The question I am asked most often, by readers and fans alike, is, "So, how do you become full-time?" And while, being a full-time comic is likely a long ways off for most beginning comics, I still feel that there is value in giving aspiring comics an understanding of how that process works. In previous articles, I've discussed the ways to get booked, the timeline usually required, the amount of time needed, and other facets of professional comedy. In this article, we'll take a look at the step-by-step process to becoming a full-fledged professional comedian.
The Base
You will first start seriously considering going full-time when you have AT LEAST the following:
- 30 minutes of strong material. THAT MEANS 30 MINUTES. Not 25, or 22. In comedy, it is always better to be six months late than six days early.
- Significant stage experience, including time spent at the MC level. This is important for the booker to take you seriously, and because 30 minutes is a long time. You need to have learned to manage crowds, ad-lib, handle jokes that bomb, and the like.
- Money saved and/or a stream of non-comedy related income. Even full-time features have to scrape by. If you are going to go all-out to get to be a comedian who works 40-50 weeks a year, you are going to have take gigs at or below cost, spend money to travel for guest spots, pay festival entrance fees, and everything else. Nor can you expect to work more than 10-20 weeks your first year, meaning that there had better be money in the bank and hopefully a free bed to sleep in.
I've heard some comics comment that it is harder to get booked as a feature than a headliner, since there are probably more features out there (and, theoretically, the same number of spots). This is especially true when you are just beginning as a feature, with a short resume, few, if any, recommendations, and likely nothing on your resume to make a booker take note. The biggest hurdle you face as a newbie is that there are hundreds of self-proclaimed "features" who are nothing more than open mikers (this deserves its own rant one of these days, and if you are one of them, STOP SENDING OUT 8 MINUTE TAPES). Trying to differentiate yourself from them can be difficult.
