The Comic, Comedy Spaces, Comedy Agents

In stand-up comedy as opposed to traditional theater, differences occur not only in performance style and telling jokes, but in also what are different performance situations. Theater audiences in voyeur mode, sit in relative silence, while comedy club audiences can be a bit more engaging with the performers onstage. But a common notion that stand-up comics are spontaneous in their performances as opposed to actors who must closely follow a script might not quite be the case.

Although many professional comics alter their acts on a regular basis and often make jokes off the tops of their heads, a good portion of what makes up their show is tightly scripted.

The Catch-22 of getting paying comedy jobs is that in order to work you need to be good, but in order to be good, you need to work. And since a club owner is always looking to fill seats every time the club opens its doors for a performance to justify the cost of an event, if not to make money overall, it certainly helps if the comic has a following which can be a matter of passing around a mailing list at club dates, using the media to generate press coverage, and/or networking and winning awards.

There are places you can perform while you are developing your act, self-starting strategies to create work, and places to perform where you will get paid.

Places to Perform when Starting Out

When starting out, comics perform wherever they can. Places you can perform in while you are developing your act include amateur nights, where a great majority of stand-up comics begin their careers sometimes performing for weeks, months or even years.

At the beginning of your career, you will most likely not be performing under conditions you have control over. In comedy clubs, the choice spots are usually reserved for the pros, and the up and coming are relegated to the graveyard shift. Often, you will be performing at 1:00 a.m. Under these circumstances, you have to make adjustments. Other performance venues can include:

Performing in parks and on sidewalks
fundraisers and benefit shows
comedy festivals
television appearances
comedy night at local hotel
roasts
creating your own events

Video as a Tool to Land Work

Get a video of yourself performing in front of an audience. The tape should be no longer than 20 minutes. Put your best jokes first , and stay away from filler, such as "Where are you from". Don’t edit the tape. The club owner wants to see exactly how you work with an audience without any special video effects.

The Right Pictures

You also need an 8 x 10 glossy black-and-white picture of yourself. A simple headshot on a white background will do. A club owner wants a face shot because the newspapers are more likely to print that for publicity than an out-of-the-ordinary kind of picture.

