Boston Comedy Festival Industry Panel

Last week I had the chance to sit in on the Boston Comedy Festival Industry Panel at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge. I’ve been around this business a long time, but it was still a treat to hear directly from the folks who book, manage, and run some of the top clubs and festivals in the country.

The panel included Jonathan Alliss from The Comedy Zone, Joe Lowers from The World Series of Comedy, Eric Lambert from APCA, Sailesh Jiawan from Metropolis Management, Barbra Holiday from Flappers, and Les McCurdy from McCurdy’s in Sarasota. That’s a serious lineup of people who know what they’re talking about.

What I enjoyed most was how practical the advice was. Be professional. Show up on time. Treat comedy like a business. Market yourself. And, as Les reminded everyone, put a little money away each week so you’ve got a nest egg—just in case fame takes longer than expected.

For me, the big takeaway was simple: being funny will get you noticed, but being reliable is what keeps you working.