Festivals & Competitions?

[CJ Toledano]

What are some good festivals and/or competitions around the country that newer comedians should apply to? Thanks in advance.

[pg13]

How new are these "newer comedians"?

[Alex Mac]

I've still to win the $50 prize at my favorite open mic. Now, that's one tough competition!

[CJ Toledano]

I guess the question should be...when I feel like I'm ready to start doing festivals, what are some good ones to apply to?

[ErikNielsen]

To be honest, I'd avoid festivals in general. I mean, not counting Montreal -- and if Montreal wants you, they'll let you know. (And pay for your transportation, which is pretty key.) But while there are a few legitimate or semi-legitimate festivals, there are also a bunch of people putting together a bunch of ill-conceived shows, slapping the title "festival" on the result, and using it to take money from gullible comics.

I mean, I heard a lot of good things about the Bridgetown Comedy Festival this year, and you can find the thread(s) about that. It's more in the "here's a bunch of shows that happen to be in the same city on the same weekend" category than anything really structured. The San Francisco Comedy Competition is generally considered to be a pretty big deal, though its profile has seemingly decreased in recent years. (Also, it tends to focus more on veteran comics.) I've heard some good things about the Seattle Comedy Competition, which is smaller, and... may be more open to newer comics? I think there's someone here who can speak to that with more authority.

I may be missing one or two here, but really not much more than one or two.

But really, the distinction I'd make is between festivals that are paying you to be there, and festivals that don't pay for your travel expenses. (Or, god forbid, "festivals" that charge people to enter.)

Obviously, if someone's paying for you to be somewhere, just go.

But I'd say that if you're going to travel to a city and nobody's paying your way, just travel to a city. Call up the clubs a couple months in advance, make use of the connections you have out of town, and do the real shows there. Meet the real people. You'll get a lot more accomplished in terms of getting your name out, and probably have a lot more fun, if you're performing in an actual comedy club or established alternative venue, and you're the only person there from out of town. (Or one of two or three people traveling together, if that's your deal.) The alternative -- a show with a dozen out-of-towners, more often than not at a place that isn't even a comedy venue -- is the perfect setting for individual comics to get lost in the crowd.

From an industry standpoint, festivals in general are not such a big thing any more. I'm given to understand that they used to be a big deal, but at this point, the Internet exists. You don't need to travel to a place in order for agents and managers and whatnot to see what you're about. And the agents and managers, for their part, are mostly not going to cross the country when they don't have to.

As I said, Montreal is potentially an exception, though even that isn't the career-making thing it once was. And if you can win something like San Francisco, that's a nice thing to put on your resume. But ultimately, a lot of this stuff is not a big deal. And putting some no-name festival on your resume is likely to have the opposite effect with some of the more knowledgeable bookers/industry people/audience members.

[heatherm]

I mean, I heard a lot of good things about the Bridgetown Comedy Festival this year, and you can find the thread(s) about that. It's more in the "here's a bunch of shows that happen to be in the same city on the same weekend" category than anything really structured.

no, it was a full-on festival - scheduled shows, panels discussing awesome things like home movies and TSOYA, and even an all-night open mic. don't miss bridgetown next year! fun for fans and performers alike!

[ErikNielsen]

I meant "structured" in terms of the organizers inviting a specific lineup of comedians determined through an audition or submission process (as, say, Montreal does). Obviously, some comedians and shows were specifically invited, but I get the sense the process as a whole was looser than with most festivals. (Not intending this as a value judgment one way or the other.) Of course, I could be wrong.

Side note, at any rate.

[Alex Mac]

In all seriousness, I can't speak for the process but the Boston Comedy Festival is always possible. Maybe if Myq is around, he can recount the details.

