexia, ADHD and OCD and something else, and he can only,

Ben Sorensen:[00:09:55] I'm sorry if he had one more.

Uh, that'd be five and [00:10:00] that's what I call a fist of disabilities.

Scott Curtis:[00:10:03] But the, the thing with him is he's always in the moment. Now, his problem is, is he has trouble cause he's in the acting world, uh, after having been a comic for a long time, uh, he has trouble memorizing stuff, but the thing is, is he's 80 years old.

And he never looks back. He doesn't, he doesn't get nostalgic and say, Oh, this was great. When I worked on friends or this is great. When I worked on breaking bad now is what he's working on. And he's not thinking about anything else. And he said the, all of his. Disabilities are, you know, a blessing and a curse at the same time, because it keeps him working and it keeps his mind going.

So it's, it's, I, I think that everything that we have can sometimes be turned around to be something positive.

Ben Sorensen:[00:10:53] I agree. I think part of it is going okay. Well, um, what, what resources do I have that are easily [00:11:00] available? It's about knowing yourself and going, how can I. Do the best that I can with whatever I got.

And, you know, if you happen to be really good in, in living in the moment or living in the now is that God tall says, um, then great go with it. I mean, to a certain extent, I have to do that too, which is why I love project based. Uh, and live events because it's, I'm locked in and I have a hyper-focus for the three hours or four hours of the show and then nothing totally

Scott Curtis:[00:11:34] free.

Ben Sorensen:[00:11:35] And then you go on, go on social media and your stalk, your own event and you look at it. Yeah. Oh, wow. I remember that. Oh, that's me.

Scott Curtis:[00:11:44] How'd I do. I'm good. That's great. So let's talk about your influences. Yeah. Let's talk about your influences. Who were your influences as far as comedy is concerned?

Ben Sorensen:[00:11:55] Oh, as far as comedy.

Yeah. Alcohol is an influence.

[00:12:00] Scott Curtis:[00:12:01] Me too.

Ben Sorensen:[00:12:02] Yeah. Comedy influences. Do you know what I really love? Um, uh, rod Gilbert. Okay. And, uh, and a lot of the British comedians and British shaman, like I'm a huge fan of Monty Python. And while when you, if you go back and you look at flying circus, there's a lot of stuff in there that I just go, I'm not really so sure on now.

However, there are some key bits and the concept of the entire show and the concept of that one comedy troupe. Re-inventing different things across decades is just, just amazing, you know? And we look at their film work like the life of Brian and yeah, Holy grail and things like that. And even just the individual work of John CLIs and, you know, the rest of the pythons.

I just think, you know, that's that for me was such a, an eyeopening and formative moment for me [00:13:00] going, wow, these guys are amazing. This smart and articulate and quick. Um, I also love bill, uh, Billy Connolly. Uh, I love the style that he's developed in a long-form Stuart, rambling storytelling, interlaced with fascinating and interesting, accurate anecdotes throughout.

Um, and I think, I think I enjoy comedy that doesn't date. As much, you know, like if we look at the work of SA, uh, of Seinfeld, both as a series and Jerry Seinfeld as well, that's a child that he developed with his stand-up, uh, I feel like, sort of was, was dated and was, uh, stuck in, uh, in an era of comedy.

And I feel like that we've sort of. For some people they're timeless and other people they're sort of stuck in a, in a decade there. And I, I, I'm very much drawn to the timeless stuff, which I think is, uh, a great way to future proof [00:14:00] oneself.

Scott Curtis:[00:14:01] You know, I'm glad you talked about mining Python because that was my big influence early on.

And it was on the PBS channel here. In, uh, South bend and I watched it religiously and my dad and I bonded over that. And, you know, the, the Parana brothers were always my, it was always my favorite skit. That was, I mean, either one's the dead parrot and stuff like that are the ones that everybody talks about, but I loved, you know, Dinsdale, you know, I love the whole proud brothers saying.

And the funny thing is that it turned out to be something that my son and I bonded over because I. The the first, one of the first movies I wanted him to watch was, uh, this is spinal tap and he watched it and he was probably 12 or 13 at the time. And he said, dad, I don't know what you see in this. I hate it.

And I'm like, Oh no, we're going to be, we're going to be that kind of father and son. We're going to have nothing in common. And [00:15:00] then, uh, I. Had him wash a Holy grail with me, uh, Monte Python and the Holy grail. And he loved it. He loved it so much that he wanted the DVD and, uh, was just totally in the Monty Python.

So we really bonded on that. And I, uh, and you know, CLIs, especially, you know, with faulty towers and all this stuff that he did after that is just so prolific. He's, he's a great guy.

Ben Sorensen:[00:15:25] Mm. Um, have you tried spinal tap again now? He's older.

Scott Curtis:[00:15:29] No, not, you know, he's, uh, he's down in Alabama, he's a rocket scientist and he, you know, we don't see each other as much as we should, so we haven't revisited that.

Ben Sorensen:[00:15:41] All right. I'm just saying that sometimes you'll watch something. And Italy the wrong time for you. It'll be too early. You don't understand enough about the world or have enough references, a lot of the jokes. So when you read re listen to stuff, you can get new stuff out of it. And I would just hate for your son to miss out on spinal tap.

Yeah, I know.

Scott Curtis:[00:15:58] And, uh, I I'll [00:16:00] probably send him a note and say, Hey, just watch us and tell me what you think you probably don't remember. So just tell me what you think. And, uh, yeah, it's, it's neat that, uh, to, to have a bonding. Moment like that with Monte Python. Um, so,

Ben Sorensen:[00:16:17] or about Monty Python, I too bonded with my dad over Monte Python.

I don't know if you can see that, uh, hang on. Let's see. Um, It's uh, always look on the broad side a lot. Oh, okay. Uh, I really didn't think that through with my own webcam, but that's all I got. Yeah.

Scott Curtis:[00:16:37] That's great. That's better than every sperm is sacred.

Ben Sorensen:[00:16:42] Wow. Yeah, definitely. Well elsewhere, but.

Scott Curtis:[00:16:49] The little sperms on your arm, that's not going to do much.

Ben Sorensen:[00:16:52] Yeah. Yeah. Well, it's kind of like my arm. Yeah.