Agents who Handle Comics

Admire Presentations, Inc. 170 West 76 Street, Suite 101 New York, NY 10023 Phone: 212-580-4128	APA (Agency for the Performing Arts) 888 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10023 Phone: 212-582-1500	APA (Agency for the Performing Arts) 9000 Sunset Boulevard, 12 Fl. Los Angeles, CA 90069 Phone: 213-582-1500
Ambassador Artists P.O. Box 50358 Nashville, TN 37205 Phone: 615-352-2500	Arne Brav Associates 1143 Arno Road Franklin, TN 37064 Phone: 615-791-1213	Banner Artists International 1650 Broadway, Suite 508 New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-581-6900
Bernie Young Agency 6006 Greenbelt Road, Suite 285 Greenbelt, MD 20770 Phone: 301-937-2600	Bill Feggan Attractions 131 North Second Street Raton, NM 87740 Phone: 505-445-5528	The Blade Agency P.O. Box 1556 Gainesville, FL 32602 Phone: 352-372-8158
Buddy Lee Attractions 38 Music Square East, Suite 300 Nashville, TN 37203 Phone: 615-244-4336	Celebrity International 1020 16 Avenue South Nashville, TN 37212 Phone: 615-259-3400	Coconuts Comedy Productions 12016 Lagoon Lane Treasure Island, FL 33706 Phone: 813-360-7935
Comedy Connection 3004 Semmes Avenue Richmond, VA 23225 Phone: 804-232-3181	Comedy Line Productions 2378 Calvin Extension, #4 Tonawanda, NY 14150 Phone: 716-822-4356	Comedy West 1206 Mill Creek Boulevard, C-201 Mill Creek, WA 98012 Phone: 206-485-4674
CAA (Creative Artists Agency) 1888 Century Park East, Suite 1400 Los Angeles, CA 90067 Phone: 213-277-4545	Creative Booking Service 5009 Monroe Road, Suite 103 Charlotte, NC 28205 Phone: 704-532-1980	Creative Talent Consultants 333 North Broadway, Suite 3011 Jericho, NY 11753 Phone: 516-433-6588
Lil Cumber Attractions 6515 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 300A Hollywood, CA 90028 Phone: 213-469-1919	Dana Pennington Associates 8721 Santa Monica Boulevard West Hollywood, CA 90069 Phone: 213-850-1909	DCA Productions 437 West 44 Street New York, NY 10036 Phone: 212-245-2063
DMR Booking Agency The Galleries of Syracuse, Suite 250 Syracuse, NY 13202 Phone: 315-475-2500	Eastcoast Entertainment (ATL) 1780 Century Circle Atlanta, GA 30345 Phone: 404-634-0016	The Entertainment Connection 401 Pennsylvania Parkway, Suite 104 Indianapolis, IN 46280 Phone: 317-575-5777
Entertainment United 64 Division Avenue Levittown, NY 11756 Phone: 516-735-5550	Fireball Entertainment P.O. Box 1769 New York, NY 10025 Phone: 212-666-6881	Fleming/Tamulevich and Associates 733-735 North Main Street Ann Arbor, MI 48114 Phone: 313-995-9066
Funny Bone On Tour 734 Westport Plaza, Suite 275 St. Louis, MO 63146 Phone: 817-265-2277	Funny Business Agency (Canada) 1280 Bay Street Toronto Ontario Canada, M5R3LI	Funny Business Agency 4519 Cascade Road Grand Rapids, MI 49506 Phone: 616-949-7387
G.G. Greg Agency 1288 East 168 Street Cleveland, OH 44110 Phone: 216-692-1193	Gary Grant Talent Associates P.O. Box 928 Port Washington, NY 11050 Phone: 516-744-9547	Gersh Agency P.O. Box 5617 Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Phone: 213-274-6611
The Gilchrist Agency 310 Madison Avenue, Suite 1003 New York, NY 10017 Phone: 212-692-9166	Greater Talent Network 150 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1002 New York, NY 10011 Phone: 212-645-4200	Hollander-Lustig Entertainment 321 North Lake Boulevard, Suite 103 North Palm Beach, FL 33408 Phone: 407-863-5800
ICM (International Creative Management) 40 West 57 Street New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-556-5600	ICM (International Creative Management) 40 West 57 Street New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-556-5600	In-June Talent 1800 North Highland Avenue Hollywood, CA 90028 Phone: 213-465-9135
Irvin Arthur Associates 9363 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 212 Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Phone: 213-278-5934	Jackman & Taussig 1815 Butler Avenue, Suite 120 Los Angeles, CA 90025 Phone: 213-478-6641	The Joey Edmonds Agency 2669 North Building Chicago, IL 60614 Phone: 312-871-1444
Just for Laughs Agency 22 Miller Avenue Mill Valley, CA 94941 Phone: 415-383-4746	Knapp Comedy Promotions P.O. Box 838 Highland Park, IL 60035 Phone: 708-433-8669	William Morris Agency 1350 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-586-5100
William Morris Agency 151 El Camino Drive Beverly Hills, CA 90212 Phone: 213-274-7451	NY Entertainment 221 West 57 Street New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-586-1000	Omnipop 223 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 200 Mineola, NY 11501-1606 Phone: 516-248-4019
Omnipop 10700 Ventura Boulevard, Suite C Studio City, CA 91604 Phone: 818-980-9267	Prime Time Entertainment 2 Crow Canyon Court, Suite 210 San Ramon, CA 94583 Phone: 415-820-2379	Progressive Artists Beverly Hills, CA Phone: 213-553-8561
Pyramid Entertainment Group 89 Fifth Avenue, 7 Fl. New York, NY 10022 Phone: 212-242-7274	QBO Entertainment 48 East 50 Street, 4 Fl. New York, NY 10022 Phone: 212-752-8040	Radioactive Talent 476 Elmont Road Elmont, NY 11003 Phone: 516-315-1919
Rick Morgan Entertainment 132 Norwalk Avenue Medford, NY 11763 Phone: 516-654-0507	Roger Paul Agency 581 Ninth Avenue, Suite 3C New York, NY 10036 Phone: 212-268-0005	The Snikkers Agency 1905 Powers Ferry Road, Suite 240 Marietta, GA 30067 Phone: 404-971-9292; 404-935-3633
Spencer-De Francis P.O. Box 5946 Denver, CO 82017 Phone: 303-279-4310	Spotlite Enterprises, Ltd. 221 West 57 Street New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-586-6750	Spotlite Enterprises, Ltd. 8665 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 208 Beverly Hills, CA 90211 Phone: 213-657-8004
The Stephen Gingold Agency 245 El Camino Drive Beverly Hills, CA 90212 Phone: 212-557-1021	Terry Lichtman Company 12456 Ventura Boulevard Studio City, CA 91604 Phone: 818-761-4804	T.H.E. Agency Tracy Hubley Entertainment 125 South Clark Drive, #3 Los Angeles, CA 90048 Phone: 213-550-1125
Treehouse Comedy Productions 354 Connecticut Avenue Norwalk, CT 06854 Phone: 203-855-9910	Triad Artists, Inc. 10100 Santa Monica Boulevard, 16 Fl. Los Angeles, CA 90067 Phone: 213-556-2727	TSM Artista Management P.O. Box 4129 Louisville, KY 40204 Phone: 502-459-5532
Turner Talent Network 8940 North Malibu Drive Bayside, WI 53217 Phone: 414-351-0060	Yvette Bikoff Agency 9255 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 510 Los Angeles, CA 90069 Phone: 213-278-7490

