a problem given the Netflix brand and Mo’Nique’s previous work. Let’s say, Netflix paid her $20 million like Dave Chappelle was reportedly offered, and this was the full investment in the project. An assumed ROI of 100% here would be $40million.
ROI is just one business measurement tool. When you add in the demographics of Netflix users and compare them to the demographics of Mo’Niques fan base, a whole other conversation begins. I personally can’t speak for the interworkings of the Netflix brand and how they goal their projects, but I do know that most businesses make offers contingent upon how they think those projects will do based on what they know about their customers.
Mo’Nique has history, but again, her biggest film was 9 years ago and was NOT a comedy. Having worked the Los Angeles comedy scene for 5 years I had the opportunity to see up and coming comics sharing the stage with the greats while working out bits for specials and new ideas. The same big names I see on the Netflix roster are the same big names I saw practicing on small stages. Kevin Hart, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Tiffany Haddish, DeRay Davis, Lil Rell, and others were constantly hopping on and off stages polishing up their material.
One of the times I was watching Kevin Hart he stopped mid-joke and said, “I don’t have an ending for this joke, but I like the beginning.”– he wasn’t perfect but was working through his material. Just because I didn’t see Mo’Nique on the scene doesn’t mean she wasn’t working, but it does strengthen the cases of the comedians that are getting higher offers. The comics that are making the big bucks on Netflix and other platforms have been putting in work on the local scenes, and this I’ve seen for years with my own eyes.
I stand with Netflix on this one when I say, my sister, I’m going to need