Ali Wong is among a host of young comedians who are finding bigger audiences. (Courtesy UTA)
The grosses from comedy touring are no laughing matter. The grosses from the top 25 events on our VenuesNow 2018 comedy touring chart add up to a whopping $44 million — and that’s 25 events, nearly all four shows or fewer, among thousands. Keep in mind that while some acts are hauling along big truck and bus productions, the majority of touring comedy shows are a cost-effective comedian, a mic and a spotlight.
Comedy has also acquired a broader definition that’s really taken off in the past few years as spoken word shows and transplanted podcasts hit the circuit. Regardless of what genre of comedy is touring, all eyes are on the bright future, while comedians, agents, promoters and producers are, as they say, laughing all the way to the bank.
“Comedy consistently gets stronger year over year, and 2018 has been no exception to the rule,” said Matt Blake, head of CAA’s comedy department. “It continues to grow both domestically and internationally.”
Nick Nuciforo, a UTA partner and the head of comedy touring for the agency, had a similarly spectacular 2018. “So far, this year has been by far one of the biggest years for comedy yet,” he said. Some of UTA’s comedy talents are Jeff Dunham, Jim Gaffigan, Flight of the Conchords, Impractical Jokers and Sebastian Maniscalco.
“We are living in the age of the democratization of content,” Nuciforo said. “There are more places right now to consume comedy than ever before. It’s really put comedy into the mainstream as an art form.
“People used to wear buttons on their jackets to show others who they are. Now they say what your taste is in comedy is what shows people what you are all about.”
Blake sees the advent of putting content online as the No. 1 reason for comedy’s surging ticket sales but “really, it’s the right thing in the right room.”
“It used to be that an artist had to be anointed by someone in television or film to achieve enough notoriety to go out and sell theaters, but the digital age has changed everything,” he said.
“Anybody can put great content on the internet, whether it’s stand-up or a podcast or clips on YouTube, and people can see it and the audience will want to come out to see them. This has led to new voices emerging and a lot of tickets sold.”
NETFLIX CHANGED THE PICTURE
Blake, like many of his colleagues, points to streaming channels, particularly Netflix, as the opening of the floodgates. “Netfilx and YouTube have completely changed the dynamics of comedy touring,” Blake said.
Jo Koy is a great example. “Jo’s specials on Netflix have made his ticket sales explode in the States, and he’s burst through internationally as well,” Blake said.
“No one saw Netfilx coming,” said Mike Goldsmith, senior programming director for Nederlander Productions. “The real way to find new comedians to put out is by watching Netflix specials like crazy. They are really cornering the market. Netflix has been dumping money in everyone’s lap and they’re putting new shows out on a weekly basis. There’s so many specials, it’s hard to keep up.”
Josh Pollack, VP of comedy, spoken word and podcasts for APA, said, “We have clients that 10 years ago would have been sitting in their apartments with nothing to do. Now, because of Netflix and other tech platforms, they’re playing to 10,000 people. APA represents a podcast called ‘The Dollop.’ They broadcast from their apartment in L.A. and now they are a substantial theater act in almost every major market in the U.S.”
Often a comedian does a Netflix special and then takes that material on the road. “Audiences eat it up,” said Goldsmith. “You’ve heard it on the special, but seeing it live is a whole new experience.”
Having a Netflix special filmed during a performance is a huge draw, said Goldsmith. “Anjelah Johnson did three shows at City National Grove and filmed them all. The audience loved it, and then they get to watch the show at home.”
One of the bigger acts for WME is Tom Segura, who has “really blown up his ticket sales because of his Netflix specials,” said Andrew Russell, a WME comedy agent. “Since the release of his last Netflix special we’ve moved up from 1,000-seaters to anywhere between 2,500- and 5,000-capacity theaters.”
Geof Wills, president of comedy touring for Live Nation, is also on the Netflix train. “Netflix is the king of the hill,” he said. “They’ve built a business model around stand-up comedy and are investing heavily. The acts are reaping the rewards when they go on the road. It’s a global business, too.”
