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My Reaction To: Changing the Stand Up Game

Via a great Tucker Max discussion topic and deli.cio.us, I came across a great article about changing the stand up comedy game that caused some interesting reactions in my head and gave me an idea:

The Idea:

Create a seperate video for each of my jokes, post it online, and have users rate my joke one by one. I would post one joke per day. And I would post different versions of the same joke as I rewrote them.

If I can get enough people to vote, I’d promote and perform a “full comedy set as determined by the fans”. This could get really interesting if someone really hated me and had a big following, and then got his fans to vote for all of my worst jokes. It may be time to start making enemies.

My reactions to the article:

  • Jay Schultz and I also had a similiar idea about a specialized social networking site for comedians and fans to learn about each other back in 2006. After basic research, we realized myspace, among other sites, already had a comedy section.
     
  • Char is right that young comics don’t want to post tons of their videos online, but I don’t think the reason he gives, that they are afraid of their material being stolen, is the number one reason.   

    The reason I hear most often is that young comics don’t want videos of themselves posted unless they kill the set. They’re afraid promoters, bookers and/or potential fans may see it and think they suck. They’d rather get booked by word of mouth than by having someone find a less than stellar performance.  I wrote about my theory before, but I haven’t been 100% committed to it in the past month. I’ve stopped posting EVERY performance online, and have become more selective. This article motivated me to start posting everything again. Anyone interested in standup should be able to follow my progression, mic by painful mic. In the interest of full disclosure, I do post my less than stellar videos on a different youtube account than I post my good stuff so that bad videos don’t show up in random search results. So unless you’re reading my blog, you won’t be able to find the bad videos via youtube search. I’m also thinking of creating a seperate youtube account for my joke by joke video voting above.
     

  • I can’t wait for the first time Dane Cook steals one of my jokes. I’ll take this as a sign of my progress as a writer and performer.
  • Is there a way to encourage two drink minimums before watching comedy on YouTube?
  • A lot of what he described is what I’ve been trying to do. I’ve just been focusing more on creating content (and getting funny) than on marketing and promoting my blog. I’m still undecided if I should start spending some of my time marketing and promoting, or worrying about that after I’m a more solid performer. Judy Carter’s The Comedy Bible says the 3 steps of comedy success are 1) Get Good 2) Get Noticed 3) Get Paid. Given Web 2.0, maybe this is no longer the case?

The Comedy Business: Types of Spots

This is a continuing series of posts about the business and production side of stand up comedy that most people don’t know about. Click here to view part one which explains the different types of shows.

The Stand Up Format:

Every stand up show has multiple performers. Even the stand up heavyweights that play in 20,000 seat stadiums like Dane Cook (love him or hate him, he plays huge venues) have at least one comedian perform before them to warm up the crowd.

For well known acts, the format of the evening is usually: Opener, Middle and Headliner, with the emcee coming on in between comics. For clubs that showcase new talent, there can be anywhere from 7 to 25 comedians performing in a given show so the format would be more like: Opener, Middle, Middle, Middle …. Middle, “Headliner”.

The types of spots:

Emcee: Your host for the night, he (or she) usually does some crowd work at the beginning, introduces every comic, and keeps the show running on schedule by giving every comic the one minute warning light. (Comics are told in advance how much time they will be given on stage and it falls on the emcee to remind them when time is running out.) The emcee is not expected to tell many of their jokes, but if a comic “bombs” (gets very few or no laughs) then the emcee is also expected to tell a solid joke or two to win the audience back over before the next comic gets up on stage.

Opener: The first comic that the emcee introduces. He is the opener and usually has the shortest amount of time. His job is the warm up the crowd and get them laughing, so that they are ready to be rolling on the floor for the later acts. It’s interesting to note that even with the same material, a comic will get more laughs later in the show. At the start of the show, the audience is not warmed up and is less receptive.

Middle: Can be one or more comics that go between the opener and the headliner. Some (bringer) shows don’t have a headliner, so everyone is a middle comic except for the opener and the:

Check Spot: Considered the worst spot to get. This is usually right before the headliner goes up and is when all the tables in the crowd are given their check. This is the worst spot because most people momentarily stop paying attention to the show and examine the bill, get out their wallet, and figure out who owes how much. Some talking usually occurs. And since not everyone is able to receives their check at the same time, constant talking is heard throughout the check spot. This spot can also be part of an emcee’s job.

Headliner: The last person to go. Usually, producers “save the best for last”. At major comedy clubs and stadiums, this person’s name is usually the reason you decided to come. Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock are two examples of headliners. By this point, the crowd is nice and liquored up, and is usually familiar with the comic coming up next, so they are expecting hilarity. During open mics, the last comic to go up is also called the headliner but in a derisive /sarcastic context.

How The Lineup is Determined

“The Lineup” (which comic gets which spot) is determined by the producer of the show. A producer can be an individual renting out a performance space, or the comedy club itself (usually represented by a manager). The lineup can be created days or weeks before the show (in the case of well known comics) or it can be created during the show, where a comic is given a 2 minute notice that they are up next.

The producer’s relationship or contract with each comic, how many people came to see a certain comic that night (if it’s a bringer) and the comic’s name recognition / the comic’s level on the comedy ladder (a post about this topic is forthcoming) all help to determine the line up.

Paid vs Free Performances and Guest Spots

The same factors that determine where in the lineup a comic is performing also help to determine whether the comic is getting paid, being given a guest spot, or has to do something in return for stage time (bark or bring friends).

A guest spot is a “present” to the comedian performing. A comedian can be given a guest spot for a number of reasons including: being friends with the producer, doing something helpful for a producer previously (like bringing a lot of people) or because the comedian being given a guest spot also produces a different show and the has “traded spots” with this show’s producer (most producers are also stand up comedians).

