Using Comedy to Break Through - Not Punch Down, with Mark and Bill of CoolCoolCool Productions

"Think more about the message you're trying to get across and then make the humor something that brings people in instead of pushing people away."

I met Mark Kendall and Bill Worley at Netroots this year and was super excited to invite them on the pod.

They’re doing something very unique in our space — using comedy, intentionally, to win hearts and change minds.

Their firm, CoolCoolCool Productions, is an Atlanta-based production company and boutique agency that uses comedy to encourage civic engagement and foster community.

Their videos have racked up tens of millions of views across social media. They’ve been featured on NPR and in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and named “Best Reason to Laugh” by Atlanta Magazine.

I went to a session they ran at Netroots, and every example they shared hit harder than the last. Thoughtful, smart, hilarious work—designed to move people.

Throughout our conversation, we talked about:

• their origin story
• the importance of finding joy, even in dark places
• why embracing specificity matters if you want to change hearts and minds
• how their process works
• the advice they’d offer to campaigns looking to use humor effectively
• and more

Find links, transcript and more at HelloMergeTag.com.