Becoming a comedian is not just one skill but a combination of several skills that comedians make look seamless. Comedy relies on misdirection and surprise. As you grow each skill set you will be able to move up from an open mic comedian to a headliner level comedian. Here are the top keys to becoming a successful comedian:
- Always Be Writing Jokes
- Focus On Stage Presence
- Constantly Be Rewriting Jokes, Bits, And Sets
- Always Be Networking With Other Comedians
- Work On Finding Your Comedic Voice
- Study Past Comedians
- Learn The Business Side Of Show Business
- Trust Your Gut On And Off Stage
- Have Fun On And Off Stage
A lot of people think they know the magic formula to becoming the next Kevin Hart, Jerry Seinfeld or Joe Rogan. Here’s the truth. There is no magic formula, but there are some things you can do every day, every show, and every time you step foot around other comedians that will help you get more stage time and become a better comedian.
While I am not any of the above comedians I can tell you the things that helped my comedy career move forward, helped me get more stage time, and helped build a great group of comedy friends.
Always Be Writing Jokes
Writing is the backbone of comedy. Sure some people can make people laugh with stores and anecdotes, but often those people have memorized that story and told it over and over. We all know that person who has the one story or joke that always gets a laugh, but just that one story or joke.
Unfortunately, one joke or story will not be enough to carry a comedy set for more than a minute or two. A comedian needs to build a
Try to write your material everyday. Carry a small notebook or a pocket tape recorder wherever you go so you could write down or record any humorous idea of observation you may have. Compile your notes into a single location but if you type jokes to your computer its always great to save a backup. As I learned from comedy writer Jerry Corley, if you write just one joke a day you will end up with 365 new jokes. Unless it’s a leap year, then you can get 366! Oh, what a year
Every joke is not a winner. In fact most jokes will not be winners. They may get a laugh here and there but if they do not consistent laughs you will have to try another joke. Since you are writing a joke a day that should not be too hard.
Jokes are the lifeblood of comedians. Many people thing comedians just “wing it” on stage but that is a recipe for failure and bombing. There are times to improvise but only if you think of a new tag or punchline.
Jerry Seinfeld talked about how important knowing how to write a joke is to a comedian or comedy writer in a New York Times Video. It is the backbone of comedy. Once you know the simple setup-punchline structure of a joke you can build bits, and sets without thinking.
Every joke is a way for you to be different to stand out and to build your comedic voice. As you write more jokes you will find your voice and your style. When writing your own comedy material, remember to write only what you know. In this way, it is advisable to touch subjects that are timely and that truly interest you. You may talk about sports, politics, history, relationships, and family. Every anecdote or joke should feature a setup and a punchline.
Writing jokes in its most basic for is Setup + Punchline = Laugh. While this seems simple joke writing is not. The purpose of a joke and the reason the punchline works is the surprise it brings to the listener than in turn leads to uncontrollable laughter.
Focus On Stage Presence
Performing is were your humor goes to the test. This does not apply just to stand up comedians, not at all! If you are a comedy screenplay writer, comedy book writer, or person who uses comedy to make a point your comedy is seen, heard, or experienced by others.
Your comedy has to perform even if it’s only on a blog or in a book, people have to be able to read it and still laugh. Or at least chuckle. Heck, I’ll take a chuckle any day of the week.
Performing is not just the time you spend on stage doing stand up wither, its the time you spend rehearsing your material before you ever take the stage. Preparation is the key to a great performance. Every second you are on stage is a chance to build stage presence.
Building Stage Presence is much like finding your comedic voice. You need to know how to use your movement, pacing, and vocals to make your jokes work. If you have ever seen Mitch Hedberg (RIP Mitch), he had some of the best one line jokes ever. They were simple and smart, but only he could pull them off. I have seen it over and over where two comedians have similar jokes, but only one gets great laughs. Whats the difference? Stage Presence.
Building stage presence is like learning to ask someone on a date. At first it’s awkward, weird, and uncomfortable for everyone involved. Slowly you learn what to say, how to say it, and have more confidence in your process, next thing you know everything is going well and it seems like everything you say is gold.
Constantly Be Rewriting Jokes, Bits, And Sets
Rewriting is the most underestimated and often overlooked step. Almost all comedians write jokes. They perform them, and most (not all) record them. But once you record your set what do you do? If you are like 99% of the comedians out there you let it take up space on your phone or computer and never listen to it again. That’s a huge mistake!
You have to listen to your set. After you listen to your set, you should open up whatever document you collect jokes in and edit your jokes. Add the tag you came up with on the fly tonight, or cut words you didn’t say this the that made the joke flow a little smoother.
