If you’re a comedian, you will be heckled. The vast majority of the time, heckling isn’t “You suck!” or something like that. I define heckling as anything that obviously interrupts the show. Even someone accidentally stepping on a punch line by yelling “we love you!” still steps on the punch line, which prevents aRead more
By the end of this year, I’ll have run over two dozen comedy festivals and performed in several others. And, while lumping them all in one “festival” category is difficult, hopefully this post will take you through everything you need to know about them. (And if you’ve done any festivals that you loved, please postRead more
There are very few indisputable rules in comedy. One of them is that your voice has to be honest throughout your set. Whether your voice is really you, a heightened version of you, or a completely different character, it needs to be honest. As soon as one joke contradicts another, you become less believable toRead more
When I posted a pro-tip about where to move and when as a comic, the questions came flooding about what scenes I recommend. The problem is that every comedian is unique both in life situation and career development. So I thought it might be more helpful to post a massive piece detailing various scenes. TheseRead more
Figuring out whether or not you should move for comedy is a bit of a “choose-your-own adventure”. Each comedian is unique, and the same answer does not apply to everyone – so hopefully you can use this as a guide to figure out the right move (or not move) for you. (Note: I wrote thisRead more
YouTube is a wonderful way to reach new fans and easily monetize your content. My YouTube has grown from a small channel to one that routinely produces 25,000 views a day, and yields over $1,000 a month in revenue. Here are some tips and best practices to help you do the same. 1) Content isRead more
There are two basic types of open-mics: ones with “civilians” in attendance, and ones that only have other comedians. For the purposes of this post, I’m just speaking about the ones with other comedians, as there isn’t much difference between an open mic with civilians and a regular show. The purpose of an open-mic isRead more
Comedy is a Catch-22. You can’t learn to headline without experience headlining. But you can’t get experience headlining until you learn how. So what do you do? You take steps. But how do you know when you’re ready to move up? The truth is, you never know for sure. But this may help. 1) YouRead more
No doesn’t mean never. It means “Not now” or “not this way. Unless YOU make it mean “never”. That’s in your hands, not the booker’s. 1) No one owes you stage time. Say that out loud, over and over again. Stage time is a privilege, not a right. 2) Bookers are looking for any reasonRead more
1) If you’re going to steal a joke, start with a bit that wasn’t on the front page of reddit 2) Don’t recite the bit word for word. Throw in the occasional “Am I right?” and “I’m telling you!” so it sounds as hacky as the rest of your material. Be true to your voice.Read more