If I were a Poor Black Comedian
I don’t understand I guess. I see so many great things going on in comedy today. Technology has put so much power in the hands on the artist its astounding. The success that Marc Maron and Louie CK have gotten just shows what is possible when you put the work in and study more than just joke writing and performance. The knowledge of the business is really starting to outweigh performance in some ways. Because let’s face it, after Dane Cook blew Myspace out of the water with his millions of “friends” that let a lot of comics and bookers know that those so called friends equate into a fan base thus putting butts in seats. The internet? It’s another stage. Plain and simple. Twitter lets you toss one liners out there for your fans to retweet and reply to. What happens after its retweeted to someone that’s not following you? They follow you and *poof* a new fan/butt in seat is born. Yet there seems to be some divide in the nation of comedy. I don’t see a lot of black comedians taking advantage of the opportunities. I’m just being real. Not even the more established black comedians with screen credits. I see a larger population of these comics still hustling cds and DVDs from their trunk. Still trying to get a “hookup” from a touring comic and riding coattails. Hardly any online presence or a very poor presence if any. Now I know there are other comics of other races that are using the same dated methods but I’m looking at this from my own POV and it just doesn’t make sense when I hear a lot of black comics complaining about not getting a break and not getting any attention. The attention comes from doing the work and being creative. Along with studying more than other comics. You gotta’ get inside the books on new methods of marketing. So anyways, if I was a poor black comedian this is what I would do.
- Stop thinking urban comedy is the only style of comedy you can do. The lines between urban and mainstream comedy are fading IMO. Audiences are actually getting tired of the suits with 18 buttons and jokes about “bad ass kids” If you talk to audiences you’ll see that this hackness is getting old. It was hot in the 90s but now people want to hear honesty and POV. If all you have is recycled kool-aid jokes give people a break please. Step outside your comfort zone and explore the possibilities of a wider audience. I.E write about something different and at least interesting.
- Read! Blogs, books, Tweets. Anything you can about current methods of marketing. Do a Google search for Josh Spector. You probably have a Facebook page, but do you know how to use it effectively? Read all or as many Seth Godin and Gary Vanerchuk books you can. You ever notice there aren’t many new books on the art stand up comedy? That’s because much of that info is pretty much understood and hasn’t changed. Sure the basics still need to be taught and learned but the point is the game HAS CHANGED and it’s all about marketing today. The bookers and club owners want you to bring people in and it’s not their job to provide them outside of putting your name on the posters or website. You have to know how to market yourself and build a fan base ON YOUR OWN!!! You are the business so why not do business smarter? And it’s not about numbers it’s about engaging. (Read about current marketing methods and that will make sense)
- Get technical. Learn how to edit and produce your online videos. Create better videos and learn your way around Facebook, Twitter, SEO, web design, WordPress, Youtube, Viddler, Dailymotion, etc. I read the other day Louie CK edits his show Louie on his Macbook HIMSELF!!! Which made me wonder if Dave Chappelle took more advantage of controlling the technical aspect of his show as well as the writing, would things have turned out the way it did? Is Dave watching Louie right now? Do you think he should? Anyway, start a blog or vlog. Learn to link them to Twitter and Facebook. Delete your Myspace page (I actually thought about posting porn pics on my Myspace page so they will delete it for me.)
- Stop thinking Tyler Perry is the end all to black comedy. We’re smarter than that.
I’m not a fulltime working comic yet but what I do a lot of is search for new and better ways of doing something. I like learning and figuring out stuff. I like computers and techie gadgets and whatnot. I’m just curious. So I hate it when I see so many black comics spend a great deal of time complaining about the business and slamming Twitter and Youtube for taking people out of the clubs. Here’s the truth. Those people didn’t leave the clubs necessarily. They just found a new venue to be able to find what they’re looking for. So why not take advantage of it and learn how to make it work for you? I’m also sick of the “stage names” Why? What the hell is wrong with your own name? Unless you’re portraying a character I don’t get it. Its one thing to limit yourself because you can’t travel or you’re located in a state with one comedy club. But the internet has so many avenues to promote yourself and find you’re your niche audience. It just doesn’t make sense with the vast amount of unique voicse there are in the black comedy community that there should be so many that aren’t interested in reaching out past what they see and know. This post was aimed at black comics but it also applies to older comics who are either afraid of learning or too damn stubborn to wrap their heads around learning something new. It’s a comedians game out there now but you have to be smarter to make it happen. Stop thinking of comedy as a hustle and think of it as a business and you are the product. See the truth is the bookers know all this. It’s just there are too many comics that don’t. There are younger guys coming up getting deals with 2-3 years under their belt if any at all. One comic went to LA after getting out of college doing sketch and improv and came back home with a movie deal AND a sitcom deal. That comic is now getting booked as a stand up comedian without ever having intentions on being a standup. I’d be pissed if I were you. I am pissed and I’m not you. Be smarter my friends.
