Papering the Room, Comps, and Guest Lists Ruin Comedy

​If I could wave my comedy wand and change one thing about stand up comedy it would be what's called Papering The Room. It's when the venue, comics, or producer gives away free tickets to make the show appear more popular than it really is. Papering the room is also known as "comps" or "guest lists" and many comics are so used to giving away their material and shows for free that when they do something of value, they have no idea how to sell themselves.

Their friends are so used to watching a terrible show that the idea of paying at that point sounds like a scam, especially if they bought tickets to a bad bringer show made up of washed up 90's stars, the producer doing 40 minutes, and a rotation of amateurs no one would pay to see in real life. So let's talk about what you can do to help yourself and let's not worry about your friends seeing you for free anytime again. 

Why Do Comics Like Comps and Why Do Venues Use Them?
Excuse me, if I come off as condescending in these next couple paragraphs, but there are a few truths that have to be acknowledged. First, venues like comps because they follow the wrong logic that food and drink will cover the cost of labor and rent. When in fact, that's not really true. After working for and with multiple clubs, I can tell you that papering the room and relying on food and drink sales only leads to underpaid comics and owners questioning the business model. 

Whether big name stars take 100% of the door, or the venue is comping the room, the end result is the same. If people order little to no food, even if the venue ends up having a full room, they still have an empty bank account. The illusion of a full room might create a better experience for the audience and comic, but it's not a real reflection of success. But that doesn't stop broken business models from moving forward. When you see a comedy venue with a two item minimum and papered rooms, just know that money food money has to pay employees, cooks, rent, utilities, venue repairs, lights, sound, etc. When 50 people show up to the comped shows, then that's maybe $3,000 for the night, if lucky. Payroll for a club could run $1,500 a night. And the comics still haven't gotten a dime.

The Math doesn't lie. Now had they gotten 25 paid customers, they might have made more money because they would have gotten a higher cliental with a better food and drink budget instead of 50 broke people getting a free show. And the ticket money could have been split among the comics.  

Comics love the comp list because they feel more people will show up and they'll get a better crowd. Nothing could be further from the truth. Free tickets mean people who don't want to invest in their own pleasure. When I started hitting the road, the pop (crowd response) from the people in paying venues was wild. When I did shows where the first show was paid guests and the late show was comped guests, I can feel the difference walking on stage. 15 paid guests to way better that 75 tired broke people. 

Comics also like bragging they can get their friends in for free. As if they know their show will suck but at least I can make the experience more tolerable by covering your costs. This defeatist attitude holds back your progress. After the first couple of free bar shows, tell anyone who wants to see you to buy a damn ticket.

In fact, when I meet people on the street and someone blurts out that I'm a comic (sometimes I'm the blurter) they ask me to tell them a joke, I say "that's a two drink minimum." They laugh and add me on IG if they're interested. Now, if it's a "she" asking and she's cute, I say, ""That's a two drink minimum, but for you, you have to let me buy you the drinks over dinner." One day I'm sure that line will work.

My point is, the comping, the guest listing, the getting them in for free just keeps you on the amateur level. When I was in high school, my dad tried to get in free to see me wrestle. It was embarrassing. Adults can pay to get in. If all your friends are too broke...maybe find better friends. I'm kidding (not kidding). Hell, I had 18 year old graduates from my high teaching days buying tickets in my first few years. Your 25 year old friends can pay too. Nothing is sadder than a friend asking for a handout.        
Bringing a bunch of free people doesn't make anything better. About three years in, I started telling people to buy tickets, and it completely weeded out the hanger-on's and freeloaders. My ego isn't stroked by friends showing up. My ego is stroked by making the crowd in front of me laugh.       

Why Guest Lists and Papering the Room Are Hurting Comedy More than Helping It
Everything you like in life, you pay for. Netflix, food, amusement parks, movies, the gym, etc. has a cost. Either you or somebody associated with you is paying for it. Try calling Netflix and asking them if you can have the service for free? They'll laugh at you. Tell the people at Buffalo Wild Wings you'd like to pay in good vibes. They'll kick you out. We have an expression "you get what you pay for" because we inherently attach value to the cost of things we want. In fact, paying for an item or experience can increase the enjoyment of the experience dramatically. Trust me, paying a fortune for a concert forces people to enjoy it way more than they probably would had they paid nothing. Did anyone really have fun sitting in the nosebleed section of stadiums for games or Taylor Swift? No. But that ticket price makes you feel like you invested in your own fun.  

Part of the problem with stand up is that a lot of terrible comics are able to give away their comedy for free to (current) friends, taking spots away from quality comics. The bringer or guest list model rewards mediocre talent, punishes stronger talent who don't have the same social safety nets, and then drives the comics out who realize in a few years their friends can't finance they dreams of performing 5 minutes at a time by driving to all their shows.

