​I recently got one of the most absurd emails in a long time. I had booked a theater show in Arizona through a booking agency. I've done a ton of shows over the last 5 years with this booker, never getting a bad review from the venue. I say that because other comics I've worked with have gotten bad reviews, even getting asked not to come back. So imagine my frustration and unwanted surprise when the booker told me the venue canceled the show (a high paying gig) because they saw the online clips of the other comics opening it and decided to just cancel the show. Yes, I'm not making this up. Instead of requesting better comics to join me, they just decided to not have comedy at all. So because of a bad booking and a bad YouTube clip, I'm out a gig I was looking forward to and money my landlord was looking forward to. For the record, the comics are very funny but apparently their older clips are not. So here's a few rules when posting clips online and on IG - they might be a few years old, but they're fresh once your name is being specifically looked at.  

What Clips Should Go Up?
I see a lot of comics posting a ton of clips for the algorithm. And I get it. More clips. More views. More push by Meta. But not every booker, old school headliner, and venue will understand your thirty second bomb being ironically posted isn't a methodical cry for web validation. In fact, unless your plan is just to work the 1am Comedy Store showcase set and bar shows, you will find your attempt to find an online fanbase might lose you paying gigs down the road. 

As much as I'll sound like an old school boomer, stick with clips that have...wait for it...laughs. 
You might have the best joke in the world, but if there's no laughter on the clip, then it will look like you don't connect with audiences, or worse - the audience turned on you. 

There's a very funny sketch comic Malcom Warner who puts up an impression of bad alt comics posting hot takes to silent crowds as a form of ironic content. Even when it's clearly a staged Andy Kauffman like parody of bad comedy, the comments on Facebook and IG are hysterically off base, telling him to die and quit comedy. Any person with half a brain gets the bit, but in an industry ran by people with less than half a brain, it's a hysterically risky move if stand up comedy was his prime goal. I for one, love the material and payoff, but others do get confused. Malcom wants that response, but if your goal is to get booked by cool venues, that same response would be a nightmare.
In fact, I know a lot of comics I started with twelve years ago who started posting bad clips on purpose, thinking it would be fun, only to quit comedy over time, finding it harder and harder to get gigs when everyone thinks you're going to burn down their room. 

How Long Should A Clip Stay Up?
I have a general rule that I take down clips that I posted on my YouTube within 5 years. It gets more tricky with clips from venues and clubs. If you put my name in a YouTube search you'll find clips by Dry Bar, Flappers, Power to the Punch, The Clean Comedy Podcast, and Filmer Stevis. They got permission from me to own clips for their platforms. I'm perfectly fine with them posting clips and sets, but there is the risk that others will see my earlier work and not think of my comedy as polished as it is today. 

Right now I only have three clips up from my personal page. They are also jokes that best reflect my cleaner side of comedy. I've taken down all my student showcases from 11 years ago and my earlier Burbank Comedy Festival sets as well. It's not that I dislike the jokes, in fact I still use a few of them - it's that my delivery is better now and I physically look different.

One thing to consider when posting clips is the level of clean v. dirty you want out there. And when you're in your first few years looking for fans verses looking for bookings, post what you want. But once you're submitting yourself for work, beware of clips that reflect a side of you that can scare away big pay days. 

When you have a fanbase, that's not as important. But if you're funny and have an hour of material but lack a fanbase, then be methodical in what you put out there. Comics with huge fan bases have thousands of people judging them, and many show up. Comics with little to no fan bases have 50 PEOPLE judging them - the 50 bookers who can fill out your calendar. That's a smaller population you can't afford to scare off. 

Your Career Should Dictate Your Online Presence
Each of us is in a different stage of your career. Some of us are trying to build online fanbases. Some of us are trying to get 5 minute showcases. Some of us are trying to fill our schedule with paid gigs. Some of us are doing the 9 to 5 dance along with the comedy career. For those of you still in the workforce, you have other choices to make on what you want out there. Just a little FYI, HR is not a fan of stand up.

But for those looking to get more corporate gigs, please beware of what you and others post of you online. I know that if you need a club to take down your clips because those jokes will be on a future professional platform (a special, late night) or they can hurt your career aspects, most will take them down ASAP. If they can't or won't, you can always contact YouTube. 

But this means you have to be selective and think about where you want your material platformed. During the Covid-19 era a lot of comics filmed mini-specials which looked great, but the audiences were indifferent and the jokes came off as wooden, which I think hurt the people who I recently was supposed to work with and they got us all fired. What was meant to be a career boost became a career killer. I once heard a booker say it's better to be seen three years late than three years early. I think that applies to the situation I'm talking about now. 

Final Thoughts 
Getting a great clip always feels like magic. I can't tell you how many times I set myself up for a great taping, only to fall flat or have the show go off the rails. And of course there are sets that from the stage that feel like magic - but the tape can't capture that. Remember, many specials are cut, edited, sound mixed, and laughter is added to match what mics can't capture. So your iPhone clip is never going to be perfect. 

Yet, that's no excuse for letting old clips ruin new opportunities. And if you are trying to gain paid bookings, then clip dumping every joke might help with algorithm wins but not with booking better shows.

I know your favorite comics post clips that feel short or incomplete, but if they're monetizing clips, that's a different story too. 

​Regardless of where you are at, always ask if this clip is going to help or hurt your career more than if it's going to help or hurt your social media views. Because trust me, you never want your attempt to grow your career be the thing that stunts your career.       

