"You Made the LIST!"
A brush with fame
Networking is important with any job – in comedy, we just call it hanging out. When I first moved to LA, I used to hang out at The Improv on Melrose. There’s a bar outside the showroom where you can meet up and chat with comic friends who are off the road. I’d pop by a few times a week when I could.
I knew a good number of comics from the road, but very few agents or “industry”
people. However, I did meet and occasionally talk with a woman who was a newer agent (which is probably why she talked to me! Lol). For some reason, she was very nice to me even though she didn’t represent me, and I was about as unfamous as you can get. Sadly, I can’t remember her name, but one night as I walked in, she pulled me aside and excitedly declared, “You made the list!”
I was like, “What list?”
She said, “The list”—of about 20 comedians being considered for Female Comedian of the Year at the Comedy Awards.
My response: “Really?”
This was a BIG award that was given out annually back when the Comedy Awards
were around (not sure what happened to those). Apparently, comedy club owners were surveyed to nominate working comics, and a few of the club owners/bookers mentioned me! That was incredibly flattering, though I don’t know which clubs I need to thank.
Right after she told me, a male comedian friend of mine—who was standing behind me and was wayyyy more
famous than me (which didn’t take much)—overheard our conversation. He immediately broke into our chat with, “Hey, do you have any information on the male nominations?”
As soon as he asked, my agent friend immediately clammed up. She realized this was
kinda confidential information that she shouldn’t be sharing, so she told him no, she had no idea, and in fact, she asked us both not to say anything. Bummer. That was the last I heard of the award from her or the Comedy Awards people, BUT I was flattered.
I had no illusions that I would be one of the top contenders for the award, but just being in the mix, on the list, and hearing that clubs were noticing me was pretty cool.
Remember, if you’re doing good work, people are usually noticing behind the scenes—even if they aren’t saying it to your face.
Jan McInnis is a Keynote Speaker, Comedian, Comedy Writer, and Master of Ceremonies. She has written for Jay Leno’s Tonight Show monologue as well as many other people, places, and groups – radio, TV, syndicated cartoon strips, and even guests on the Jerry Springer show (her parents are proud). For 20+ years she’s traveled country as a keynote speaker and comedian sharing her unique and practical tips on what business leaders can learn from comedians (no, it’s not all about telling jokes). She can be reached at www.TheWorkLady.com, or Jan@TheWorkLady.com She’s also a GREAT Master of Ceremonies. Click here for her emcee site
Some of the stories in this newsletter are taken from Jan’s popular book:
Convention Comedian: Stories and Wisdom From Two Decades of Chicken Dinners and Comedy Clubs.
SO true!! Great story shared again!!