Scott Curtis:[00:16:56] So, um,

Ben Sorensen:[00:16:58] I just found that it was a little [00:17:00] hard to swallow. Yeah, no

Scott Curtis:[00:17:01] doubt. Nice pun. Uh, one of the things I like to ask everybody, because I'm, um, I'm a big reader and I'm a big podcast listener and just all that kind of stuff.

Are you, uh, consuming any media, uh, reading, watching, listening to music, anything that's really like getting the gears going and getting you inspired.

Ben Sorensen:[00:17:27] Um, do you know, um, look there's, uh, on Amazon. Uh, I know it's, it's, uh, it's a visual thing, cause we've all been in lockdown for a long time in Melbourne. We had six months a lockdown.

Yeah. And thankfully it worked really, really well. And we're able to venture outside into the sun again. Um, there is, there is a British comedy show on, um, Uh, Amazon and it is absolutely wonderful. I didn't actually think I'd like it as much as I do. [00:18:00] Uh, and it's called something like the, um, the show where everything goes wrong.

Oh. And it's a masterfully written and designed a slapstick show in front of a live audience. That they produce and it is it's from a comedy point of view. I don't think we as comedians explore some of the physical theater side of things and to see such a concentration of slapstick comedy in one piece in conjunction with a lot of Woody puns and a lot of great one-liners.

Um, I think that that's kind of in a panto style, but it's, it's, it's really great. So I've been consuming that, and that sort of, you know, gets guests fan going and gets me thinking of things differently. I think when you're, uh, when you're a comic and constantly doing standup. It's sometimes really hard to try and get that edge or think of things differently or [00:19:00] going, what am I going to talk about next?

Because there's tapes, comics that talk about are married now, or relationships or kids, or, you know, whatever, to explore different things and to pull inspiration from that, I think can create a richness in routines. Right?

Scott Curtis:[00:19:16] One of the things I, before we go off live here, I wanted to ask, um, Have you been to the States very often?

Ben Sorensen:[00:19:25] Well, yes, there is. Uh, I remember my first show in the States, it was in Nashville, uh, on a little price on Broadway called the second fiddle. And I was invited over there as a guest of, um, CMA, uh, because I was, I was up for an award of some sort. So anyway, uh, off the plane and I thought, you know, I was staying in a Vanderbilt.

Um, at the holiday Inn down there, lovely place, wherever wander round got lost just before Michelle turned up little bit sweaty and all over the place [00:20:00] had kind of what I was going to do in my head and thought I F fine, fine. Turned up, turns out they were live, streaming it to three different countries and I went, Oh, okay.

Hi. Cool. That would have been not before. Jumped on the tour, bus out the front door sort of get changed and organize myself. Uh didn't even know there was going to be two of us. Did the show. And bombed,

and everybody's got one of those stories and I'm just going no really funny, but totally different style of comedy for the Americans. Yeah. And

Scott Curtis:[00:20:39] that's exactly where I was going with my, with my question is the difference, because I've talked to quite a few British comics and there's a there's. There's some pretty big differences because there are a lot more subtle.

Um, all the European comics are a lot more subtle and the, um, [00:21:00] but there, but. American comics and British comics can translate to each other in a lot of cases, as long as you change up the words for like a convenience store and a cigarette and stuff like that. Um, so as long as you changed up the words, they.

They're more interchangeable, but I've been watching some Australian TV and it seems like you guys have different timing, different sensibility, and it's just a little bit different. Can you, have you been able to put a pin on that to see what that's all about?

Ben Sorensen:[00:21:36] Um, I think Australian and Canadian humor.

Interchanges beautifully with British humor. Okay. So smooth transition, not, not a huge issue. Uh, I've done, uh, I've done gigs in both of those places and not an issue. However, I find the, um, [00:22:00] The star and you know what, it just could be an my outsider's view of American humor and American comedy. I mean, um, you guys got, I sort of this roast flavor going through everything.

Yeah. It's got a bit of an edge, a more of a, more of an edge to it, less subtlety and the, yeah. It's more socially appropriate to roast you ingest in the States than it is in any other country. And it doesn't matter if you're a celebrity or just Joe on the street. That's, that's a green light in the States.

You can do that. Where if I, um, if I randomly roasted someone in Australia, that guy off, and he's a bit of a Dick, like really you're doing that. If by heckle heckling is consent. Yeah. [00:23:00] Cycling's consent if you, if you, if you want to yell at it as shuck. Good luck. Good luck. You're on

Scott Curtis:[00:23:05] your own

Ben Sorensen:[00:23:07] buttons. Yeah.

So yeah, I think that that's that's it. So I think, um, my, my crude interpretation of comedy in the States, there's two. I feel like there's two, two sides to it. One is a hyper polite and really great, like I, uh, and very clean. The other side is more, more of a, a darker roast. So we probably compared to coffee even.

Uh, a Docker roast, um, where you can sort of go to town and, and rip shreds off people and everyone's going to go, ah, they're just words. It's fine. And I cry later,

Scott Curtis:[00:23:45] you know, I totally agree with that. There are a total it's there's extremes, you know, in the United States, it really is. It's either. Super clean.

Uh, nothing is going to be said, that's going to [00:24:00] offend anybody or it is let's get into the weeds and call everybody cons, you know, it's just, yeah, it's just the, it's amazing.

Ben Sorensen:[00:24:12] What, in Australia we use it as punctuation. Yeah.

Scott Curtis:[00:24:16] I w I wish we could use it more here in the us. It's it's, it's a long way.

It's a, it's a verb. It's a noun. It's an adverb. You can do anything with it.

Ben Sorensen:[00:24:28] Evolution of fuck. Yeah,

Scott Curtis:[00:24:34] no doubt. Well, um, so. That's good. We've kind of talked about Australian versus USA comedy. And I feel like I've given my viewers enough a year. They're going to have to tune into the podcast, which is behind the bits and easy to find on all the podcast apps.

If they want to hear the rest, we're going to go right now. And, uh, bye-bye.

[00:25:00] All

Ben Sorensen:[00:25:00] right, that's over. Okay, cool. So one of

Scott Curtis:[00:25:04] them, I, I don't like to, I don't really, I really don't like to go live, but it's one of the things that you have to do to get in people's minds. So it's my little ear worm, but, uh, I can get rid of that guy too. Cause that bugs me too. Um, I wanted to talk about everything you're into, because when I go to your website, I mean, your resume is huge.

