{"id":8102,"date":"2025-09-26T23:46:15","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T03:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/?p=8102"},"modified":"2025-09-26T23:46:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T03:46:15","slug":"open-mics-for-corporate-comedians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/26\/open-mics-for-corporate-comedians\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Mics for Corporate Comedians"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey Dave – Last week you talked about ‘what is corporate comedy material.’ I would also like to learn about getting into doing comedy and humorous keynotes at corporate events. – E.M.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Not a late-night open mic audience!<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Hey E.M. \u2013 Let\u2019s pick up where we left off. Last time, I talked about the kind of material comedians need to develop to get hired for corporate events. But the bigger question is: how<\/em> and where<\/em> do you develop that kind of act?<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the challenge: the type of material you\u2019ll need\u2014G to PG (max) and often with a business-related angle\u2014doesn\u2019t always work in the usual late-night, beer-soaked open mics. But that doesn\u2019t matter, because those crowds aren\u2019t your audience anyway.<\/p>\n

Your real audience consists of business owners and event planners, and you\u2019ll find them at morning, afternoon, and evening business or association meetings. Instead of bars at midnight, look for stage time at Rotary breakfasts, Knights of Columbus luncheons, and College Club dinners\u2014just to name a few. Almost every town has groups like these, and they\u2019re always looking for speakers or entertainers.<\/p>\n

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Bonus incentive!<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

These slots usually run anywhere from five to twenty minutes\u2014often slotted between the entr\u00e9e and dessert.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the key: treat these meetings like open mics. Don\u2019t expect to get paid (at least not at first). The magic word for getting these spots is FREE.<\/strong> Offer to do a clean five-minute comedy set before their featured speaker, and you\u2019re far less likely to hear the other magic word in comedy: NO.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In my own experience, I was almost never turned down. The only exception was a 90-year-old Rotary member in the Midwest who thought his club wasn\u2019t interested in anything except insurance, fertilizer\u2014or both. When I explained I spoke on humor and creativity, he sounded ready to have me arrested for being anti-American. I politely thanked him, called another Rotary club, said the word FREE,<\/em> and got booked right away.<\/p>\n

As you continue writing and testing material that works in this environment, aim for longer sets\u2014up to the typical 20-minute featured program. From my experience, most organizers welcome a variety of speakers. After all, you can\u2019t have insurance, fertilizer, or a combo of both every single week.<\/p>\n