[tonyboswell]

I am a big fan of contests and festivals. While it's true you can go to a city and do guest sets, when you are involved in a contest you are meeting sometimes dozens of other comics from around the country. It is a great networking experience. I don't think I have ever done one where I didn't get more out of it then I put into it. I just got back from headlining 2 weeks around the pacific northwest which I would probably not have gotten if I hadn't done the Seattle contest. (2 time finalist)
Seattle and Boston are among the best but they are very different. Boston is one and done, if you don't move on each night you are out, but Seattle takes your scores for the week and adds them up and the top 5 move on to the next week, but the flip side is you have to put yourself up for much longer.
Once you feel you are ready to showcase yourself to the rest of your peers you should try and get involved in one or all of these. If nothing else it lets you know where you stand against what other comics around the country are doing.
My two cents.
PS- Don't bother entering a contest if Myq Kaplan is in it. It's already over.

[pg13]

And the Director of Talent for the Seattle International Comedy Competition happens to be a regularly contributing member to AST and would happy to answer any and all questions about it.

pg--"Who's the best pilot I ever saw? You're lookin' at him!"--wisconsin rapids

PS--And our good friend Mr. Boswell is being modest. Don't bother entering a contest if TONY BOSWELL is in it...because unless you're Marcus, it's already over.

[myq]

So, the answer is, don't bother entering any contests, because probably Tony or I will be in it.

Sincerely, festivals can be fun, you can meet a lot of comics from all over the country, things definitely can pay off in more work and opportunities in the future, etc.

When I did the Seattle competition, I flew myself out there just treating it like a week's vacation in Seattle, full of shows. And if I advanced, then the prize money I got would at least cover my travel expenses. So if you think of it like that, it can be a worthwhile experience.

If you think of it like, "I'm doing this festival and something better come of it," then you might be disappointed.

Other tips for spending less--if you know comics or people in the locations where the festivals are, you can possibly save on a hotel if the festival doesn't put you up, say (which is the case for Boston and Seattle, at least). Couchsurfing.com can also be helpful--I stayed with strangers in Seattle for two nights before I met a comic and future good friend named Brian Moote who offered up his couch for the remainder of my time there.

I'm happy to keep talking or stop talking, so let me know which you'd like, if either. (I think one is necessary, logically.)

Enjoy!

[CJ Toledano]

Thanks, guys. I'm certainly enticed by the idea of being able to meet other comics from all around the country and network. I'd also be lying if there isn't a little hint of maybe something better might come of it from this. I think that's a thought anyone is going to have when you are doing newer and different things in order to try and make a living doing comedy. Although, I'm definitely aware of the slim chances of festivals or competitions to be anything career changing. This way I'll never be disappointed.

I guess the conclusion I've come to is I want to start applying to festivals and hopefully do them as a way to have even more fun doing comedy!

Now, what are some good festivals to apply to?

[HeyItsLiam]

Eh, I just changed my mind. Erik may be right. Either way, it's not worth arguing. Life is so short.

[ErikNielsen]

In my experience, everyone I know who's auditioned for Montreal (or Aspen when it was around) was called first -- they didn't go after the festival. The festival people knew them already, or else some club owner or someone recommended them to the festival people. Either way, the comic was the one receiving the first phone call.

Now, I don't know -- maybe some people booked themselves into an audition, and I don't know about it. (It's not like I'm talking about this stuff all the time.) And I've lived in Boston and LA -- two places that tend to be pretty well covered by the industry. It's possible someone from a smaller city might not be on people's radar. It's just that that's never the way I've heard of it being done.

As for the latter point -- fair enough. It's probably not the best idea to take my advice on how to get into situations; I'm reasonably confident in my ability as a comedian, but I'm downright proud of my skill at not making any progress on a commercial level. (I'm not even TRYING not to advance -- I'm a natural.)

I think that at the time, I was more thinking in terms of "hey, a number of 'festivals' are fly-by-night exercises in exploiting naive young comics" than in terms of "some of them are good, though." My pessimism should not be emulated here. (Not even by me.)

