People always ask me, "BC, how do you become a comic?", because there are no courses for it at the community college or University.
"How do you get into the business of comedy?" And since I'm a comic, they want to know, "How do you get into this thing?" Well, there are steps you take that will get you into this crazy little thing called comedy.
First, you lose your mind.
I'm serious.
You lose your mind.
It really isn't as hard as you may think.
You see, the human mind is like a pinata, when it breaks open, there are lot's of surprises in side.
Once you get the pinata perspective you will see that losing your mind is a peak experience.
So, you lose your mind, you don't care anymore.
You've either lost your job or you're about to lose your job, you spouse has left you, the kids hate you - and you think, "Yeah, I can do comedy.
" Now, one advantage to losing you mind is this - you start to look at things differently.
Now you see the humor that's all around you.
You see the irony in all of it.
You see funny.
(It has a red nose, big red lips..
..
) So you start to write all the funny down in the little notebook that you bought from Wal-Mart, the store that ruined America.
The notes become bits, three bits make a routine.
About two-hundred-fifty of them will make you a thirty-minute set.
So start writing now.
You go to the local comedy club or comedy night at the local bar and you try out your stuff.
If it works you end up on the road.
You ask other comics you meet questions about 'how they did it.
' Ten years later you're still in the business asking yourself, why did I do this? Am I crazy? The answer of course is - yes you are.
Don't get me wrong, comedy is a wonderful business.
It has allowed me to travel all over North America for free and make incredible money doing it - and I only work one hour a night.
But you stay in the business, you get work, you move up the ladder from MC to feature to headliner back to feature, working half the clubs you started with because of the "changing world in which we live in...
" (Paul McCartney) You still have the burning desire you've acquired to do comedy, so you start looking for cruise ships and resorts - the corporate market - why - because that is where the money is - corporate.
They pay big bucks for entertainment at their conventions and small events, big bucks.
$3,000 for an hour's worth of entertainment.
And that is the low end.
The guys at the other end are making between $10,000 to 25,000 and up.
That's a lot of money for something you love.
As a speaker you have changed your act from straight stand-up to adding a message and using your humor to get it across.
Now you're getting more work for better money.
You're working Chambers of Commerce, Associations, local events and meetings and you're still making great money.
It's almost that easy.
If you've always wanted to do stand-up, you and only you can make the decision to get off the couch and try.
The spotlight is what separated the men from the boys.
If you survive the spotlight, you can be a professional standup comedian.
So, try it.
You're not getting any younger.
I was thirty-three years old when I first got into comedy.
And that was considered way late for this business.
I'm just saying, if this is what you want to do with your life then just do it.
The only thing that's keeping you from it is a four letter word called - "FEAR".
Get over the fear and you can - and - will accomplish your life-long dreams.
Doing comedy was mine and I have made a living at being funny for more than twenty-years.
What a great gig.
But it all starts with losing your mind.
I have a program that I teach to students who want to make a living at being funny.
You can't either register for the live course or the online course.
I will teach you the step-by-step principles of stand-up comedy.