So what are the primary things that you are doing right now?

Ben Sorensen:[00:25:35] So, um, it sounds like I do a lot on our re I call it full utilization of asset. Uh, so, uh, basically I say to encompass everything, uh, Brian for hire, if you want. Use my magic ASPE, Brian pallet of Mikey laugh gripe, send me some money. If you won't [00:26:00] grow your business and double your income.

Great. Send me some money. Actually. Basically I made some money. That's pretty much it. Um, but it's, uh, I need to do a lot of things to keep my brain active. I'm a little bit smarter than the average bear and. It's important for me to keep exercising and challenging this so that I can stay fresh in all the different areas, but essentially there's two different parts.

There's the entertainment side, which has made hosting staff and during comedy festival shows and him saying, and, uh, doing voiceovers and TV and stuff as a personality. So, if you look at a personality, they'll do a large gauntlet of things as opposed to being an actor or a thespian of some sort that will mainly focus on TV, film, role acting on the boards.

Um, the other side is actually using my brain and utilizing, uh, some of the skills that I've learned, not only in comedy, but also in my [00:27:00] life for, uh, growing. Growing businesses and solving problems, which I love. And that's the, the marketing strategy, the, uh, media distribution stuff, maybe a buying and, and doing a lot of that sort of stuff, um, to, you know, engineer things for different businesses with, um, you know, different, different goals.

And part of that is advertising. You take a really, really. Bad shit, boring business, and you go, Oh great. How can I make people laugh and engage? And remember that business? How can I solve their problems internally with people that are doing the same thing day in, day out and make it vibrant and exciting for them?

How can I inspire passion in someone's business? And that's very much the same as stand-up. Right. How can, how can I [00:28:00] inspire laughter and passion and attention and interest with the audience that's sitting in front of me? So we use a variety of techniques to do that as both as comics and as, uh, marketers and advertising people.

And I think that that's, um, we talk about American comedy being about extremes and for me, That's trying to use all of the different faculties of my brain together to make sure that I can get really great outcomes for, uh, whoever and whatever I do.

Scott Curtis:[00:28:38] So let's think about the reason why I'm going into this is because everybody wants to be the next Jerry Seinfeld.

You mentioned Jerry and everybody wants to be, you know, the next Richard Pryor, George Carlin, uh, Whatever they want to bill Berg. You know, they want to be, they want to be a big comic, but [00:29:00] in reality, it's a very, very small percentage of people who actually get there. And if you want to talk realistically, you want to discover how you can make a living with your art.

And make a living with your brain and instead of, you know, working in a factory or, uh, like me being a consultant and, and just not enjoying my job at all, you know, so it's, you know, it's, it's so. It's

Ben Sorensen:[00:29:34] funny. You say not enjoying your job at all. That's actually one of, uh, I think there's a couple of key things that I find with comedians.

Number one, they have to be doing something for most of their time to absolutely height. And, uh, they also have to be inherently broken and yes, I

Scott Curtis:[00:29:50] was talking about that a lot. Yeah. With

Ben Sorensen:[00:29:53] those boxes high, you are well on your way to success. Yeah. Orderly dance, whatever. [00:30:00] Yeah.

Scott Curtis:[00:30:02] Uh, but the thing is, is, is people with a comedy brain also are usually like yourself a little bit more intelligent than the average bear.

They

Ben Sorensen:[00:30:15] are, which is why we all struggled socially. Right. Pretty loud out there. Yeah.

Scott Curtis:[00:30:19] And they, they, they see things. They're able to look at things from the outside because they're always thinking of a bit and, and just, just all that thing is going on in their brain. But what I want to tell the, you know, the, the young comedians at large, the, you know, if you're good at comedy, you can translate it.

That into something else. I've, I've talked to people who've been screenwriters they've, they've gone into, um, you know, uh, promotional type businesses they've got into, uh, you know, a lot of things that are sometimes a little bit more behind the scenes, but still you're still using that same brain and you're still kind of working for yourself.

So, yeah. And, and I think that's important for [00:31:00] young people to understand.

Ben Sorensen:[00:31:02] Yeah, absolutely great. And I think the biggest thing that I wish someone had told me earlier is there's all this external stuff. When you want to be a standup or you want to be the next Jerry Seinfeld, you want to be the best you're going to have to be the best.

You know, there's plenty of people that are better than me. Yeah. Plenty, a little worse, but it doesn't matter because. Uh, there is only so much I can do. And all I need to do is get to know who I am, how I operate. And then link that to how can I make a sustainable living? And when we talk about sustainable living, it's not about getting high on Coke and working as long as you can to do more gigs, more gigs, more gigs, and grow, grow, grow.

Uh, when I talk about wealth, I talk about financial wealth. And I also talk about like time freedom and, um, uh, having a quality of life as well. Right. And I think that's [00:32:00] really important to encompass that in your wealth. So, um, yeah, it's always good to strive to be better. Um, I was lucky enough to spend a little bit of time ages ago with Edward DeBono, who, um, pioneered, uh, the concept of lateral thinking.

And he's got this great line called, uh, and it's good, but not good enough. So how can we be good, but constantly looking for ways for us to tweak it and to be better. So when we look at our careers and I think we should all have a career plan and go, okay, well, I'm going to do X number of shows. And I feel like my goal is I can do two shows a week and still.

During my day job, or I can do four shows a week, and this is my day job, and this is how I'm going to grow and bolt on to this. So I think as I non-celebrity comedian, [00:33:00] it's a lot more work. You have to be a lot more creative, but you're in charge of your own ship. You know, you can control how many. Uh, gigs, you do, you can control where you do it.

And you know, even though it sounds like I do a lot, it's important to look at what you're actually good at and what you can deliver on. So if someone goes, ah, you know, I need this, we're all very tempted to go. Yeah. I reckon I could have a crack at that as opposed to going, that's not my core. This is not my core business.

Like if the. I dunno if the, if a religious group said, can you come and open our conference for us? You know, we'll pay you X amount of dollars and hire marrieds. Oh, I would be entered to get all the money. That's good. But I know that that is 180% not a match. Yeah. And it would be fun [00:34:00] for me. I don't think it would be a match.

