White Label Comedy is a Creative Agency powered by a hive mind of Comedy Writers and Advertising Copywriters – working together to create comedy content that’s on-brand, on-message, and sells.

We’re the writers room that lives in your back pocket – and if you’re going to invite us to move in, we should probably all get to know each other first. So each week we’ll be introducing you to another member of the White Label Comedy team.

In focus this week – it’s novelist and comedy writer Anna Mansell!

White Label Meets: Anna Mansell

WLM: WHAT’S YOUR COMEDY BACKGROUND, OUTSIDE OF WHITE LABEL?

I’ve been writing fiction for four years. I’d like to think that each of my commercial fiction novels have a good dose of humour in them, mainly because though I sometimes write about quite dark or emotive subject matters, I’m also aware of how funny moments that are supposed to be sombre can be.

In the last eighteen months, alongside my novels, I’ve teamed up with a writing partner to develop some ideas for TV sitcoms. We’re influenced by writers like Caroline Ahearne, Victoria Wood and Alan Bennett, plus TV shows like Spaced, Black Books and Detectorists. It’s still very early days for us, but we’ve had some great feedback to some of our early work and I fully believe our time will come.

WLM: HOW WOULD YOU SUM UP THE WHITE LABEL ‘PROCESS’? AND WHAT DOES IT OFFER OUR CLIENTS THAT THEY WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO GET ELSEWHERE?

The wealth of skill and voice across the team is priceless, and genuinely offers clients a return that can be finely tuned and tailored to their brand. It operates on multi levels too, so where one person may respond with one gag or funny, another may contribute and develop it, and so that continues until the client receives a rich and well rounded response to their brief. Equally, because of the diversity in humour, style and voice, there will always be an approach or voice that fits a client brand. Ever heard the saying too many cooks? In this case, it’s the opposite. Our many cooks are rustling up a cracking broth. One of those really moreish ones, seasoned within an inch of its tasty life. So grab your bread and give us a dunk… I’m sorry, I may have taken this metaphor too far.

WLM: WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE KIND OF WHITE LABEL CLIENT / BRIEF?

I particularly enjoy finding the funny in an existing talk or speech. Something where a client has something they want to say, but they want to add warmth and humour to really get their message to land. The chance to get into someone’s speech (head) and write comedy that adds value to their message (voice), I find that really interesting… bordering on geeky.

WLM: WHAT DO YOU GET FROM BEING A PART OF WHITE LABEL?

You mean apart from the feeling that I am not shouting into an abyss for all of my days..? Learning from the rest of the team is something I particularly enjoy. It’s a team brimming with experience, knowledge and really funny people. When people are being brilliant, you feel inclined to push harder, be better, I really appreciate that aspect of it. Knowing that I’m a tiny cog in a productive wheel is something I really do value.

WLM: WHAT’S BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE WHITE LABEL MOMENT SO FAR?

Watching the pure joy and pride across the whole team when we hit our first big TV gig with some writing for The One Show. Whilst I wasn’t on board for that particular gig, I was by the time it came out, it was so nice to see how chuffed people were to see their work paying off. That and being able to take the occasional pop at Piers Morgan through the medium of satire, that always makes my day.

WLM: WHAT ELSE ARE YOU UP TO, OUTSIDE OF WHITE LABEL?

I’ve just been offered a new two book deal so am busy writing the first draft of one of those, whilst dealing with structural edits on the other one. I’m also developing a new TV idea with my writing partner, and there are a few irons in stage play fires that I’m exploring. I’m also on my knees praying every day that all this work will at some point pay my mortgage.

WLM: OUTSIDE OF OUR WHITE LABEL PROJECTS, ARE THERE ANY EXAMPLES OF COMEDY AND ADVERTISING COMING TOGETHER THAT MAKE GOOD TOUCH-POINTS WHEN COMING UP WITH NEW IDEAS?

I like the James Blunt ad for The National Lottery

The ability to take the mick out of ourselves is something I think UK audiences particularly relate to. Let’s face it, the majority of us couldn’t stand to listen to any of his music, but we’re very happy to watch him send himself up. This kind of humour keeps a brand in mind.

