Clean Comedy Guarantees These Benefits

People have often asked me why I choose to perform only clean comedy.  This is a decision I came to when I first started performing stand-up comedy at new talent nights at Zanies Comedy Club twenty-five years ago.  ... I simply wanted to know if my comedy writing and jokes were funny.  Could I be funny without the crutch of profanity?  I was curious.

Twenty-five years later I have never regretted this choice and I think it is worth serious consideration by anyone starting a career in stand-up comedy today.

Performing clean shows will lead to more opportunities to perform at corporate events once you have a strong forty-five minute set.  It is a luxury to never worry about offending anyone. Prior to showtime, I often have a human resource director or event planner nervously asking if my humor is truly clean.  I feel so fortunate that I don't have to review my own set-ups and edit my material immediately before taking the stage.  I experience confidence rather than anxiety.

Clean comedy is welcome on any television channel.  Forty-five minutes of material is a true forty-five minutes of material.  Numerous appearances on television will "eat up" your material quickly.  Don't fool yourself into thinking you have forty-five minutes when twenty minutes might not be good for programming.

Writing and performing clean comedy is a fun discipline that is a "win-win."  There are no negative consequences to being marketable.  My experience confirms that it is a smart and viable option worthy of serious consideration.

See:  comedybysally.com

Ten Marketing Tips for Christian Comedians

Sally Edwards - Christian and Corporate Comedy

    Even though Christian Comedians tend to favor the creative and positive aspects of a clean comedy show, it is important to keep your business practices ongoing and fresh.  Here are ten ideas for maintaining your Christian Comedy business even when you are not performing on stage:

1)  Videotape your shows:  Once your performance is over, there is no getting it back.  Videotape every show, post clips on YouTube or send it out to other Christian organizations.  You don't want to miss videotaping any of your really good shows!

2)  Write, write, write - Carry a notebook, cell phone, Ipad or tape recorder.  The best jokes seem to pop out of nowhere.  Be ready for them.

3)  Send out postcards or brochures.  It's a digital age but some clients still prefer to hold your information in their hands.  Vistaprint is a great way to go for ordering online.

4)  Work on your social media daily:  Think Twitter, Facebook, Stumble Upon, Reddit, Digg, Tumbler, Squidoo, etc.

5)  Write a new ten minutes.  Get your thoughts out on paper and start to edit.  Avoid performing stagnant shows.

6)  Start a newsletter.  Constant Contact and Mailchimp offer various creative formats.

7)  Blog regularly using Wordpress or Blogger.  Wordpress will offer more customization.  Blogger promotes your blog on Google.

8)  Submit press releases.  Start with a free release until you gain confidence.  If you are booked into a Christian event, promote it!  Organizers will appreciate your involvement in getting people in the seats.

9)  Use your creativity to develop marketing materials including CDs and DVDs.  Write a book.  See Lulu.com and CreateSpace.com (Amazon's self-publishing).

10)  Promote, promote, promote - Hand out business cards and collect email addresses at every performance.  Your email addresses are your future fans and customers!

Go get 'em.  Break a leg!

ComedyBySally.com

Christian Comedians and the Successful Radio Interview

Female Christian Comedian Sally Edwards

I'll never forget one of my first radio interviews as a Christian Comedian.  I was performing at a church in a small Ohio town and I was asked to go on the air at a local radio station to promote the special event .  I had strict instructions from the radio station.  "Write out five questions that will lead into humorous stories." End of instructions.  In the years that followed, I was regularly given similar instructions from radio hosts, including FISH Christian Radio, whose offices wer in Elk Grove Village, IL.

This format is very solid because the comedian is always prepared with something funny to say.  It relieves the radio host of the pressure of not knowing what to expect.  It would be very disconcerting if a Christian Comedian delivered stories and anecdotes that would be offensive to a core audience.  Preparing a funny and solid radio interview should be taken with the same "seriousness" as the preparation of a stage performance.  The radio interview provides a wonderful platform for bringing people to your show and your Christian hosts will appreciate your enthusiasm and professionalism on the air.

Christian Comedians as guests on a radio show should be prepared to face a radio host who may not be familiar with the concept of "set-up, punchline."  It is recommended that a comedian take control of the interview to avoid the host "stepping on the jokes" by interrupting the timing of a well thought-out story.  This unfortunate habit can make a radio interview very painful for the guest.  Christian Comedians know that the very best hosts are either highly sensitive to the talent of their individual guests or they are former comedians themselves.

On occasion a radio host will recommend "winging it."  This is an improvised radio interview and is not for the squeamish.  I am a particular fan of this type of interview because I find it very challenging, yet very natural.  However, it takes a skilled interviewer and an ideal chemistry with the radio host to make this a successful endeavor.

Remember that your mission as a Christian Comedian on the radio is to advertise the special event at which you are appearing while keeping  your comedy clean and highly entertaining!  The funnier and more engaging you are, the more a listener will want to come out and see you in person.  Welcome the opportunity to bring more audience to the church's special event!