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Chad hopes MySpace will give him the chance to make movies
MySpace. A huge Internet social-networking site that connects users all over the world, giving them the ability to create personal profiles. Not only does Joe Schmo down the street use MySpace, but many musicians use it to expand their fanbase with the goal of landing a record deal. Other entertainers, most notably Dane Cook (Tourgasm) have used MySpace to expose their talents. With the growing popularity of the site, the possibilities for networking are endless. There are some truly talented people trying to make their mark and I’d like to showcase one of them here, Chad McMinn. Chad’s page, which he calls “Chad’s Show (click here),” blends blogs, podcasts, pictures, movies and ways to interact such as the “Call This Man Bluetooth” group. Through the wonder that is MySpace, I’ve had the opportunity to interview Chad about how he became part of the MySpace boom. “I created my MySpace page in May 05. A friend of mine sent me a request to join the site. I checked it out, liked it, and joined. I'm glad I did. MySpace is awesome! I decided to turn my page into 'the show' in January,” he says. Everyone who joins MySpace has their reasons -- keeping in touch with friends, networking, promoting their work. There’s something they want to accomplish. Chad also has his reasons, “[T]o entertain people with my blogs and podcasts. Hopefully people will come to my page and get a good laugh and get their mind off their worries. I think it's working so far. I get messages from people telling me they love my blogs and that they made their day. That's a good feeling.” About his history in comedy Chad says, “I have performed at three open mics. I had been working and going to school at night which prevented me from getting on stage. One of the reasons I'm moving to Austin is to get more involved and be closer to the stand up scene. Currently, I live about a 45-minute drive from the closest open mic in Houston. My place in Austin is about 5 minutes away from everywhere. I have so much material written and look forward to trying it out and entertaining people.” About his influences, he says, “There are
so many. I love George Carlin. I like the way he makes people laugh
and think at the same time. Eddie Murphy's old stuff is good. I love
Chris Rock. Dane Cook. Bill Hicks. Bill Cosby's old stuff. Richard Pryor.
I recently saw Cedric the Entertainer's HBO Special, which was awesome.
Mitch Hedberg. The list could go on and on. I like comedians who talk
about real issues.” I asked Chad about college. “I attended several different schools and got to experience life in the great Texas cities of Austin, Dallas, and Houston. I wound up graduating in May with a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies. It took me a while to graduate and in the end. I just wanted to be done with school. Interdisciplinary Studies is a supped up word for General Studies. It was probably Maurice Clarrett's major, a football degree. I enjoyed the classes I took. I got my feet wet in Marketing, Sociology, Psychology, and Business. If I had to do it over again, I'd do it all the same. College lived up to the hype for me and will probably end up being some of the best years of my life. I did attend the game when Michigan State beat Kentucky to go to the Final Four in 2005. That's my Spartan connection I guess.” Seems like everyone has a Spartan connection - Go, Green! He adds, “Also, I graduated from the University of Houston. I think I left that part out.” With college behind him, what is Chad doing now? “I'm moving to Austin this weekend and am looking for a job there. I'll probably end up substitute teaching until I find a real job. I'm not too picky, just looking for something to pay bills so I can concentrate on making a mark in the entertainment industry in my spare time.” If he could do anything in the entertainment industry what would it be and why. “I've written a couple of movies. One day I'd like to see these and others hit the big screen. I think the movie industry has really gone sour lately. I mean come on; movies about soccer playing ninjas are being made. The most recent screenplay I finished is called "The Pirates". It's about a baseball team in the early 90's trying to make it to the World Series. Along the way hey have to deal with real baseball issues like steroids, alcohol, marijuana and a gay player. It's lighthearted and I think something a lot of people would enjoy. It's laughter with messages and motives.” I asked Chad if I could have a part in "The Pirates," if it ever gets made into a movie. I also told him I work cheap. “Oh, yeah, if that day came, I would love to have you in my movie. I think it would be cool to have a lot of people I have met through MySpace in my movies. Let's hope that days comes.” Sweet. Okay, so I had to get all James Lipton on him, so here’s that section. Chad, if you could be any flavor of ice cream, what flavor would you be? “My favorite ice cream is vanilla, but I don't think I'd want to be plain. Maybe Neapolitan. That's just a cool word.” What’s your favorite word? He says, “Now it's Neapolitan.” I asked him on behalf of all the ladies if he was single. “Yes, I am single and not really looking to date anyone right now. I've got a full plate of things I'm looking to do right now.” Finally, I asked a really professional-sounding question.So I’m going to put it in at the end in it’s entirety in an effort to salvage any credibility I might have had. My question: I have one last question that I think will tie it all together. I noticed that you seem to be quite the Renaissance man when it comes to entertainment and you mentioned wanting to see your movies hit the big screen. That being said, out of these three mediums, which would you say you do best or prefer the most: writing, standup comedy, or podcasting (love your podcasts by the way)? “I would say I prefer the movies the most. I love them all, but I think it would be real awesome to see a movie I wrote in the movie theater.” Keep your eyes open for this guy. He does it all. It would be fun to see his name in lights soon. Good luck, Chad!
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