[Bucky_Sinister]

I meant "structured" in terms of the organizers inviting a specific lineup of comedians determined through an audition or submission process (as, say, Montreal does). Obviously, some comedians and shows were specifically invited, but I get the sense the process as a whole was looser than with most festivals. (Not intending this as a value judgment one way or the other.) Of course, I could be wrong.

Side note, at any rate.

Yeah, you're wrong here. It's highly structured.

The shows and venues are strategically booked over the days of the festival, so you can get from one to another. many of them are either walking distance or a short cab ride.

I've definitely benefited as a comic for going. I got to feature for headliners that I don't get to feature for at home. Being relatively new in the game, it's invaluable. Also, seeing the way some people like Brody Stevens that I hadn't gotten to see before was great.

And best of all, it's fun! It's like Sturgis for comics. You should go. We'll eat doughnuts together and talk til 4 AM. Portland is full of strippers, beer, doughnuts, and books. For one weekend, it also has several cities-full of awesome comics.

[Joe Z]

CJ, I think we met briefly in Chicago - Here are some good ones to submit for, that definitely review the tapes and give everyone a fair chance, based on talent -

The Laugh Your Asheville Comedy Festival - every summer in Asheville, NC - Funny Business Agency was present this year every night, along with one TV executive, and a few other random bookers - classy theater - great crowds, a lot of great talent from all over the country.
Email is booking@laughyourashevilleoff.com
Charlie Gerencer and Greg Brown run it

The Detroit Comedy Festival - February time frame @ Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle - Great club - crowds were fun, great treatment, and the talent was very good. Mark Ridley and one of the bookers for the Aspen Festival were the industry I was aware of.
contact is Dave Moroz (I think it's moroz@aspentalent.com)

The NC Comedy Arts Festival - Chapel Hill, NC - Little more expensive than the other festivals, but fun venue, great crowds, and Rooftop/Punchline Magazine/and Time Out NY were involved last year.
Contact is Zach Ward of the DSI Comedy Theater - look him up on facebook or twitter

Charleston Comedy Festival - Going this year but I don't know that much about it yet, other than that they do a great job promoting the shows and getting good crowds out - plus Charleston, SC is a great town.
Greg & Brandy at Theater 99
Try phone contact, they are good at getting back if you leave a message

I've heard good things about Bridgetown and Seattle. I also know that Boston and NYC underground fest accept open applications, but I think they are both very difficult to get accepted in to - especially without some sort of industry referral to McCue or Mendrinos.

Las Vegas, Montreal, Aspen, NYC, and South Beach seem to be the ones that are only interested in established comics.

I haven't heard much about Snubfest in Chicago or any of the Canadian festivals....also haven't heard much about the Branson Comedy Festival in Branson, MO...but I'm aware of their existence.

Wish there were more out there, I've had a great time at every festival I've been to, and it's always interesting to meet comics from different parts of the country.

[Joe Z]

Oh, and Aspen now is run by Rooftop Comedy ... old Aspen is no longer, but from what I could tell by the comedians present at this year's festival, they seem to be picking up where old Aspen left off.

[AliasRomanian]

Here is one I just heard about: http://www.theworldseriesofcomedy.com/
Top 8 comics get from 1 to 8 weeks of booked gigs and looks interesting. Sign up is $50 bucks before July 5th .

Goodluck guys!

[AliasRomanian]

Festivals around our state encourage artists and craftspeople to share their creativity with hundreds of thousands of visitors from out of state. While the arts and crafts enrich their lives, the people who purchase those works enhance their economy..

Please tell me more!

[Me, The JerBear]

Yeah I just recently got invited to play at a (local/regional-not sure which) festival for artists and performers held in a small city in my state. I don't know anything at all about it other than that and the fact that it's a paying gig. It's not a comedy festival per se but maybe that can be a good thing. I seem to thrive at alt venues.

The last time I played at the Laughing Skull Mrs. Bear told me that we were going to be having a baby Bear, so any paying gig automatically looks better.

I just hope I don't go up in daylight.