There's other people that are really great at that. So that's where community comes in as well. And if we all look at what we're good at and what our core is through discovery and knowing who we are, then we're too. Number one, not compete, which I know you Americans love, uh, not compete with each other as much, but understand the nuances between each of our stalls.

So I might go, Hey, I got this really great gig. Hi, maybe you might want to try comedian X, Y, Z. I know they're religious friendly or they've got a great kids show that they do. And it's really fun, you know, or. Oh, you're at that rough pop way. You know, people stab each other for BS. Right.

Scott Curtis:[00:34:48] Great. I forgot.

Brought in,

Ben Sorensen:[00:34:51] um, like, um, you know, a middle of the road, medical conference. Oh, a band. And he's really good at that. Right. And he can cycle goods.

Scott Curtis:[00:34:59] Yeah. [00:35:00] And building a network like that always comes back to you positively. And it was one of the things I've learned and I don't want to get on a soap box, but, uh, you should always continue giving, even though you don't feel like you're getting as much back because.

The continued giving is going to come back to you sooner or later. And it's not necessarily going to be from the people who you gave to it's going to be somebody else. It's, it's like the old adage, the harder you work, the luckier you get and, and, and, uh, being able to give that guy the job at the, at the.

At the nasty pub that gives you credit and you need the credit to, um, keep networking and build new relationships. So I totally dig that.

Ben Sorensen:[00:35:51] And, you know what? I talk about networking a lot, but I actually think that I'm not particularly good at it. Uh, and, uh, largely with [00:36:00] my, my comedy and my work have kind of run my own race and done stuff pretty much on my own.

And I've been really fortunate and lucky that I've been able to do that. Uh, whereas everyone else, or a lot of other people are doing open mic nights to start out and doing, you know, support acts and stuff like that. I bypassed all of that. I didn't do any of that. I was very fortunate that I had my own events company and like, I've got all my own lighting, all my own audio.

I've got a range of venues that I do. You know, I've got my own comedy festival venue. Like I'm super fortunate. And part of that is because I never felt really confident or good at networking. So I ended up just doing everything myself, Aaron grade,

Scott Curtis:[00:36:43] Y you know, I find that interesting because one of the things I wanted to talk to you about is.

You are pretty much the product that you are selling. And for one of the, one of the first things I wanted to ask you is you you're in the voiceover work. Have you always been, [00:37:00] have you always talked as succinctly and, um, Voiceover ish, as you, as you do now, or is that something that you developed?

Ben Sorensen:[00:37:11] Um, well, it happened after puberty.

Okay. That's helpful. Yeah. And, um, despite all the threats, no on his car started me yet. Um, uh, although I reckon that'd be a great tobacco pouch, it's just saying anyway, uh, I think. I look, I did a lot of voice work early on. So as a, not a speech therapist stuff, but as in, I was a classically trained to BICE and I think that was a little bit helpful.

Um, and I think one of the, one of the things, particularly with voiceover is tone. And I feel like tone and you know, it could be wrong. This is just my anecdotal experience. [00:38:00] I feel like tone is something you either have, or your daughter, and you can massage around the edge, but, and you can, you know, and you can be better at it and you can train your voice and you can do a lot of workout.

But the core tone, I think, is. You know, it's either there or, or it's not. Right. But then also having said that, I'm just very fortunate that my tone falls within the gauntlet of what we have a lot of voiceover work for. Right. You know, there's a heap of voiceover work for all sorts of different people for all sorts of different reasons.

It's a very, it's a terribly competitive industry all over the world. And, um, I think that there's a few different paths to getting into that. But again, a lot of people look at voiceover work is going, Oh, I'll just do that as an add on for some extra [00:39:00] box. Totally not. Right. Yeah. 150% committed to it more than your comedy to do it and do it well.

Otherwise, if you land a big client and you've got now just talking to the market, it's not odd. And there's nine people in a studio. You've got a, uh, from the agency, the client, and you're in the, you're in the little toss box there with a window and you can see them whispering and talking. And you might spend two hours on a 32nd ad.

Yeah. And at the end of it, they'll go discuss shit. Uh, huh. And then the agency would go, okay, cool. Thanks for your time. Here's your money? And I'll never use you again, you know, and you've, you've literally burnt those bridges. So part of that is going, I either want to do this properly or not at all part voiceovers.

And I suppose it's in a similar sense, part of the problem with comedy as well is there's a lot of people that aren't [00:40:00] passionate about it that don't take it seriously. So we get. Um, 20% of the industry that's full of really, really switched on operators at all different levels and 80%, that's just a background noise going, ah, you know, I had a voiceover gig and I didn't really want to do it.

So I stayed in bed or, yeah, I don't really want the skills. And they said I was bad thought I liked them anymore. Yeah. As opposed to using it as an opportunity for growth or to be really, really switched on with it. All right.

Scott Curtis:[00:40:28] So it's it's attitude and talent put together

Ben Sorensen:[00:40:32] titling. Yeah. And, and absolutely skill.

Um, there's been times where, uh, I did, I, uh, like, especially when we look at voice acting, so a lot of times now, uh, I'll just get a script through and then I'll be doing. Uh, five I'll read the script and because I'm not with the other actors, there got nothing, nothing to bounce off. So [00:41:00] most of the things that you are, a lot of the things that you hear where there's multiple voices, they've never met each other.

It's a script that comes through and then you, you do that. And there's, um, like animation and stuff like that. Although. Five six, seven, 10 different versions of every single law, nine different influx, different tones and different timings. Yeah. Just to really help the editors to get that right. Because the last thing I want is anything coming back.

Yeah. Yeah. That's that's death. Yeah, no doubt.

Scott Curtis:[00:41:35] Yeah. It's funny. I'm experiencing a little bit of this simply because the podcast is starting to get some sponsors and I'm doing self read ads for these sponsors. And I. Um, would he do that as a personality? Yeah. And I'm reading what I have written and it's still hard.

I mean, I have taken a hundred takes on a [00:42:00] one minute ad and, and part of it's because I know. I'm a perfectionist and I want it to come out. Right. But part of it is I just totally fuck it up 99 out of a hundred times,

Ben Sorensen:[00:42:15] it's definitely a skill. Um, just like writing auto queue. So when I do, um, a lot of presenting stuff, uh, I'm getting, probably getting a little bit lazy these days, uh, because I have such great auto auto queue skills.

