Welcome to Joke Talk Yell Write.

I’m Ryan McMahon. I’m an Anishinaabe creative now based out of Hamilton, ON. I’m originally from Treaty 3 territory in Northwestern Ontario. I was born and raised in Fort Frances, ON, and my home community is Couchiching First Nation. I am a dad to three amazing children and a partner to an incredible Mohawk woman.

You can read more about my work here.

I have spent (most of) the last three years working in partnership with Canadaland and eOne on a television series for CRAVE TV. I am the Executive Producer, writer, director, and host of the series.

Now that work is complete on my TV series; I’m sitting at an empty desk with blank notebooks and a blinking cursor on a blank screen.

For the first time in over a decade, my time and schedule are wide open. As an independent creative, this is terrifying. But I’m embracing the moment and leaning into this creative space - Joke Talk Yell Write is the foundation of what is next for me.

Here are a few quick answers to FAQ I’ve been receiving:

• Yes, I still do standup comedy. I’m touring in 2024.

• I’m no longer in a First Look Deal with eOne. We amicably parted ways this spring. I’m 100% free to bring my work wherever I want, whenever I want.

• I have a production company, NDN CMDY. We are actively developing my slate of original film/tv/podcast programming for the scripted and unscripted space. We are always seeking out new and exciting partners to work with.

• I’m a comic. I’m a writer. I’m a freelancer. I’m non-union. I’m a professional. I’m a new producer. I’m an instinctual and fearless director. I’m competitive. I understand teamwork. I am a quiet leader. I have vision.

• I’m for hire. I’m particular about what I work on and who I work with, but, a meeting is a meeting and I’m always open to chat.

A New Chapter In My Career

I have entered a new phase of my life and career: a rebuild. I am stepping back into standup comedy and am preparing to tour a new live show through Fall 2023 and early 2024. I am going back to creating work for myself. I am back on an independent path of Indigenous storytelling.

Through 2023, I am focused on the renewed balance between healing, my work, personal, and family life, the latter being my priority.

Building Joke Talk Yell Write on Substack will allow me to produce and publish work I’m passionate about but still allows me to centre the health and healing journey of my family and me.

My Goal For 2023: Make Substack My Job 

If you join me here by subscribing and (hopefully, many of you) become paid members, I’ll bring you along as I build new projects on this platform and beyond. This Substack is about building a platform that allows me to create my way and on my time while balancing healing, family, and my career.

Your support helps me make this goal a reality.

If you subscribe to Joke Talk Yell Write, you’ll receive my weekly multimedia newsletter every time it drops. In it, you’ll get humorous essays, deep-ish dives into the things on my mind, podcast episodes (yes, I’m starting a NEW Substack exclusive podcast series), interviews, and live stream behind-the-scenes looks at future projects I’m building with my team.

Free VS Paid

All content on my Substack will be available for FREE until August 1st, 2023.

During this time, I’ll experiment with form, content, and workflow to understand what works and what doesn’t for this project.

I want to be upfront about this.

I intend to divide the work into free and paid member content.

Paid membership will be the only way I can afford to produce this project on Substack, and I firmly believe that independent creators should be paid for their work.

Once we experiment on this Substack, I’ll figure out what folks get for free and what paid members will get for their support. I have many ideas about how this might work, but I am open to yours - we’ll figure this out together.

Of course, you’re welcome to become a paid member on my Substack TODAY! For $10/per month, you’re helping me get this project off the ground. I have unique gifts and offers for the first 100 paid members of my Substack. Details of that will be made available in a forthcoming post.

WE PUBLISH EVERY MONDAY MORNING-ISH

Once you subscribe, you don’t have to do anything except check your email on Monday mornings. Occasionally, there will be multiple weekly posts; when something breaks or I’m feeling the itch, I will post here. I’ll send out a poll very soon to ask folks how much posting is too much posting. I don’t want you to leave the project because you feel spammed by my bullshit.

Everything I write goes directly to your inbox or is available in the Substack app; make sure to give me a follow on the app - it’s the best place to read and engage with my work.

Seriously, Substack is better in the app. Consider downloading the app for the best reading experience.

TRULY, THANKS FOR BEING HERE

Social media sucks and is an awful drain on our brains, and we should all spend less time on it. The best way to get my work to you is through a direct connection here.

I think Substack is a powerful platform for the future of publishing independent creative work. I’ve waited a long time to launch this Substack project; through 2023, this is where my work will live.

Thanks for being here.

To learn more about the company that provides the tech for this newsletter, visit Substack.com.