{"id":8507,"date":"2026-09-04T22:05:41","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T02:05:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/?p=8507"},"modified":"2026-09-04T22:05:41","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T02:05:41","slug":"when-a-headliner-recommends-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/04\/when-a-headliner-recommends-you\/","title":{"rendered":"When a Headliner Recommends You"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Hey Dave \u2013 After a recent showcase, the headliner came up to me and asked if I\u2019d be willing to open for him on his upcoming shows. What\u2019s the best way to approach being a featured comic or host at this major club? I have the manager\u2019s email and a video of my showcase set as a sample of what I can do. I also have a website with my headshot and resume, and I can post the video on YouTube. Sincerely \u2013 L.S.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8511\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8511\" class=\"wp-image-8511 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Header-image-e1788573021828.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"209\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-8511\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Handing out Golden Tickets!<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n<p>Hey L.S.<strong> \u2013<\/strong> That\u2019s great news! As I\u2019ve said in way too many articles, <strong>that\u2019s your Golden Ticket.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A personal recommendation from a headlining comic is <em>always<\/em> better than trying to do everything yourself through cold calls, blind emails, or simply hanging around the club hoping someone notices you. Those methods can work, but when a comedian who already works at the club is willing to put in a good word for you, you have something much more valuable: <strong>an established comic opening the door for you.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>That doesn\u2019t mean you should stop promoting yourself. Quite the opposite. Every comedian should have the basic promotional tools in place\u2014a professional website, current headshots, a resume or list of credits, and a good performance video. Those things make it easier for a talent booker to check you out when someone recommends you.<\/p>\n<p>And if you already have a track record\u2014with solid performing credits\u2014you might not have to settle for a showcase. You could end up with a <strong>paid booking.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8512\" style=\"width: 210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8512\" class=\"wp-image-8512 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ChatGPT-Image-Sep-4-2026-09_30_17-PM-e1788573154158.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-8512\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Your next booking?<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n<p>I\u2019ve seen this happen many times. A headliner will have his or her own opening and feature acts on the road, and the clubs will book the entire \u201cpackage.\u201d It makes life easier for everyone, including the talent booker.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stay in Touch With the Headliner<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>My first piece of advice is simple: <strong>stay in touch with the headliner and find out exactly what he has in mind.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ask questions. Is he talking about having you open his upcoming shows at this particular club? Does he want you to feature for him on a series of dates? Is he considering taking you on the road to open for him at several clubs over the next few weeks or months?<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t assume you know what he meant. Get the details.<\/p>\n<p>You can also do a little homework yourself. Check the headliner\u2019s website and social-media pages to see where he\u2019s scheduled to perform. Many working comedians keep their online calendars updated for both fans and talent bookers.<\/p>\n<p>And pay attention to how they promote themselves.<\/p>\n<p>Some smart comics advertise on platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn in the cities and areas where they\u2019re scheduled to perform. They may start promoting a show a week or two in advance, while also directing potential fans to their websites, videos, and other material.<\/p>\n<p>Clubs love it when comedians help promote their shows. And from your perspective, those promotions can also help you build an audience and establish yourself as a working professional.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s more about that strategy in the updated version of <em>How To Be A Working Comic<\/em>\u2014and, yes, that was a blatant book plug.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Let the Headliner Make the Call<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Preferably, <strong>the headliner should personally contact the club booker or manager and recommend you for the shows.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>He can tell the booker, \u201cI\u2019d like L.S. to open for me,\u201d and then tell you to expect a call or email. Or he can simply make the arrangements and get back to you with the details.<\/p>\n<p>Either way, the important thing is that <strong>the headliner\u2014or his agent\u2014personally communicates the recommendation to the club.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>That one phone call or email can cut through a lot of red tape.<\/p>\n<p>Why?<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Sending Video Links | How To Be A Working Comic #30\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ph7c6MV7XE0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Because otherwise, the booker may not know whether the headliner actually recommended you or whether you\u2019re simply using his name to get through the door.<\/p>\n<p>And I\u2019m not singling you out. This happens with every comedian a booker doesn\u2019t know.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019d be surprised how many comics \u201cdrop names\u201d without actually having that comic\u2019s recommendation. I\u2019ve had it happen to me, and it never works in the name-dropper\u2019s favor.