You know that little show Parks and Recreation? That one that won a Golden Globe last year? Yeah, this guy starred in it.
His name's Aziz Ansari, and the man's no one-trick pony. In the year since Parks and Recreation's final season, he's released a new book, Modern Romance along with his fourth comedy special, Live at Madison Square Garden, which was the final performance in his North American Arena Tour.
But there's one other theme we noticed about Ansari beyond his successful comedy career: His strong business sense was clear to the entire marketing team here at HubSpot. Here are a few reasons why we're excited to have him at INBOUND this year:
- He offers a unique spin on popular events. Written in partnership with a sociologist and featuring Ansari's typical cutting wit, Modern Romance takes a fresh look at the world of online dating. In fact, it debuted at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list.
- He doesn't shy away from social media -- even if it's not the "Big Three." He doesn't just use social media to tweet out funny stuff -- he also uses it to create a loyal fan base. For instance, he circumvented scalpers by releasing tickets directly through his social media accounts. He's also hosted multiple AMAs on reddit -- all to better connect with his fans.
- He's always researching, testing, and iterating. Ansari puts together focus groups to test out new material, and will even tell people on social media where he's going to be so they can be a part of that process. Not only does this help him better shape his content, but this collaborative effort gives fan a vested interest in the final product.
Aziz Ansari continues to astound us after Parks and Recreation -- just like he did before. We're excited to see what he does next in comedy (or beyond), but in the immediate future, we're most excited to see him at INBOUND 2015.
