About this ebook
“Deceptively simple techniques.” - Kelly Leonard, The Second City (Exec. VP, President of Theatricals), “Yes And” (co-author), “Getting to Yes, And” (host).
“A must-read for anyone looking to upgrade their humor game.” - Peter McGraw, coauthor of The Humor Code.
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When a joke flops…It hurts.
Nothing beats getting big, genuine laughs from a room full of people.
But when a joke doesn’t land, your confidence takes a hit, and it feels like you’ve let everybody down.
Figuring out why a joke didn't work and trying again is what makes you funnier.
You could try grinding it out on your own, hoping you’ll get lucky.
Or you could get serious about your sense of humor.
With a career spanning a quarter of a century, veteran comedian and comedy coach Mike Lukas (Tonight Show, Comedy Central, Second City, CBS Radio) strips comedy down to the bone.
In Finding Your Funny Muscle, Mike shows you how to “flex” your ideas into funny, original, and relatable humor that gets big laughs—and makes you memorable for the right reasons.
His proven blueprint includes:
How to develop your own brand of comedy by answering just four questions.
Five ways a ‘Comedy Lens’ helps you create original punchlines.
The exact joke framework pro comics have used to build their careers.
How to come up with A+ material—fast—using the Humor Blueprint.
36 Humor Heightening Devices to consistently create fresh material.
A simple technique to avoid freezing and easily remember your ‘bits’.
All the laugh-getting tips and tactics from Mike’s 24-year career as a pro comedian, improviser, and comedy coach.
Whether you’re a fan of comedy, an aspiring joke-slinger, or a working pro with an ‘itch’ to make it big, Finding Your Funny Muscle reveals the hard-won truth: you can learn to be funnier.
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“Lukas really knows what he's talking about.” - Brian Stack, Writers Guild Award Winning / Emmy Nominated writer for Conan O’Brien, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, actor, comedian.
"Mike Lukas is a brilliant, hyper-observant comic.” - Rich Talarico, writer/producer Key & Peele, MADtv, SNL, The Tonight Show, Second City.
“This is the blueprint for how to create an act that will be 100% your own.” Eddie Clark, comedian & actor (Law & Order, Exiled, Orange Is the New Black, A&E, OPTIMUM ONLINE).
About the author
Mike Lukas grew up in Cleveland and was a successful internationally touring comedian and improvisor (NBC, Comedy Central, Second City, CBS Radio, A&E) for twenty-four years before he decided to hang up his clown shoes and give writing a full time go.
A graduate of his own Million Words Challenge and the University of Dayton as well as the training programs at the Second City and iO Theaters in Chicago, Mike is ready to talk comedy with anyone willing to engage in such silliness.
Raised a Browns fan in Cleveland, Mike graduated from UD with honors in 1987. Foregoing a rising corporate computing career, Mike spent the next two-and-a-half decades writing, performing, and improvising comedy around the world.
- NBC’s Tonight Show with Jay Leno
- NBC’s Late Night with Conan O’Brien
- CBS Radio
- Montreal, Chicago, and Aspen Comedy Festivals
- National headliner at America’s top comedy clubs
- Hosted and co-write The Straight Dope on A&E
- Understudy for The Second City’s mainstage in Chicago.
- Cast member of The Second City’s mainstage in Las Vegas and National Touring Company
- Co-hosted and produced Crackin’ Up on CBS Radio in Los Angeles
Now hammering his keyboard out of Dallas, Mike co-raises his two babies when he’s not pumping out twisted short stories, novels, and non-fiction books that unlock the secrets of the universe.
