100 shows - who would've thought?

Last Wednesday night was special. Not only was the comedy tribute show an unpredictable success (and I had fun doing it!) But it was also my 100th comedy show I produced under the Sidley Standup umbrella. That’s 100 nights of comedy that I’ve booked, promoted, physically set up, and performed on (minus a few cases). I’m proud of myself for reaching this milestone, and tired enough that I'm thinking about crawling back into bed. 

Since piloting this idea last November there's been a ton of ups and downs (as one would expect). A lot of bizarre things have happened (stay tuned for future posts) but along the way I've learned a lot about myself, my expectations, and the industry. A mix of my observations and insight:

• I like control, but I can’t control everything. Some nights people aren’t going to show up. Comics will be off. I will be off. It sucks, but whatever.
• Comics are all divas, yes you I’m talking about you. Whether they have been doing it 10 years or 10 minutes, sweet sixteen ferrari cake level divas.
• If you’re a comedian, and your bio / headshot doesn’t make me somewhat excited to book you then that’s a problem. Marketing yourself well helps other people market you. 
• I thought doing this would get me booked on other peoples shows a lot more, I was wrong.
• If you book someone who’s hot, long enough, you get to see them slump too.
• Some comics are great writers, some are great at performing, it’s rare to see both.
• I don’t like hosting my own shows as much as I used to. Warming people up takes a lot out of me.  It doesn't feel as natural. I’d rather tell jokes. I still like hosting other people’s shows though, that still seems to be all the fun minus the worries.
• If your jokes aren’t landing don’t throw a hissy fit. Yes it’s unnatural to tell jokes in silence, but fake like you’re having some fun and the audience may eventually join your side. 
• These recent Wednesday themed shows have been stupidly fun for me. Personal victories are huge, they help me recharge. 
• Being the face of something doesn’t suit me. It's good for branding but I'm not super outgoing/charismatic. I don’t always want to be there. I’d rather be the brain / heart of the business. 
• Continuing with the last point, I've decided to begin reining Sidley Standup back in as my personal brand. I hope to be putting out more personal content soon.

On that note, some of you may have seen that we’ve recently rebranded the comedy room in Tyson's Biergarten to the Tysons Comedy Cellar, and expanded our offerings to include comedy on Wednesdays and Thursdays! (As well as the original Mondays & Tuesdays). Doing this was on my mind for awhile, but it took some push from a few folks to take this leap (so thank you). I think creating separation between these two entities, a comedy room, and my comedy, will allow me to incorporate more people into the mix and grow these brands.

Will this newest step be the final answer? I don't know, but its at least the answer for now. You can only play the cards you have in your hand, so I'm excited to see where these cards take me.

Cheers,
Allan