I also like the recent stand up ads for Nationwide

For what is ostensibly one of the most boring products most of us have to use, at least this way, we’re reminded because it might have made us laugh, as opposed to because we’re raging about the old Halifax man ads from the 1990’s. (That said, the later ads that parodied Ghostbusters did make me smile… I mean, Ghostbusters!)

To be honest though, I think this might be one of my favourite ads from back in the day. As someone who pretty much only came out with a sociology GCSE, I hang on to the fact that one day, I might be a scientist.

If you can write comedy for a brand that some thirty years later, people still remember, that’s a job well done!

WANT TO TALK ABOUT HOW ANNA AND THE REST OF THE WHITE LABEL HIVE MIND CAN HELP YOUR BRAND FIND ITS FUNNY? GET IN TOUCH!

White Label Comedy is a Creative Agency powered by a hive mind of Comedy Writers and Advertising Copywriters – working together to create comedy content that’s on-brand, on-message, and sells.

We’re the writers room that lives in your back pocket – and if you’re going to invite us to move in, we should probably all get to know each other first. So each week we’ll be introducing you to another member of the White Label Comedy team.

In focus this week – it’s Lee Thomas

White Label Meets – Lee Thomas

White Label Comedy is a Creative Agency powered by a hive mind of Comedy Writers and Advertising Copywriters – working together to create comedy content that’s on-brand, on-message, and sells.

We’re the writers room that lives in your back pocket – and if you’re going to invite us to move in, we should probably all get to know each other first. So each week we’ll be introducing you to another member of the White Label Comedy team.

In focus this week – it’s Alex MJ Smith

White Label Meets – Alex MJ Smith

WLM: What’s your comedy background outside of White Label, and how did you get involved?

AMJS: I’d written jokes for Newsjack on BBC Radio 4, and was busy putting together a portfolio of original sitcom scripts. I was being mentored by a very good and quite famous TV writer, and doing lots of not-so-funny writing to pay the bills – including marketing copy and a dab of historical fiction. Creative Director Adam got in touch out of the blue (and I mean ‘blue’ literally – it was Twitter). He said he’d heard my name on the Newsjack credits and seen enough funny stuff on my feed to warrant an invite to write for White Label, and their sister project The News Dump.  The rest was history.

WLM: How would you sum up the White Label ‘process’? And what does it offer our clients that they wouldn’t be able to get elsewhere?

AMJS: You know the famous saying, ‘the more cooks, the better the broth’? That’s what you get with White Label. Better, funnier broth. But seriously – the American sitcom writers’ rooms have the right idea. And we’ve got more writers than they do. Having twenty or more funny brains tackle a brief is always going to yield funnier results than one or two trying to write everything. It also means we can work very quickly. Better, funnier, faster broth. That’s what you want.

WLM: What’s your favourite kind of White Label client / brief?

AMJS: I love ‘punching up’ a piece provided by the client – adding jokes to an existing framework – and it’s always fun when the writers try to one-up each other to find the funniest line. But my favourite thing to do as a group is develop concepts from the ground up. That’s where the hive mind approach really comes into its own, because the client is presented with a broad range of very strong ideas to choose from.

WLM: What do you get from being a part of White Label?

AMJS: Money. Just so much money. More than I know what to do with, to be honest. Do you want some? Here. Just take it.

WLM: What’s been your favourite White Label moment so far?

AMJS: The group’s excitement when we found out our first script for The One Show had been approved and was going to air! On a little channel called BBC One! There’s a great community spirit in our virtual writers’ room, which is ideal because it saves me having to leave the house and make ‘real friends’. Look at me now, Mum!

WLM: What else are you up to, outside of White Label?

AMJS: I have three sitcom pilot scripts to find homes for, and a load more TV, film and theatre ideas in development. I’m also very keen to start writing episodes of pre-school animation (the logical home for my famous brand of blistering political satire) so I’m currently chatting to agents and producers and suchlike. Pray for me

WLM: Outside of our White Label projects, are there any examples of comedy and advertising coming together that make good touch-points when coming up with new ideas?