Another place Wills looks for new acts is Montreal’s “Just For Laughs” annual comedy festival — and Netflix has now found that treasure trove of new artists. “The secret is out. Netflix is planning to do around 48 different specials from the festival,” he said.
TOURING LESS EXPENSIVE, AT LEAST SOMETIMES
The lower cost of sending a comedy act on the road is music to the ears of Steve Levine, co-head of concerts for ICM. ICM has some of the biggest names in the business on its roster: Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Kathy Griffin, David Spade, Jerry Seinfeld, Ellen DeGeneres and Katt Williams.
Dave Chappelle shows at Radio City Music Hall and the Forum are on the Hot Tickets list. (Courtesy Live Nation)
“Generally speaking, producing a comedy show is a lot less expensive than producing a music show,” he said. “Some acts want video and set pieces and the acts playing arenas often feel like they need all the bells and whistles that come with a large touring show, but most often it’s a man and a mic.”
Levine said that some acts want to give fans more for their money. “The traditional thinking is they are only coming out to see the comedy, but when one artist puts on a big production, other artists feel like they have to follow suit to make sure they don’t look like they are lacking.”
Kevin Hart puts on a huge show and “is doing spectacularly well,” said Wills. “Kevin is a rock star and does an amazing show that’s as big as any rock band’s production. He’s got huge video support. It takes 12 trucks to move his show around.”
MOVING FROM CLUBS TO BIGGER VENUES
When is the time right to move an act from clubs to bigger arenas? It’s a combination of ticket sales, the hungriness of the artist and the gut feeling of the agents and promoters.
“There are a lot more expenses involved in a bigger venue tour and the artists can often actually take away more money by staying put in the clubs,” said Blake. It becomes a function of how much time the artist has and how many markets the artist wants to play.
Goldsmith used Maniscalco as a prime example of moving an act to bigger venues. “We started with Sebastian in the City National Grove in Anaheim (Calif.), which has 1,438 capacity. He sold out so quickly (that) we moved him to the Pantages in Hollywood the following year, which has 3,000 capacity. He blew it out of the water and we moved him next to the Greek Theatre, also in Hollywood, and that venue seats 6,900 people, which he is about to sell out.”
“Timing is the critical mass of moving an act,” Goldsmith said. “Knowing the moment that an act will have a direct connection with their fans is the key. The show has to be built and ready to move to a bigger venue. But really it’s just a feeling that it’s time.”
Russell determines whether an act is ready to move strictly by the demand. “If tickets blow out of the water and spike, you see it,” he said. “Sometimes in the club world people come out just for a night at a comedy club, so it’s sometimes hard to see the trend. It’s not until you book an act into a solo gig in a bigger venue that you can really see their pulling power. When people buy tickets to a solo show right away, you know it’s time to expand.”
Nuciforo agreed, saying, “The first indicator is they are selling out their shows and can the artists sell enough tickets to make the jump.
“We look for growth in social media followings, but it’s really about understanding the audience for the artist.”
Levine bases moving acts up the ladder on “strength of sales and whether we think it makes sense to incur the additional cost of the theater. You have to sell a lot more seats in a theater to make the same amount of money you would in a club setting.”
“Some artists decide to stay in the clubs if they are borderline. Some artists desperately want to be in theaters and will choose to make less money,” he said.
Wills knows it’s time to move an artist up the chain “when the normal people in my life start asking me about them at dinner parties” and cited comedian Ali Wong as someone who is breaking out now.
Wills said he often moves acts into The Punchline or Cobb’s Comedy Club in San Francisco, and then on to the House of Blues and The Fillmore, both of which Live Nation owns, and, if successful, onto bigger venues.
“Feelings are great,” cautioned Wills. “But sometimes feelings are wrong. We’d all be really rich if our feelings proved right 100 percent of the time.”
INTERNATIONAL ON FIRE
Blake thinks audiences are no longer limited by geopolitical borders.
