Why Book through a Comedy Agency when I can do it myself?

If you're thinking about hiring a corporate comedian for your next corporate event there are a couple of ways to go about it. One way is to do it yourself. The other is to book through an entertainment agency. There are advantages to both, but for my money it's easier, faster, safer and simply more convenient to book through an agency because they've already done the work for you.

Every major act has an agent, which is how they got where they are today. You can call their agent and hope they will call you back one day. You can contact Giggles Comedy Agency who has a rapport with their agent or knows the act personally and gets you a prompt answer.

You could spend days or weeks scouring the internet for comedian's sites, watching videos, checking references, pouring over quotes, negotiating costs and contracts, sending e-mails and making phone calls; or could call a reputable agency that has already done all that.

There's really only one reason, albeit a powerful and erroneous one, that corporate entertainment buyers come up with to do it themselves- it costs less. This simply isn't true.

Any agency that's been in the business for a long time will have built relationships with the entertainers they work with. To you, the buyer, this means more flexible pricing, increased negotiating room and a professional who knows what comedians or other acts typically make. Because of the volume of work that an agency can offer an entertainer, prices are often less than you'd get by contacting the act directly. Last, but probably most important, you get a level of expertise and knowledge about the industry, market and acts, which is really invaluable when trying to get the right entertainer for your corporate event.

Speaking of cost, let's talk about what you should expect to pay. Most comedians who work in the corporate market usually have a base price of $1,500 - $5,000. These comedians are typically local or regional acts that have put in countless hours to come up with a routine that's corporate-friendly, which means it's clean and has broad appeal. These corporate comedians may or may not have television or radio credits, but they should have a sizable collection of letters or references from other corporate groups for whom they've performed. Often times these comedians can be difficult to find on your own because they don't have a lot of exposure. A good corporate entertainment agency, however, will know who these acts are and be able to share their knowledge with you.

In the next bracket, you have corporate comedians in the $5,000 - $50,000. These corporate comedians usually have multiple television and radio credits, an extensive list of corporate clients and often some type of accolade. i.e. Rick Mercer, Mike Bullard, Brent Butt, etc.

While the previous group of comedians has some degree of notoriety, they're not as famous or recognizable as the next group which can loosely be priced from $100,000 - $250,000. In this group you have household names like, Bill Cosby, Jerry Seinfeld, Bob Newhart, etc. these are proven veteran acts that everyone knows.

A lot of corporate entertainment buyers that are new to the "game," often get sticker shock. They think that they can hire someone like Russell Peters for $5,000. Why this is, I'm not really sure. Fact is some acts like Russell Peters won't even do corporate events, because their popularity is such they get enough work doing theatres shows where only their fans attend. Maybe what buyers fail to recognize is that like any business, these comedians who are household names have spent their entire lives in the comedy business building their reputation, strengthening their act and trying to maximize their exposure - not unlike major brands (Coca Cola, Microsoft, etc.). You wouldn't expect to purchase one of those companies, or even the CEO of one of those companies, to speak at your event for $5,000.

In any event, when you are working with an experienced and knowledgeable corporate entertainment agency, they will be able to recommend the best talent available in your budget range whether it's $1,500 or $150,000.

It's all about relationships - it's who you know, not what you know that gets results

Another advantage to working with an agency is that you'll have an agent that works with you closely to find the best entertainer for your event. Any agent worth their salt will take time to listen to your needs as the event planner for your company and give you several options with which to make an informed decision. As a buyer, you should listen to the agent as well. Their experience in corporate entertainment market can be of great value as they will know which acts have been proven in a corporate setting time and time again. It's not in the agent's best interest to sell you a comedian or other entertainer that's not a good fit your event. Those that do are out to make quick buck, rather than build a relationship. Reputable agents know they will make more money when buyers continue to come back to them for subsequent events and refer colleagues to use your services for their events. Over time, when you've worked on multiple events together a good agent will come to know your tastes and expectations and be able to recommend appropriate talent. For both parties this should be the aim of transaction because it makes subsequent events and interactions so much easier. It saves both parties time and energy and it creates an environment of trust and mutual respect, which translates into worry-free entertainment for every event.