3 Shocking things to know about being a clean comedian!!!
Ok you’ve tweeted and posted on Facebook about you thanking whoever for your blessings and how you want to spread good clean comedy and whatnot. Well boys and girls here’s a few things you didn’t know.
#3 Nobody cares
Nobody cares. Yes I know it sounds mean but hear me out. In the grand scheme of things all that should matter is whether you’re funny or not. You going on and on about how comedy should be “clean” and how its easy for a comedian to use profanity to get a laugh is getting really old. You being clean does not in any way make you a better comedian. Why? Because getting a laugh will always be the most difficult thing to do in comedy. And that is a struggle whether you’re clean or not. Its true profanity can be a crutch but then again so can being clean sometimes. Lately comics are getting bashed over whats funny and whats not. Comedy is subjective like any other art form and your likes or dislikes belong to you and you alone. This goes for the comics as well as the audience.
#2 Nobody cares
One thing that can be said about comedians who use profanity is they are more likely to be totally honest. Speaking from your heart and saying whats really on your mind and being unique is what doing stand up is all about. Franklyn Ajaye said that Richard Pryor gave him some great advice. He said not to worry so much about being funny but rather concentrate more on being interesting. Now I’m not saying you have to drop an “F-bomb” to really be honest, but are you being honest in your jokes or are you just going for the chuckle factor? Are you limiting yourself by thinking you can’t talk about adult issues without using profanity? Cause in all honesty I’ve heard some really clean yet hack stuff out there. Why not follow Jerry Seinfeld's example?
#1 Nobody cares
Why limit yourself by calling yourself a clean comic? Why not just be a comedian and let the jokes speak for themselves? Better yet, just do YOUR clean material and let your booker or the audience label you as good or (*groan*) clean comedian? Stop prefessing to the masses that you’re a clean or (cough) Christian comic like nobody even knows that comedians can be clean OR like you’re looking down your nose at other comics who don’t follow your example. Here’s a little nugget…you’re not exactly reinventing the craft with that label.
How to be a comedian who succeeds! Awesomeness from Josh Spector
Here's a great post by Josh Spector, creator of Connected Comedy.
"Did you know that more than 3 million people a month search Google in an attempt to figure out how to be a comedian?
But while millions of people want to become a comedian, significantly fewer understand what it takes to actually become a successful comedian.
That’s why I’ve put together the following list of 50 things that will help you figure out"
4 Things you Should Know Before Taking a Comedy Class or Why paying $200-$500 for an intro comedy class is a waste of money
I actually did a post about this some time ago but I think it got lost through some technical error. (or I didn’t pay my service charge) Anyway, I’ll do it again with some added stuff.
I’ve been seeing a lot of ads for comedy classes and one thing I’ve noticed is the prices. Are the prices of these classes matching what you take away from the class?
Well I say no. Here’s why:
1. I’ve been doing comedy almost 10 years now and I paid $85 for my first class. I took 2 other classes for $200 each and didn’t learn anything new. In fact the second $200 class was more of the same info from the first $200 class. So I was pissed.
2. Nobody can teach you to be funny. You can be taught how to write comedy but there are more than a few methods in doing this. There’s no one true way. Its about what method fits YOU. Pick up The Comedy Bible, The Complete Idiots Guide to Comedy Writing or The Comic Toolbox to learn the many ways of writing comedy for way less than $200 - $500.
3. You know how to get stage time? Show up. That’s it. Keep showing up. When you find a comedy open mic, sign up. If you don’t get picked that night then you show up the next week and sign up. The comedy class won’t give you a free pass to an open mic. That part is all on you. Cause after the class is over its time to go to work. There’s no comedy summer school.
4. Comedy is about working. You work when you write, you work when you promote, you work when you try to get stage time and you work to motivate yourself to keep at it. You can’t get that in a class or a book. You get it from meeting people and encouraging each other.
So what have we learned? Do you still want to spend all that money? Let me know what you think.
**I’ll go one further: For $85 I’ll show you how to be a comedian. We’ll look at writing, promoting, and getting on stage. Call it guerrilla comedy class. Total real world stuff. I’m serious if you are!**
Let me know if you’re interested
Here’s real talk about why comedy sucks
Somebody aske
d me the other day, “Hey Chelcie, why don’t you just concentrate on being a comedian and not worry so much about finding a real job?”
Ok…so I paused for a moment because I had to realize that most people who watch comedy on tv or in clubs have absolutely NO clue as to how the business of comedy works. So in today’s blog update I’m going to break it down for the folks who don’t know and the newbies who are so wide eyed at the prospects of running off into the sunset to be professional comedians.
