Comedy Pro-Tip: How NOT to Ask a Booker For Work

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Do NOT ask for work in the first contact you have with someone. Introduce yourself and ask how to submit. You’re human first, comic second.

Do NOT ask for work while congratulating someone. Then it just looks like you’re only congratulating them because you want work. And you’ve just erased your good will (and thensome).

Do NOT ask for work with a general “What do you book?” Take the time to know who you’re speaking to.

Do NOT ask for work with a giant BCCed email. Use a mail merge program like GroupMail Pro or Max Bulk Mailer so even if your emails aren’t personal, it looks like they are.

Do NOT ever lie about your draw or your resume. Anyone you’re asking for work has seen more comics than you have, and can see through it.

And Do NOT bring up a tragic event to strike up a conversation and then casually bring up work.

As always, the best way to get work is to concentrate on being a good human being.

Hugs,

Steve Hofstetter

http://www.stevehofstetter.com
Follow Steve on Twitter
Check out his YouTube channel

This was posted with the permission of Steve Hofstetter.

Peter Pan Syndrome by Jay Whitecotton

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Arg

by Jay Whitecotton

Talk to certain types of girls today and you’ll find a common complaint they have about the men they meet is that a lot of us our going through Peter Pan Syndrome. 30 year-olds who still go see live bands, drink at the bars on a Tuesday, work jobs to support their own creative endeavors, and generally – main ambition is having a good time.

And what’s wrong with that? Is that really an insult?

Possibly.

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Matthew Broussard: The Road So Far…

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by Al BahmaniMatthew-Broussard-2

You might remember the brief moment in time Matthew Broussard was entrenched in the Houston comedy scene. During that first year he won not one, but  3 contests. Houston’s Funniest Person 2012 was probably the most prestigious among them. Recently Matthew’s has been spotted on television, “The Mindy Project” and “Adam Devine’s House Party” are the first that come to mind.  We catch up with Matthew and talk about life on the road, following your dreams, the entertainment business and other ways to stay busy.

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Finding K-von

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Kvon discovers a holiday was hidden from him.

Kvon discovers a holiday was hidden from him.

What if you just found out your parents hid Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Years Eve from you?
 You’d feel angry, bewildered, cheated and confused. When comedian K-von found out his father never told him about a similar holiday, Nowruz (Persian New Year), instead of getting angry he got even and created an award winning documentary.

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NERDS ARE THE NEW BULLIES

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Arg

by Jay Whitecotton

I’m of the last generation that still has an inner Bully screaming inside its conscience. A harsh voice that creeps up anytime I think a thought that doesn’t agree with the mentality of the late 80’s, early 90’s era.

It happens when I put on a scarf: The word “faggot” pops into my head, as if keeping my neck fashionably warm were a crime against my sexuality. I’ll tell a girl I don’t possess the ability to drive stick, and hear “pussy” slowly chant its way to the forefront of my psyche.

‘NERD!’ is being yelled at me right now as I finish this very sentence. It’s pathetic, dumb, and a ghost of a time when that mentality flourished.

Often I have fantasized about what it would be like for that blonde douche from those 80’s movies, if he were somehow teleported to today’s Portland. Bewildered on a busy street, giggling at lesbians holding hands, black skateboarding Trekkies, and purse wearing men.

He laughs a solid hour, but eventually crumbles in sadness when society mocks his outdated mentality and women shun him for geek sheik folk artists. (NO ONE TELL HIM THERE’S A BLACK PRESIDENT).

What we haven’t realized yet (and what Billy Zabka already knew) is that being a Nerd doesn’t mean you’re automatically a good person. If you ever watched the ‘Revenge of the Nerds’ movies, you assume the underdog Tri Lambdas are the good guys. (While completely ignoring the fact that one dons a mask and rapes a girl who’s too drunk to tell he’s not her boyfriend)

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A Chance To Make World Comedy History

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jamie

Written by Al Bahmani

Comedian Dana Gould once quipped, “Stand-up (comedy) is really an American art form, like jazz and shoplifting.” Jamie Masada hopes to prove him wrong. Currently Masada is looking for the funniest person in the world. Tonight at the Laugh Factory, the show will be streamed live, voting will begin 10pm Central 8pm Pacific and end October 21st 6pm Central 4pm Pacific.

Masada is no stranger to the American immigrant experience, born in Iran he eventually immigrated to the United States in his teens. “My father sold his accordion so I could be here… I worked at an apartment building. I was paid $35 and I would send home $30 to my parents. One day, I walked into The Comedy Store and someone said, “Are you a comedian?” I thought this was a job interview so I said “Yes.” They brought me up on stage. I was so nervous I told all my jokes in farsi.”

This eventually led to other spots on stage and a bit role as Hebrab Comando Number 5 in Neil Israel’s satire “Americathon”. The cult comedy starred John Ritter, Jay Leno, Harvey Corman and was narrated by George Carlin. “I was a young little guy and in 1979. Comics were on strike because the Comedy Store wasn’t paying comics. I had an idea to have a club that would pay comedians. Neil loaned me the money to open the Laugh Factory… It took me a long time to pay him off.”

“I have a dream, perhaps naïve, of bringing the world together through smiles and laughter. Religion, diplomacy, and democracy haven’t succeeded so maybe it’s time to focus on something more universal. And that is why I launched the first annual Funniest Person in the World Competition.” Masada added. “It is my hope, that by the time the competition enters its 5th year, representatives from each of the world’s 195 countries will eventually submit to be part of this yearly global competition.”

“Laughter is a universal language. This is a chance to find alternative ambassadors, the kind that bring diplomacy through a belly laugh. After all, laughter exists everywhere within the confines of culture and traditions. Laughter based on observations , laughter that acknowledges the gap between ideals and realities and laughter at the stereotypes – as well as the oddballs – of the culture, any culture, every culture.”

Ten Comics from South Africa and Wales to France, and Sweden to United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, and Israel and tonight anybody online can vote for their favorites here at www.laughfactory.com.

Let Me Tell You Why I Hate Comics by Dustin Ybarra

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Let Me Tell You Why I Hate Comics by Dustin Ybarra Edited by Al Bahmani

Dustin Ybarra

Let me tell you why I hate comics.

They can talk shit about you.

They can be assholes to you.

They can despise you for having a good set.

Some are bitter or insecure, and some won’t even look you in the eye when you meet them.

Here’s why I love comics.

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What Exactly is the “Race Card”?

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BillyDWashington

By Billy D. Washington

Edited By Al Bahmani

Of the hundreds of adorable people I met and performed for in North Carolina this past weekend I received one complaint, apparently there was a patron who thought I played the “race card” in my performance far too often. Help me out here.

What exactly is that? Why are black people so susceptible to it’s definition?

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