Should We Book A Famous Comedian For Our Event?
Whether it’s for a fundraiser, corporate conference or a show in a larger venue sometimes we here at Powers Management Group get calls from people who want to explore the idea of hiring a famous comedian. They want to entertain clients or association members, reward their employees or draw a large audience to offset talent expenses, and a recognizable TV star seems like the best way to do it. Besides, how much could it cost for one measly show? Well these days a conservative estimate would run around $100,000 and up, sometimes way up depending on the cost of transportation (air and ground), accommodations and a wide array of possible rider requirements.
Then there’s the little matter of the show itself. Sometimes the act in question may have been doing movies or a TV show (or worse yet, maybe not). He or she may not have been performing live very much rendering the act a tad rusty. Not all comedians routinely work out material in clubs and on the road the way Jay Leno has these last 17 years. And that’s not likely to be something their representative will be inclined to share with you either.
A good comedy booking agent will know which comedians are appropriate for which markets. What comedians do on TV doesn’t necessarily mean that that’s what they do when they perform live. Event planners may have an idea of who they want, but don’t know that the particular act they want might have a routine that contains profanity or other potentially offensive material.
If you have a substantial budget to devote to entertainment perhaps you might consider recognizable comedians who have appeared on Comedy Central, Showtime, Last Comic Standing, Leno, Letterman and Conan. These are the household names of tomorrow. After all Lewis Black was 50 when he got his first Comedy Central special after having spent 10 years on the road.
Cracking people up on an edited TV show is all well good but comedians and humorous speakers who make their living in the corporate arena performing clean, funny material have excelled in precisely the circumstances for which you hope to hire them. Any reputable and knowledgeable comedy booking agency can help you find the best talent for your budget. Knowing the ins and outs of the comedy industry is invaluable when it comes time to negotiate the deal, navigate the particulars and monitor the paperwork, leaving you, the event planner more time to devote to other aspects of the festivities.
Allow us to help you find the right entertainer for your next event. Call 502-744-4959 or visit our website to learn more. Just click on the logo below.
Tags: clean comedians, clean comedy, clean corporate comedians, clean corporate comedy, comedians, funny, Funny TV shows, hire a comedian, humorous speakers, laughter, list of comedians, radio friendly comedy, stand up comedians, stand-up comedy
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November 19, 2009 at 8:32 pm
Hello,
I’ve been performing stand up comedy for 11 years and have worked all over the country. I prefer to work pretty clean, or “club clean”. I’ve performed with Caroline Rhea,Doug Stanhope,Mike Birbiglia,Robert Schimmel and Jimmy “JJ” Walker. Work has been slow lately because of the economy,and I am looking into companies such as yours for corporate,private parties,and comedy clubs.I hope you can help me.