News Club Interview: Aunty Donna

Aunty Donna will be the first to admit their comedy is pretty silly. But what stood out when I spoke to them is just how seriously they take that silliness. From Netflix deals to launching their own production company, they’ve been on quite a journey…

So, who is Aunty Donna?

When I mentioned to friends I was going to interview Aunty Donna for our entertainment series The Call Sheet, I was met with 2 responses: either unbridled glee, or “who’s she?”.

But as those who reacted gleefully will tell you, Aunty Donna is not a ‘she’ - it’s Australia’s premier sketch comedy group.

Aunty Donna is a group of mates who have been making comedy for well over a decade, and who have turned their brand of absurdist comedy into a gigantic success.

If you spend any time on the Internet, you might know them from their megaviral “Christmas Pud” sketch, or their “Roll Call” sketch, or any number of other sketches that have received millions of views and thousands of devoted fans.

But far beyond that, they’ve been touring live shows for even longer than they’ve been putting videos on the Internet, they’ve made a Netflix series, an ABC TV series, and they’re now helping other comedians through their production company, Haven’t You Done Well Productions.

There have been plenty of groups of friends who have been joking around at school or uni and thought - we should turn this into a business. But few do, and far fewer make as stunning a success of it as Aunty Donna has.

So in this interview with Mark Bonnano and Sam Lingham, two of the group’s key members, we wanted to dig into the behind-the-scenes thinking that goes into what we see onscreen. We get into topics like how their business model works, what role social media and YouTube plays in building an audience, and how they’re trying to change the way production companies and creative types work together to make the system fairer for those who make art.

And even though it might be a 4-minute sketch about forgetting reusable bags when you go to the shops, make no mistake… It is art, made with skill, talent and hard work.

You can listen to the conversation here or tune in on YouTube - and hit subscribe while you’re at it. And scroll on for my highlights of our conversation.

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Interview Highlights

Highlight 1: On starting their own production company

Mark Bonnano: One of the biggest moments for us was when a contract was put in front of us that said a company would own the names Mark, Zac, and Broden. And I was like, "My mother gave me that name. You do not get to keep that."

It was just baffling to us that that’s how it worked. And what was more baffling was that when we questioned it, we were met with such ferocious pushback. We were always told, "This is how it is. Full stop. You cannot change this. You cannot make this different. This is how it’s been forever." And it’s gotten better - Hollywood used to own people, right? They would own children. And we’re told we’re lucky it’s not like that anymore. And it just never felt right to us.

Highlight 2: On landing a show on Netflix

Mark: The Netflix show is the most clear example of pure luck, and when I say luck, I believe luck is timing and hard work combined.

This was still at the time when other streaming services didn’t exist, but there were whispers of them… So when we walk into Netflix’s door, they are not only looking for as much content as possible, they’re specifically looking for sketch. And they’re specifically looking for sketch that already has a voice, a package, an audience that could potentially come to Netflix, and something that they could own. So all those ducks get lined up. If we’d walked into Netflix’s door three months after we did, we wouldn’t have a show.

Sam: Absolutely… If we'd heard that they were like, "Hey, Netflix has a sketch department," and thought, "Okay, let's get together a pitch. Let's put it together. Let's organise flights" - like, too late.

Highlight 3: On the challenges of getting started in comedy

Sam: I think one of the things that’s not quite obvious, but is also a really huge factor, is the cost of living crisis. I think it is so much harder to be poor. And that’s just a fundamental part of starting out in the arts.

We didn’t take any money out of Aunty Donna for five years. I was able to work at a supermarket three days a week. That was enough to pay my rent. That was enough to get me food. And that was enough to see me through doing that. And I don’t think it’s the same case anymore. I don’t think you can spend that much time on it. Either you need to work more, or you need to have rich parents.

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