Kennesaw State’s in-residence comedians are building their unique comedy brand while seeking to transition into an entertainment business.
Seniors Zacchaeus Towner, Himie Freeman and Meshach Young, all communications majors, started the “Brothas is Broke” YouTube channel in the summer of 2018 and have made several videos since.
Videos on the channel include news, infomercial and reality TV-inspired comedy sketches, blooper reels and full music videos of comedic songs.
Each of the members of “Brothas is Broke” has past experience with comedy, theater or performance.
“What got me into comedy was my family — I feel like I grew up in a house full of comedians,” Young said. “My mom taught me everything I knew about comedy. We used to watch a lot of stand-up together.”
The trio said the comedic influence behind their videos and style comes from performers such as Martin Lawrence, Will Smith, Dave Chappelle and Eddie Murphy.
“Martin Lawrence and Will Smith were my favorite comedians growing up,” Towner said. “Our community was an all-white community and Will Smith came from an all-white school.”
The inspiration for “Brothas is Broke” videos usually comes from bouncing around ideas, having conversations and reflecting on life experiences.
“The planning process is a lot more detailed than you’d expect,” Towner said. “There’s location scouting, there’s casting, there’s getting crew — and this stuff has to be planned at least two weeks in advance.”
The comedy trio plans to create a podcast in the near future and hopes to grow “Brothas is Broke” as a brand by getting the name trademarked and copyrighted, by working on merchandise and by evolving their content across several entertainment platforms.
“What I want [is for] ‘Brothas is Broke’ to be seen as an actual entertainment company,” Towner said. “What we believe separates us from other people who do skits is that our content is bigger than just Instagram and YouTube.”
Throughout their journey, the trio has learned to appreciate each other as both friends and artists, creating unique chemistry which they believe helps elevate the quality of their videos.
“[Young] has the ability to bring in a crowd even if it’s not meant to be comedic,” Towner said. “He’s not trying to be funny, it’s just who he is.”
Since starting the “Brothas Is Broke” YouTube channel, making videos has taught each member of the group something new, whether it be about content creation or about each other.
“I’ve learned it’s not always the people closest to you that are going to support you,” Freeman said. “There are close friends who may not watch every video, but there are strangers who subscribe and watch every new video.”
To find out more information about “Brothas is Broke” and to get updates on future content visit their YouTube channel @BrothasisBrokeEntertainment and their Instagram @brothasisbroke.
