By Harry Freedman
What should you look for when you’re booking the funniest corporate comedians? As a young comic starts up the comedy ladder, we do shows for free 5-6 nights a week for the first few years anywhere we can. At some point, we get a few low paying gigs. Once we become strong nightclub comedians’ we add rotaries, commerce chambers, condos, firehouses, and fundraisers. We also start to actually make a living and travel…a lot.
Some comics embrace the road and make it their lives. Some move to LA to try to become actors or writers. And a lot of comics quit because the lifestyle is too hard. For a few of us, the next logical step was corporate comedy. Frankly, I didn’t even know that it existed for several years into my career. It has turned out be great way to perform at a high level.
The first law for becoming one of the funniest clean corporate comedians, is in fact, to be clean. Because If a comedian goes blue at a corporate show, they can usually kiss that corporate career goodbye.
DON’T TRY TO CHANGE A COMEDIAN’S STRIPES.
So when you’re booking one of funniest corporate comedians, keep in mind, there are many acts who can kill at a nightclub with raunchy material. But put them in front of a classy corporate crowd, and they will die a thousand deaths as the audience watches their bosses’ disapproval.
Over the years, I’ve entertained Bankers, Techies, Cybersecurity experts, TV and Radio executives, Nuclear Physicists, and many more. And, I’ve been lucky enough to have a front row seat to the highest levels of the business world. So, as part of my job creating material as a funny fake expert, I’ve learned the inner workings for Fortunate 1000 companies in almost every industry.
The funniest corporate comedians know how to quickly win an audience over. As with any profession in the arts or sports, this only comes from years of experience. So, if you book one of the funniest corporate comedians’ you’re buying that experience to be funny and safe.
CORPORATE AUDIENCES ARE SHARP.
My favorite thing is that corporate audiences are usually very smart and well-informed. This makes them more likely to enjoy well thought out humor that plays at their level.
Even better, is when the humor catches them by surprise. I’ve worked with a number of performers that did both. I was once on a show with a fake waiter who got everyone laughing by messing up orders and drinking from random glasses. I also worked with a terrific chef who was hysterically funny. Both gave their audiences added value by doing the unexpected.
Of course, some of the funniest corporate comedians are still straight stand-ups. But when a stand-up comedian goes up to the podium at a corporate show, some audiences have an attitude of “make me laugh.” I believe if you can find talent that combines comedy with an element of surprise, you will get the best of both worlds.
Harry Freedman has performed as a funny fake industry expert for Fortune 1000 companies in almost every industry. He is also a regular opening act for Ray Romano and has written and performed on tv shows including Everybody Loves Raymond and many more.
