GUEST COLUMN: How to Get Industry to Actually Come to Your Comedy Show

“That’s showbiz, baby.” - Jonathan van Halem

Jonathan van Halem is a Brooklyn-based stand-up comedian. His writing has been featured in ClickHole and McSweeney’s, and he’s worked as an opener for Rory Scovel, Gianmarco Soresi, and Sabrina Wu. He also has a Substack called Jonathan van Halem’s Substack, where he writes about stand-up comedy.

Ah, Industry. The people who supposedly make stuff happen (not to be confused with L’Industrie, a popular pizza place in New York that I’ve never been to).

So many of my comedic peers obsess over getting seen by “industry”. They think it’ll magically kick their comedy career into hyper speed. And for some, it does. But for the majority, it’s just another small step in a long journey that is pursuing comedy.

Over the years I’ve sent out my fair share of industry invites to my monthly stand-up show, Hot Gossip. Typically I get a few yes’s, a few polite no’s, and a majority of non-responses. For a while there it was exclusively non-responses. But over the years I’ve changed my strategy for who, how, and why I reach out to industry, which has yielded much better results.

So, without any further adieu, here are my humble tips for how to get industry to actually come to your comedy show.

Invite Assistants, Not Big Wigs

Everybody wants to be seen by an agent, manager, late night booker, executive, crown prince, etc. But I’ve found the hit rate of getting those folks to accept complimentary tickets to a show to be quite low. They ain’t cashing in complementary tickets to Hot Gossip. They’re cashing in complimentary tickets to Oh, Mary. Or sitting courtside at the Knicks. Or going to Epstein’s island. But you know who’s not invited to Epstein’s island and will gladly accept your complimentary ticket? Their assistant.

I have a small list of assistants to agents/managers I always invite to my shows. I’ll say this, not only do they actually show up, but they’re also good audience members! They enjoy the other acts I book on my show, and actually understand my obscure pop-culture references. Plus, I am led to believe that the assistants of today are the power brokers of tomorrow (assuming they don’t have a psychotic break from reality and leave the comedy industry altogether). Whether it’s 3, 5, 10 years from now, it doesn’t hurt to have the connection. After all, stand-up comedy is a long game.

Another thing about assistants - they multiply. Assistants send shows to other assistants. Next thing you know you have ten assistants asking for comps to your show. Is it because they just want free evening plans? Who knows. That’s none of my concern. All I know is there’s no downside to a powerful person’s assistant seeing me put on a good show.

Schedule Your Show on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday

So here’s the thing - I wouldn’t say you *should* schedule your show on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday for this purpose. Do your show whenever works best for you and your schedule. But if you’re explicitly trying to get industry to attend, early in the week is your best bet. In my personal experience, complimentary ticket offers for shows on Fridays and Saturdays usually go unclaimed. I assume it’s because people leave town, or they have a friends’ birthday party to attend, or they simply don’t want to think about work.

Invite Atypical Industry

I get wanting to invite big time agents, managers, late night bookers, etc., but there’s a big world out there outside of those folks. Is it your goal to be in a sketch on a late night show? Find out who their casting associate or assistant is and invite them. Are you frustrated that your show isn’t getting listed in all of the popular newsletters? Offer complimentary tickets to the folks who write those newsletters! They’ll be more inclined to include you in their listings in the future, and then other industry people will come. Do you see what I’m getting at? Agents and managers aren’t the only people who can be helpful if they see you crush. People in work in casting, write newsletters, or any other kind of culture making are folks who are useful to use your complimentary ticket allocation.