But greedy producers with no idea how to properly promote can survive the LA comedy scene on the backs of comics who confuse their friend's generosity for success. The true mark for success isn't how many friends give up their night to see a show; it's how many bookers ask you to perform without asking you to bring. If you go to an audition or DM a booker and their first question is about bringing or promoting - run! 

It's why I only book comics I like working with. Very early on, I booked a few questionable comics because they promised to fill the seats, only to find out they're liars or they become entitled after. But one thing I never do is paper the room. When I ran the Comedy School I would charge $5 tickets, as I felt that was a fair price. People agreed. Eventually I moved it to $10 because we were selling out. We sold out every Level 1 showcase and most Level 2 shows. The club's regular shows in the other room would have 100 comps on record in the other room but ONLY 12 would show up. It's a broken model. 

To double down on my philosophy, I would then sprinkle advance students into the Level 1 and Level 2 showcases and tell them to bring no one unless it was a potential commercial agent. Part of the training was learning to focus on the standup in front of you and not caring if your co-workers came.  

Papering the Room Devalues Your Comedy 
When a show has no monetary value required to see it, it means that the comics on the show have no monetary value attached to them. Wanna be a professional comic? Then charge money to see your shows and collect the money and get paid. It's really that simple. Jim Gaffigan isn't a millionaire because he's funny. He's a millionaire because he's funny AND people pay to se him. When you tell people your act isn't worth paying for, you're saying to people your act isn't a professional act. Bragging to a producer you can get 5-10 people out as long as no one has to pay is not a real brag. 
Here's a little hack. If there's a show you're doing and there are comp links and a paid link, only send your friends the pay link. This will do many things that feel counter intuitive at first but will help you down the line.      

• First, people will associate value with your comedy. 
• Second, people will be more committed to attending your shows.
• Third, if you sell tickets, you can start figuring out if it's time to run your own shows and keep the box office.
• Fourth, you will start marketing more efficiently, attracting a higher quality audience. 
• Fifthly, other comics will see your value and right or wrong attach a higher quality to your act because it comes at a price.     

Creating a brand that demands value and commitment is the goal.  

Don't Do Any Bringer Shows - Ever 
One quick fix to stop papering the room is to never do bringers. Yes, I understand you get to perform at The Ice House or The Comedy Store, but those are false realities. Even if they make your friends pay, it's not a real show. Sometimes when the producer papers the room the producer gets a dollar amount anyway, so you're paying their bills instead of yours. 

It would be better to do open mics and connect with comics who you build relationships with, start your own shows with a $10-$25 ticket price, or work with venues (bars, restaurants, etc.) that have entertainment budgets and need comedy on certain nights of the week and pay you for bringing in or retaining business. 

I'm not even a fan of doing bringer shows as the non-bringer guest comic. It just supports the mistreatment of comics.

There's a story a young comic told me about her first and last night in comedy. She got booked for a bringer show at The Comedy Store and four out of the five friends showed up. The producer told her she can't get up and her four friends who showed up can't get a refund. She told me there was no way to reach them as their phones were locked up in the iPhone containers. She said she started crying and the headliner of the bringer, unaware it was bringer, saw her crying and told the producer he won't go up if she doesn't go up. That man was Jim Gaffigan. He told the producer not to rebook him after that. That's how you handle that. 

If any bringer booker with a show called "[Their Name] & Friends" tells you, "Hey, you didn't bring enough people..." I want you to write back, "Sounds like like you're the one who can't bring. It's your name on the title of the show. Maybe get more friends."   

Final Thoughts 
Stop focusing on making sure all your people see all your shows. Don't try to focus on filling guest lists and getting people in for free. You know these people buy things all day on Amazon, Ticketmaster, and at their favorite stores. If they want to pay and show up, they will. Focus on your career and not the people who need you pulling strings to get them in. Focus on the show and let the producers focus on filling the seats. 

Papering the room, guest lists, and all the other ways people get into comedy free is not saving comedy. People paying to see comedy saves comedy. If they won't buy a ticket, then just focus on the people who will. If they're late to buying, tell them to go to the next one.

Sometimes comics want to watch a show for free to "support the show" or a comic wants to tag along with you to meet the producer, hoping they book them down the road. In the words of a famous booker at a very successful comedy club, "I'm nervous around comics who want to take up space because they aren't booked that night." 

​In the end, just get up on stage and be the best comic you can be. Don't worry about butts in seats, your friends getting in free, or other comics thinking they'll get booked if they drive with you. The comedy world is filled with paper rooms. Be the solution. Not the enabler.