I just throw it on auto queue now. Yeah, it's a, it's a. It's absolutely a skill, uh, that I need and use regularly. Um, but it's, it's exactly the same. It's separating your, you know, your eyes and your mouth and going, okay. I'm going to read three ahead, but still be mentally behind trying. Manage it all. Uh, and then it's also the same thing.

If you're presenting, you've got auto queue happening and [00:43:00] you've also got your director or producer gas bagging in your ear about what's coming up next or problems or whatever. So, you know, there's an, you know, it's also, that's part of why I love doing it. And it's about working out where you want to be and focusing on that.

So when we, when we look at like, um, science, uh, we look at like physics, um, Einstein read some stuff about it. Uh, actually Einstein read a lot of stuff, but it was talking about, you've got X, X amount of energy. So the faster you move forward, meaning that the, the momentum you've got Ford means you've got less capacity to move left.

And right. If we look at how do we, if we relate that back to what we're talking about, Had a way look at our careers. Do we spend, you know, $5,000 building a studio to do voiceover work, that we don't really have the skills or passion fool, [00:44:00] but think we might be able to make some quick bucks or do we put our thousand dollars into doing that comedy class or doing that national tour or doing something that will enrich.

What we do or how we produce our content to be better at that core thing. It's okay to have different things. Like I do a lot of things, but, um, I've consciously gone and develop skills in those areas. Right. Um, and I have training in those areas, you know, and if, and I've learned that that's what works for me and there's probably some people out there that, that we'll look for as well, but ultimately.

Make sure you have your focus because we've got limited time and limited resources.

Scott Curtis:[00:44:44] Yeah, no doubt. And speaking of promotion, one of the things I wanted to talk to you about is the way you promote yourself. So I stalked you on all the social medias and stuff like that, and [00:45:00] you've got. Huge followings every where you're at.

So Facebook, Instagram

Ben Sorensen:[00:45:06] talk. Seriously?

Scott Curtis:[00:45:08] Yeah. I

Ben Sorensen:[00:45:12] have a cat. Yeah, dance. Yeah,

Scott Curtis:[00:45:19] I have tic Tacs, tic Tacs, a strange one. I actually tried to do a character on there and I finally gave up, I just can't do it anymore. It's a conspiracy theorist dude, but yeah, it's not, it's not anything that I can. Maintain. So, but

Ben Sorensen:[00:45:37] Australia board of view and American conspiracy theorists

doing it as a, as a fight comedy skit is a grind ADI, plenty of room.

Scott Curtis:[00:45:48] I've done it live plenty of times and it's a lot of fun, but, uh, actually scripting and go on that way. I don't think I have the energy for it, but who knows, maybe talking about your [00:46:00] following. You've obviously. Worked hard to get that following and let let's talk about how we met.

So we're on this, uh, group that, um, people get matched up with podcasts and you reached out to me to do the podcast. And one of the things that comedians are really. Okay. They're either really good at promoting themselves and not so good at the comedy, or they're really good at the comedy and not so good at promoting themselves.

And it's hard to find that happy medium. But when I looked at your web page, you had been on, I don't know how many podcasts in the last year. I mean, just tons and tons of podcasts. And because you put yourself out there and you also are. Pretty, I mean, you're pretty consistent with your social media and stuff like that.

So what got you to the point of [00:47:00] having all of the followers that you have now?

Ben Sorensen:[00:47:05] So there's, there's a couple of tricks in a couple of, uh, uh, of things that I think we should talk about as well. Um, having a plan. Working out who you are is what we talked about from a creative point of view that also works for the backend as well.

And the business side of it, I think, is really, really important to work out what your strengths are as far as what that is and outsource. You know, that's a really big thing as well. Um, I have an aptitude for a range of different things. If you don't have that aptitude, which I totally understand, I outsource some, a whole heap of stuff that I'm not good at.

There is no shame in going, Hey, I'm not really good at, uh, pay R I'm going to go out and just PI someone who's really passionate about pay PR as I am about comedy gripe. [00:48:00] Mine cost you 20 grand a year or more to find the right person, but you'll get way better results out of that than having a crack and doing it yourself.

And, um, it's all about actions. How do I get the actions that are required to get the results I want? And, uh, I've had this chat with some musicians that I work with. They can, you can do your own, you can do and pay our marketing, or you can do your own whatever, and you can learn the skills. So you want to, if, if you want to, however, it's that cost benefit thing.

Am I better off doing a couple of extra shifts at work to earn that 20 grand a year to pay the PR person or. Am I going to spend three years doing a PR degree or a degree and then still have to do it myself. Right. And if the payout works, I want to have Tom to in my end payoff. So, um, I did breakfast radio for a couple of years [00:49:00] and I had a lot of, uh, in Australia and I had a lot of radio segments.

So, uh, my connection with podcasters and radio people is pretty good. So. Uh, and I, I really love Anna anecdotally just laughing and telling the stories and mocking around with people and doing stuff. So that works really well, but there's also not, there's nothing wrong with politely reaching out and going, Hey, this is what I do.

I really love your work. I've checked it out and I'd love to get your opinion to see if I would be a fit for your show. And that's the big thing is about. Respecting that it's not your show. And like, you don't owe me anything right. At all. Yeah. You're just trying to create the best content you can to grow your brand and your show.

And it's not about me. It's not about you. It's about your show. It's about the product. [00:50:00] And that's the biggest thing that I could probably share with anyone is only. Pitch the things that you think you're going to be a really good fit for this whole scatter gun approach thing. Doesn't work. Now, look, I've been on a lot of podcasts and I love them.

Absolutely love them and I'll get to meet so many amazing presenters doing some really wonderful content, but I'm very careful with who I pitched her because I make sure it's going to be like a fit of some sort, right. You know, like on my website, there's, there's two main categories. There's ones where I talk about the, um, intellectual stuff in autism and then ones that are just comedy.

Right. You know, and two very different sections, but both appeal to the same audience. So when we're reaching out, it's not just podcasts. It's about, uh, maybe your outlets. It's about, you know, um, uh, other. Canadians as well to, you know, get on the bill for their, you [00:51:00] know, a standup show, variety show or whatever it's about, what do I think I will be a fit for?

