Success Happy

What's a good way to become a successful stand-up comedian?

By successful I mean be Fortunate enough to get paid for stand-up, getting a role on a TV show (probably as a guest) and maybe my own TV show so that I'm rich and be able to help my family out with bills. I'm planning on working on my material and I'm going to start performing at places all through NY. What else can I do to better my chances?

Public Comments

1. You are on the right track especially if you joke about yourself. That is what makes stand-up funny. There's a lot of club in NYC and many agents and manager go in these places to look for new talents. Good Luck
2. Outlandishly funny material has a thread of truth to it. Delivery and timing is critical. If you can portray some genuine aspect of yourself through subtle expression or a turn of a phrase, you can win the audience. Even women can find humor in common every day situations such as men standing in a row at urinals. You can talk about unwritten rules of everyday life like Jerry Seinfeld and you can include more edgy material like George Carlin in his later years. Sometimes, you can go at lightning speed through amusing word play, and other times you can slow down and give people time to digest your thoughts. If you plan to go on national TV, serious discussion of certain topics are verboten: - 9/11 Truth Movement - Peace Demonstrations - Iraq Winter Soldier Testimonies - Legitimacy of US invasion and occupation in the Middle East - Excitotoxins, MSG - Dairy product safety - Genetically modified foods Truthful discussion is suppressed, although you can talk around the edges of these topics. Even under cable contracts, George Carlin could not go there. However, a wide variety of social/religious issues are wide open to discussion and satire. Good luck. Remember to listen to your friends and to your own heart.