Introduction

There is another important aspect of comedy material development you need to be very aware of now, which is…

Decisions that you make that can not only affect the quality and quantity of gigs you ultimately have access to, but the potential income you can make as a live comedy performer as well — whether it be on a part time or full time basis.

Now let’s cover some information that many comedians only come to realize after they have struggled for years to “climb” the ladder in the comedy club market…

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The Unspoken Truth About Stand-up Comedy

If you have seen the movie A Few Good Men, then you are familiar with the famous line shouted out by Jack Nicholson during the courtroom scene:

You can’t handle the truth!

I can already tell you that some people who review this lesson won’t be able to handle the truth, which is this:

1. By far, the comedy club market is the lowest paying market to work in as a comedian or comedy entertainer unless you are a very popular or “household name” comedian and/or you have amassed a huge following.

2. If you only have the ability to develop an “adult” or profane stand-up comedy act that is only suitable for the comedy club market, then you have effectively knocked yourself out of working in 99% of the live performance comedy markets that actually pay quite handsomely.

It’s not my job to dictate what sort of stand-up comedy act you choose to develop. Those are personal decisions that are best left to the artist (you).

The information provided in this lesson is not usually available to comedians.  This information can have a large impact on both the type of comedy material you may want to develop and on your potential income as a comedian.

My goal with this lesson is not to discourage you from going for your dreams and goals as a comedian or live comedy entertainer in any way.

But I do want you to be smarter than the rest of the comedians out there and understand that…

Your income and the number of live performing opportunities available to you as a professional comedian are either limited or enhanced depending on the type of comedy act you can develop and deliver.

I should also mention that if you have real comedy talent and can understand and apply the comedy material development process provided in this course, you should be able to produce any type of comedy material for any particular comedy market.

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The Bad News

Let’s start with the bad news first…

There are some people who are attracted to stand-up comedy simply because they want to be able to use profanity in public and openly talk about their sexual exploits.

Then, they intend to be “discovered” by Hollywood (which is much like buying lotto tickets to become wealthy).

Unfortunately, these folks don’t realize that an adult or “blue” act severely restricts a comedian to working exclusively in comedy clubs — where the pay is incredibly low.

Unless these comedy club comedians are:

1. Living in New York or Los Angeles and…

2. Appearing frequently in TV commercials, films and TV programs

They are pretty much stuck with a day job — usually a low paying one that will provide the flexibility to go to auditions for commercials, films and auditions.

Any chance of making a good living as a comedian in the live performing environment is a distant pipe dream and these comedians tend to have all their eggs in one basket — they are going to become a rich and famous TV star.

A headlining comedy club comedian who is NOT a household name will earn $700-$1200 per week — travel expenses are NOT included.

If a “standard” comedy club headliner (not a star or a widely recognized comedian) could get booked for work 50 weeks out of the year (which is rare), they would be lucky to make $30,000/year BEFORE tax income and after travel expenses.

Most comedy club comedians live near or below poverty level. And there’s a glut of comedians who are already established comedy club acts.

There are usually only between 250-500 full time comedy clubs in operation in the U.S. at any particular time (I’m talking about venues who hire comedians on a weekly basis).

But wait, it gets worse…

Every week comedy club comedians are on the road is a week they cannot audition for a TV commercial, film or TV program — effectively reducing their chances for work that usually does pay well.

There is no standardized union “wage” for comedians like there is in the film industry. Opening acts can make as little as $15-$25 per show and middle (feature acts) acts can make as little as $50-$75 per show.

The bottom line:

This is the price most comedians pay for only being able to develop and perform “edgy” or profanity-laced adult comedy material at headliner levels, shooting for the “fame and fortune” aspect of stand-up comedy in movie, TV and commercial roles.

And here’s the really sad part…

Many headliner level comedy club comedians would give a finger to be able to develop clean, headliner level comedy material for other markets that pay very well (i.e. the corporate market).

Unfortunately, they didn’t have access to a course like this and only know how to develop “edgy” or adult comedy material that works for them.

And once they have developed the habits associated with only being able to produce “blue” material to get the big laughs, they usually have extreme difficulty developing comedy material that is not “blue”, profane or explicitly adult in nature.

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The Good News

Now, let’s talk about the good news and where there are fantastic opportunities for talented comedians in abundance.