The Paying Gigs

Comedy Clubs

Terms to Know

Afterpiece. In eighteenth-century London theatres, a short comedy performed after a five-act tragedy, providing comic relief for the audience.

Billing. The size of an actor’s role such as starring or guest starring. Also, where the actor’s name will be placed in the credits and if the name will be shown on the screen alone or with others.

Booker. An agency employee who sets appointments for talent/models.

Double-take. An exaggerated facial response to another actor’s words or actions, usually used for comic effect.

Laugh Track. The laughter of a live audience of a situation comedy or other television show that actors are performing in front of, that is recorded to be played back when the show is aired..

Mimicry. An actor’s ability to sound and/or look like someone else, usually a famous person.

Self-Contained Artist. An artist who writes and performs his or her own material. Also refers to artists who require no production or personnel assistance from promoters.

For a full glossary listing click here

The best place to start a comedy career is at your local comedy club. In nearly every city there is a comedy club. Usually, these clubs book three acts a week. In most clubs, the opener gets 10-20 minutes; the middle gets 20-30 minutes, and the closer gets 35-60 minutes. Most clubs have at least one night a week for newcomers, and very often the opening act is booked from these slots. After gathering at least 20 minutes of solid material on video, try to make a connection with the booker by phone or by letter before mailing your tape.

It is not necessary to have been on television to get booked into a comedy club. But don’t expect a lot to happen, and tapes are not usually returned. Club owners on average get a hundred calls a day and 60 tapes a week. Avoid performing at the top comedy clubs until you have really developed your act. Producers and directors are always in the audience in the major clubs in Los Angeles and/or New York, and first impressions are lasting. If you are from a small town, stay there until you are ready. Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Philadelphia are good comedy workshop towns where you hone your skills.

Colleges

A comic who has 60 minutes of jokes that are clean material, and has an act that appeals to college students can earn decent dollars in the college market, even with no television exposure. College bookings are organized by the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA). Each year NACA sponsors 11 regional conventions and one national convention that is held in February.

At these conventions, comics showcase 20 minutes of their act before a group of 400 to 2,000 students who are directly responsible for booking you. At the showcase, all performers’ prices are set and made available to the buyers before the convention. In the Exhibit Hall each agency maintains a booth with publicity, prices, and availability of the acts they represent.

The best way to participate in the college market is to submit a 20-minute video of your act to the NACA selection committee through a college agent. This videotape needs to show how good you are, what you can do, and how well you appeal to the college audience, and it needs to do all of this in three minutes because that is they can be expected to view each tape.

A comic can choose to be self-represented at a NACA convention but would have to contend with the expense involved in maintaining a presence there. Not only do you have the expense of airfare and hotel, but you have the added expense of developing quality promotional materials and maintaining a booth in the Exhibit Hall. According to NACA, acts that have representation have a much better success rate than of self-represented acts. College agents usually charge 20 percent.

