What do you need to get booked for paid gigs?
This article is part of a a series: From Open Mics to Paid Gigs.
Booking Objective
If you’re asking, “What do you need to get booked for paid gigs?”, this article is for you! My name is Chuck Roy, professional comedian. I wrote this series of articles to help new comedians understand how some people move from open mics to paid gigs.
- Start preparing enough comedy, jokes and material for the gig.
- Also, the objective of this section is to start getting your Smartphone and Cloud organized for comedy show business.
- Make room for a very basic Media Kit
First, you need to be funny.
- Professional stand-up comedians deliver uproarious amounts of laughter to the audience.
Seriously, what do you need to get booked for paid gigs?
One of the first reasons that I book a stand-up comedian is because they are uniquely funny. To hire you to perform on a comedy show means that I believe your set will make the audience laugh enough.
- There can’t be any mistakes during your stage time.
What I need from an opening act is to establish the art of stand-up comedy.
- Be funny.
- Be original.
- Deliver outstanding stage time.
Once you’ve got the act, there’s a bit of business involved in booking a comedy gig.
If you’re booking gigs for a few bucks, it’s a good time to start being fun and funny about your comedy show business.
Media Kit (aka Comedy Show Booking Kit)
- Business Contact Information: Organize your smartphone and cloud with your comedy show business contact information. Save all your social media links in a document so you can quickly copy/paste these details into an email or Google form. Add your phone number and mailing information.
- Describe your act in 25-words or less: Tell us the origin story of your comedy show (who, what, when, where, and why people want to see you)
- Publicity Photos: Put on a cool outfit, clean up your pretty face, find a solid color backdrop and snap some selfies. Now, you’ve got PR Photos. Ask friends to take photos of you on stage. Try to include some audience members in the photos so we know you’re a real comedian.
- YouTube videos: A short video, less than a minute of comedy, with some fancy titles and credits will help you get booked and promote your shows. Creating the right video may be difficult for you. For now, you can make a decision to consider having a video one day.
Try this scenario:
Write jokes for a gig at the PickleWilly Pub
The PickleWilly Pub is a family owned landmark in Smallerton, Colorado. Once a month, they have a comedy show featuring professional comedians. The headliner comedian books you for an opening spot, 15-minutes that pays $50 (US). You share a car ride to the gig and the headliner tells you that the audience loves a good joke about the name of the pub. However, the show show’s been running for 8 years and the easiest jokes have been said a few too many times.
Should you write jokes about the name of the PickleWilly Pub?
Answer this question:
Do you need a Media Kit for every comedy show booking?
You get a call from Gianni Gnuguy, a struggling comedian that books an amateur comedy showcase at Bazooka’s, a dive bar close to your neighborhood. It’s 4:20pm and Gianni forgot that he needs comedians for tonight’s show. He’s got 10-minutes of stage time and $25 if you can make it to the gig by 8pm, 9:30 at the latest. Do you need a Media Kit for this gig?
Congratulations! You completed this section!
Now that you’ve conquered this first challenge. you can successfully complete the rest of this series.
Suggested order
START HERE: From Open Mics to Paid Gigs (Series)
- Moving from Open Mics to Paid Gigs
- How some open mic comedians get booked for paid gigs
- What do you need to get booked for paid gigs?
- One secret to getting booked for your first stand-up comedy show
Scenario | Local Comedy Showcase
- Differences between open mics and paid gigs
- Developing enough material for gigs
- Comedy Writing Challenge
- Show Business Challenge
Laugh, like, share.
Please share this article with comedians in your neighborhood comedy scene.
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