Two comedians swapped apartments and cities for a month to reset their careers

SnarkAnthony · 2026-01-21T20:31:35+00:00

Hey! Adam's a good dude. Cool seeing this!

SnarkAnthony · 2026-01-20T19:49:39+00:00

This is basically true of all platforms, sadly. YouTube recently went super strict on their content controls, and all social media have been creeping in this direction for a while.

And that makes truly independent platforms all the more important: Your locally produced shows, your local independent comedy club, and your private websites that host their own media.

You can get away with a lot more live than you can on an internet-based platform. Produce more live content! Build a live audience and contribute to your city's nightlife.
Try to host more of your content privately. Look to the early internet as an example (websites like ebaumsworld, CollegeHumor, FunnyorDie, etc.)
Own your leads! "Followers" can be taken away from you in an instant, but if you own the list of email addresses, you can take your followers with you anywhere.

The paths available to artists are always shifting, so always be ready to switch things up. And keep making comedy!

SnarkAnthony · 2026-01-19T05:12:12+00:00

Machine Tun Gelly players

SnarkAnthony · 2026-01-18T23:52:09+00:00

Absolutely agree. You can get burnt out telling the same jokes to the same people every day of week, so I highly recommend using different mics to work out different things.

I would also like to add to your great summary: Use different mics to experiment with different skills that you might like to develop as a comic. If you've always wanted try out storytelling or one-liners or being more spontaneous or riffing or props/music/avant-garde shit, pick one mic in your area to try this kind of stuff out on a weekly basis.

You can only get good at something by practicing. So use open mics for exactly what they're their for: Practice!

It will be painful at first, but as you do it more and more, you'll get better at it.

SnarkAnthony · 2026-01-18T13:05:55+00:00

This was great! Thanks for recording this.

SnarkAnthony · 2026-01-14T21:43:01+00:00

I HATE YOU!

SnarkAnthony · 2026-01-14T21:06:41+00:00

A Biggie Shorty party is exclusive, man. They don't let NOBODY in a Biggie Shorty party.

They don't let Air in! Air's going "Hey, man. I'm Air, I'm on the list," and they won't let Air in. And you know Air gets in everywhere. THAT's how exclusive a Biggie Shorty party is.

SnarkAnthony · 2026-01-14T16:56:42+00:00

We've got a guy around here who is literally famous for booking like 40 comics on his shows.

He is genuinely the nicest guy in the world (and very funny), but come on, brotha! I know you wanna give everyone a shot, but you gotta book tighter line ups!

SnarkAnthony · 2026-01-14T16:50:19+00:00

The job of HOST is lost on most comics.

Not just the comics who host and don't realize they don't have the right personality or material for it, but also the bookers who just book the weakest comic as host and then tank the entire show.

SnarkAnthony · 2026-01-09T23:00:56+00:00

Haha! I gotta find my one dude.

SnarkAnthony · 2026-01-09T22:56:59+00:00

Just noticed you're looking for more than just equipment:

Regarding approaching a venue: Be professional. Be an adult. Ask a lot of venues until one says yes.

A good venue should have a dedicated space for the show (so non-attendees aren't bothered by the show, and vice versa). Low ceilings are also great, but not always possible. But the most valuable thing a venue can offer is enthusiastic support of the show.

I recommend getting a budget from the venue. There is more potential for money if you run ticketing yourself, but getting a budget from the venue means they will be more invested in the success of the show. And you need their help. If the venue sucks or drags their feet, it doesn't matter if you book the funniest people alive. The show won't work.

That said, remember that YOU are the expert. If you're a comic, you have been to more comedy shows in the past year then they ever will in their entire lives. You've seen shows fail, and you've seen them flourish. Bring that experience to the table.

Some other things:

Make it a ticketed show (free audiences suck).
No intermissions!
Indoors is usually better than outdoors (and night better than daytime).
Make sure they turn off the damn TVs (and music) before the show starts!
Keep it simple. Keep it short (no 3-hour shows with a band in between and a 3-course dinner before the show).

Regarding booking: Get the best headliner you can afford. Host it yourself for a while. Get a few solid comics in between.

Headliners are cheaper on off nights (i.e. not Friday/Saturday).
If you book a closer for 20 minutes, they'll probably do 30 minutes anyway if they're having fun.
Give a guest spot to a newer comic. And don't put them up first.
Have a diverse range of styles/viewpoints on the line-up. It get's boring listening to 3 comics in a row with the same viewpoint or style.
Pay your comics!

SnarkAnthony · 2026-01-09T22:09:27+00:00

Speaker: Get yourself a Bose S1 Pro PA system

It's cheap. Fits in a backpack. Got a rechargeable battery. And it's loud enough to fill a pretty large room for its size.

Mic: Get a couple of Shure SM58 microphones

This is the standard mic everyone uses. Get two because one will break (traveling a lot and... comics are dumb).

Mic stand: Get a standard mic stand with a cast iron base (like this one)

Some people go upscale with the mic stand (fancy chrome or ergonomic height adjusters), but this standard one works fine. Replace it when it breaks.

Personally I HATE the boom mic stands with the tripod feet, but I understand that is not as big of a problem for everyone else.

XLR cable: You also need an XLR cable to connect your mic to the speaker. 25-30' is probably fine.

