The Future of Booking Comedy

If you’re a comedian, or if you organise comedy gigs regularly, you will be delighted – nay, over the moon – to discover that there is now a substantially easier system to do it online. And what’s more, not just one but TWO service providers have come along to help.

The Gig Market describes itself as “a booking hub where comedy bookers and promoters can list available gigs and acts can apply for those gigs”. The process, as described on the site itself:

…provides complete management of the entire booking cycle, allowing bookers to view applications and make offers. The system also automates the process of confirmation, and even sends reminder emails.

And there are additional features, like finding drivers for gigs, viewing act profiles, and receiving alerts when there’s something the system thinks you need to know about, like a declined offer.

According to Tony Tinman, comedian and founder of the site, in their first week they registered more than 600 acts and over 50 UK bookers.  He says:

All we’re asking for is that bookers just give it a try. We’re confident most people will see the potential for improving their current booking process. We’re getting some great feedback and we’re adding to the available features all the time.

Cost-wise – it’s free for acts to register and promoters/bookers get a 120 day free trial, after which they pay just 1% of any gig fee that is organised through the site (so unpaid spots are free).

And with a similar system there’s WhatComedy.com, set up by former Jongleurs Head of Marketing; Bob Slayer.  He defines his site thus:

WhatComedy.com
= Online Tools for booking Comedians
With bespoke functionality for managing entries for Comedy Competitions / Gong Shows wtc
> Reduce Admin + Improve Communication = Increase Efficiency

Although officially still in Beta mode, the site has been up and running successfully for a while.  Bob explains how they first developed the system to manage entries for the Laughing Horse New Act Competition:

They previously used to receive hundreds of emails that all needed to be processed – now entries go straight into an online database and all sorts of other tasks managed. This has meant that Alex spends a lot less time on admin and can also more easily delegate and oversee the task. We are developing this functionality further and working with other competitions and gong shows around the country.

We then used that as a base to develop bespoke functionality for Crack Comedy to manage gig bookings – this soft launched a few months ago and we are adding functionality all the time. We are now opening up to select bookers across the spectrum under the same basis.

Like The Gig Market, signup at WhatComedy.com is free for comedians.  For bookers, basic signup is – and will remain – free, and they are hoping to add some premium subscription services along the way.

Is this the future of comedy administration? It certainly makes a lot of sense. So bookers and promoters, take some of the pain out of the booking process and sign yourselves up to these sites. And comedians – it’s a no-brainer – sign up is free and could lead to more work – so what are you waiting for?

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The Search Is ON…

Finally.

I may have already mentioned in previous posts that this site has been designed by a non-designer, and so there have been a few problems with functionality and… you know, stuff.

WELL. At last I have integrated a proper Advanced Search facility.  NO, COME BACK! This is INTERESTING! (OK, maybe not interesting, but USEFUL.)

What it means for Employers:

If you click on the Advanced Search page you can look for performers and writers using a ton of options:

• Do you need them to look a certain way (gender, height, build, playing age, colouring)?

• Or sound a certain way (accent, language, singing voice)?

• Maybe you need them to live in a specific area, be able to play a particular sport or musical instrument, or work within your budget?

There are a ton of different choices and we’ve just made it easier for you to narrow them down to find the precise fit for your brief.

What it means for Comedians:

You know that long, complicated form you had to fill out when you created your profile?  The more fields you filled out and the more information you gave, the more chance you have of showing up in employer searches – whether by casting directors, promoters, events organisers, ad agencies or just the plain curious.

Log in to the site, click on My Dashboard (in the top right hand corner), then click on the pencil icon along from your Profile name to edit your page and check that you haven’t left anything out and most importantly, the right information is listed in the right fields.

Check out the Advanced Search page here and test how you show up in search results.

Any questions, feel free to get in contact by phone or by filling in our contact form.

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How To Book A Comedian

When You Want To Hire A Comedy Performer For Your Event

Choose The Right Act:

If you haven’t already got a comedian in mind, or even if you have, it’s useful to consider the following before you make a booking:

• What sort of material will go down well? Are your audience easily shocked or are they up for more daring content? If you are unsure of an act’s suitability check out clips of their work on youtube or on their website.
• Location is not too much of an issue.  Comedy performers are used to travelling round the country (and abroad) for work, so don’t feel you are limited to considering only local acts, although an unusually long journey may command a higher fee and possibly accommodation.
• Think about the space for performance.  Will it work with the type of entertainment you have in mind? Single stand-ups are straightforward, but if you want to book a more physical act, or one that has multiple members, make sure you have adequate space, and the lighting and sound equipment to do so.
• If there is an option, try and avoid arranging the event for a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night.  These are the busiest nights of a performer’s week, the nights when they are likely to be already booked – often doing several gigs in one night – and so may be unavailable. If money is an issue then booking an act for a less busy week-night may also be less expensive.

Once you’ve chosen your act(s), whether you contact them directly, through their agent, or through a third party booking or speakers’ agency, it’s helpful if you can supply as much information as possible – timings, audience size, reason for event etc. Make sure you can speak to the comedian at some point beforehand, not just to their management, and let them have a contact number for you for any further questions.

What The Comedians Have To Say:

“It rarely works to book a comic you like and then ask them to do anything out of character, eg. “we love that routine, but could you tone the language down a bit?” They won’t, they’ll just feel nervous and swear anyway.” – Simon Evans

“Don’t ask them to turn up at 7.30 & then say,” we’ll start the show after the dinner, at about 10.30.”" – Jane Hill

“”Can you do an hour and a half after dinner” is usually a no-no. 30 minutes is more than adequate.” – Bennett Arron

“Don’t make the front row/table any more than 5 feet away from your comic. A gig is like a gynaecological examination – it’s all about intimacy. The physicality of a room is more important than people think. Also if your staff and clients have a modicum of respect for your “turn” then everyone will enjoy the show. Don’t be offended if your comedian declines to dine with you before the show, s/he’ll be nervous, trying to get their head together and in no mood for grub. Offer them a drink, tea, coffee, or booze and maybe a makeshift green room- this is what they’re used to. We’re animals of habit see” – Susan Murray

“Do not have a massive gap/dance floor between the comic and the audience.  Get the audience to face the stage. Get a decent PA.” – Mike Gunn

“Don’t have a disco, then stop the music and tell everyone to sit down and listen to the comedian. Do some research and make sure you book the right comic for your event. Don’t wait until the comic is about to go on to tell them it has to be a clean set. I agree with Mike about the seating, but don’t make it so close that your front row can vomit on the comic’s shoes.” - Angie McEvoy

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