Career as a Standup Comedian

You’ve always been funny. You enjoy making people laugh, and you’d love to take humor to the next level in your life and make it a career. Well, becoming a stand-up comedian might just be the right path for you. It’s a creative choice, which requires you to be in the spotlight and always ready to crack great jokes.

Performing stand-up comedy is one of the most exhilarating jobs on the planet.

What type of humour will suit you?

There are primarily 4 types of acts that are most popular in the country.

Ø  One is the classic standup where one comes in and takes a jibe at the topics of his interest.

Ø  Next is Sketches which are funny adaptations of situations that happen every day – may be a restaurant scene, or a local bus travel, or even an office conversation.

Ø  Third is Roasting – the art of humiliating someone which leads to laughs for a larger majority.

Ø  Final one is Improv (short for improvisation) which people consider as the most difficult one too. People in the audience give you topic and you act on it instantly.

Spontaneous Humor is the key to performing improv. Similarly knowing the art of dissecting someone to pieces is required for Roasting. The classic standup demands a lot of observation skills and giving even the mundane not so happening things a humorous flavour.

Here are the steps to become a standup comedian anywhere in India:

Ø  Identify the comic inside you and find the material that fits your comfort zone. Whether it is punch lines only or random collection of jokes, think about what you are comfortable with or enjoy talking about. If nothing comes to mind then we suggest narrate a true incident which you think was funny. We all have sometime or the other narrated a funny incident to friends or family. May be a good idea to start with a nice and simple incident that occurred to you with some punch lines and references to current topics.

Ø  Create 3–5 minutes of material and write it down. Read the same material few days later and refine it until you are comfortable with it.

Ø  Find an open mic spot in your city and try out your material to an audience. Atleast try the same material 4–5 times before concluding that it works or not. General trend is when you use the same material the third or fourth time you start understanding what is working and how to improve it. If you bomb the first time then that is just the way it is for every standup comedian in the world. It's just a part of the process. If there are no open mics in your area then arrange a small comedy night evening for your friends or do a small bit in a party or a function. Do it in 4–5 different occasions.

Ø  Once you have learnt what is working or not, perform the most refined version of that material in the next open mic and this time have it video recorded.

Ø  Upload the video on YouTube or any other social media network and see how the general population likes it. Share it with your friends and family.

Ø  If response is largely positive, continue the cycle till you have 15–20 minutes of material.

Ø  Host standup comedy shows by requesting organizers who run these shows. The host has to introduce other more established comics and is also responsible for doing 10–15 minutes of material to warm the audience. If you have been active in the standup comedy open mic circuit and are reasonably good you will get opportunities to host a show. If not organize your own and invite three comics and host a show.

Ø  Look for opportunities to do a 15–20 minute bit material in comedy shows. If your comedy is getting popular you will get shows. Share snippets of your comedy by writing jokes, one liners, funny comments on Facebook and Twitter and keep your network engaged with your sense of humor. This will get you invites. You can also find managers who can get you shows for 20–25% commission. Many are on just dial.

Ø  Work on your audience interaction skills and plan such that you use 10 minutes of material and 5–7 minutes of spontaneous audience interaction to complete your segment. Once you have 25–30 minute of material you can do a full show.

Ø  Write blogs or get covered in blogs and newspapers. Generally 12–15 months in the circuit with 3–4 open mics per month and 10–15 shows, you will have enough visibility on these channels for them to write about you. Once you start getting coverage, it is time to do a 30 minute segment or do a full show.

Ø  Do a full show and market it or do hour long corporate shows through managers and contacts. Get them well recorded and start getting them edited to go up on your YouTube channel. Put out one or two good videos of 5–7 minute duration from your show every month to start getting subscribers and followers to your channel.

Ø  If these videos go viral you have made it as a successful standup comedian in India and will start getting more shows, tours, deals with video channels, partners etc.

Ø  The toughest part comes now where you will have to maintain your quality and get more material and sustain. Well, but when you get there, I am sure you will figure it out.

Educational Requirements

Technically, a stand-up comedy career does not require any sort of formal education. Most comedians are just born with an extra large funny bone. Some comedians may find their true calling after attending open mic nights at their local comedy clubs.

Comedy schools and institutes, on the other hand may be excellent options for anyone interested in a stand-up comedy career. Workshops organized by different theatre groups may come in handy.

Pay Packet

Income is variable depending upon the duration of the show and your popularity. However, to give you a rough idea the income may vary as follows:

Public performance – ₹ 5,000 - ₹ 50,000 per show.

Corporate shows –  ₹ 30,000 – ₹ 50,000.

YouTube channel through videos - Average 4 USD a day.