AMJS: Innocent have humorous marketing down to a tee; from the copy on their bottles, to ads like this.

I love the layers of comedy baked into this one. The script is fantastic, with lines like: “I’m in this because I really believe in this product or service”, and the running joke of Duncan’s desperation to be paid, which references a semi-topical news article from recent years (i.e. members of Blue went bankrupt). There’s physical comedy, which Duncan sells really well, and tonnes of visual and text gags going on in the background – something that my current favourite sitcom, The Good Place, also does excellently. They’ve packed so many jokes into this, it feels longer than a minute and a half. It just goes to show how the application of comedy craft can turn a very basic idea (our drink is blue; there was a band called Blue) into something properly funny and memorable!

Want to talk about how Alex and the rest of the White Label Hive Mind can help your brand find its funny? Get in touch!

White Label Comedy is a Creative Agency powered by a hive mind of Comedy Writers and Advertising Copywriters – working together to create comedy content that’s on-brand, on-message, and sells.

We’re the writers room that lives in your back pocket – and if you’re going to invite us to move in, we should probably all get to know each other first. So each week we’ll be introducing you to another member of the White Label Comedy team.

In focus this week – the very funny Trevor Rudge

White Label Meets: Trevor Rudge

WLM: What’s your comedy background, outside of White Label?

TR: I am relatively new to the comedy writing world, but I have always loved comedy and studied it’s history. I did have a little bit of success in the late nineties/early noughties with a string of characters on Terry Wogan’s BBC Radio Two breakfast show ‘Wake Up To Wogan’. The most infamous was a German, that wrote in pigeon German complaining (or gloating) about the state of British affairs. I did that for about six years, but never realised the impact that my material was having, until (after the third time of being asked) I attended a listener convention in Swansea for Terry’s programme. It was then I suddenly realised, six million other people were listening to my gibberish and even more astonishing they liked it. What did I do with that success? Nothing, absolutely nothing. I stopped writing into Terry’s programme in 2004 and I got on with a succession mostly miserable (but secure), salaried ‘day jobs’.

I got reinvigorated again in 2018 I had an idea for a comedy project I am still working on. Bouncing the idea off my wife, she told me ‘Write it. Before someone else does’, (who incidentally has been utterly frustrated by my writing inactivity, especially as we met at the above-mentioned Terry Wogan Convention). So on Friday afternoon’s, I would find a corner in the local pub and just write for a few hours. It was then I discovered ‘Newsjack’ on BBC Radio 4 Extra and started to regularly contribute. The muscles were working again. One Friday afternoon, whilst busily tapping away on my laptop, the manager asked me ‘Are you a writer?’. I paused, thought about it and then simply replied ‘Yes. I guess I am’. Now, when anyone asks what I do, I tell them I am a comedy writer. It’s very interesting the avenues that now opens up.

WLM: How would you sum up the White Label ‘process’? And what does it offer our clients that they wouldn’t be able to get elsewhere?

TR: The White Label process operates in a virtual collaborative environment. It’s encouraging, multi-iterative, and most importantly fun. I find it a little like an iceberg, in that, there is the visible part (what the client sees delivered) but underneath the surface there has been a significant amount of brain storming, idea suggesting and gag refining, from all the other creators. And it’s fast, really fast. There are some seriously talented, quick-witted, comedy writers involved and the sheer number of ideas that get generated is astonishing, as is the quality of the output.

That multi-collaborative approach, results in something that is rich in content and influenced by many styles. The demographic of White Label Comedy writers is broad, too, enabling us to hit many target points, from many areas of personal experience, that a smaller team would be unable to achieve. If someone has a great idea, it’s then polished and made funnier. We generate original, funny, unique humour, in double-quick time.

WLM: What’s your favourite kind of White Label client / brief?

TR: I’ve enjoyed all the briefs I’ve worked on so far, having an end goal, objective and more importantly, an audience for our work, I find really motivating. I just like making people laugh.

WLM: What do you get from being a part of White Label?