One of the most frustrating parts of this comedy life is the wait. As the old song says, "waiting is the hardest part." And Tom Petty wasn't lying. Too often we find ourselves waiting for a booker to just confirm a date or acknowledge an email. While it's easy to get frustrated, the reality of the system has to set in and once you concede that "professional" comedy is often a one way street where one side is supposed to be way more professional and understanding than the other side, you'll sleep better at night knowing keeping your cool and just going with the punches is part of the longevity of of this game. 

This Ain't Corporate America 
One aspect of stand up many never get over is how comedy clubs act like they owe you nothing. This is the complete opposite of a regular 9 to 5 job. In corporate America people email you back. They have to. If you get fired, you can just throw back in their face the unprofessional business demeanor. When the business is ran in a strip mall next to a massage parlor and Chinese food buffet, you just don't get that same homespun touch. 

So you email a booker and they don't email you back, even though you have a good relationship with them. Or they asked you to send in some stuff, and then it goes into the abyss. It's not right and it's not fair. It's actually rather cruel, and if you wonder why a lot of the good guys get out of stand up, it's because a lot of good people don't let people treat them like that. Gluttons for punishment do, and that's how you get these middle aged men who never made $1 doing stand up still begging for 5 minute spots fifteen to twenty years in the game. They sorta love the rejection of it all. 

Send your avails, but just don't expect them to give you the time of day. 

The Moral Responsibility of Club Owners 
A comedy club owner will say they owe you nothing. I disagree. If you are the owner of a venue and you don't have a CLEAR pathway to getting booked, then you're doing it wrong. And since you know the business model requires comedians cold calling (cold emailing) for spots, then there should be a way to give constructive feedback or responses. 

I've had bookers write back they have no work for me and that was helpful. But when you keep sending emails just to finally get a response months later, it becomes a rather depressing process. 
Why not have a system where comics have to reach certain milestones to email first? Or just come out and list the requirements to host, feature, guest, and headline? And post the pay like a job would. 

Hosts: Must be local as no condo provide. Pay $25 a show with free meal each night. Must work clean. Please email on Sundays between 8am and 12pm. 10 minutes of time.  

Guest: Please email Monday the week of. No pay. One free drink. Must be a local open mic comic on on Thursdays or have performed at the club before and are traveling through town. 5-8 minutes. 

Feature: Base pay $100 a show. Must have two major credits and a reference from one comedy club in your hometown. Please email only on Tuesday's between 12pm and 6pm. Free meal each night and will stay in condo. 25-30 minutes.   

Headliner: Must have at least three major credits. Pay is 50/50 or standard base. Comics with representation, please have manager/agent reach out. Comics without representation, please email Wednesdays between 12pm and 5pm. Must be able to do 45-60 minutes. Condo + free meal and drink each night. 

Suddenly, comics who don't meet those requirements won't email. The one's who break the guidelines don't have to be responded to. And the rest can be dealt with on the day dedicated to their position in the lineup.

Something simple and easy to follow. Because, it's not the "yes" I need. It's the yes or no, so I can move on or pinpoint a weekend. 

What You Do In Between Waiting
While you wait, you simply keep reaching out to bookers and try not to email more than once a month until you get a response. In between that you hit up open mics (if you're in your first 5 years or just bored) and try to find alternative ways to stay in the limelight. 

Offer your services to emcee events, fundraisers, and live auctions. Host trivia nights. Write screenplays and TV show pilots and submit them to contests. Audition for commercials, if that's your thing. Just keep working and working at it. 

And don't be afraid to live your life. Go to the movies. Visit a national park. Workout at the gym. Go on a date. Hang out with friends. Make something valuable out of your free time and waiting time. 

What Happens When Bookers Get Back To Me But I Made Plans Already? 
And there's the rub. The most annoying part of this whole system is that you might make plans, book a show, or be busy with your day job when they finally say yes to a booking request from months ago.

So here's my rule of thumb. If you have a non paid gig, and the new booker is offering money, then politely tell the non paid gig you can't make it but can rebook in the near future - giving them a few dates in a week or two when it's now unlikely you'll get a paid gig on short notice.

If you booked a paid gig, and the money is comparable, then let the late booker know you have a booked paid weekend and you can perform (insert a few dates). While you might feel like a jerk saying no after emailing numerous times, that's on them for not being professional enough to give you two options after making you wait. Plus, they'd be upset if someone bailed on them. 

Basically, go where the money is first and loyalty second. Because loyalty in this business IS NOT REAL. But money still is. If a booker is offering you pay, that's a good sign. But if they aren't, then don't worry about your future there. 

Final Thoughts
Your career will start to shape itself as you get older and more focused when you focus on the spaces that want and respect you. Two things can be true: Bookers are flooded with emails and Bookers should respond within a reasonable amount of time. 

The popular "a non answer is your answer" isn't a truism, as often bookers will get back to me months later asking if I'm free in a month or so. But also keep in mind that the way they book you is a reflection of how they run the club. Bookers who get back to you in a reasonable amount of time with clear yes's or no's will be easier to work with down the line. Bookers who waste your time will probably waste your weekends at the club and put added pressure on you when your weekend comes up. 

That's why you have to be the CEO of your comedy career, creating your own opportunities and finding alternative venues. This year alone I've found paid opportunities with small festivals, Elks clubs, Rotary Clubs, High School Fundraisers, and corporate gigs. 

​So don't wait on these guys in strip malls. They're a necessary evil, yes, but not the only evil out there.