Rewriting has the biggest impact on getting better, faster. Every time you finish your set, you listen and update your jokes. If you do this over and over your set will be tighter, smoother, and more funnier – faster. Try to assemble all your best stuff. Write at least a five-minute long routine for every funny observation.
Always Be Networking With Other Comedians
Networking is the hardest skill to master. If you are like most comedians you spend more time in your head than talking to other people. I have been guilty myself of sitting in a room full of other comedians and reading my jokes, setlist, or even texts instead of networking. I know it’s not easy. We are creatives not business people mingling at mixers and talking about stocks or whatever people do at business mixers.
Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to other comedians. Who cares if it’s awkward, who cares if they forget your name ten minutes from now. What matters is that you try to make connections and get to know other comedians.
Thankfully I am a little more outgoing than most comedians so I introduce myself to EVERYONE! Sure some people don’t want to talk or meet you but so what they are the minority. The big tip here is to mingle with other comedians as much as you can. If possible wait until after their set and then say hi. Who knows you might make a friend or get a gig.
Work On Finding Your Comedic Voice
Finding You Comedic Voice is the longest and hardest part of the comedic journey. When thinking about your comedic voice you should take note of how each comedian assumes a different persona this is their Comedic Voice. For example, Adam Sandler is naive and silly. Chris Rock makes people laugh by being an angry man, and Dennis Miller is known for his great political ranting. Decide what kind of a stage persona you should develop and that’s how you find your comedic voice.
When a new comedian starts out often they are just impersonating their favorite comedian. For me, it was Chris Rock. I know what you’re thinking, why Chris Rock? To me, Chris Rock was the smartest and funniest comedian I had ever heard, besides George Carlin, but I knew I wasn’t anywhere as intelligent as Carlin. The first comedy special I ever watch was Chris Rock’s Bigger & Blacker. I stayed up late on July 10th, 1999, which was my 18th birthday and watched Chris Rock on HBO.
I have owned the VHS, the album, and the DVD because that was and still is one of my favorite stand up specials. Sadly, I also impersonated Chris Rock when I started. I paced the stage, I exaggerated my pauses and facial expressions, and extended out some of my words, in the same manner, I had seen and heard Chris Rock do himself.
It wasn’t until I was preparing to do my 35th birthday show that anyone pointed out what I was doing. I was less than a year into comedy, wearing a black leather jacket, pacing the stage and doing the white boy version of Chris Rock.
Yep, it was as bad as you are imagining. Luckily a comedian I looked up to took me aside and asked me if I knew I was pacing the stage. I said no. He said, record your set with a video camera and then as much as you won’t want to, you need to watch it. It was the most painful experience of my life, and I grew up in Texas when spanking in school was legal!
Thanks to that feedback and my willingness to listen, befriend, and revisit my set I was able to make changes that helped move my comedic career forward. I still love Chris Rock, but I no longer do an impersonation of him.
The worst thing a comedian can do is imitate a comedians exact personality or try to steal his material. To be truly funny, you have to be unique. In order to truly find your voice you need to focus on yourself and develop your own personality so you could get funnier.
Study Past Comedians
Winston Churchill famously said “Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” Comedy has a ton of history. With all that history you can easily learn from the best comedians. Watching comedy live or videos of popular stand-up shows featuring headlining comedians is a great way to study them. Carefully study how they make people laugh. Analyze what makes them really funny. This way, you can learn comedic timing on your own. This is critical for every stand up comedian. And why not laugh while you study? It’s a win-win.
The roots of American stand up can be attributed to the development of popular entertainment schemes in the late 19th century, which included the likes of English Music Hall, Minstrel shows, circus clown antics, vaudeville, and humorist monologues. This comedic era featured individuals that generally carried out routines based on ethnicity and famous stereotypes. The jokes used were quite broad and the materials were mostly shared. Vaudeville boasts of producing the fathers of modern American stand up comedy such as Bob Hope, Milton Berle, Frank Fay, Jack Benny, and Fred Allen.
When the
The ’80s led to the flooding of comedy clubs which were practically present in every major and minor city. Comedy shows included an emcee, middle act, and a headliner. Sam Kinison, Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal, Jerry Seinfeld, and Robin Williams changed up the style of live stand up performances.
As the ’90s came about the field saw an outburst of comedians with varying levels of talents which consequently led to the decline in the number of comedy clubs. The less famous performers had a hard time competing with the ones that were prominent within the circles of stand up. The ’90s can be described as trying times to aspiring comics. It is also associated with the development of alternative comedy specifically in Los Angeles which showcased the talents of Patton Oswalt, David Cross, Paul F. Tompkins, Bob Odenkirk, Beth Lapides, and Janeane Garofalo. These comics deviated from formal comedy and followed the traditional story-telling antics of Lenny Bruce.
