7 Top Things to Know on Being a Comedian: Tips for Budding Comedians

Making people laugh is quite a daunting task. In fact, only a few people are actually endowed with the flair for comedy. It requires an extraordinary ounce of confidence, an uninhibited personality, quick wit, impeccable timing and course the charming ability to laugh even at one’s own self.

Some people may claim that a person’s sense of humor is actually a talent that one has to be born with, and not something that can be cultivated and learned overtime. However, this is not true in most cases. Great celebrity comedians such as Eddie Murphy, Bill Cosby, George Carlin and Chris Rock would claim that it’s something they have worked hard on over the years. Humor, like any other abilities would take a lot of practice to perfect the craft of making people laugh. 

In the early days, the slapstick comedy made such a huge hit among many movie fanatics, and the limelight was then focused on Charlie Chaplin who was known for his unique brand of silent comedy. Through the years, comedy has evolved from humorous pantomimes to satirical jokes on famous personalities, religion, gender, racial ethnicity and almost any other aspect that would reflect the follies of men.

As the style of comedy evolved, so does the variety of jobs for the people who have patiently honed their talents and make a living out of making people laugh. You can actually find a lot of professional comedians in different areas of expertise such as theatrical and stand up comedies, circus performances, special events. There are even some non-performing comedians who have found their niche in incorporating humor in scriptwriting.

But all these jobs all boils down to the demanding and intricate art of entertainment, and surprisingly, it appears that a lot of people are actually willing to pay a lot of money for a few good laughs.   

 So, are you interested on becoming a professional comedian? Read on.

If you are a budding comedian or seriously contemplating a career on becoming a professional comedian, then you would certainly need all the help you can get on polishing up your act, so to speak.   It is simply not enough that your friends find you endearingly funny or if you are a certified class clown back in high school. Behind the seemingly carefree and lighthearted world of comedy lays a cutthroat arena of aspiring and high ambitious wannabes greedy for recognition and fame.

A profession in comedy can be a highly lucrative line of work that is why for you to thrive you need to be extraordinarily good. Lame and tasteless jokes could not only potentially run you out of business, but the scariest possibility would be becoming a source a scorn and derisions by audiences - the ultimate nightmare for all serious comedians.

It’s a great start if you know you have the natural panache from throwing punch lines, but it is still a long way to go.  Remember, a good comedian has to have an extreme dedication for his craft, the sheer love for entertaining people that goes beyond just making a good living. Here are some helpful pointers that will help you in your quest into becoming funniest man in the whole tinseltown.

 Study Some Great Comedians

Go ahead and rent videos of popular comedy movies and stand up shows, it’s always a great idea to learn from the masters themselves.  Study their comedic timing, which is actually one of the critical aspects in throwing a good joke according to Jerry Seinfeld.

Take notice on the different personas presented by every comedian. A classic comparison is Chris Rock, who often makes irate jokes, while Adam Sandler assumes the dumb and silly persona. From making some keen observations, decide you which persona would you be most effective and work on developing it.

It is not advisable to steal some of the original materials from other comedians or simply content yourself on imitating them. No matter you good you can actually mimic their unique ideas, you’ll just end up being an impersonator. So work on building your own materials.

Write Your Routine

Try to write on a daily basis. It is always good to carry around with you a notebook or a pocket recorder that you can conveniently use if you have some spur of the moment ideas or humorous observations that you would to record. Create a folder for your ideas, sift through it and pick out the good ones. Make a compilation on your great stuff and prepare an average 5-minute act or routine.

On stand-up comedies, try to write on something that you know, your interest in any field it may be. Every joke has to have a set up or building up your audience interest before delivering the punchline. If you have a special knack for music, impersonating famous celebrities or using stage props, by all means use it to your advantage.

But keep in mind that you should avoid offending the sensibilities of your audience and refrain from making lewd comments and unsavory jokes. Remember, you get paid by making them laugh and not for making them the butt of your jokes. It could be quite embarrassing if your gags would ricochet on you or causing your audience to leave in a huff.  

Train for the Stage

A training on public speaking and improvised acting can greatly help in refining your act. One of the crucial parts of being a comedian is getting rid of stage panics and is totally comfortable in speaking in front of large audiences. When you have conquered your stage jitters, you have actually won half the battle. Since almost all comedians have to perform live, it is important to cultivate stage presence and hold the interest of the listeners without showing any trace of anxiety or nervousness.

You can start by committing to memory at least 10 minutes of your own material then run it through in front of the mirror, putting more concentration on perfecting your timing. The next step would be to practice in front of a few friends or some family members, or anyone who would care to listen to you and who could give you some relevant assessments.

