Expert: Matt McDonald - 1/28/2008

Question
Hey, i was wondering if you could tell me say about a day in the life of a comedian. How do you guys travel to different clubs? Do you google directions and go? Does the comedy club pay for your hotel? How much would a novice comedian make? Can one start a family while trying to pursue a carer in comedy? And just any other misc. ideas you might want to share.
thanks!

Answer
Hi Water,

>How do you guys travel to different clubs?

Generally we drive. Some of the more well-known names may fly, but for the huge majority of working comics, it's driving.

>Do you google directions and go?

Google, Mapquest, et al didn't exist back during the short time I did road work, so I can't say. I would imagine that's the way to get it done these days.

>Does the comedy club pay for your hotel?

Generally yes for out of town comics. Some clubs have a condo that they use to house visiting comics, so that's an option as well.

>How much would a novice comedian make?

It varies widely based on a number of issues. A good blanket answer would be "not much", especially for emcees (aka working novices). At the Funny Bone in Columbus, the going rate was $150 for a week's worth of emcee work. Generally, the Bone did not want to pay the emcee for a hotel. Which makes sense, because why pay for the hotel for some guy from out-of-state when you can get an adequate emcee locally who won't need hotel expenses? Therefore, making a living as an emcee is virtually impossible. I've seen people make it work by cutting their expenses to the bone, eating nothing but Ramen noodles, etc.

I did some work in one-nighters for a local booker back in the day. I think I got paid $200 for the weekend (two shows) plus hotel expenses. These were for two-man shows where I was both emcee and middle act (meaning I did about 20-25 minutes worth of material and then introduced the headliner), so the pay is a little inflated since I was doing more time than a normal emcee would. Also, keep in mind, you don't get gas or food expenses. Since the gigs were in Wisconsin and I live in Ohio, the pay was a washout - I spent as much as I made.

Those numbers may have gone up a little in the intervening years, and there are other variables at work as well such as the location and professional level of the club, but the overarching principle that entry-level comics don't make much still holds true, I'd imagine.

>Can one start a family while trying to pursue a carer in comedy?

Well, it's difficult, that's for sure. Obviously, pay is an issue. And if you want to work yourself into a headliner, you'll have to be working a lot, which means a lot of time on the road, away from your wife and kids. I think it would take a very carefully planned and orchestrated mode of attack coupled with a very understanding and supportive spouse.

I think it's feasible to get started in stand-up, doing open mic nights and the like, while having a family but far less likely to make the step up from amateur to working novice and even less likely to make the move from working novice to traveling road comic.

>And just any other misc. ideas you might want to share.

I'd suggest taking a look at the answer archives - there's a lot of good information I and the other experts have given over the years.

Some specific items you may want to take a look at:

My extraordinarily long overview of getting started in stand-up/writing your first material/prepping for your first open mic night/overcoming stage fright:
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Jokes-Comedians-1535/started.htm

My take on how your "lifestyle" factors into your ability to get into stand-up:
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Jokes-Comedians-1535/25-OLD-BREAK-COMEDY.htm

And a much longer and more involved answer about pay:
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Jokes-Comedians-1535/Comedian-pay.htm

Hope that helps.

Matt