From Sex Police to my own Comedy Agency
Golf is my hobby, it’s my happy place and I try to visit it often. Everyone should have a “Happy Place” right? I wish my hobby was a bit more affordable, but I digress. Often times if you don’t have a foursome arranged in advance, you get paired up with other strangers coming to their happy place as well. I honestly don’t mind since I’m an extrovert by nature and love meeting new people. At some point in the round (4-5 hours typically) it’s almost inevitable that you get asked “What do you do for a living?”. All of my friends know that I’m a comedy agent, but when a stranger asks you that question, it’s NEVER left with just “Cool.” There’s ALWAYS follow-up questions: "Do you get to meet famous people?", "How do you scout your talent?", "I’m funny, can you hire me?", etc. One of the most frequently asked questions is….."How’d you get into that line of work?" My answer is always, “SEX POLICE”. I’ve been a huge music fan since the first time I heard the band KISS in the 70s, and even when I enrolled at Appalachian State University in 1991 (Yes, THAT Appalachian State who famously beat Univ. of Michigan in ’07), I knew that I wanted to go into the music/entertainment business. While attending A.S.U., there was a regional band out of Chapel Hill, NC named SEX POLICE that was pretty popular and they were booked to perform at the school. Being a broke [...]
How to hire a college comedian
Maybe you have this scenario: You've just joined your campus/student activities board and have been given the task of booking comedy entertainment for your school's upcoming school year! That's exciting, but were do I start? Well, your first step is to do some research! Some great suggestions to get started are: 1) What comedians have gone over well in the past at your school? 2) What is our specific budget for hiring said comedy entertainment? 3) What is the date or dates of our performance(s), and do we have a venue available for said date(s)? Your next step is to find a trusted company that you can talk with that you can relay all of your specific needs and wants for your comedy entertainment and point you in the right direction with available options. Clean vs. dirty, regional acts vs. celebrity acts are things to consider as well. If your school doesn't have a regular comedy agency they work with, ask around to other colleges/universities for suggestions. I'm pretty sure it won't take long to get a few names of reputable agency names within the college market. When all else fails, you can call the N.A.C.A. (National Assn. for Campus Activities) office and they for sure can point you in the right direction. Many college or universities have strict guidelines on the material/subject matter that is allowed on their campus. Always be upfront with your agent at the time of booking to express these concerns so there isn't any problems night [...]