“If there is a country that broadcasts in English, that is a place we can tour,” Blake said. “It feels like if you have an arena act domestically, you’ve got an arena tour internationally.”
Australia, Scandinavia, South Africa and pockets of Europe are all doing healthy comedy business, he said, pointing to Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias and “The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah as particularly strong overseas.
International is booming for UTA, Nuciforo said, calling it “the next frontier.” In fact, international business is so important to UTA’s future that a few months ago it hired a dedicated London-based agent, Bjorn Wentlandt, to head up its international push. “The U.K. is our No. 1 selling region outside the States. Flight of the Conchords sold out three shows at the 02 Arena and four shows at the Apollo Theatre. They sold over 60,000 tickets in London,” he said.
Nuciforo also highlighted that it’s not just U.S. acts being shipped overseas; the doors have burst open for bringing overseas acts to North America and other territories. “A great example is Mexican comedian Franco Escamilla. We’re working for South and Central America and he will play Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore next month. The world’s becoming a smaller place.”
Gad Elmaleh is another cross-the-pond performer taking the U.S. by storm. Nuciforo is a big fan. “We have him booked on a world tour. He came to the U.S. and did his act in French. It was so successful he’s now focusing on an English language act.”
“Comedy is expanding all over the world,” he said. “There’s no territory in the world that we don’t have clients playing.”
Russell is also finding international picking up for WME artists. “Everything goes back to Netflix because it’s available worldwide,” he said. “We’ll get emails saying, ‘Can you bring this person to Singapore? Can you bring that person to Helsinki?’ and we’re going to markets that have never been popular with stand-up and are exploding because comedy is so readily available.”
Levine said international is “very strong. There’s a real appetite for American comedy over the world.” Conversely, there are more artists coming from overseas and playing here. “The internet and new platforms have opened up the doors. Netflix in particular has really changed the international picture.”
Wills agreed and said that foreign stand-ups are starting to show up in his queue more and more. “I’m currently helping a colleague in India,” he said.
PROMOTING COMEDY
Goldsmith said that, from a promoter’s perspective, finding an audience for a comedy show is not the same as promoting a music show. “The comedians have Instagram accounts and Facebook, and we go where the fans are,” he said.
Blake said the promoters mostly use social media rather than buying a lot of TV or radio ads. “Comedy acts have a built-in audience, are very active in social media, and that’s the group you want to target,” he said. “Their daily routine turns into a giant commercial for their touring career.”
“Some promoters don’t understand that all comedy acts are not equal,” Wills said. “Just because you have a certain comedian who plays to an urban crowd on one night doesn’t mean you can’t book a comedian who plays to a Latino or Red State crowd the next night.”
“For heritage acts, such as Norm Macdonald, we like to focus the promotion on radio, where his fan base is, but social media plays a big part in marketing everyone these days,” said Russell.
Russell also brought up the point that comedians cannot go out and do the same material year after year. “It’s not like the crowd wants to hear the same punch line at the next show, unlike in music where the audience for Journey can’t wait to hear ‘Don’t Stop Believin’.’ There’s no ‘greatest hits’ in comedy. They need to be funnier than the last time.”
Thinking a little further, Russell said with a laugh, “Maybe a ‘greatest bits’ tour might work.”
ON A ROLL AND GROWING
Jim Gaffigan, like many others in comedy, has built a following doing specials on TV. (Courtesy UTA)
“There’s no stopping point for comedy touring,” said Wills. “Every agency has massive comedy divisions. Promoters do, too.”
Wills thinks podcasts and YouTube are the future. “Podcasts are everywhere and YouTube is a feeding ground for new talent. We found a guy, Randy Rainbow, off the internet, and he does great business. No one saw this coming.”
Levine attributed blazing ticket sales to “people feeling like going out and spending money on comedy shows is a way to take back control from whatever craziness is going on in this country right now.”
“People are really into comedy these days,” Levine said. “The high-class problem is just trying to watch the traffic. So many great artists are touring, and making sure they don’t bump into each other is getting tricky.”