{"id":8536,"date":"2026-10-03T00:01:25","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T04:01:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/?p=8536"},"modified":"2026-10-03T00:01:25","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T04:01:25","slug":"promotional-video-needs-an-audience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/03\/promotional-video-needs-an-audience\/","title":{"rendered":"Promotional video needs an audience"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Dave \u2013 Does the promotional video have to be in front of a live audience? Most open-mics are restricted to 5 minutes and my bits are longer. Also, many open-mics are poor venues to make quality video. \u2013 ET<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8538\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8538\" class=\"wp-image-8538 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/guy-watching-e1790999793123.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-8538\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>A live audience member<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n<p>Hey ET \u2013 If you\u2019re promoting for a live performance gig you need to show the talent booker what you can do in front of a live audience. Maybe if you\u2019re sending in your \u201creel\u201d for an acting gig \u2013 commercials, TV or film \u2013 I doubt it would matter. Then again, since we\u2019re dealing with comedians and humorous speakers and not actors (well, not necessarily) the answers to your questions \u2013 in order \u2013 are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Yes<\/li>\n<li>Tough<\/li>\n<li>Figure out another option<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Okay, I know the last two sound kind of harsh, but I\u2019ll explain my reasoning in a moment. But for right now I\u2019ll fall back on a standard reasoning that this is a business. Yes, it is a creative business that survives on talent and continues by discovering new talent that is different, innovative and sometimes not afraid to push down a few established barriers. But when it comes to the business of promoting, there are some established thoughts I don\u2019t think are going to change anytime in the near future.<\/p>\n<p><strong>One is submitting a promo video filmed in front of a live audience.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When you want to be considered for a performance gig \u2013 you need to show the talent booker a performance in front of an audience. They want to see how you work on stage and an audience reaction before they\u2019ll take a chance on you. There\u2019s no other way outside of a live showcase to do that.<\/p>\n<p>Think of it like test-driving a new car. A buyer wants to know how it runs on the highway, rather than just taking the seller\u2019s word on it. It\u2019s the same thing with live performers. A good talent booker wants to know what he\u2019s buying before putting the comic (or speaker, or musician\u2026) on stage in front of a \u201clive\u201d audience. If the audience enjoys the show they might come back for another (clubs like returning customers), but if it\u2019s a bomb they might just go to a movie or another club next time.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8539\" style=\"width: 205px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8539\" class=\"wp-image-8539 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Laughing-audience-19602-copy-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"258\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-8539\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>You need one of these!<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s pretty much impossible to get an accurate feel for a comedian or speaker without an audience. I\u2019m sure most comics know what I\u2019m talking about from doing open mics in front of only two or three people. They\u2019ve learned that you still need to perform for them.<\/p>\n<p>I remember getting videos for <em>A&amp;E\u2019s An Evening at the Improv<\/em> from aspiring comedians that were filmed in their living rooms, basements, and bedrooms, and even outside. No audience \u2013 just them in front of a camera. Honestly, they were laughable because they came off as amateurs that really had no performing experience (an experienced comic would know better). And as I\u2019ve been known to say\u2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>They may call it amateur night, but no one wants to hire (pay for) an amateur.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>So don\u2019t even consider sending a promo video for a performance gig that was not filmed in front of an audience. The talent booker will be wondering why you couldn\u2019t get on stage anywhere and had to do it this way.<\/p>\n<p>Now as far as a time limit of say\u2026 five minutes. Again, it\u2019s the business.<\/p>\n<p>Talent bookers get a LOT of video submissions and simply don\u2019t have the time to watch a string of comics doing\u2026 well, a LOT of time. Usually most of them know within the first 30 seconds if the comedian has the experience and material to maybe be hired. It\u2019ll show right away.<\/p>\n<p>Most bookers also know how to fast forward and stop at random places to see if the comic is getting laughs from an audience. I\u2019ve sat and watched promo videos with more than a few very influential talent bookers in NYC and LA and have seen this happen.<\/p>\n<p><strong>So, whatever the length of the video, it should be your best and filmed in front of a live audience.