What To Look For In A Comedian For Your Event

Everyone likes a good laugh, as humour can lighten the mood, relieve stress and make uninteresting events a little more exciting. Hiring a comedian is an ideal way to bring some lighthearted fun to any event. It’s important to know that depending on what type of event you’re about to host, you’ll have to find the right comedian that can suit your needs. 

Comedy is all about making the audience laugh and having a great time, but there are different comedians for different types of events and audiences. You're obviously not going to want a comedian who tends to use a lot of expletives or sexual innuendos if there are kids in the audience. As an article in The Atlantic notes, it's a very fine line for a comedian - go too gentle and the jokes will be boring, too extreme, and they can be offensive. The type of audience is the most important gauge of the kinds of jokes to tell and the type of comedian to book.

Interview And Ask For References

When you’re ready to book a comedian, it’s perfectly acceptable to interview them more than once. It might make sense to interview them over the phone first and then follow that up with an in-person appointment. Or, request the comedian to create a short video with a little bit of their routine or material can be a good way to get the gist of their style. Maybe their content is on YouTube too. It’s essential to preview at least some of the act to see what will be showcased to an audience.

Conversation About Content

Even if you think the comedian will be suitable you will still want to have a more in-depth discussion of the subject matter of their routine. Let them know who their audience will be, their age and where they are from, so they can be sure the nature of their jokes hit home with everyone, or at least as many as possible. If there are a number of kids in the audience then slapstick comedy may be appropriate for example.  The varying comedy language must be discussed too. It can’t be assumed that the comedian won't use any offensive language. All of these things need to be talked about before you hire someone.

Flexibility With Their Schedule

If you’re having a dinner event, you may want a comedian to do their act after everyone has eaten, so there's less distraction. Or, if you’re having your comedian double as an event host, that will likely require them to be there from almost start to finish. No matter what time of schedule you have in mind for your entertainment, you will have to find someone who is relatively flexible with timing. Some comedians charge by the hour, and others charge by the event.

Communication Is Important

Not only do you want to talk to your potential comedian about the subject matter and their jokes, but it’s important to choose someone who is reliable and has good communication skills. You definitely don't want to hire someone who doesn’t respect your time. Hiring a comedian with the discipline to call or email back with short response times is a must.