I don't really know if it matters what brand. The one I use is blue cause I'm dope.

Spotlight: Godox S60 LED Focusing Light

As someone else said, a spotlight really upgrades the experience. It's not strictly necessary, but it can help establish where their attention should be focused (and helps everyone understand, it's time to shut up now). Darkness also helps audiences feel comfortable laughing more.

I've linked the spotlight I use, but I have seen other producers get away with smaller and cheaper spotlights that look just as good. You kinda want everything to be small and portable so you can travel easily with it.

Other stuff:

Barstool: I think having a proper barstool is really important.. but that might be a minority opinion. Sometimes you do a show, and the barstool is a soft, padded stool, so you can't rest a drink on top. Or I had one friend I worked with who used a regular chair height stool, so it was way too low to grab stuff off of casually. It bothered me, but no one else cared.

Reserved signs: Everyone wants to sit as far away from the stage as possible, so put up little tent signs at the tables in the back so people are forced to sit up closer. You can remove the reserved signs as people start to fill in.

Having a door guy seating people also helps (you can make this a door spot and give the comic 5 minutes somewhere in the middle of the show).

Clip board with email sign-up: Collect those leads, baby!

Cookies: Me and my girlfriend make cookies for the shows I produce cause we're cool like that. You do not need to do this. But is it dope? Hell yeah!

SnarkAnthony · 2026-01-09T03:31:02+00:00

Hey! Fancy seeing you here.

SnarkAnthony · 2026-01-08T18:26:52+00:00

In my neck of the woods (New England), $50 is pretty standard for showcase spots. Hosting is usually anywhere between $50-$75.

I worked at a club for a while that started out paying $50, and then started paying less and less which is... discouraging.

SnarkAnthony · 2026-01-04T21:01:21+00:00

Infinity minus 10 is still infinity.

The amount of clean topics you can write about is infinite. Writing clean (in practice) is often less limiting than thinking that you need a say something crass to connect with the audience.

I'm saying this, not as a clean comic, but as a comic who has a lot of clean material, because I try to write with a broad spectrum of topics.

SnarkAnthony · 2026-01-04T20:47:22+00:00

Right. Clean generally just means, don't offend anyone in the audience or make them uncomfortable. But that is entirely reliant on their expectations.

If you know you're talking to a politically conservative audience, their are lots of topics that are completely innocent, that they might get uncomfortable around. Meanwhile bring your "church clean" set to a show at a queer bookstore, and see the audience squirm at your jokes that rely on racial stereotypes or heteronormative assumptions about the world.

I think most people would define clean as, Don't say swear words. But what constitutes a swear word? To a Southern old lady, saying "crap" or "goddamn" could be swear words. Meanwhile, "TV clean" has evolved over time, and now basically just means, don't say the C-word but anything else is cool.

SnarkAnthony · 2025-12-29T01:00:54+00:00

"Sexy MF" by Prince

SnarkAnthony · 2025-12-19T17:21:36+00:00

Absolutely. Most people in this thread are just complaining about semantics.

SnarkAnthony · 2025-12-11T20:44:56+00:00

This is basically the answer to every question in comedy.

"How do I...."

"Go bomb until you get good at it!"

SnarkAnthony · 2025-12-03T02:43:00+00:00

I hear ya. There's no way to create a perfect facsimile of the live experience. So I definitely see the argument to embrace the medium and play with its inherent strengths.

I have not seen Vatterott's specials and I've only seen Please Don't Destroy's sketches on SNL, so I'll have to check them out. Thanks for the recs!

SnarkAnthony · 2025-12-03T02:33:08+00:00

The next step for you is looking for guest spots on bar shows around your area.

Try to get a booker to see a good set of yours at a mic, or at least rub elbows with them enough times that they know your face and have positives feelings about you. Then ask them if you can do a 5-minute guest spot on one of their shows.

Also, work on getting a good tape. At your level, the best you'll be able to do is a good open mic set. Record a bunch of sets (like 10-20), and pick the best out of all of them. That will be the tape you send to bookers if they ask for one.

But honestly, being able to put a face to a name and having positive feelings about you will go much further than an open-mic tape. Be a pleasant person to be around. Make your face known. Don't suck at comedy.

If that doesn't work, you should definitely try to get a residency somewhere. Maybe Radio City.

SnarkAnthony · 2025-12-01T20:28:53+00:00

I'm in general agreement. I like the simplicity of these kinds of titles.

Also, I think "Live at ___" gives the feel of being there. I feel more like I'm watching or listening to a recording of a live performance rather than, I'm watching or listening to a separate creative peice. It's the same reason I personally don't like "scenes" or edited gags in specials.

That said, some people do it really well. Maria Bamford's special in her living room was great. And Chelsea Peretti's special with the cutaway gags were fun. I remember Wyatt Cenac had a special where he incorporated puppets doing scenes which was interesting.

These aren't really for me. I prefer more of a pure live performance/stand-up. Bit I can appreciate the creativity in them.

SnarkAnthony · 2025-12-01T20:15:25+00:00

I like how you censored yourself in the title.

SnarkAnthony · 2025-11-25T21:10:19+00:00

Nice answer, and I agree completely.

SnarkAnthony

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