Pro Comedy Tips from a Comedy-Central-Credited Writer
Posted on: Oct 22, 2024

One of the questions I get the most in my life, besides “Do you have a washer and dryer in your building?” is, “How did you get into stand-up comedy?” The short answer is: a breakup, a lot of time on my hands and delusional self-belief. You will need at least a few of these components to delve into the crazy, wild, bombastic and ultimately rewarding world of stand-up comedy.
Let’s break down the best practices for breaking into stand-up. Many of these tips might seem insanely simple. Well, that’s good, because the simplest answer is usually the correct one. For example, if someone asked, “How do you survive?” The answer would be, “Don’t die.” Pretty cool.
Step 1: Watch Stand-Up Comedy
Here’s the great news: there has never been a better time in history for stand-up comedy. With the proliferation of comedy clips on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music and streamers like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime, there are thousands and thousands of hours of comedy available to you in an instant. The internet has been a gold mine for comedy clips, and if you want to dig even deeper, check out the clips on Don’t Tell Comedy and Dry Bar Comedy. Note: it’s just as important to binge the all-time greats like Richard Pryor, George Carlin and Joan Rivers as it is to stay up to date on some of the current greats, so make sure you spread out your viewing to include both modern and classic comedy.
Step 2: Write Stand-Up Comedy
Again, pretty simple right? Well, it takes a ton of discipline to write comedy every day. Start by writing a few jokes, funny thoughts or opinions a few minutes a day and build from there. If jokes are too difficult, journaling or simply writing down your opinion on certain subjects, or recounting an interesting personal anecdote can go an incredibly long way. Binge-reading books on comedy can also really help and inspire your writing process, and I highly recommend staples like The Comedy Bible by Judy Carter, Born Standing Up by Steve Martin, Sick in the Head by Judd Apatow and almost anything written by Mike Sacks.
Step 3: Do Stand-Up Comedy
This step might seem like the most obvious of all, but it’s usually the one that most aspiring comedians try to avoid the most. And I get it—trying to make strangers laugh is objectively insane. No matter how you cut it, performing on stage is the step you need to do the most, and the one you can’t avoid. Jerry Seinfeld famously said that whenever he sees a panel discussion on comedy, he wants to tear down whatever sign is hanging behind the panelists and replace it with the words, “Just Work.” The fantastic news is that there are many ways you can soften the difficulty of your early performances by being smart and strategic in your approach. The traditional beginner route is to do open mics, and a great resource is Badslava.com. However, it’s crucial that you don’t burn yourself out on open mics—audiences at these venues tend to be jaded comedians, which is literally the hardest audience you will ever face. Unless you plan on performing for Tommy Lee Jones, then good luck to you.
The most important thing for you is to get in front of a real crowd and a real audience, so you can have an accurate gauge on your material. Taking a comedy class can also be a good approach—they ease you into performing for a crowd, and the class show usually takes place at a major club. For those in LA, check out Leslie Wolff’s Fresh Faces Comedy Workshop. Many comedy clubs have open mics and classes as well. For LA, check out The Comedy Store, Flappers, the Improv and the Ice House. The Elysian and Dynasty Typewriter are also great venues for independent and alternative comedy.
The ultimate comedy hack is to start an independently run comedy show yourself. This is such a good idea on many levels. When you run a show, you can control the amount of stage time you give yourself, promote and perform in front of a real audience, and, arguably most importantly, network with other comedians who eventually want you to perform on their show. This is my top piece of advice for anyone getting into comedy, and it will allow you to skip the sometimes painful route of open mics.
You’d be surprised at how many bars, coffee shops and even restaurants can make for a great comedy room. Make sure whatever venue you choose has a designated, and if possible, walled-off area where you can run your show, ideally with lower ceilings, great lighting and seating that’s close to the stage.
Step 4: Repeat Steps 1–3 Forever
Being a stand-up comic is a never-ending journey that constantly unfolds. As you get better, you will perform in front of bigger crowds and better audiences, alongside legendary comedians. But the core of what you are there to do will always be the same: make people laugh. And if that sounds too simple, good—because it is.
Brendan Fitzgibbons is a comedy writer and actor living in Los Angeles. He’s written for Comedy Central, The Onion, NBC, HuffPost and Bravo. As an actor, he’s appeared on Comedy Central, MTV and “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.” His podcast, “Spiritual As****e” was named a Top Indie Podcast by Stitcher.
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