Glenn may have just found another reason to call Jim Gaffigan one of his favorite comedians. Today, Gaffigan is breaking with the traditional distribution model and selling his new comedy special, Mr. Universe, exclusively online in a distribution model similar to fellow comedian Louis C.K. and not that different from Glenn's own GBTV. Even better, he is donating $1 of each copy sold to the Bob Woodruff Foundation, a charity that serves injured veterans and their families.
In an interview with Mashable, Gaffigan explained that the move was partially a reaction to being censored at Comedy Central's Night of Too Many Stars, where some of his jokes were cut because the network felt there could be backlash from advertisers.
Gaffigan told Mashable his aversion was "“not a slam on Comedy Central, but the reality of being in the clutches of advertisers."
"I knew I was going to be dealing with a lot of product names in my upcoming special, so I decided to look outside the box."
Releasing the special digitally not only offers Gaffigan more creative control, it also has the potential to allow him to make more money than releasing the special on cable TV and other traditional methods. However, he will be donating $1 from each $5 purchase to charity.
“There’s a code of ethics on the Internet,” said Gaffigan. “One part of that is transparency. The other one is: Don’t be a greedy bastard.”
“Comedy Central made me a deal [for the special], but the risk of selling it online was more appealing. Yes, I’m spending my own money to produce it and build the website. But the chance I would make the same amount of money selling it myself is pretty likely,” Gaffigan said.
These comments echo a lot of the sentiments expressed by Glenn and his team when he first left FOX News to launch GBTV.
In March, Glenn spoke with the Wall Street Journal on the changes to the television industry. "We are on the edge of something that is bigger than industrial revolution," he said.
Will more media personalities follow the trail being laid by media entrepreneurs like Glenn, Louis CK, and now Jim Gaffigan? The trend - and the level of success - seems to suggest that it's certainly a viable way to bring your message and content directly to viewers.
You can read the FULL Mashable interview HERE. Mr. Universe can be purchased directly from JimGaffigan.com