Yeah. So can I take some of the decision making responsibility off you and help you out by making it an easy? Yes. Yeah.

Scott Curtis:[00:51:16] And that's exactly what you did with me. You know, it was, it was very, it was a very easy, yes. And I probably wouldn't have found you if, um, you hadn't reached out. Uh,

Ben Sorensen:[00:51:30] yeah. And th th so from that was in a business point of view, how we all do marketing and advertising and all sorts of work like that within our own business.

And we got, Oh, here's the number? Call the number. If you want to buy something, how often do you want to

Scott Curtis:[00:51:43] actually go? Yeah. Never. Yeah.

Ben Sorensen:[00:51:48] So why do we put so much hope and energy into that? Right. You know, people are going to call once they're engaged and once they're on board with your plan, and once it's a, uh, a value [00:52:00] match or immune match of some sort, there's gotta be connection of some sort.

So a lot of times as, as marketers and as business people, and as the entertainers, it's up to us to reach out, make that connection. And, you know, we had alumna's, you're absolutely going to get a lot of nodes in the early days. Yes. Until you start refining and going, no, I know I'm a fit with this. I'm not a fit with that.

That didn't go so well. This went well, you know, and I think that's the important thing. Also. I know my target market. I've spent the last month, four years touring around Australia doing shows. Um, and I've also done a couple in the States and some of the Island and some Germany and you know, all over, but essentially Australia is my target market.

I can get my humor. Um, thankfully there's only 25 million of them, so it's a bit easy to market to them to pop around and say goodbye. So, [00:53:00] um, Part of that is doing those face to face shows and getting out there. Uh, I've been very, very fortunate that I've been at some, uh, hosting some rather large events.

And also at the same time, I've also booked in the hip smaller events and all sorts of different stuff while I'm traveling. So that enables me to one-on-one see what they laugh at, see what they like. And also. Through the volume of PayPal that I say it enables me to, uh, wait out the ones that, you know, don't match or don't think I'm that funny or that like, what do I do?

Find those that go. Yeah. Okay. I get it. Yeah. I like that. Yeah. Yeah. And you're always going to have a problem growing if your, uh, your audience is too small. If you're not. In front of enough people. So if you, if you only talked to like 10 people a month, [00:54:00] then you need a hundred percent of those people to come on board to get some decent numbers.

Yeah. And even then you're still not going to do it. However, if you're talking to 10,000 people a month and 50 of them come on board. Yeah, that's still pretty good. And then you, you start honing your process and going well. Okay. Well, I've got 50 that time. What of those 50 have in common? How can I, how can I expand that to 7,500 or 400?

Yeah. And then you start to build them into and getting better at what you do and part of getting better. All you do is simply by doing it.

Scott Curtis:[00:54:39] Yes. And the funny thing is, is, you know, I have somebody like you, who messages me to be on the podcast. And I do a side project. That's a wacky talk show that I do on Thursdays.

And I use a Facebook group, a private Facebook [00:55:00] group to book people, and I have invited. I think probably 140 people, that group. And that's a range of, uh, you know, podcasters and comedians and just people who I think would be a good fit for the show. And I always put, you know, every week I put a, um, Bolton up and say, Hey, I need three people for the show next Thursday.

And I very rarely get. Three people to respond. And yet if I go to them individually and ask them, they'll say, yeah, I've been waiting for you to ask me. And I'm like, Oh, you're here.

Ben Sorensen:[00:55:43] You're here in the group. Yeah. Crazy, crazy thought. You know, that's just how some people are. And we work. We work in comedy.

So we know [00:56:00] through our lived experience that a lot of Canadians have a lot of issues, particularly the funny ones, you know, and that's just kind of what it is. So I've been aware of that and aware of, you know, what I'm doing to try and go, okay, well, how can I. How can I make it easier for you and not everyone's going to do that.

We can give this information to an industry and still people are going to go. Yeah, I know that. Yeah. We saw the best sort of as, as a market, as the strategist, the best sort of strategy is the one you actually use. Yes. You know, so, and I think that's the really tough thing with all of this is to balance who we are as people and what we do, and try to work out a way that we can sustainably get into it and do what we need to, to be successful.

And a lot of people are out here. Uh, during comedy you self-sabotage and you know, quite happily doing [00:57:00] and then winching about it. Yeah. Maybe, maybe the first piece of advice. And this has been the best thing that I've ever done in my life ever to the point where it's actually continued my life a lot longer than I actually thought I'd be here for God.

Get yourself a great day. Yeah. Um, well, you said before it, my entire life is me and my brand, that small thing says mom, pulling over. That's literally my thing. So why would I not want to look after that? Right. I mean, I've got a list of reasons and that's why I say therapist, but, um, that's a really big thing why you sell advertising and we are our own brand.

So, you know, I'm a huge advocate of not just functional mental health, but thriving, mental health. And I'm not there yet. But I believe in the dream. [00:58:00] Yeah.

Scott Curtis:[00:58:01] Long as you're working towards that, then you're always moving forward instead of, you know, stagnating pride, like yeah, yeah. Yeah. One of the best things I got for my studio was a whiteboard and I use it for so many different things.

I use it for, uh, yeah. Working out bits, uh, try trying to put an a solid hour together. And then I also do you know, what, what am I doing well for the podcast, but am I not doing so well on things I need to work on? And it's really nice because with cell phones, now you can just take a picture of it and then you can pop it up whenever you want.

So that's why one of the tools that I, I got that I really enjoy and I use quite a bit. It's

Ben Sorensen:[00:58:42] funny. I've got a whiteboard too. Um, In cause this is my studio here and I use it mainly just for drawing dicks. Yeah.

Scott Curtis:[00:58:53] You must be pretty good at it now. Huh?

Ben Sorensen:[00:58:56] Everyone's got a gift. Yeah.

[00:59:00] Scott Curtis:[00:59:01] Oh, that's great. So just to, um, there's a couple things I like to ask everybody. What would you say is the best and worst advice you ever got?

Ben Sorensen:[00:59:13] Um, You need therapy and you need therapy. Okay.

Uh, look, they quite seriously, the best advice that I ever got, um, was so important and it works across all different industries. And it's a really great recipe for success. And every time I tell this, um, I tell it in the same way that it was told to me, this is a piece of golden advice. So if you're listening or watching, get out pen and paper, make sure your pen works because you're going to want to ride this, this damn time's your [01:00:00] world.