<\/p>\n<p>There are plenty of club bookers who can relate to that experience. And I\u2019ve seen comedians post online about situations where they assumed a headliner had recommended them\u2014only to discover that the headliner had never actually contacted the club.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Don\u2019t be that comedian.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>If the Headliner Says, \u201cYou Contact Them\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>What if the headliner doesn\u2019t follow through\u2014or simply says, \u201cJust contact the booker and tell him I recommended you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s <strong>Plan B.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Send the club booker a brief, professional email explaining that you recently spoke with the headliner about opening for him at the upcoming shows.<\/p>\n<p>Then ask for the <strong>correct procedure for submitting your promotional material.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t immediately send a huge attachment package with your life story, 14-minute video, six headshots, and a resume that dates back to high school.<\/p>\n<p>Keep it simple.<\/p>\n<p>If the booker asks for your website and video, send the links. If they want a specific performance clip, send that. Give the booker exactly what was requested and make it easy to watch your material.<\/p>\n<p>Your showcase video may be perfect because it demonstrates what you can do in front of an audience. Your website can then provide additional information, including your headshot, credits, upcoming appearances, and other performance material.<\/p>\n<p>And if you don\u2019t hear back?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wait about a week to ten days and follow up.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The goal is to stay on the booker\u2019s radar without becoming a pain in the you-know-what.<\/p>\n<p>Know what I mean?<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8172\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/index.php\/online-comedy-workshop\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8172\" class=\"wp-image-8172 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Online-Workshops-2025-e1782143886868.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-8172\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Starts Monday, Sept 14 and Wednesday, Sept 16 &#8211; visit above <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/index.php\/online-comedy-workshop\/\">LINK<\/a> <\/strong>for details!<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Use Your Golden Ticket<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve written plenty about promoting and marketing your comedy career through emails, postcards, phone calls, websites, social media, and other methods, so I won\u2019t repeat all of that here. There are also plenty of marketing suggestions in <em>Comedy FAQs And Answers<\/em> and <em>How To Be A Working Comic<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Did I mention I\u2019m into marketing and promotion?<\/p>\n<p>Ha!<\/p>\n<p>But the bigger lesson here is that <strong>self-promotion works best when it\u2019s supported by a personal recommendation.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You can have a great video, a terrific website, an impressive resume, and a professional headshot. Those tools are important. But when a headliner who already works at the club says, <em>\u201cI want this comic to open for me,\u201d<\/em> you suddenly have something you can\u2019t create with a Facebook ad or cold email.<\/p>\n<p>You have credibility.<\/p>\n<p><strong>That\u2019s your Golden Ticket.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Use it.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks for reading and as always &#8211; keep laughing!!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" data-start=\"4099\" data-end=\"4168\">*<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Click on the banner below to sign up for Dave\u2019s free newsletter.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/visitor.r20.constantcontact.com\/manage\/optin?v=001jarSHX2McaTyP3Ymgn_YyXYEHLc8-iFY0gJB4e-TSzz5xHxH14Kft1qGWv7bo5TATdSz2InvP8kGc3wje2bFQAL0ysYXLh9qtlXl1fafTkEYQjgfjsHYFHbpTfcVHhls\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-184 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Newsletter-Banner-copy.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Newsletter-Banner-copy.jpg 500w, https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Newsletter-Banner-copy-300x71.jpg 300w\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"119\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You can have a great video, a terrific website, an impressive resume, and a professional headshot. Those tools are important. But when a headliner who already works at the club says, \u201cI want this comic to open for me,\u201d you suddenly have something you can\u2019t create with a Facebook ad or cold email.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,36,22,48,39,11,4,18,35,224,6,183,242,23,20,219,84,49,186,178,220,43,5,37,145],"tags":[284,280,420,207,295,267,270,307,366,313,345,432,264,395],"class_list":["post-8507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-advice","category-audition","category-books","category-business","category-career","category-comedians","category-comedy","category-comedy-clubs","category-comedy-faqs-and-answers","category-email","category-entertainment","category-feature-act","category-headliner-comedy-clubs","category-how-to-be-a-working-comic","category-management","category-managers","category-marketing","category-networking","category-people-skills","category-promo-videos","category-references","category-showbusiness","category-stand-up","category-talent-bookers","category-workshops","tag-auditions","tag-business","tag-comedian","tag-comedy-clubs","tag-entertainment-business","tag-letters-of-recommendation","tag-marketing","tag-networking","tag-performers","tag-referrals","tag-showcases","tag-standup-comedians","tag-talent-bookers","tag-working-comics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8507"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8507\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}