Comedy is a tough business. A lot tougher than most people would think. I can honestly say, that in my life I have never seen a band booed off stage, but I’ve seen it happen to a lot of comics. For some reason, people are just tough on comics. Before you decide to start a career as a stand up comedian, you should do a lot of preparing and understand how the business works.
Most successful stand up comedians have a niche. They have a certain quality or gimmick that makes them unique and separates them from other comedians. Although it is a bad idea to steal another comedian’s act, it is a good idea to study other comedians. Analyze other comedians’ routines, and try to figure out what it is about them that makes them likeable. After you’ve learned from the pros, start developing your own, unique style. Audiences will appreciate you more if you have an original style, rather than mimicking a well known comedian.
Once you have found your niche, start writing jokes. Spend a few hours a day coming up with jokes, and then try to turn those jokes into a stand up routine. I’ve noticed that comedians, like Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, and Dane Cook have a tendency to laugh during their stand up routines. I think something can be learned from this. If your jokes don’t make you laugh, they’re probably not going to make your audience laugh.
After you’ve put together a routine that you feel confident about, test it out on people. I think that a big mistake amateur comedians make, is listening to their friends and family. My mother has told me that I should be a comedian. She’s also told me I should be a lawyer, a sitcom writer, a computer engineer, and a paleontologist. Mothers’ opinions tend to vary from that of the general population. I also laugh a lot when I’m hanging out with my friends, but I don’t think my friends should be stand up comedians. Try going to a party or a bar where you don’t know a lot of people, and see if you can make some strangers laugh before you hit the stage.
After you’ve made a few strangers laugh, it’s time to move on to the comedy clubs and bars. Open mic nights and amateur nights will be your best friend for a few weeks. This is what will determine if you have what it takes. If you’re really funny, and you have a few good amateur nights at a comedy club, the club owner may ask you to come back for a paying gig. If you come back to do a paying gig, make sure you videotape it. If it goes well, the club owner might keep you on as a regular. You can then start sending your videotape to other comedy clubs and use it to try and get more bookings. You should repeat this process over and over again until you work your way to the top.
