tom-segura-comedy-storytelling

name	Tom Segura Comedy Storytelling
description	Observational comedy and story repair; social posts, marketing copy, funny-vs-flat diagnosis; source-backed way-in, charge, and word-choice timing.
version	1.0
format	companion-skill
workflows	4

Tom Segura Comedy Storytelling

Use this skill when writing needs observational humor, story-to-bit compression, a sharper reason for telling, stronger word choices, better text timing, or a diagnosis of why a comedic attempt feels flat.

This skill is grounded in extractions/video-context/fN2lra4_mgk/ and the operating package at _active/tom-segura-comedy-storytelling-os/. It is a Tom-specific layer and a companion expansion to the existing comedy system. It does not replace robert-mack-comedy-writing, /comedy, sam-parr-copywriting-mechanics, copywriting-agent, high-taste-writing-os, or /publishable-copy-gate.

Source Evidence

• Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN2lra4_mgk&t=515s
• Local source package: extractions/video-context/fN2lra4_mgk/
• Transcript: extractions/video-context/fN2lra4_mgk/transcript.txt
• Evidence map: _active/tom-segura-comedy-storytelling-os/01-source-map.md
• Operating model: _active/tom-segura-comedy-storytelling-os/02-operating-model.md
• Mechanics ledger: _active/tom-segura-comedy-storytelling-os/03-mechanics-ledger.md
• Proof lab: _active/tom-segura-comedy-storytelling-os/05-before-after-proof-lab.md
• Evidence limit: transcript-backed spoken evidence only; visual and OCR evidence are unavailable.

Core Method

1. Find the living phrase from conversation, not the polished phrase.
2. Locate the charge: annoyance, delight, shame, pressure, or strong opinion.
3. Say the obvious thing that everyone recognizes but no one has articulated.
4. Identify the reason for telling before telling the story.
5. Expand the story first, then cut it.
6. Add punch, surprise, callback, and word-level timing only after the story path is clear.
7. Encode cadence in text because the reader cannot hear delivery.
8. Send public, sales, or authority-building humor through the appropriate trust gate.

Available Workflows

Workflow	Produces	Use When
Observational Story Punch-Up	A more recognizable, charged, and compressed draft section	A post, essay, or script is correct but flat.
Funny-Vs-Flat Diagnosis	Keep/cut/rewrite verdict and repair direction	A joke, hook, or aside is not landing.
Story Way-In Lab	Reason-for-telling, stakes, and story entry	A story exists but the reader has no reason to care.
Comedy Rep Loop	Premise reps, audience/reader test plan, and next iteration	A recurring bit or post type needs development over multiple tries.

Stacking

Stack With	How
/comedy	Use Robert Mack for architecture and this Tom layer for observation, story, and text timing.
robert-mack-comedy-writing	Mack diagnoses comedy structure; Tom diagnoses how real observation becomes story movement.
sam-parr-copywriting-mechanics	Use Tom for recognition and humor, then Sam for proof, action, and humor fit.
/publishable-copy-gate	Send public or revenue copy through final quality and trust scoring.
/farrice-content-os	Use in Hook Room and writing passes when a draft is too generic or too clean.

Required Output Shape

Do not count this skill as used unless the output includes:

• audience and desired reader action or feeling
• original weak section
• weak-link diagnosis
• Tom mechanics used
• rewritten section or verdict
• before/after behavior delta
• proof gap or trust risk
• next gate

Guardrails

• Do not imitate Tom's persona, profanity, cadence, or personal comedic subjects.
• Do not add jokes beside the draft's real tension.
• Do not use edginess as a substitute for surprise.
• Do not overuse callbacks.
• Do not treat transcript-only evidence as visual proof.
• Do not use humor that weakens trust, obscures the offer, or makes the writer seem less competent.