It’s easy to think of stand up comedy as a lone ranger kind of lifestyle—one person writing the jokes, one person on the stage, one person trying to hustle their way to the top. But the truth is, no one is an island, and if you want to work up the ranks in a timely manner, it’s best to start thinking about how to leverage your skills to help the comedians around you, and hopefully, to get them to help you back.
Here’s what I mean.
Swap Spots
One really easy thing to trade in comedy is spots. If you host a show, and another comedian hosts a show, you can trade spots. It’s a good way to meet and ingratiate yourself to other comedians.
Swap Production Skills
Over the years, I’ve seen comedians who are also really good with a camera record comedians sets for money, spots at the clubs they’re recording at, and favor with the club owners. Is this a skill you have? Also valuable are editing skills, loaning or trading a/v equipment, audio recording.
Swap Contacts
Say you want so and so as an agent. If you reach out to a comedian who is repped by that agent, maybe they can introduce you to their agent, and you can introduce them to a booker you know at a cherry show or a good paying club.
Swap Your A For Their B
Maybe you’ve got great style and can help your peers up their wardrobe game, and a comedian you like has really great tour booking skills and can help you book a few shows on the road. Replace any A for any B, and you’re in business.
There are lots of great ways to barter in comedy, and it’s very much worth it to sit down and think about how to switch what you have for what you need. Swap whatever you have for whatever you can—but whatever you do, don’t swap spit. Comedians tend to make terrible paramours.
Consider yourself warned.
Today’s inspo:
Don’t miss a sweet night of comedy & music in Park Slope | Shape Shifter Lab
Calling all British comedians | BBC
Opp for comedic filmmakers and their kids | WVIA
Adios, amigo.