Let’s assume for a moment that you made the decision to develop and deliver headliner level comedy material that was “clean” — non-offensive and without profanity.

Here are the serious advantages that clean comedians have over comedy club comedians who can only deliver “adult” or “edgy” comedy material:

1. As long as you are delivering headliner level comedy material, you can work in virtually all markets (including the comedy club market) such as:

• Golfing events
• Cruise ships
• Weddings
• Charity events
• Casinos and resorts
• Conventions
• After dinner performances
• Corporate events

The list goes on and on.

2. Armed with clean comedy material that generates headliner level laughter, you are now suited to work in the corporate market, which pays $1000-$5000+ per 45 minute show and will include air fare, ground transportation, lodging and food expenses — in addition to the negotiated performance fee.

3. There are literally hundreds of potential performing opportunities available , outside of comedy clubs, in any local metro area, as opposed to there being usually only one comedy club per 100,000-250,000 people in any given metro area.

4. No “special” knowledge is needed in any of the comedy markets outside the comedy club market. When you are hired as a comedian, you simply deliver your act — just like in the comedy club environment.

If you are asked to provide “customized” comedy material specific to the company, event or engagement you can double or even triple your performing fee.

5. Because “mature audience” comedians have become the norm, clean comedians stand out and tend to get more recognition. They are also very well received by all audiences — not just those looking for adult comedy material.

6. If you understand that the mechanics for laughter generation are exactly the same for public speaking as in stand-up comedy…

That means that you can effectively integrate your clean stand-up comedy material into almost any speech or presentation.

Just like with corporate comedy, funny public speaking professionals get paid handsomely.

7. When you kill an audience in virtually any market outside the comedy club market — those performances tend to lead to high paying referral work from virtually every show. Not so in the comedy club market.

Again, it’s not my job to tell you what sort of comedy material to develop.

But I do want you to understand that there are far more opportunities for those who have the ability to develop and deliver clean headliner level comedy material than there are for those who cannot.

And a smart comedian will work in every possible market — including the comedy club market.

This course is designed to help give talented individuals the ability to develop and deliver ANY type of stand-up comedy material for ANY type of comedy market at headliner levels.

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My Own Stand-up Comedy Material

Before I retired as a live performer, I was able to develop and deliver two types of comedy material with relative ease because of the process you are learning now:

I had more “adult” comedy material which included calculated, but limited use of profanity that was suitable for the comedy club market, which allows more expressive freedom.

But I also had ample amounts of comedy material without profanity that was completely suitable for the comedy club market and the corporate entertainment type markets (where the real live stand-up performance money was at).

And because I did have solid comedy material for the corporate markets…

I became a sought after speaker for a number of events (which paid very well too) and could interject that comedy material into speeches and presentations as needed.

Let me put this another way…

I was making much more money as a part time comedian (and I was on active duty in the US Navy) than every single full time comedy club comedian based out of San Diego at the time.

And I performed at plenty of comedy clubs too.

Here’s an old adage about stand-up comedy material that applies today:

Again, the type of stand-up comedy material you develop is a very personal choice.

Just be aware that the comedy material you choose to develop can affect the quality and quantity of gigs you are able to land as well as your income as a live performer.

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Wrap Up

With almost two decades of experience as a stand-up comedy educator, consultant and coach, I can say with great confidence that I have NEVER met a single individual who was serious about stand-up comedy that didn’t want to do it on a full time basis if they could.

But most will never be able to do stand-up comedy on a full time basis because without winning the “TV lotto”, they simply cannot support themselves on their stand-up comedy income alone.

That is usually a direct result of the type of stand-up comedy material they are able to develop and deliver at a high level and usually not an issue of talent.

In your stand-up comedy adventures you will meet a ton of comedians who have plenty of excuses as to why they are unwilling or unable to make bank as a comedian.

You will also find a number of comedians who will use “freedom of speech” as shield of sorts when it comes to defending their performing “art” and subsequent inability to earn a handsome wage as a result.

But again, let me say this:

You and only you are the master of the stand-up comedy material you decide to develop and deliver to audiences — not me, or anyone else for that matter.

So if you are going to blame anyone for your inability to earn decent money for your comedy act, you can only point to the person in the mirror.

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