25 Ways to Make Money with Your Comedy
Every now and then you see an article on stand-up comedy and how much money comedians make–or rather don’t make.
Then there’s this article from the New York Times which portrays a not so dismal outlook for comedians.
What are we to believe?
I can only give information on what I’ve experienced as a comedian and a writer. Bottom line is that once you can write and perform comedy and you’re able to work clean, you can make a very decent living.
The problem is that most comedians (especially the new ones) see comedy through a very small lens and they don’t look at ALL the opportunities that are available to them.
Most don’t even know these avenues of revenue exist.
When I started out as a comedian I wanted to learn all I could about the business. And watching my father go through his ups and downs financially as an actor, I looked at comedy, not as frivolity, but as a business. Once I did that, I saw all the possibilities and I focused on the ones that would give me the best return.
So I put together a quick list called 25 Ways to Make Money with Your Comedy.
All of the concepts are viable and most of them I’ve actually utilized with varying levels of success.
But this is a quick list to give you an insight and help motivate you to get good at comedy so you can start to make money doing what you love.
Keep in mind the money varies. I just put down what I have earned in my experience from these events.
- Stand-up. Perform in Comedy Clubs or One-niters on the road.
- Do college comedy shows (Pay $800-$3500 per show)
- Work Cruise Ships ($1500-$4000 per week)
- Perform at Corporate Gigs ($400-$5000+ per gig)
- Do Comedy shows as Fundraisers for non-profits or schools ($600-$2500 per event)
- Work as a T.V. Audience Warm-up Comedian ($1500-$2000 per gig)
- Emcee Events in Vegas ($1000-$5000 per week)
- Host Trade Shows in Vegas and other cities
- Become a Radio D.J.
- Write for Late Night TV or Variety Talk Shows ($4187 per week min. ((network))
- Write Humorous Greeting Cards ($ varies)
- Write Humorous T-Shirts or other gifts
- Write fluff pieces for magazines or internet sites
- Be a commercial copywriter in advertising with a humorous twist. (Some of the most memorable commercial campaigns are humorous spots (Progressive Insurance, Geico, Discover Card, DIRECTV)
- Write Joke Books
Click Here To Know All 25 Methods For Generating a Good Money From Comedy.