When you start out as an open mic comic you don’t get paid nor do you deserve to get paid. PERIOD. You’re doing it to learn and get better. That’s it. If you luck up and find a show that will give the open micers five bucks or so then all praise to the show producer and club owner for taking a chance on you cause it ain’t gonna happen often. After you’ve done open mics for a while (at least 6 months to a year if you’re serious) then its time to look for work. That being emceeing in a club or local show.
Emceeing is a job. Its not your time to shine. You’re being given a responsibility to represent the club and to warm up the crowd for the feature and headliner (who both make more money than you) Most clubs pay anywhere from $0-$50 a show to emcee. Be thankful if you get food and drink in that too. So emceeing is something you should do locally at first. And be sure you have a real job if you try to emcee out of town because you won’t get paid travel money. What have we learned? Keep a real source of income at first because to branch out you’re going to have to travel and that costs gas and lodging (if its really far)
So after a year or so of emceeing you think you have enough material to feature. This is where the rubber hit’s the road. Features make a varied amount of money per show based on the club. B rooms pay less than A rooms. Maybe you can find a bar that books comedy shows or a booker that does one nighters which anywhere from $100-$250 a show from what I’ve seen. Maybe less sometimes. That’s it. You have to spend gas money to get to these places and if you’re lucky enough to get a hotel with it that’s even better. But say you want to do a one nighter in Kansas that pays $150 and a room but you live in Charlotte. Wanna fly or drive? With the price of gas, what’s the difference? Bus? Maybe. Amtrak? They both use fuel so the prices are going up. So you have to do some mad planning to be a feature. So a full-time or part-time job would really make sense, wouldn’t it?
Headlining I’m not really going to go into because I think (or hope) you get the picture. Doing festivals is fun but they don’t pay. Corporate work is FANTASTIC, pays on time and the best but really competitive. College shows are damn near locked up like Fort Knox and really restrictive. And don’t even get me started about trying to start your own room.
So then they asked me “Damn. Why do you even want to be a comedian if you have to suffer so much to make a living?” and I said, “Cause being on that stage expressing myself and having fun coming up with real life ideas, seeing different places and leaving behind a real legacy beats the hell outta’ having to go to some shit job and have somebody stick a piece of paper in my face every month telling me how unworthy I am and expect me to agree to it then wondering why I don’t look or sound happy when I’m at work.
Do the math
Look at ME!! PLEEEEEASE LOOK AT ME!!!!!
I hate people who brag or boast. I just hate it. It gets on my nerves every time I hear a comic tweet or update a status with "I blew it up" or going on about a killer set they had. Shouldn't it be an audience member who says that. But there is something to be said about promotion. Whats the difference you may ask. Well the difference is reaching your audience and developing a relationship or engaging them. In my opinion nobody gives a crap about how funny YOU think you are. They want to know how funny somebody they don't know thinks you are. You have to come up with plan to market yourself. Idiotic videos, posting your set, posting yourself bombing. Thats the kind of stuff that gets you noticed today. Cheesy you say? I agree and I'm not happy about it either. It used to be about the art but if you want to work you're going to need a following. A following can easily get you booked. Even if its just a showcase or open mic. (I know it smells like a bringer show tactic but hey, I don't make the rules) Anyhoo, think of creative ways to engage your fans and keep them wanting to know what you're doing. Twitter and Youtube are great places to do that and comics are using them everyday. Make a plan and ask yourself who your audience is. One important thing is to know is yourself. Don't promote yourself as being something your not. I don't come off as an "urban" comedian so posting videos about making fun of Kool Aid and stank breath wouldn't work for me. Because when I do my set and I don't have those types of (hack) jokes the audience will be disappointed. So be true to who you are as a comic. Carry on
Take initiative by taking advantage of bad weather!
I was just thinking that NOW would be a good time to check with bookers and clubs for fallouts. People are stranded in airports everywhere so some some clubs may not have a feature or emcee. Even headliners. So why not call the clubs within driving distance and see if they need you?
Here’s a quick way to search upcoming comedy festivals!
Ok its that time of year to get more exposure by performing at comedy festivals. The first question comics usually ask is " where can I find them?" Well here ya' go!
If you're on Facebook just search "comedy festival". That should pull up a listing of comedy festival fan pages. These pages usually have the current dates and websites so you can submit. Try it out and let me know what you found.
Don’t do your homework! Just riff it!!
Hey folks!
Pretty soon I'm going to do a post on the best books (my opinion) on stand comedy. What I want to know is what you do to study stand up. (if you study it at all) Do you listen to records, Sirius, books, etc. Cause we all agree that comedy is indeed an art form so it only makes sense that you have to study it. Or else you'll have no true appreciation for it thus you have no grounds to complain about a certain style. (my opinion) So lets hear from you while I work on my list. See ya!!