TR: Writing can be a lonely business some days, but with White Label there is always a chance to collaborate on a piece of work and also get some immediate feedback from my peers. It also brings a little bit of daily contact with like-minded people and provides some goals/structure to my work. Being in on the project so early is also quite exciting and seeing the business grow is very rewarding as well.

WLM: What’s been your favourite White Label moment so far?

TR: I love the creativity when we get a new assignment and seeing all the new ideas the writers propose come to fruition, however I will have to say that seeing our first piece broadcast on National television will take some beating, especially with some of my material left in the edit.

WLM: What else are you up to, outside of White Label?

TR: I write regularly for White Label’s, sister project “The News Dump”, but I am also working on several individual projects currently and getting them to state where I can hopefully present them to a production company, or an agent. I also submit material to BBC 4 Extra’s “NewsJack” and I recently got added to the writers list for BBC Radio Scotland’s “Breaking the News”.

WLM: Outside of our White Label projects, are there any examples of comedy and advertising coming together that make good touch-points when coming up with new ideas?

Joe and Petunia – Coastguard
Not strictly a commercial but a Public Information Film. A fabulous example of humour being used to get over a really serious message. Joe completely misreads the dire situation, whilst having the most banal conversation with his equally oblivious wife. There is then a moment of realisation, before the conclusion. It’s a classic three act story, in one minute and over fifty years on, still funny.

Birdseye Steakhouse Grills – We Hope It’s Chips
In my view, music gives comedy repeatability. Parody music brings instant familiarity. Add an everyday situation (in this instance, burly workmen dreaming of their tea), with a bit of close quarter choreography and this is the result. “We hope it’s chips, it’s chips” has been a personal earworm ever since.

John Smiths Bitter – Acrobatic Dog
I’m not advocating giving dogs alcolhol, the product could be replaced with anything (almost), but he concept of a highly intelligent dog, that will do anything (and seemingly does) for a reward, is one many pet owners will identify with. The use of puppetry and props, is just fabulous.

Heat Electric – Creature Comforts (Pablo The Parrot)
The Creature Comforts series of advertisements involved interviewing real people about their home heating and then the animators would come up with the concept of matching their words with stop motion clay puppets/models. I particularly like this one because of the ‘silent’ parrot trying to get a word in edgeways and the sheer range of emotions portrayed by the facial expression. It’s a surreal concept, executed with a brilliant visual, where the words of the ad are completely straight.

Talking Pages – Gabrielle Drake and John Cleese
What appeals to me about this is that it is typically British. Chaos ensuing all around, reacted to with that stoic ‘Stiff Upper Lip Approach’ by John Cleese and Gabrielle Drake. The emergency is also exaggerated beyond reality. There are some fabulous visuals (look out for the swimming dog) and the fish tank gag is tied in beautifully.

WLM: Anything else you want to share?

TR: Personally, the whole ‘White Label Comedy’ experience has just been amazing. This opportunity came along at just the right time for myself, as someone who was getting back into the world of writing again. It’s enabled me to network and ‘rub shoulders’ with some really talented writers, whilst being able to showcase my own work.

Want to talk about how Trevor and the rest of the White Label Hive Mind can help your brand find its funny? Get in touch!

White Label Comedy is a Creative Agency powered by a hive mind of Comedy Writers and Advertising Copywriters – working together to create comedy content that’s on-brand, on-message, and sells.

We’re the writers room that lives in your back pocket – and if you’re going to invite us to move in, we should probably all get to know each other first. So each week we’ll be introducing you to another member of the White Label Comedy team.

This week – it’s comedy writer Dan Sweryt.

White Label Meets: Dan Sweryt

WLM: What’s your comedy background, outside of White Label?

DS: I’ve written comedy for 14 years now, across all media, including TV, radio, podcasts, stage and the internet.  I’m am member of the regular writing team for BBC Scotland’s Breaking The News on TV and radio.  I also write material for a few stand-ups and am a regular contributor to satirical news sites The News Dump and NewsThump.

WLM: How would you sum up the White Label ‘process’? And what does it offer our clients that they wouldn’t be able to get elsewhere?