Um, so get your life as, you know, get a whole blank page as you rented it. And frame it and put it on your wall forever. Okay. This is the key. This is the answer. It's not 42 and this is the real real answer. So this is the best piece of advice I ever got. Don't beat shit.

Don't be shit.

Scott Curtis:[01:00:29] That's good. Yeah.

Ben Sorensen:[01:00:32] You know, we, we think about, I want to be the best. I want to be this. I want to be that. When

Scott Curtis:[01:00:37] really

Ben Sorensen:[01:00:38] the bar is only as high as the previous low, uh, previous highest person. Uh, yeah. You know, so economics teaches about, teaches us about the point of diminishing return and we don't have to kill ourselves striving to be the world's [01:01:00] best at anything.

We just have to not be shit and we have to deliver. On, uh, what we're expected to do and then Polish that to nicely. Yeah. So for the top,

Scott Curtis:[01:01:16] I love that when I used to do, uh, when I first, when I first started doing open mics, I, my wife would come with me quite a bit. And the only question I'd ask her after the end of the night was, was I the worst?

And, and that, you know, as long as I'm not the worst, I know I'm moving forward and I'm better than the last guy on the totem pole.

Ben Sorensen:[01:01:41] And also that's very kind of you, because that's. Less of a lie for your wife, you know, am I funny? Was I the best?

No, you were one guy sucked harder. Yeah.

[01:02:00] Scott Curtis:[01:01:59] That's an easy answer.

Ben Sorensen:[01:02:01] Sorry. Yeah, it's a very kind and compassionate thing that you've done there.

Scott Curtis:[01:02:05] Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. I, uh, One of the other thing. Go ahead. Go ahead.

Ben Sorensen:[01:02:12] No, I was just going to say the worst piece of advice I ever got was to buy Anset shares. Oh yeah.

The company that folded.

Scott Curtis:[01:02:21] That's never good advice. Oh yeah. My, my son actually, uh, bought some Bitcoin when it was like seven bucks and he sold it when it was, I think he was in college and he was really proud of himself that he sold it when it was like 750. And now look at it.

Ben Sorensen:[01:02:41] Yeah. Which is when I bought it.

And then after that it went all the way back down.

Scott Curtis:[01:02:49] Yeah, absolutely. The last thing I like to ask is, um, what three things do you know now that you wish you would've known when you started in the business?

[01:03:00] Ben Sorensen:[01:03:02] Um, Hey guys, dangerous. And I still battle with that. Not only Molly, but other peoples, um, understanding that I'm running my race.

And it's easy to get caught up with keeping up with the Joneses or other people doing better than me, but I just need to be happy for them because they're doing well. Yeah. And also look after me and what I want, because we all want different things in this world and that's okay. Yeah. Um, and the third one, uh, Most stresses and problems in life can actually be fixed with a fuck ton of money.

Yeah,

I believe. Yeah. And a lot of struggles that some people have, [01:04:00] um, can easily be fixed with money. So the lesson is how can

Scott Curtis:[01:04:05] I

Ben Sorensen:[01:04:07] try to find a way to ethically earn that money? To make some of those problems go away. Yeah. We even looked at our governments that put fines on things, which mean fines doesn't mean something's illegal.

It just means it's legal for a price. Yeah. Right. So how do you fix that problem?

Scott Curtis:[01:04:33] Yeah.

Ben Sorensen:[01:04:33] Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, it's important to, and I'm not saying fix out of money. Uh, I don't, I don't know, idolize money. At all and it, uh, it's, it's, it's a fine, it's a nuanced thing. Money enables freedom. And, um, I like freedom.

Yeah. You know, I'm not a bazillionaire by any stretch of the imagination, but it's having healthy attitudes [01:05:00] towards money and understanding it's a tool. Right. Right. And I think that's, that's the third piece of advice that I really wish I had have known earlier is, um, money and ego get caught together quite a lot.

And our definitely of success is a lot of times related to money as in cash money, not what money buys or the freedom that money buys. Right. And you take ego out of money. I don't, I don't need the lightest Ferrari. I don't even need the lightest cow. And I, um, I would only buy something like that to show off to other people.

I have a car. That's fine. It works. I have a house that I like, right. I've stopped in it that I like. You know, I don't need to have the biggest TV or the biggest house or, you know, to go on the most lavish holiday. I just do me and I only have to do things that I like. Yeah. You know, and to understand and differentiate between what I like.

[01:06:00] And what society thinks I should like or what peer pressure thinks I should like or what I'm showing off to make me look bigger or better, you know? It's about differentiating that. And if you want to do it cool, but make it a conscious choice. Not an unconscious.

Scott Curtis:[01:06:17] Yeah. That's, that's a fantastic perspective.

And looking back at what you really want and what it takes to get there is all you need. You don't, you don't all the other stuff is just, like you said, it's ego, it's keeping up with the Joneses. It's, it's all the, it's all the things that really end up tearing you down because you're not putting that thought.

And that time into something productive that can get to what you want. Yep. Totally. Yep. Title it. Yep. That makes total sense. Well, I got to say, Ben, this has been an excellent talk. I'm really glad you reached out. And I guess, yeah, I, I really hope that people take some of the [01:07:00] things you said to heart, because really you're, you're kind of the captain of your own, uh, ship, as far as comedy goes or wherever you're going to take your comedy mind and, and.

Put that, and you really having a plan and putting all your effort into that plan is the way you're going to get to where you want to be. So, I mean, that, that was a, a good affirmation on something I already know, but everybody else needs to know too.

Ben Sorensen:[01:07:33] And there's nothing wrong with, uh, so it takes a disproportionate amount of motivation and support to be successful in anything.

So even though you and I both already know a chunk of what I've already said, what I said, it's really, really great to hear it in a different way, with a different spin on it at a different time at a different Headspace. Yeah. As a group and as an industry, we need to look after and [01:08:00] support each other as kindly as we can, because it is really hard out there.

And. Artists can't look after artists who can,

Scott Curtis:[01:08:09] you know, it's funny, this goes all the way back to when you talked about spinal tap, my son watching spinal tap you. Sometimes you need to hear something at the right time. Other times it may just not click with you and, you know, I've I've um, so I'm watching star Wars.

