Becoming a Stand-Up Comedian: Getting in Front of Bookers

This column is aimed at readers who have established their act, done the open mike scene, and are looking to move up to MC or feature work. Each level has different requirements, and generally different methods of being booked; let’s start at the MC level.

Getting Booked as an Emcee

At many clubs, the emcees are all locally based; clubs don’t have the budget to pay for lodging for an MC, and thus use a roster of local comics to fill the opening slot. If you have a local club, your best path to MC work is usually to become a regular at the club’s open mike night (and to become one of the best, most consistent comics on the show). If your club doesn’t have an open mike night, ask about setting up a guest set – an unpaid, short set during a regular show (usually mid-week or Sunday). If you impress the booker there, you may be able to get MC work at the club.

Some rooms, including top chains such as the Improvs and Funny Bones, will bring in MC’s on a regional basis. Pay is usually pretty low (in the range of $200-$300 for the week) and often times you will be sleeping on the couch, while the headliner and feature use the other two bedrooms in the apartment many clubs rent for their comics. That said, it will give you an opportunity to work, and after a few MC sets, you can hope to impress the booker enough to be brought in as a feature.

Bear in mind that at the MC level, many clubs – particularly locally owned, independent rooms – are simply looking for an emcee who won’t “break the show”. They’re looking for you to be professional, to do the annoucements as instructed, to do the introductions as requested, and usually, to do “clean”, or non-offensive, material. If you’re funny, that’s only a bonus.

Sending in press kits or tapes for MC work is almost always a waste of time; few clubs watch tapes for their middle acts and even headliners. MC selection is something that the overwhelming majority of bookers simply don’t spend a great deal of time on. Your best bet is to spend as much time at the club(s) as possible, establish a relationship, and be a consistent and professional comic when you get on stage.

Getting Booked as a Feature

First things first: remember that in order to consider working as a feature, you need to have a strong, polished, funny thirty-minute set. Now. Not twenty-minutes, and not eighteen minutes and the hope that you can do crowd work, or write material in between now and the time you’re booked. Don’t go too far too fast. It will only hurt you in the eyes of the booker, and it may hurt your confidence as well. Even worse, once you’re out of a club, it’s nearly impossible to get back in.

The other important lesson for working as a feature: be persistent. It took me three years to get into one well-known club in the Midwest; two years into another. I emceed for a few clubs before getting promoted to feature. There are thousands of potential middle acts out there, and they’re emailing and calling bookers constantly. Don’t give up, don’t write off clubs; stay at it, stay on top of it, and be persistent.

When looking for feature work, there are generally three ways to get yourself and your act in front of bookers. We’ll take them in order:

Press Kits

In its standard form, a press kit includes a DVD (almost exclusively nowadays; many bookers have tossed their VHS equipment) of a length equal to the amount of time you’re seeking to book – i.e. if you’re looking for feature work, the DVD should be 30 minutes long; a headshot; a resume and short biography; references; and a business card with contact information.

Some clubs have their own requirements for press kits, and it is a good idea to ALWAYS call ahead of time to find out what they are. (Some clubs ask for additional headshots or copies of your resume.) The press kit doesn’t need to be screen-printed, but the headshot should be high-quality. If you’re good enough with a camera and PhotoShop, you can do it yourself, but I would recommend using a professional. A poorly done headshot sends an instant signal that you may not be a true professional comedian.

Your biography should include a SHORT summary of your comedic style; i.e. “Jones has a high-energy, in-your-face act which leaves audiences rolling in the aisle…” Tack on clubs you’ve played, and try to get complimentary quotes from previous bookers. If you’ve done office parties or corporate work, make sure to mention that as well.

Most clubs, if you call and ask for booking information, will ask for a press kit. And therein lies the problem; everyone is sending them press kits. Go in the office of a comedy club and you will often see piles or boxes full of unwatched press kits. Bookers and club managers simply don’t have the time to sit and watch unsolicited DVD’s. As such, you need a shortcut. There are quicker ways to get through to bookers, which I believe are more effective.

Guest Sets

As mentioned in the emcee section, guest sets are basically auditions – a short set during a regular show, between the emcee and the feature. (Usually, a guest set is between 7 and 10 minutes.) Most clubs are relatively generous with guest sets, provided you have some sort of experience, and they often provide a chance to perform in front of the booker or at least the club manager. As such, they are more direct, and usually more effective, then just sending in a press kit.
The obvious problem is that guest sets are time-consuming and often expensive. Furthermore, most clubs require guest sets to take place either mid-week or Sunday (since most clubs have multiple shows on Friday and Saturday, they can’t afford guest sets that will lengthen the show), so anyone with a Monday-Friday day job may struggle in finding dates. And, there’s nothing worse than the feeling of driving six hours to a guest set only to find out, upon arrival, that the booker isn’t going to be there after all.

That said, guest sets are effective. You should bring a press kit with you – even if you’ve already mailed one in. (They may have tossed it or lost it.) You may get booked directly off the set, or at worst, when you call to follow up the next week, you should get a little more respect if you can say, “I was at the club last Wednesday…” Guest sets can be risky, but they can also be a great way to elevate yourself from the pile of anonymous tapes in the booker’s office.

References

In “Creating Relationships from the MC Spot,” I discussed some rules and some tips for gaining references from the comedians you work with. There is a reason I devoted an entire article to networking: references are, especially now, the most important promotional tool a comedian can have. Press kits may lie unwatched, and guest sets may fail to impress, but the word of a respected headliner – or even a solid feature – will open a lot of doors. The first road work I ever got, and the majority of what I have now, came from references. References can lead directly to work or, at least, push a booker to review a press kit or show up to watch a guest set.

Some clubs only book through references; regardless of their policy, a recommendation from a headliner is sure to grab a booker’s attention. If a comic offers you a reference, follow up immediately; it may lead to quick work or at least make you stand out in the booker’s mind.

A Note on “Agents”

I’ve been asked by a number of aspiring comedians about getting an agent. For the most part, comedians don’t have agents. Some headliners, particularly those based in L.A. and New York, may have agents for commercials, television, and/or voice-over work, but the comedy club circuit does not require, nor usually accommodate, agents. There are bookers who book one-nighters, as well as college talent agents who book headliners to do college gigs, but neither of these qualifies as the traditional definition of an “agent. Comedy is a solitary business; that applies off-stage, as well as on-stage. You will do most of your booking yourself, and it’s through the three methods above that you will hopefully gain gigs and stage time.

Summary

It is important to remember that, in trying to move up the comedy ladder, you are in competition with literally thousands of other comedians, some established, many in the same position as you are. While press kits are acceptable ways to get booked, and in the case of talent agencies such as the Comedy Zone do have some value, it is important to find ways to stand out from the crowd. Doing guest sets and, more importantly, getting references from established comedians are both effective and extremely important ways to make you more than just another wanna-be comic. And, while the business is extremely competitive, every year, hundreds of people make the transition to becoming full-time comedians. Using your networking skills and putting in extra effort can help you make that jump as well.

This article was originally published on Suite101.com. Subsequent changes have been made.