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Should Comedian Mark Day Stop Creating Now That He’s YouTube’s Comedy Manager?

Mark Day ComedyThis isn’t breaking news, but I feel remiss to not have covered the news that Mark Day (markdaycomedy) is now a YouTube employee as “comedy manager” (see YouTube blog. Mark (markdaycomedy) started on YouTube in March 2006, and I’ve long been starstruck by his omnipresence on YouTube and other sites. He’s best known for pimping his “Smiley Face Intervention” mug, and his frequent comedic, topical bits. He was the premier guest on our recently launched BubbleGumTreeShow (Charles Trippy is the next guest, and I think I’d better find a sponsor for the show or drop the goal of 52 creators in 2008 to about 26).

Mark’s announcement in the YouTube blog says, “Now that I’m part of the YouTube team, you won’t be seeing much of my big bald head any more.” I spoke with Mark, and challenged him on this decision. He explained how it might feel for an upcoming creator to see Mark as both a decision-maker and, effectively, competition. While there are potential conflicts of interest, I would argue that it can be reconciled. Selfishly, I’d like to see Mark continue. And the more we see of the editors and community managers, the more human the company feels. What do you think?

It’s possible this is a red herring. Many YouTubers burn out when the adrenaline of faux fame wears down, and we realize it’s consuming our time and energy. I think we’ll see more YouTube burnouts as some top creators realize that the partner program’s revenue isn’t what they expected, and that few have “crossed the chasm” to additional media forms.

P.S. Comedy Manager is a stupid title. You can’t manage comedy.