I have been in the comedy booking business since 1995.  Ok, yes, I know I'm getting old, however remarkably, I'm not bitter or jaded....YET.  I still love what I do for a living by booking comedians all over the world for countless events at colleges, corporate events, nightclubs, fundraisers, military bases, cruise ships and every other imaginable scenario....even a strip club booking in Atlanta just two months into my first industry job with a comedian who's now pretty famous . I'll save that story for another post. ;) I wish I had kept a tally on the number of shows I've booked as it would be pretty cool to see the actual total amount of events I've booked over the years. It has to be at least in the 15,000+ range.  Maybe I can start using the term "Over a billion jokes sold!"???  Ok, that's cheesy...that's why I SELL the jokes, not TELL them. Not every comedy show goes off without a hitch. There have been many "hell gigs".  I've booked more than one show where not a single person showed up in the audience.  I've booked countless "nooner" shows where the comedian is performing literally in a school cafeteria at lunchtime and is trying to "be funny" yet is competing with the tater tots that are being stuffed into human faces.  I've booked many outdoor comedy shows; which NEVER work well.  Comedy, unlike music, needs a captive audience that is actually paying attention to make it successful.  I've seen [...]

Many moons ago I was courting a lady friend.  She had attended the same college I did, hung out in some of the same circles as myself, but we didn’t start “hanging out” until after graduating and out in the “real world”.  We met up in the Fall of 1996 during Homecoming at a mutual friend’s cabin he was renting for like 20+ people.  Hindsight, it was probably only like 3-4 bedrooms, but comfort isn’t a huge priority when you’re still young, and sleeping on a floor next to a keg just “happens”. ???? We started dating soon after that Homecoming weekend.  Our first date was to a Charlotte Hornets game.  I had already entered the Comedy business at that time and was scouting talent and seeing shows every week somewhere trying to familiarize myself with as much live stand-up comedy as possible.  I had a home-work assignment from my boss to drive to Rock Hill, SC just south of Charlotte, NC to go watch 2 comedians performing at a show the agency had booked, to meet with the new client who owned the bar, and to ultimately hand paychecks to the talent performing. I decided to ask the girl I was “hanging out” with if she wanted to go see a comedy show with me.  This would have been our 3rd or 4th date and she must have been digging me since she decided to make the trek down to SC on a “school night” to join me.  She was [...]