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see.hear.speak.3 preview: Target Demographic
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see.hear.speak.3 preview
To separate themselves from the hoards of other improv teams in the city, Target Demographic draws inspiration for their show from banned or offensive commercials.
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Target Demographic is ColdTowne superstar Tami Nelson, journalism superstar Matthew Odam, film/comedy/matrimony superstar Lance Gilstrap, teen heartthrob Leah Moss, and consumption expert Cody Dearing. That Other Paper contributor Jill Morris interviewed Target Demographic’s Cody Dearing about writing jingles, his team, and his personal thoughts on advertising.
That Other Paper How is Target Demographic different from other improv troupes?
courtesy Target Demographic
Cody Dearing The format is the defining characteristic of the troupe. I saw McNichol and May perform a format in which the audience selected a video, and then McNichol and May improvised scenes based on what everyone had just watched. I wanted to try a format like this where the videos were all commercials. Specifically, commercials that probably should have never been made because of how offensive they are to the consumer.
TOP Who designed your logo?
CD I designed the logo. Get them while they’re young — isn’t that an expression? Companies want your business from womb to tomb… cradle to the grave, starring Jet Li and DMX.
TOP Do you dislike the advertising business?
CD It is scary to think that some of the ridiculous advertisements whose mentality the troupe satirizes effectively manipulate some consumers. Hopefully, characters like these will appear in the show. We make fun, but I still get hyped up by movie trailers. I’m going to see the new Rambo this Friday. I don’t have a problem with advertising. Our show is more to poke fun at how ignorant the creators of these commercials must assume the consumer to be to think that we will buy into corporate raps, racial stereotypes, and terrible ideas with catchy songs and hypnotic editing. Also, some of the commercials have laughably poor production value.
I realize that the money from advertising in some ways goes toward paying to keep my beloved entertainment accessible. Still, I personally feel awkward manipulating others, trying to be hip, or looking at people as dollar signs.
photo / Veronica Hansen 
Cody Dearing performing stand-up comedy at ColdTowne Theater
Cody Dearing performing stand-up comedy at ColdTowne Theater TOP You were listed as the consumption expert. What are you an expert of consuming?
CD That was part fat joke. I’ve also seen a lot of commercials. So, just for credibility, I declared myself an expert in this field to make the troupe sound more prestigious. Thanks for blowing that wide open in this exclusive, Jill.
TOP What was the process for finding all these offensive commercials?
CD I searched the Internet. Many of the commercials were banned. I saw a lot of stuff that wasn’t appropriate for the show, but was funny. So, that made things more enjoyable. I realized that if not for the guilt of manipulating their fragile minds, I would love to make children’s commercials because they’re almost always ridiculous. And still, someone is paid to make them. I would also settle for writing jingles. Does That Other Paper need a jingle?
TOP What was your favorite commercial as a child?
CD Anything that was meta and made me feel like the television was talking to me. Like the promos the network would put in to fill the time gaps between the show and the commercials. I also remember being embarrassed as a child when a commercial for a girl toy would come on while I was watching Nickelodeon, and my dad would happen to walk through the room. I would always try to act like I wasn’t paying attention to it, but even then I realized and was fascinated by the idea of commercials being targeted at specific groups of people— Phew, titular line totally avoided! That would have been uncomfortable.
TOP Do you find that improvising based on commercials is more difficult than improvising based on a single suggestion from the audience?
CD Um, you know what? We have yet to attempt the format together, so I can’t honestly tell you. However, I have performed similar formats, and I love the challenge of doing scenes based representations of life. I personally don’t find it to be any more or less difficult. It’s just a different approach to figuring out what we’re going to do on the spot to entertain people for 20 minutes. With a single suggestion, we as a troupe could go anywhere. When the suggestion is a commercial, the audience has expectations that we’re going to use it. So, the scenes we do become a commentary on what the audience has just seen. Regardless of whether or not we intend to make parallels between the scenes and the commercials, at that point the audience is already making connections in their heads. It’ll be fun to show people how I feel some advertisers view the world.
Catch Target Demographic at see.hear.speak. on Thursday, January 24 at 10pm. That Other Paper is proud to sponsor this festival.
More see.hear.speak.3 interviews
About the author
Jill Morris was heavily involved in the local comedy scene before moving to New York City last year, but lucky for Austin, she still performs improv and stand-up comedy at The Hideout and ColdTowne Theater when she’s in town.
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