DS: The ‘process’ is what I like most about comedy writing: it’s collaborative!  There is a lot of comedy writing where you’re stuck by yourself, hearing nothing back when submitting to various outlets.  The collaboration is brilliant as someone can have a gag immediately, with another 30 writers able to jump on it and hone it ’til it’s perfect.  With so many writers available, clients get high-quality content turned around in days.  A single writer working alone couldn’t match the quality and turnaround times, nor could they afford to match the price, as it’s simply economically unviable for someone working alone!  Believe me, I’ve tried that previously!

WLM: What’s your favourite kind of White Label client / brief?

DS: The ones where we get to generate a load of ideas first, that are subsequently selected from by the client, then we get to work on the script, then hone the gags.  I find the process more enjoyable if we feel like we own the idea from scratch.  That’s not to say we have to do it like that, as working on plenty of different projects simultaneously is rewarding enough.

WLM: What do you get from being a part of White Label?

DS: A collaborative, supportive writing environment; something that’s sadly lacking in the comedy writing world at times!  Bouncing ideas off others to get the best results is invaluable and motivating.

WLM: What’s been your favourite White Label moment so far?

DS: Getting on The One Show was pretty exciting.  Also, realising that someone has to write those 15 second pre-video ads on YouTube, so it might as well be us!

WLM: Outside of our White Label projects, are there any examples of comedy and advertising coming together that make good touch-points when coming up with new ideas?

I always remember the trailer for Austin Powers 2, as it was nice and self-deprecating, finishing with the line: “If you see only one movie this summer, see Star Wars. But if you see two movies this summer, see Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me”

The John Smith’s salmon ad where the guy fights the bear for the fish.  Unexpected and made me laugh out loud multiple times.

The Pepperami ads were good fun – ‘It’s a bit of an animal’ is a very subtle, but great, line!

Also, I quite like the Virgin Trains ad.  Mainly cos my mate Alex is the leading man, so if you want him to feature in your project, give us a shout!

WLM: Anything else you want to share?

DS: Have a look at my website for more details.  If anyone wants to give me any bitcoin for no reason, please feel free.

White Label Comedy is a Creative Agency powered by a hive mind of Comedy Writers and Advertising Copywriters – working together to create comedy content that’s on-brand, on-message, and sells.

We’re the writers room that lives in your back pocket – and if you’re going to invite us to move in, we should probably all get to know each other first. So each week we’ll be introducing you to another member of the White Label Comedy team.

First up – it’s an exclusive* interview with our founder and Creative Director Adam Hunt.

*not at all exclusive – he’ll talk to anyone who’ll listen…

White Label Meets: Adam Hunt

WLM: Where did the idea for White Label Comedy come from?

AH: For as long as I can remember, there have been two distinct strands to my career: some days I’m a freelance TV Producer, other days I’m a freelance Advertising Creative. Last year I launched The News Dump – a satirical website, and occasional web show – and we quickly attracted a pool of brilliantly talented comedy writers keen to contribute.

While most articles have a single author, we would occasionally use our virtual writers room to write them as a team – and the way our guys collaborated gave me an idea: what if we took this same process, but used it to generate ideas and copy for brands, branded content and TV shows. White Label Comedy was born.

WLM: Why did you choose the name White Label Comedy?

AH: ‘White Label’ goods are products made by one company, but labelled and sold by another, under their own name. If I made soap, but sold it to you to sell under your name, that would be White Labelling. We’re doing the same thing – but with ideas, scripts, jokes and copy.

WLM: What’s been your favourite White label ‘moment’ so far?

AH: Watching a piece conceived and written by our guys play out on BBC One to an audience of almost 4 million as part of The One Show (the BBC’s flagship entertainment show) felt pretty special. A real watershed moment in our journey from ‘idea’ to ‘ideas factory’.

WLM: What’s next for White Label?

AH: There are three more great projects that we’ve recently finished work on: a series of sketches for a luxury Jewellery brand, the script for an Advert that will make you want to buy a pager even if you had no idea they were still being sold, and punch-ups for a 45 minute Ted Talk. We’re waiting patiently for our clients to get these through the edit so we can share them with you.