Melbourne comedy group Aunty Donna have just embarked on their DREM tour, which has sold out some of Australia’s biggest theatres and will take them around the globe. It’s yet another milestone for a troupe that went from Ballarat arts students to Netflix stars.
Aunty Donna’s career trajectory is an instructive case study for independent artists across the country. The familiar route for Aussie comedians typically includes years on the Melbourne stand-up set, punctuated by appearances on panel TV shows, vying for a well-paid spot on commercial radio.
Aunty Donna has avoided most of the usual trappings of the typical career for Australian comedians. Their rise carries lessons for artists on carving out success in Australia and beyond.
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Aunty Donna’s origins and niche marketing
Aunty Donna was formed in 2011 by six young guys. Evidence of their eventual fame was nowhere to be found in their humble origins. Imagine: six male university students think they’re funny and decide to pursue a career in comedy. Yeah, right.
However, being in a group gave all six of them confidence, and their commitment to their future careers was unwavering. They bypassed financial stability and prepared live shows for the Melbourne Comedy Festival. These early performances gained acclaim and criticism in equal measure.
Instead of modifying their material to appeal to a broader audience, Aunty Donna doubled down on their absurdism. Their success proves a long-held truism that many artists shrink away from: authenticity and perseverance in niche work can be more potent than chasing broad approval.
In reality, this means committing to work that may not be to everyone’s taste, and potentially going against ‘sensible’ business advice. It requires bravery.
Aunty Donna built online platforms
Three years into their formation, Aunty Donna’s experiments with YouTube paid off. Viral hit ‘Bikie Wars’ (2014) exploded. The jump in viewership was remarkable. To this day, ‘Bikie Wars’ is at least ten times bigger than any of their previous videos.
Importantly, the video came several years into their career, after more than two dozen videos that had slowly built in quality and viewership.
The ABC passed on a full TV series for the group, but the success of ‘Bikie Wars’ meant the group didn’t need to wait for traditional gatekeepers to approve it. A year later, the group received support from Screen Australia and YouTube’s ‘Skip Ahead’ Initiative to produce a web series, ‘1999’. The series won several awards and allowed the group to break through to a new level.
Multi-channel creativity and touring
By 2016, the group’s online audience translated to sold-out tours across Australia, and then internationally. They had managed this without major television appearances, instead leveraging the majority of their success from their YouTube content.
They committed to producing content across multiple channels, including an expansion into podcasts, books, and small and large tours. Their status as a troupe – with three performers in front of the camera and three behind, plus a stream of frequent collaborators – allowed the group to sustain a prolific output.
Netflix eventually came on board to produce ‘Big Ol’ House of Fun’ in 2020. The show remains a cult hit on the platform. ABC, which had rejected the group less than a decade earlier, produced ‘Aunty Donna’s Coffee Cafe’ in 2023.
The group’s commitment to nurturing its online audience has resulted in sustained growth over more than a decade, producing a prolific stream of content.
Creating Grouse House
Given Aunty Donna’s unique success thanks to YouTube, the team recently launched ‘Grouse House’, a YouTube channel serving as an incubator for Australian comedy.
While the channel exists as a meaningful way for Aunty Donna to give back to the Australian scene, it also serves as an insurance for their relevance and longevity. No longer outside the ecosystem, Aunty Donna is building their own. It allows them to invest in others and strengthen the overall field.
Reflecting on their nearly 15-year career, the rise of Aunty Donna holds many valuable lessons for the average artist. Stay authentic, be agile across multiple platforms, always persist, and build a community around your brand.
Aunty Donna has built a strategic career on the foundation of complete silliness.
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