I was asked to write a story about the crisis. Not focusing on the negative, instead trying to prove that there are chances to be had in entertainment. ‘Does humour sell better during the crisis?’. I talked to Howard Komproe, laughingcoach Maarten Vos, Goeroes zonder Grenzen and Endemol. Generally speaking they all agreed that there are not necessarily more opportunities, but hard times force people and organisations to be more creative and find new possibilities to make money.
The highlight of my research was talking to Maarten Vos. One of his eye-opening remarks: ‘People think they laugh because they’re happy. But most of the time laughing is a reaction to shame, embarrasment or another negative emotions. The laughing itself is wat gives you a joyous feeling.’