{"id":7682,"date":"2025-02-21T22:16:20","date_gmt":"2025-02-22T03:16:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/?p=7682"},"modified":"2025-02-21T22:16:20","modified_gmt":"2025-02-22T03:16:20","slug":"3-lessons-i-learned-from-a-30-year-comedy-veteran-dave-schwensen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/21\/3-lessons-i-learned-from-a-30-year-comedy-veteran-dave-schwensen\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Lessons I Learned From a 30-Year Comedy Veteran \u2013 Dave Schwensen"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Siddesh Pai<\/strong> \u2013 “I Help Comedians, Humor Keynote Speakers & Entrepreneurs Enhance Their Personal Brand Through Targeted Newsletters | Standup Comedian”<\/p>\n

Readers: You can locate Siddesh Pai through the following link on LinkedIn. This is an interview we did earlier this year and I liked it enough to share it. Thanks Siddesh and keep laughing!!<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/siddeshpai\/<\/a><\/p>\n

3 Lessons I Learned From a 30-Year Comedy Veteran \u2013 Dave Schwensen<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"

Talking comedy<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Dave has been working in comedy for three decades. But he wants to make one thing clear: he\u2019s not a stand-up comedian. To me, it felt like a writer who doesn\u2019t read. But that\u2019s exactly what makes him different\u2014he\u2019s spent his career booking, coaching, and writing on the business of comedy. In our conversation, he dropped some serious wisdom on why treating comedy like a business is the key to making it a career.<\/p>\n

1) Comedy Can\u2019t Be Taught\u2014But It Can Be Coached <\/strong><\/p>\n

“I don\u2019t believe you can teach comedy. What I think is funny, you might not. My kids certainly don\u2019t think I\u2019m funny.” I can\u2019t tell you the Three Stooges are funny if you don\u2019t find slipping on a banana peel hilarious, there\u2019s nothing he can do to change that. This is where coaching comes in. Every comedian has a different style, a different rhythm, and a different worldview. Dave helps comics refine that\u2014polishing the delivery, cutting the fat from jokes, and shaping a strong act. Because at the end of the day, you can\u2019t teach funny. But you can help someone be funnier.<\/p>\n

2) No One Is Going to Hand You Stage Time \u2013 You Have to Create It <\/strong><\/p>\n

“You can\u2019t teach timing, you can\u2019t teach delivery, and you sure as hell can\u2019t teach stage presence. You have to get up there and do it.” Most comedians think getting better means hitting open mics over and over. But Dave has a different take – go where the audience actually wants entertainment. Clubs are competitive. You\u2019re performing for other comics, waiting for their turn. But business events, fundraisers, and community groups? They\u2019re desperate for entertainment. Your first gigs might be free, but that\u2019s how you build momentum. One day, you\u2019re performing at a Rotary Club for free. The next, someone offers you $500 to do the same set. Stage time is currency. The more you get, the faster you grow.<\/p>\n

3) They Call It Amateur Night, But No One Is Trying to Hire an Amateur <\/strong><\/p>\n

A lot of comedians treat stand-up like a passion project. But the ones who make a career out of it? They treat it like a business. – Networking Matters \u2013 Hanging out with comics at open mics isn\u2019t enough. Get to know bookers, producers, and event organizers. These are the people who can actually get you paid work. – Market Yourself \u2013 Being funny isn\u2019t enough if no one knows you exist. Build a brand, create content, and stay on people\u2019s radar. Your name should pop up when someone\u2019s looking for a comedian. – Be a Professional \u2013 Show up on time. Have a tight five. Be easy to work with. Give people your business card. Make yourself easy to book. The comedians who get booked aren\u2019t just the funniest\u2014they\u2019re the ones who treat it like a business.<\/p>\n

Thanks for reading \u2013 and keep laughing!<\/p>\n

Click on the banner below to sign up for Dave\u2019s free newsletter.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For comments, questions about workshops and coaching please email \u2013\u00a0Dave@TheComedyBook.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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