The late ’90s saw a rebound of the comedy industry. Comedy Central produced shows like Premium Blend and The A-List, which featured budding talents. Shows like Lounge Lizards and Comedy Central Presents aired as half-hour specials. This gave comedians some mainstream exposure. Several experts attribute the resurgence of stand up comedy to Chris Rock’s efforts in his HBO special Bring the Pain.
Today comedy thrives all over the world from world wide comedians like Russell Peters, Dave Chappelle, and Kevin Hart. To high profile comedians like Joe Rogan, Jeff Foxworthy, Louis C.K. and Amy Schumer.
Appreciation can truly come once people learn about heritage and history. Stand up comedy will only continue to thrive through the years because of people who will their way past adversities in order to constantly provide audiences with jokes, stories, and laughs.
Learn The Business Side Of Show Business
Stand up comedy is ironically a serious business. It is practically and logically harder to make people laugh than to make them cry. Thus, most experts assert that comedians are more talented than dramatic actors. In stand up comedy, you could instantly feel the wrath of punishing and impatient audiences. You certainly want to generate laughter, but instead, you could get boos and hisses.
Stand up comedy is a very large part of the entertainment industry particularly that of comedy. It involves an individual technically-termed as a comedian, performing in front of a live audience. Face-to-face and personal interaction occurs as the comedian directly talks with the people. Actors don’t do this. Even those who do live th
The comedy business is based on how funny you are, though that helps, it is based on how many seats you can fill. Having a good following on social media, an email list, or a downloaded podcast can help you book gigs and venues around the country. The more you can market yourself the easier it is to get booked.
At a minimum, you should have a website. If you can or want to podcast that is a great way to build fans. Having sets on YouTube even if they are unlisted can be an easy way to share your sets and get booked. In the new comedy business, you have to be funny and make money otherwise you’ll sit at home.
If you are easy to get along with, funny, and can prove yourself and your shows you have a better chance of success then someone who just shows up to perform when they get booked. Successful comedians don’t sit around and wait for the phone to ring, they hustle everyday because comedy is not just what they do on stage, it is their business.
Trust Your Gut On And Off Stage
Humor can be defined as the tendency of a specific cognitive experience to bring forth laughter that eventually leads to total amusement. Throughout time, there have been numerous theories that offer
These studies have identified that individuals of various ages and culture groups give out distinct responses to certain forms of humor. When certain persons respond positively to humorous situations manifesting a smile, laughter or any sort of amusement, then they are said to have what is called a sense of humor.
Public speaking training or improvisation acting could be very helpful. It is important that you feel comfortable whenever you are on stage or in front of the audience. To feel comfort in the act, start by memorizing your best materials. Rehearse your lines and your delivery on your own, in front of the mirror. You could also ask a trusted friend to criticize your performance for improvements but
Sure not everyone will love your material. Unfortunately, heckling is one situation a stand up comedian must learn to face. It happens when the scheduled performer is not able to produce the needed laughs from the audience resulting into a very tight and harassing predicament. Comics who have mastered their trades do not only have the capacity to cease the acts of a certain heckler. They can also wow the crowd and win its appreciation.
Observe initial audience reaction while other comedians are on stage and then try to adjust your performance as you go on to keep them laughing. Training for the stage is one effective way to learn stand up comedy and master it, too. The more you can learn to go with the flow and listen to your gut the better you will get at comedy.
Have Fun On And Off Stage
Although there is no definite place to house such majestic show of fun-filled events, stand up comedy commonly takes place in colleges, theaters, bars, and well comedy clubs. The trade is not only for well-established performers as so-called open mic sessions are done wherein any individual with the guts and talent to take on an audience can take the spotlight. This is done in order to allow aspiring amateurs to break into the scene of professional acts.
The audience plays a vital role in the making or breaking of a comedy show. This is the reason why stand up comedy is not a walk in the park. The feedback quality from the people in attendance is very crucial as it can instantly bring fame and glory or shame and failure to the person up on stage. The common practice is that comedians aim to bring out regular and constant streams of laughter.
Laughter is one of the best ways to fend off everyday stress. Stand up comedy offers an opportunity to figure out that despite life’s trials and shortcomings, a simple burst of laughter can turn things around. This is a comedian’s job and why if you have fun the crowd will also have fun.
Stand up comedy is one of the hardest art forms in the world and one of the few that needs the feedback of a crowd to know if the work is good or bad. No matter what trust your gut, write everyday, and have fun. If you don’t have fun on stage and never have fun as a stand up, it may mean stand up comedy is not for you. That’s okay comedians still need fans and people to laugh so no matter what find a way to enjoy comedy and the success of comedians.
