What happens when a stand-up comedian goes on stage and the audience is 50 bald men? Or 50 clowns, nuns, bikers, and goths?
Marc Normand wanted to find out, so he collaborated with Unicorn on a new YouTube series titled Human Trials. This is an experiment in getting comics in front of a super niche live audience. According to the logline, “The result is a hilariously unpredictable environment where the room actively shapes the comedy in real time.”
The series also incorporates viewer interviews and real-time feedback from audiences, exploring how different demographics think about and react to certain types of humor. It has been described as a blend of the unpredictability and interactivity of “Kill Tony” with the social curiosity of Jubilee videos (“Surrounded”, “Middle Ground”).
“I’ve done all kinds of shows, and it’s always wild to see how different audiences react to the same joke,” Normand said. “Especially when you have a very specific group of people in one room.”
Scott Dunn, co-founder of Unicorn, a creator management company and content studio, added, “I’ve watched countless comedy specials over the years, always focusing on specific audiences and their reactions to the material. There’s no comedian who keeps audiences on their toes like Mark, so he’s the perfect face for this new approach to the category.”
Dunn and Normand will serve as executive producers along with And Media’s Chris Guerra, Ari Fishbein, Christian Thom, Landon Morgado and Aisha Shah.
Normand is a stand-up comic best known as the co-host of the podcasts We Might Be Drunk and Tuesdays With Stories. His latest special, “None Too Pleased,” was released on Netflix in March.