Most college agents will ask you to submit current press materials (8 x 10 glossies, resume, bio, clippings) and a video. The college market is good to approach when you have an hour of clean material that appeals to college students (material on cafeteria food, fraternities, teachers, dorms, etc.). If you do manage to get a gig before you are ready and you don’t deliver, it could mean a bad first impression. Also, know that there is a tremendous amount of travel involved.

Industrials

Corporate enterprises will hire comics to entertain at their meetings or conventions, but they are known to be careful when making a selection. Most companies do not want to risk hiring anyone too controversial. A comic in this field needs to have 40-60 minutes of material that has good jokes with a broad appeal.

Cruise Ships

Certain agents book comics exclusively on cruise ships, although many ships prefer to book the comic directly. In order to be considered to work cruise ships, you need to have three different 20-minute sets of clean, non-controversial material. You need to have three different sets because on a ship the audience stays the same. Generally, a comic will only work a few nights a week on a ship. To apply, you send the cruise ship company a videotape with two totally different 25-minute sets.

Hotels, Casinos, Concerts

Most of the big rooms in hotels and casinos are reserved for comedy’s brightest stars. But it does happen that a newcomer opens for a headliner and ends up playing some of the bigger rooms.

Television

At some point in their career, most comics will get at least one opportunity to be looked at by a TV show’s bookers. Naturally, to heighten your chances of landing the gig, you should have acquired a good amount of experience in the field before presenting your material at an audition. Doing your act on television can be a very different experience from the clubs. In most TV studios, the studio audience is far away from you, and sometimes there is no audience at all. In this case, a comic needs to know how to relate to a TV camera - possibly leading to training for television acting.

Star Search

TV’s Star Search is a talent showcase that will book a comic without an agent or union card. If you would like to be considered for Star Search, send in a tape that is over 5 minutes long, but less than 30. They will look at all tapes. Sometimes Star Search will book comics from audio tapes, sight unseen, as well as from auditions across the country, even in small-town comedy clubs. They usually will take a club owner’s suggestions.

Getting Cast in TV and Film by Doing Stand-up

Casting directors and network casting executives all go to stand-up clubs to discover talent. But just because comics do well in stand-up doesn’t mean that they will know what to do when they walk into a casting director’s office and are handed a script to read. Rule of thumb guidelines that can aid a stand-up comic at a reading include the following:

Don’t do your act in an office, but invite the director to come down and see your show the next time you are performing. Stand-up belongs onstage, in front of an audience, not in front of a desk;
Take acting classes to enhance or amplify whatever it is about you that piques the interest of casting directors;
Send postcards/ecards to casting directors to notify them where and when you are playing. Casting directors want to find new talent. They always want to be the one who discovers a new talent and so they are very responsive. If the casting director cannot go, possibly someone from the office will be sent.

Relevant Associations & Organizations

Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities (APCA)
P.O. Box 4340
Sevierville TN 37862
Phone: 800-681-5031
The APCA is a national campus buyers organization that holds showcases and supplies entertainment information to campus talent buyers throughout the United States.
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
http://www.apca.com/

Association of Talent Agents (ATA)
9255 Sunset Blvd., Suite 930
Los Angeles, CA 90069
Phone: 310-274-0628
Fax: 310-274-5063
Trade association composed of approximately 100 agency companies engaged in the talent agency business. The membership includes agencies of all sizes representing clients in the motion picture industry, stage, television, radio (including commercials), and literary work.
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
http://www.agentassociation.com/

The Bob Hope Hollywood USO at LAX
Los Angeles Inter. Airport Center
203 World Way West, Suite 200
Los Angeles, CA 90045
Phone: 310-645-3716/202-610-5700
Fax: 310-645-0317
The USO (United Service Organizations) is chartered by Congress as a non-profit charitable corporation, it is not a part of the United States Government. The USO mission is to provide morale, welfare, and recreation-type services to uniformed military Personnel.
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
http://www.uso.org

National Association for Campus Activities (NACA)
13 Harbison Way
Columbia, South Carolina 29212
Phone: 803-732-6222
Toll-Free: 800-845-2338
NACA has evolved into the nation’s largest collegiate organization for campus activities with nearly 1,200 member colleges and universities, and more than 600 associate member talent agencies, performers, and product specialty firms working in the college market.
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
http://www.naca.org/

For a full listing of helpful associations and organizations click here