Networking Without Being Annoying
Comedy relationships grow from repeated normal contact. Desperation is not a networking strategy.
Be useful before asking
Show up, perform well, support shows, share accurate information, and help when appropriate. People remember reliability.
Do not manufacture favors so you can immediately cash them in.
Be someone people are comfortable seeing again.
Meeting Bookers
A booker is not a vending machine for stage time. Their job is to assemble shows that work for the venue and audience.
Know what they book
Before introducing yourself, know whether the person books hosts, features, headliners, showcases, or only special events.
A request outside their role wastes both people's time.
Make it easy for a booker to understand where you fit.
Meeting Club Staff
Servers, bartenders, door staff, managers, sound engineers, and hosts see comics repeatedly. They know who makes a night easier and who makes it harder.
Do not rank people by perceived power
The person checking you in today may manage the room next year. More importantly, basic respect should not depend on a job title.
Comedy venues are small workplaces.
Treat the whole club like the workplace it is.
Meeting Headliners
A headliner may eventually recommend, hire, or remember you, but the first goal is simply to behave like a professional colleague.
Do not lead with an ask
A touring comic meets dozens of people. A normal conversation is more memorable than a rehearsed demand for career help.
If they ask what you do, answer clearly and briefly.
Meet the person before trying to access the person's career.
Know the Booker
Knowing the booker means understanding their role and communication preferences, not pretending to be personal friends.
Track the relationship
What do they book, how far out, what materials do they want, and how do they prefer contact?
Remember prior instructions.
Familiarity should make communication cleaner, not more entitled.