You can use your small audience to test your routines based on their reactions. Trim down your act to 5 minutes by keeping only the materials that received much favorable reactions and discarding the jokes that doesn’t get much impact.

You also have to mentally prepare yourself to some jeers before you come up the stage. You have to keep in mind that the more beer they have consumed, the more hecklers there would be in the crowd. The best way to deal with hecklers is to throw back a couple of mocking words too; just enough to make them show them you are funnier than them.

Start Practicing with Open Mics

There are certain bars and nightclubs that have open mic nights that actually allow anyone to come up on stage and try the hand performing onstage. This will be your chance to stage your first public performance, so check out the local bars available in your area.

The only drawback here is that most of the listeners present would be other amateur comedians like you who are also hoping to get some free practice. Just remember that most greenhorn comedians tend to be quite competitive with each other. If you are apparently better than most oaf them, the more likely they will dislike you for you guts.

You can ask a close friend to video tape your very first performance, so you can later assess it yourself. Watching yourself perform can give you are fairly good idea what areas should you work more on It’s also a good way keep tabs on your material as a proof in the future should there be anyone else who would steal your ideas.

Try the Clubs

Now that you have considerable practice on open mics, you will probably be more ready to hit the professional comedy clubs. The “bringer” concept is becoming more and more popular in comedy clubs nowadays.  This generally means that a comedian that actually bring along some paying customers that can also get the chance to perform onstage. Such acts usually takes place a little earlier, right be fore the featured comedians of the evening.

Follow what the professionals’ do and always have an arsenal of excellent A- jokes. If you notice that you are slowly losing the interest of your audience, throw out some really first-rate jokes that will guarantee a good laugh. Especially those jokes that you have honed on your sessions on the open mic. This will certainly make your audience sit straight and pay more attention to your routine.

There is actually a great chance that you will not have a very favorable performance on your first night. This is only expected on your first time; even great comedians have also messed up their very first appearance onstage. Don’t get easily disheartened and instead practice more on perfecting your routine.

Avoid the Mistakes Often Made by Amateurs

Make sure you avoid some of these mistakes that a lot of novice comedians often do:

·        Getting overly confident. Observing some bad comedian performers onstage and getting cocky enough to immediately assume that you can dish out a much better performance. Remember that it you cannot be an instant celebrity overnight. It would take a lot of trial and errors and countless hours of practice to be a successful comedian.

·        Getting impatient. As mentioned earlier, success will never be instantly attained, even by the most gifted artist and performers. You will realize that most of the celebrity comedians we look up to have actually earned their long anticipated glory after grueling days of hard work and extraordinary determination. Don’t think that by getting some really good crowd that you will instantly get your very own TV sitcom.

·        Badmouthing or maligning other comedians. Although you can positively acknowledge that the competition in the industry can be really hard. Don’t stop so low as to resort to backstabbing your contemporaries. Always try to keep it clean, other will appreciate you for it. You will never know who will be in the perfect position to either help you further your career, or who will maliciously put you down. It would however help to avoid any bad blood or grudges.

·        Resort to blaming your audience if the show turned sour. People pay to get a good laugh; you therefore owe them a decent show, to say the least. If unexpectedly your routine is ruined due to some rowdy people in the crowd, remember that it’s part of the package. Try to focus more on yourself and your performance and never blame anyone else.

·        Badly reacting to hecklers and jeers from the crowd. The creed for most comedians is “don’t get mad, use humor as an effective tool to get even”. Some can be obnoxious, especially if they had too much to drink. Never take their putdowns personally. It’s all in the name of good fun.

Money Issues

It is not a generally good idea if you enter into the comedy profession just solely for money, you can probably find other more rewarding jobs out there.

It takes a lot of dedication, commitment and of course the interest in entertaining people to survive in this industry. If you have an exceptional knack for dishing out great jokes, you can entertain the thought of doing some stand up comedies, or other professional performances in corporate conventions, in luxury cruises and other any venues for you to show off your talent and make a decent living at the same time.

You might be interested to know that based on the labor statistics of the United States, the annual wage of independent performers, which include professional comedians is to an average of $ 44,430. So reassess your priorities and evaluate your chances before actually wading into the world of comedy.

Keep in mind that the key in the industry is staying longer rather than racing your way to the top. Of course, it would be great if you get enough exposure to catch the interest of big producers and creating a name for yourself. But don’t be in a hurry in your pursuit for success. It will eventually come if you try hard enough.

Meanwhile, make sure to enjoy every minute of your journey! You will undoubtedly meet a lot of people that will enrich your life, and hopefully contribute in making you more effective in your chosen career.