This blog is part of a series aimed to help you book a comedian for your bar, restaurant, corporate event, or bris.
One of the biggest misconceptions there is about being a stand-up comedian, is that we always perform at comedy clubs.
This is not the case.
We perform anywhere and everywhere that will book a comedian.
Corporate events, comedy clubs, coffee shops, theaters (if you’re lucky), microbreweries, and, yes, bars.
Want to skip the read? Just go over to my corporate page.
Comedy at a bar can be amazing, but it can also be dicey.
Here are a list of questions for any bar owner interested in comedy:
- Will you turn off the televisions?
- Will you charge a cover?
- Do you have a stage, and lights?
- (If not, is there an area (or corner) of the room that can be used without complication?)
- Do you have a PA system?
- Will you promote the show?
- Are your regulars on board with such shenanigans?
This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it is a good starting point to help you book a comedian.
Let’s go over them one by one.
Will you turn off the televisions?
This is more important that some people think. In many cases, bar owners, even though they’ve scheduled a comedy show, want to leave the TVs on, “For the customers not interested in comedy.”
This is a problem, because distractions kill a show.
Even if people aren’t actively watching the television, even if it’s muted, the flashing lights are noticeable. They draw the eye away from the stage, and the performer.
So, that said, televisions should be off.
“But what about customers that aren’t interested in comedy?”
I hear you, but you can’t always cater to everyone, at all times. If you have regulars that aren’t interested in a comedy night, sadly, maybe they should just stay home.
There is a notion that “the customer is always right.”
Having worked in the service industry, I’m here to tell you that that is absolutely not the case.
Anyone that’s going to raise a stink because they don’t get to watch whatever it is they want to watch because you’re offering live entertainment… Well, that person shouldn’t be there in the first place.
You want an invested audience; people that are looking for something different to do, because your town doesn’t have a dedicated comedy club. What you’re offering them is special.
And you know what? If they’re not into it, that’s OK. They can sit this one out.
But they shouldn’t be catered to or pandered to.
If you are having a comedy show, that should be your focus for the evening.
Watch a one-hour special of mine.
This actually leads to the next question: Will you charge a cover?
More often than you’d think, a bar thinks that offering the show for free automatically means they’ll get a bigger crowd.
That’s a maybe, at best.
But even if it does mean “more people,” it doesn’t mean “better comedy. show.”
For a show to be valuable, people have to be invested in it. That means, they have to have reached into their wallet, pulled out a couple bucks, and put their hard-earned money on the line.
A free show means people don’t take what they’re seeing seriously.
(An odd comment, yes, given that we’re talking about comedy.)
When you give something away for free, possibly under the guise of, “I’ll make my money selling drinks,” you devalue it.
Remember what The Joker said, “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.”
*JOKER PIC*
(Side note: that’s not always true. Full disclosure, in my mind, I actually do perform for free. I take a fee for the time and effort spent traveling to a gig, but the performance itself? That’s free, because of the other saying, “Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.”
True.
The “work” in comedy is all the behind-the-scenes effort. Basically, getting work. You’d think comedy would be a merit-based industry, but it’s not. Laughter and originality get you nowhere. But I digress.)
Point is, you want to charge something.
Make it an amount that’s worth your while.
$3? That makes no sense.
$5? More acceptable.
$10? That’s pretty good.
If you get 50 people in your door at $10 a pop, that’s $500, and should cover the cost of your comedian.
Anything above that, and, well, you’re running the risk of people staying home and watching Netflix. If you think you can charge $25 for a comedy night, you’re probably mistaken.
Next Question: Are you going to promote the show?
This is a big one.
In my career as a professional joke-slinger, I’ve seen more comedy clubs go under, simply because they didn’t promote themselves.
They thought being the only comedy club in town would be enough to be successful, or that having a sandwich board out front that read, “Comedy!” was a selling point.
Comedy is a rough business, and you have to get the word out.
Luckily, in today’s day and age, you can use technology to target your audience.
All we hear about is how social media platforms are stealing our data, but think of how valuable that is for both parties?
You can use social media to target specific areas. Not just physical location, advertising within a certain zip code or radius around your business, but interests and hashtags.
You can target people who say they are interested in comedy, and who live near your business.
Instead of spending thousands of dollars on hit-and-miss blanket advertising on television, you can spend tens of dollars (literally, only ten dollars, if you choose) creating an ad that will be seen by a very specific demographic.
Fifteen-year-old teenagers aren’t allowed in your business, so you can exclude them from your advertising parameters.
You know (most) seventy-to-ninety-year-olds won’t be dropping by, so you can place them outside your advertising circle.
You can have your comedy ad seen by exactly who needs to see it.
Will they respond?
Well, that’s another question.
But you won’t be swinging blindly, and that’s important.
The final couple questions are pretty similar: do you have a stage, lights, and PA system?
If you don’t, some comedians will bring them.
Yes, there’s usually an added fee, but it’s easier to rent from them than from a local music store.
(It’s probably cheaper, too.)
OK, you’re probably ready to book a comedian, now.
As always, SEO is angry, so…