I watched the first star Wars and hated it in 77. And so I never, I never watched any more star Wars. And then. I decided I've got a friend that does a podcaster and he's a big star Wars fan. And I said, Hey, what if I watch all the star Wars? And I report in to you as a podcast. And we talk about if I still hate star Wars or not, and, and you give me shit.

If I. Don't and, uh, you give me kudos if I, if I like it. And, uh, so I'm, I'm doing that. And the funny thing is it's not that bad. Um, so I'm, I'm on one. That's not so good [01:09:00] right now. And I can't, I can't talk about it because it's all for the podcast, but, um, Yeah. The first, the first three that were released, I, I actually I'm okay with them, but, uh, yeah,

Ben Sorensen:[01:09:10] I still think they're the best three.

I'm just putting it out. Yeah.

Scott Curtis:[01:09:14] Now, based on what I'm watching right now. Yeah. Most Def

Ben Sorensen:[01:09:20] yeah. I'm going to be funny. You did your star Wars. Uh, report on, on your mates podcast in cling on yeah, I quietly give him an eye Twitch. Yeah,

Scott Curtis:[01:09:37] that's funny. Cause I am a bit of a Trekkie, just the original stuff. I've never watched any of the others, but I do like the original star Trek in the movies.

Yeah. Yeah.

Ben Sorensen:[01:09:45] You know, uh, star Trek, something that I've done mine dipping in and out of. And that's what I like about it. So we've, it's on freeway TV here and it's just, it's comforting. It's nice. And it's all over. I think it's, uh, I don't know if it's Amazon or Netflix or whatever it [01:10:00] is out, out here, but it's got a heap of it on there and it's just nice to dip in and out of.

Yeah, it's a friendly universe and there's enough content there for you just to. Kate wandering around and being immersed

Scott Curtis:[01:10:13] in it. Yeah. This is totally off topic, but are you like a fan boy of any like Marvel universe or anything? Like, I mean, do you just totally get in and know every detail of something or are you just casual?

Ben Sorensen:[01:10:29] So, um, um, I'm a cross between the two only because the last four or five years, part of my touring around Australia has been with the Australian version of Comicon.

Scott Curtis:[01:10:40] Okay. Yeah. So you get to know them. Yeah. Uh,

Ben Sorensen:[01:10:45] there's a lot of times where I've just gone. Um, I've got a, I'm doing an interview. A one-on-one interview with, um, you know, someone from the Marvel universe in this film.

So I better go watch the film again. [01:11:00] Yeah. You know, um, there was a couple of people from Harry Potter that came out. I quite like Harry Potter, but you'd go and rewatch them. So through rewatch, heap of stuff, uh, you know, and being part of those communities, you do, you pick up a lot of stuff. Yeah. All right.

I find it really interesting. And I like the idea of not putting pressure on myself to know every detail about every film. Yeah. Because then it becomes a stress and that's not why I watch films. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Scott Curtis:[01:11:32] And I I'm totally the same way. There's only been two shows that I've. And one movie that I've just been bonkers over and that's twin peaks and X-Files those two I've I've watched through multiple times.

Yeah. And then, uh, the movie cool hand, Luke, which is, you know, it's no Paul Newman movie. And I watched that, uh, probably. 12 times. So, you know, those are the only things I really get [01:12:00] into. And, uh, it seems like comics in general are just really super fans of something like star Wars, Dungeons, and dragons, Marvel universe, DC universe.

I mean, they're, they tend to latch onto that. And meanwhile, I'm like, you know, I watched some of them. I don't watch all of them. Yeah. And I enjoy the ones I watch, but you know, if you start talking about Easter eggs and, uh, all the continuity and stuff like that, I don't know. I'm just, I just want to be entertained for a couple hours.

Ben Sorensen:[01:12:30] That's why I liked Lord of the rings as well. Um, I like, I liked the scenery and the screenshots, you know, it looks pretty on the big screen. I liked the music, um, like the wizard things to kind of cool and. You know, I do. I know everything about them. No, not really ever. I read all the talking books, so I bought them, but I haven't read them yet.

And it's just, it's my Skype. And we can all have a Skype, however we damn well want. Yup. Yup.

Scott Curtis:[01:12:57] That's great. So Ben, where can [01:13:00] people find you if they want to, uh, see, see where you're at and what you're doing?

Ben Sorensen:[01:13:05] You everything is on, uh, Ben Sorenson, one.com because some other Buster took Ben Sorenson. So, uh, Ben Sorenson, one.com is the website.

And like I said, Brian, for hire really happy to collaborate and work with people and, you know, share the energy. Cause I think that's, that's really great. Particularly if we're in different countries. I think that's really awesome as well. Cause we both learn much, um, social, everything has been Sorenson.

One. Keep it nice and simple. So bringing out, say hi, like my staff send me money. Yeah. Whatever.

Scott Curtis:[01:13:39] I've really enjoyed what I've seen that you've put out. And, uh, I I'm, I'm really glad you reached out because it was a great talk. I think I learned some stuff

Ben Sorensen:[01:13:49] and I look I did too. I am just very blessed and fortunate that you created, um, such a wonderful.

Uh, spice to talk about [01:14:00] comedy. Yeah, that'd be great. The backend of comedy, which, you know, there's, there's not so many honest, honest podcasts about that or honest content about that. A lot of it is the front end and go, Hey, be funny. Dance monkey. Okay. You know, this is it's, it's actually really nice and comparing notes as, as peers.

I really love it. So,

Scott Curtis:[01:14:22] thanks. Well, I, I appreciate that. I may use that as a sound bite, so just FYI, I get a lot of people. I get a lot of people who say they really enjoyed the podcast and it's after. I've stopped recording.

So you, you got it while the button was still pushed. So I appreciate that. Well, thanks a lot, Ben. It's been great having you and everybody check out Ben Sorenson, one.com and that's all of his socials too. He's got a lot of followers and the reason why is because he puts out good content. So check it out, folks.

[01:15:00] Thanks for being on Ben.

Ben Sorensen:[01:15:02] Absolute pleasure account. Like to do it again. If you'll have makes me, Oh,

Scott Curtis:[01:15:06] we'll do.