Coaching

Funny Muscle Coaching Calls

Get ready to take your humor game up a few notches.

Comedian turned author Mike Lukas is available to give you one-on-one coaching.

"The way Mike breaks down comedy and teaches you a system for generating and refining material is invaluable. He gives you the tools to recognize what you’re good at and amplify and enhance them to an insane level."
Max Kestenbaum
LA Comedian

Together, you’ll discover your own Comedy Lens, learn how to use it with the Humor Blueprint to write original, relatable, and memorable jokes that will have your audiences howling with laughter.

You’ll learn how to practice this game plan using 36 Humor Heightening Devices that give you dozens of punchline options.

Whether you’re a budding standup comedian, a public speaker who wants to use humor to break the ice, or just a person who wants to be funnier, these one-on-one coaching calls with Mike will help take your laugh-getting skills to the next level.

Time to get serious about your comedy!

"To all who have asked, “Can you really teach someone to be funny”? My answer is “MIKE LUKAS CAN”!!!!"
Charna Halpren
Co-creator of iO with Del Close, Author of TRUTH IN COMEDY and ART BY COMMITTEE.

Here’s how the coaching calls work:   

  • We conduct five Zoom calls
  • Each call will last 75 minutes (minimum) each
  • There will be mandatory prep-work for each call
  • Calls can be scheduled at your own pace

Coaching Itinerary

"Mike Lukas is a brilliant, hyper-observant, comic and a hard-working, dedicated teacher. And a goofy, welcoming friend. I’m a better writer and comedian thanks to my time studying with and laughing with Mike.”
Rich Talarico
Writer/producer Key & Peele, MADtv, SNL

Call 1: Comedy Lens

Call break down:

  • Introduce ourselves
  • Discuss your comedy goals
  • Go over your answers to the four Comedy Lens questions
  • Talk about the comedy clips you shared
  • Brainstorm possible Comedy Lenses
  • Choose your Comedy Lens

Call 2: Humor Blueprint

Prep work: 

  • Final tweaking of your Comedy Lens
  • Make a list of top five premises you want to tackle
  • Read Humor Blueprint handout (from book 2)

Call break down:

  • Review / update your Comedy Lens
  • The Humor Blueprint Explained
  • Use Humor Blueprint to break down some of your existing bits
  • Use Humor Blueprint to turn one of your raw ideas into a joke

Call 3: The 36 Humor Heightening Devices

Prep work: 

  • Try to use Humor Blueprint to break down one of your jokes
  • Read Humor Heightening Devices handout (from book 2)
  • Choose your five favorite HHD’s

Call break down:

  • Quick Review of Comedy Lens and Humor Blueprint
  • Breakdown of how to best use Humor Heightening Devices 
  • Quick Review of your five favorite HHD’s
  • Create your game plan for practicing this process 

Call 4: Turning Your Ideas into Jokes

Prep work: 

  • Make a list of your five best premises

Call break down:

  • Quick review of Comedy Lens, Humor Blueprint, and HHD’s
  • Discuss and rank your list of five best premises
  • Use the Funny Muscle game plan to work those premises into bits

Call 5: Your 5-10 Minute Audition Set

Prep work: 

  • Work on and polish the jokes from your five favorite premises
  • Perform those jokes in front of a live audience and record set

Call break down:

  • Quick review of Comedy Lens, Humor Blueprint, and HHD’s
  • Watch / discuss your live set(s) with those jokes included
  • Outline your five-ten minute audition set
  • Perform your set on the call, use HHD’s to riff more punchlines together

Check In Calls:

  • Feel free to schedule a 15 min, 30 min, or 60 min check-in call
  • These can happen during or after your 5 coaching sessions
  • We can go over anything you like
  • Same rates apply
"I am new to stand-up comedy and already have multiple notebooks filled with potentially funny material...or potentially terrible material!? Mike has helped me decipher which is which. I used to think my stories are funny and that's the set! But...no. Mike reminds me to use heightening devices and land a joke with a real punchline that gets laughs every time. So, now I'm getting more laughs! Now...if I could just get a date."
Kathy Nellet
Detroit, Open Mic Comic

Cost:

"Mike translates what has worked for him on stages across the country over decades to give [his clients] some deceptively simple techniques to hone their craft. In the words of Steve Martin, “Comedy isn’t pretty,” but Mike Lukas makes it easier to understand, craft and execute.”
Kelly Leonard
The Second City (Exec. VP), “Yes And” (co-author), “Getting to Yes, And” (host)