Once you are able to make a crowd laugh consistently, you need constant stage time to keep improving your craft. Producing your own show and trading guest spots with other comics is one of the best ways to gain extra stage time, exposure to other audiences and to network with other comedians.

Wanna try stand-up comedy yourself? Consider taking my NYC Comedy Class or booking a private one-on-one comedy coaching session (in person or via Zoom)

More Stand-Up Comedy Tips:

The Comedy Business: Types of Shows for Beginners

People are always curious how a comedian gets onto any given show, especially a newer comedian. The three main types of ways for getting on stage as a new comedian are:

Bringer shows

What is it: Each comedian has to bring X number of people (between 2 and 15 at most places) who are willing to pay a cover charge, order at least 2 drinks and listen to a lot of different comedians, a good amount of whom are not that funny. There are usually a couple of professionals in this kind of show to ensure that the audience gets at least some laughs.

Pros: You get a real live audience, and since part of the audience knows you, they’re more likely to laugh at your jokes, which may help the people who don’t know you to start laughing as well, that whole laughter is contagious thing.

Cons: You run out of people to invite to shows really quick, the audience can be too supportive to the point that you don’t learn what’s truly funny, and you end up stressing about all your people showing up instead of concentrating on your act.

Barking for a Spot

What is it: You stand outside of the club, usually on a busy foot traffic corner, trying to stop people, hand out fliers and convince them to come watch stand up. You usually stand outside or “bark” for 1-3 hours in exchange for 5-10 minutes of stage time.

Pros: You don’t have to stress about bringing people, most clubs will pay a couple of bucks for each person you successfully convince to come to the show, the audience doesn’t know you so the laughter is genuine, and you learn cold calling skills, which can be useful at winning over a tough crowd (and lots of other situations).

Cons: You have to stand outside for 2-3 hours, you get rejected 99% of the time (although learning not to take rejection personally is good), and if the club has more than one show that night, you’re outside the entire time except for when you perform, so you can’t learn from / listen to other comedians.

Open Mic: 

What is it: You pay $5 for five minutes of stage time. Some places say you just need to buy a drink instead, and most cities outside of New York / LA / Chicago don’t charge you money to get on stage. Actual stage time ranges from 3 minutes to 8 minutes depending on club.)

Pros: Anyone can get stage time and if you plan it out, you can do 2-3 mics a night (in NYC at least).

Cons: Anyone can get stage time. You know those guys that weren’t funny at the bringer show? Well they’re better than many of the people at the open mics (this varies from city to city though). Also, in NYC the only people that come to watch open mics are other comedians, who are not very helpful when you’re trying to learn what a real audience will find funny.

Wanna try stand-up comedy yourself? Consider taking my NYC Comedy Class or booking a private one-on-one comedy coaching session (in person or via Zoom)

More Stand-Up Comedy Tips:

Posting all my material

“Only post a small preview of your material online” seems to be the accepted truth about stand-up comedians website’s and how they should do their marketing and promotion. The thinking is, if all of your material is online, nobody is going to want to see your show. I disagree with this for a few reasons:

  • Videotaped performance is not a substitute to the live thing, it’s a compliment. Taped performances can also be turned into a souveneir for fans to take the performance home
  • For every person who might not see you live because they see your video (and I’m sure there’s a few, but they probably wouldn’t have come out anyway), you may get two new people to see you who wouldn’t have otherwise
  • It forces you to keep writing new material
  • If the purpose of your site is to get a person to come to one of your shows, then you don’t want to post the whole show online. If your purpose is to develop a relationship with fans, and maybe even lead a tribe, then you want to show your fans how you’re growing and improving, and leave room for their suggestions. (Just one example, the broadway musical Cats was so successful because there were people who’d seen the show ten, twenty and even sixty times. This in turn generates an additional buzz and awareness among people.)
  • Some of your fans may live far away or be unable to make shows live, the more they can see of you, the more likely they’ll want to come by when you’re live and in their area
  • Information (even humorous information) wants to be free

My philosophy, until proven otherwise, is to upload as much of my material and sets as possible.

Before anyone calls me a hypocrite, let me do it myself: I don’t post all my sets onto my homepage, I have 2-3 good videos there and post the rest of the videos to this blog, where I think the true fans will go. If someone is taking a 2 minute look at me before deciding to come out and see me, they don’t need to see the videos of me trying out new material and bombing.

Comments, especially those calling me crazy, are welcome 🙂

The Decision Point

“I reached the point where I had to decide, do I want to persue comedy full time, or do I want to keep my corporate job?  I decided to stay with the corporate job.

As I was getting better, the guys higher up than me kept telling me that I was going to reach a point where I couldn’t hold down a full time job and keep progessing in comedy. I didn’t understand what they meant until after I’d been passed to a few clubs and was doing regular paid spots all over the city every night. 

This was actually my first time on stage in two years. I only came back for a little practice before I do a friend’s benefit show. This is a one time thing though, I’m not making a comeback.”

This guy showed up yesterday at the Sunday Mic and killed at a room full of comics. He seemed at peace with his decision, but I think talking to other comics afterwards hit him with some nostalgia and he may have even reconsidered his path for a second.

When I reach the decision point that he had, I hope for two things: 1) That a job in academia will allow me to do comedy, teaching and research without having to give any of those up and 2) If I can’t do both, I’ll man up and go for the chance at comedy

Here’s an interesting decision tree I came across that I want to share:

Do I want to do stand up professionally? Yes. Will it likely end in diasaster? Only if being poor for a while is considered disaster. And if I’m at the level where I can do it professionally, it sure as hell will make for a good story.

What would you do in a similiar situation if your passion/serious hobby and day job came to a crossroads and you had to pick one? Is there a wrong decision to make? What questions do you ask yourself to make a major decision?

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