First I will start by telling you that I have and am living the life of a Christian Comedian so I will tell you what I have done and am having to do to become successful at what I do. The world of Christian Comedy is becoming more and more flooded with people who want to try to tell funny jokes to a clean Christian audience. Truth be told this isn't an easy task because not many people know about the business Christian comedy.
At first glance of the word Christian Comedy a lot of people assume they are going to hear about bible scriptures and churchy jokes the whole time but I beg to differ. As a Christian comedian I have experienced a few things that weren't quite so funny like not getting all the work I did when I was a secular comedian. Many venues didn't want to book me because they thought I was going to come in and preach a sermon but I had to prepare a show and put it on DVD so I could let them see the show I was going to do.
So you have to ensure you know what crowd you are trying to appeal to. My goal was never to appeal to a crowd who wanted to hear a bunch of ignorant material about sex, drugs and violence because there was so much more to talk about. I will now proceed to inform you on the steps to starting a successful career in the business of Christian Comedy.
Step 1) Know your target audience
-In the business of comedy you have to have a target audience in which you want to appeal to. This is important because in writing comedy material you have to know what people like to hear and what they will be able to remember most about you. A lot of comedians write for years and years before they finally come up with that perfect set that people will remember then by.
Step 2) Consistency
-One of the most important things to do is to remain consistent. When pursuing any dream it takes consistency to make things happen. If you only do one show a year it will be hard to perfect your craft so you must stay on stage and you must continue to write joke/material. You also have to realize the more people see you the more they will remember your face and your material so stay consistent.
Step 3) Networking
-Networking is very important in the comedy business because it's not about how many jokes you can write, tell or how many minutes you can perform. It's about who you know and who knows you! Many comedians use each other for work which is a good thing because no one person knows everybody. You have to stay around like minded comedians who believe in keeping a network of club managers, church group leaders and promoters in their contact list.
Step 4) Stay around positive people and develop Thick Skin
-You must stay around positive people in order to become successful at anything especially comedy because people will kill your dream before you even get started. Many people wish they could be brave enough to stand on a stage and tell jokes but because they can't they will try to tear you down and expect for you to be like them. If you stay around the right people they will encourage you and even help you out by giving you a story line or maybe even a joke or two to use on stage. Don't let critics comments phase you at all.
Step 5) Have products to sell
Lastly, you must have products to sell to your audience. These items should consist of but not limited to CD, DVD's, T Shirts, Hats and anything else that won't cost you a bunch of money up front. Your goal shouldn't be making a huge profit but it should be to keep your face in the eyes of your audience. Many comedians have learned this way of doing business and it works for many of them. Come up with unique concepts of marketing and advertising and you will be the comedian that stays booked.
If you follow these few steps that I have listed you will be well on your way to becoming a successful Christian Comedian.
Demoine Kinney http://www.demoinekinney.com
At first glance of the word Christian Comedy a lot of people assume they are going to hear about bible scriptures and churchy jokes the whole time but I beg to differ. As a Christian comedian I have experienced a few things that weren't quite so funny like not getting all the work I did when I was a secular comedian. Many venues didn't want to book me because they thought I was going to come in and preach a sermon but I had to prepare a show and put it on DVD so I could let them see the show I was going to do.
So you have to ensure you know what crowd you are trying to appeal to. My goal was never to appeal to a crowd who wanted to hear a bunch of ignorant material about sex, drugs and violence because there was so much more to talk about. I will now proceed to inform you on the steps to starting a successful career in the business of Christian Comedy.
Step 1) Know your target audience
-In the business of comedy you have to have a target audience in which you want to appeal to. This is important because in writing comedy material you have to know what people like to hear and what they will be able to remember most about you. A lot of comedians write for years and years before they finally come up with that perfect set that people will remember then by.
Step 2) Consistency
-One of the most important things to do is to remain consistent. When pursuing any dream it takes consistency to make things happen. If you only do one show a year it will be hard to perfect your craft so you must stay on stage and you must continue to write joke/material. You also have to realize the more people see you the more they will remember your face and your material so stay consistent.
Step 3) Networking
-Networking is very important in the comedy business because it's not about how many jokes you can write, tell or how many minutes you can perform. It's about who you know and who knows you! Many comedians use each other for work which is a good thing because no one person knows everybody. You have to stay around like minded comedians who believe in keeping a network of club managers, church group leaders and promoters in their contact list.
Step 4) Stay around positive people and develop Thick Skin
-You must stay around positive people in order to become successful at anything especially comedy because people will kill your dream before you even get started. Many people wish they could be brave enough to stand on a stage and tell jokes but because they can't they will try to tear you down and expect for you to be like them. If you stay around the right people they will encourage you and even help you out by giving you a story line or maybe even a joke or two to use on stage. Don't let critics comments phase you at all.
Step 5) Have products to sell
Lastly, you must have products to sell to your audience. These items should consist of but not limited to CD, DVD's, T Shirts, Hats and anything else that won't cost you a bunch of money up front. Your goal shouldn't be making a huge profit but it should be to keep your face in the eyes of your audience. Many comedians have learned this way of doing business and it works for many of them. Come up with unique concepts of marketing and advertising and you will be the comedian that stays booked.
If you follow these few steps that I have listed you will be well on your way to becoming a successful Christian Comedian.
Demoine Kinney http://www.demoinekinney.com
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