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>But saying five minutes is not enough time for your long bits could hurt you BIG TIME when you\u2019re just starting out. An important part of the comedy club business is keeping comics \u201cwithin their time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Headliners \u2013 the acts audiences are paying to see \u2013 have the most flexibility when it comes to time. I\u2019ve seen many do an hour or more if there\u2019s only one show that night and the audience is really having fun. But the opener and feature need to \u201cstick to their time\u201d so the headliner doesn\u2019t go on too late in the show or in front of a burned-out audience.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes an opener can be given 15 minutes. But other nights, especially when there are two or three shows and maybe a guest set thrown in, the manager might tell the opener to do 5 minutes or less.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Can you do that?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If the manager says, \u201cDo five minutes\u201d and you go over your time because your bits are too long, chances are you won\u2019t work that club again. I also remember a former member of my workshop calling me to say he\u2019d had his best set ever during a contest at The Improv but was disqualified. Why? Because comics were given five minutes \u2013 and he had done five minutes and TEN seconds.<\/p>\n<p><strong>I\u2019m not kidding. Again \u2013 it\u2019s the business.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"New Material &amp; A Showcase Set | How To Be A Working Comic #32\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oqarMsrVvX0?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>So if most open-mics only give you five minutes and your bits are longer, then you need to find other clubs that will give you more stage time. You don\u2019t want to break their rules if you want to be invited back.<\/p>\n<p>And again, time limits are important to remember if you want to get hired in most clubs. If you can\u2019t stick to five minutes and that\u2019s what they\u2019re looking for, then turn down the gig. It won\u2019t work in your favor.<\/p>\n<p>Not every open-mic is a poor venue to make a quality video (your comment above) and if these are the only places you\u2019re performing, it\u2019s probably time to expand your horizons if you want to start getting paid work. Actually some of the more popular open-mics I\u2019ve seen in various cities would be cool settings for a promo video. They may not have \u201cFUNNY BONE\u201d or another club logo on the back wall, but a stage, microphone and spotlight, and an attentive audience will usually do the trick.<\/p>\n<p>The deal is that you want a real audience to make a decent promo video. A room full of open-mic comics who\u2019ve probably heard your set a dozen times and are trying to figure out what they\u2019re going to do on stage when you\u2019re finished won\u2019t be your best audience.<\/p>\n<p><strong>So this is where you figure out another option.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When you\u2019re going to do a promotional video \u2013 promote the gig. Seriously. Invite friends, family, co-workers and anyone else you can get in the club. I\u2019ve seen comics in NYC standing on the sidewalk handing out flyers not because it was a bringer show, but because they wanted an audience for their promo video.<\/p>\n<p>Another option is to get a few other comics involved that also want new promo videos. Again, I learned this trick in NYC. Five or six comics would plan to do their videos on the same night and PACK the club with just about everyone they knew.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Once the scene was set \u2013 all they had to do was be funny (not an option \u2013 ha!) and film it.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>At the end of the night they had new promo videos filmed in front of a \u201clive\u201d audience that (from what I remember) got them work from talent bookers. Then when they were booked in better clubs, they got better videos \u2013 and the cycle continues for anyone who wants to be a working comic.<\/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>The deal is that you want a real audience to make a decent promo video. A room full of open-mic comics who\u2019ve probably heard your set a dozen times and are trying to figure out what they\u2019re going to do on stage when you\u2019re finished won\u2019t be your best audience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,110,36,48,39,11,4,18,6,23,70,84,45,96,7,178,235,43,53,5,37,145],"tags":[291,284,236,207,295,270,193,432,274,264,395],"class_list":["post-8536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-advice","category-audience","category-audition","category-business","category-career","category-comedians","category-comedy","category-comedy-clubs","category-entertainment","category-how-to-be-a-working-comic","category-humorous-speakers","category-marketing","category-open-mics","category-open-mics-2","category-performing","category-promo-videos","category-public-speaking","category-showbusiness","category-showcase","category-stand-up","category-talent-bookers","category-workshops","tag-audience","tag-auditions","tag-comedians","tag-comedy-clubs","tag-entertainment-business","tag-marketing","tag-performing","tag-standup-comedians","tag-standup-comedy","tag-talent-bookers","tag-working-comics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8536","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=8536"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8536\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8541,"href":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8536\/revisions\/8541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}