Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Robinson.
Face Off Unlimited opened BATSU! on NYC’s historic St. Marks Place in 2010 with just a single Monday night performance each week. Utilizing word of mouth and online reviews, and aided by a handful of unsolicited bloggers and influencers, BATSU! NYC slowly and steadily became one of the East Village’s hottest underground comedy scenes. As ticket sales increased exponentially, additional performances and cast members were added to accommodate demand. Today, BATSU! NYC runs regularly Wednesday to Saturday night (with occasional Tuesday night special performances).
In 2016, BATSU! expanded to Chicago’s Old Town district and took residence in the upstairs space in ‘Chicago’s First Sushi Restaurant’, Kamehachi. With performances every Friday and featuring a special series of Saturday night performances, BATSU! Chicago is now enjoying the same exciting growth trajectory as its East coast predecessor, this time in America’s comedy capital.
BATSU!’s leadership team includes Founder/CFO Eric Robinson, Founder/CCO Jay Painter, Partner/Director of Operations Joe Tex, and General Manager Heather Shields.
Has it been a smooth road?
As most improv handbooks seem to collectively point out, the field of improvisation isn’t exactly one people enter because it has any indication of being lucrative. Ultimately, however, me and my partners objectively felt we could bring something new, fresh, polished and exciting to the industry. Believing that, we knew we at least had to take a solid shot at making a full-time vocation of our craft.
It’s not a secret that for almost all people entering any field of entertainment, life is pretty much a daily struggle. So was the case for myself and my partners as we all held down miserable ‘survival jobs’ while harvesting any spare hours building the foundation of our company. Additionally, growing and developing a product and, God forbid, turning a profit, with literally zero upfront capital and almost zero collective business-management education made for long periods of uncertainty, anxiety, and frustration (officially speaking only for myself).
But, as I’ve come to believe is the case in all things, hard work put in always yields fruit of some kind. And for us, there seems to have always been one opportunity or another popping up at the most crucial moment to help us keep the young gears of our company churning. Then, one day, it was all of a sudden not unreasonable for us to draw a salary (albeit a very, very meager one)…and we were on our way.
Now, with the challenge of breaking free of our training wheels behind us, we now find ourselves facing a whole different set of obstacles…the ones that are inexorably tied to growth. As we’re still a pretty small company, new, previously unconsidered challenges are a daily occurrence. Maintaining a physical office space, an ever-expanding staff, a growing leadership team and customer base as well as pursuing new revenue streams and managing an ever-inflating list of new expenses certainly keeps us on our toes. And yes, we’re loving every minute of it.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Face Off Unlimited is improv-based comedy production company specializing in innovative live entertainment, education, and content development. FOU is best known for its multi-city smash hit, BATSU!, currently enjoying open-ended runs in both New York City and Chicago as well as a newly launched tour company.
Additional FOU productions include A Whole ‘Nother Level, Pillow Fight, Nads, The 11th Hour, and Goon River. We’re also the creators of the ‘granddaddy’ the Long Island improv scene, Friday Night Face Off!, now in it’s 14th successful year. Since its inception, FOU has trained literally hundreds of individuals and corporate clients in its unique approach to improvisation via its education center, FOUniversity. Specialty classes have included short and long-form improvisation, musical improv, stand up comedy, and on-camera audition workshops.
Additionally, in 2014, FOU became the primary English content creator for Paris-based robotics company, Aldebaran Robotics.
Lastly, FOU has recently launched a digital division, FOU Studios, and has begun to develop and release original digital content and live streams…utilizing the multi-faceted talents of FOU’s performers. I think what makes us most proud as a company is also what sets us apart. In an environment where we feel improvisational on-stage talent is currently highly undervalued, FOU has remained committed to consistently compensating its performers far above the industry average. Additionally, long-tenured performers are enrolled in a profit sharing pool that pays out quarterly, regardless of the given performer’s stage time.
Monetary benefits aside, FOU also fosters a creative community affectionately referred to as the ‘Face Off Family’ and since the company’s birth has regularly celebrated its diverse talent with full family get-togethers called ‘Family Jams’, where the whole company just gathers for private, non-ticketed events to just have fun and celebrate each others unique creative gifts.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Chicago has treated us very well so far. We were definitely aware that bringing ‘out of town’ improvisation to America’s improv capital was a risky endeavor, but, to our surprise, we’ve been welcomed with open arms.
The press and the public have both been very kind to us and our unique show. As far as someone looking to start a career in improvisation, you don’t need me to tell you, this city clearly speaks for itself.
Pricing:
- General Admission – $25.50
- VIP Admission – $50.50 (includes priority seating, hachimaki (japanese headband), and carafe of sake)
- BATSU! Hachimaki (Japanese Headband) – $15 (visits throughout the show by the Sake Ninja)
Contact Info:
- Website: Batsulive.com
- Phone: 347-985-0368
- Email: chicago@faceoffunlimited.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foucomedy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BATSUChicago/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/batsulive
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/batsu-chicago-chicago
Image Credit:
Matthew Robinson, Johnny Knight
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