Fallon and his team featured the very best comments on The Tonight Show. It’s a huge privilege to post something that’s so funny, the host of one of the most popular late-night TV shows in the world can’t help but mention it to his audience.
You’re making Fallon laugh. You’re making folks around the world giggle. And you've got something to mention to your friends the next time you get together. It’s a total win. Who says social media is a waste of time?
Entertainment, pop culture, and lifestyle expert Mike, from LA, told Bored Panda that late night TV humor tends to be "more topical, irreverent, and edgier than other forms of comedy."
We were also very interested to get the expert's opinion on what qualities would help someone thrive if they were to work on Fallon's or another late-night TV show host's team. Hollywood's Ultimate Insider told us that these include creativity, flexibility, timing, writing skills, having a collaborative spirit and a good knowledge of current events, as well as the resilience to handle rejection.
"Late night shows are always looking for fresh and unique ways to make people laugh. Being able to come up with new and inventive ideas for skits, segments, and jokes is a valuable skill. Late night shows are fast-paced and often require quick changes and adaptations. Being able to adapt to changes and think on your feet is important in this environment," entertainment expert Mike explained why creativity and flexibility are so valuable.
Having a good understanding of timing and solid writing skills will help you out in the industry, too. "Late night comedy relies heavily on timing and delivery. A good sense of timing can make the difference between a joke that lands and one that falls flat," he said, adding that strong writing skills help develop and deliver jokes and sketches. "Being able to write funny and engaging content that resonates with audiences is essential."
Keeping up to date with current events helps here, as these shows rely heavily on pop culture references to make jokes and create content. "Being knowledgeable about what’s happening in the world and keeping up with the latest trends can help you succeed on a late night team," Mike said.
Meanwhile, these TV projects can't be tackled by any one person alone. It's always a team effort. So being able to work well with others, collaborate on ideas, and take feedback constructively are vital skills for success here.
Moreover, someone who thrives in the competitive and unpredictable late night TV industry is also going to be resilient. "Being able to handle rejection and setbacks with grace and resilience is an important quality to have," the expert told Bored Panda.
There are four main things to keep in mind if you want to improve your chances to get noticed by Fallon’s team on social media whenever he runs these kinds of challenges. First of all, your fact or story has to be interesting. It can’t be something dull. Nor should you bend the truth just to grab others’ attention online.
Secondly, you need to find a way to make your story shine. Think about how you phrase everything and consider what some better alternative might look like. Your tweet has to be clear, concise, and have an immediate impact! You really can’t waffle on for too long. Nor should you cut out all the emotion from your tweet and leave it bland. Find a balance between being entertaining and informative.
The third thing that helps you get spotted on Twitter by Fallon and his crew is being consistent with your posting. It’s highly likely that your tweet won’t get picked up the first time that you post it. (Though if you’re one of the lucky ones who did get featured on your first try—congrats!) However, if you keep taking part in his challenges and improving your writing, sooner or later, you’re likely to get featured on The Tonight Show. In short, keep at it!
And finally, keep in mind that going viral on social media has a lot to do with luck. Being persistent and consistent with your tweets helps, but there are many factors that you simply can’t control. There’s a note of randomness and good fortune here that you’ll never avoid. Remember that and it might help you avoid feeling frustrated or let down if Fallon doesn’t spot your awesome writing and hilarious story.
So long as you have an open mind, a spark of curiosity, and a willingness to be humble when you have to, there’s no problem at all if you learn some fact or other thing ‘late.’ It’s impossible to know everything about everything. So we all end up with some knowledge gaps.
For instance, you might be a superstar at physics, math, and astronomy. But you might know embarrassingly little about biology or psychology. Our first instinct might be to hide the fact that we don’t know much about a particular subject. However, when we admit that we need to brush up on some information, that’s when we really become open to learning.
