Chortle Conference: The Corporate Coin
Panel: Caroline Edwards (Sparkle Productions), Sue Terry (Sue Terry Voices), Keith Palmer (Comedy School), hosted by Alex Rochford.
Caroline said that she predominantly looked for after dinner speakers and awards hosts for corporate events, suggesting that acts needed 3-5 years experience as a minimum. She looks for people who are good at crowd control with a decent back catalogue of material, with solid 20 minute club sets who are generally known to bookers in the comedy industry. Large industries generally look for acts with television credits. She contended that acts need to be aimed generally at a 40+ male demographic.
Keith then discussed the work of Comedy School, where comedians go into workplaces to assist the employees of a particular company. For example, he might send a comedian to talk to a group of solicitors about how they might improve their presentation skills. Sue said that her voiceover artists generally need to have some sort of profile and that actors are generally preferred because the job requires different types of direction, although she has been signing more comedians of late.
She confirmed that Sue Terry Voices are prepared to listen to unsolicited audition recordings but that she generally only works with acts who are on Spotlight. Caroline stressed the importance of acts researching the brand and the product involved in specific types of corporate work. The brands should not be in a position to dictate an act's material but acts should always be respectful to the company. Alex observes that acts interested in corporate work should investigate corporate showcases, citing Stephen Grant as a successful act in this regard.
Caroline believes that it's important that someone accompanies an act to a corporate event who will provide evidence to back you up in the case of any potential dispute. Keith agreed, stating that both parties should know what's expected beforehand. Make sure for example that you know how you'll be introduced and what the plan is for the evening.
Caroline said that she predominantly looked for after dinner speakers and awards hosts for corporate events, suggesting that acts needed 3-5 years experience as a minimum. She looks for people who are good at crowd control with a decent back catalogue of material, with solid 20 minute club sets who are generally known to bookers in the comedy industry. Large industries generally look for acts with television credits. She contended that acts need to be aimed generally at a 40+ male demographic.
Keith then discussed the work of Comedy School, where comedians go into workplaces to assist the employees of a particular company. For example, he might send a comedian to talk to a group of solicitors about how they might improve their presentation skills. Sue said that her voiceover artists generally need to have some sort of profile and that actors are generally preferred because the job requires different types of direction, although she has been signing more comedians of late.
She confirmed that Sue Terry Voices are prepared to listen to unsolicited audition recordings but that she generally only works with acts who are on Spotlight. Caroline stressed the importance of acts researching the brand and the product involved in specific types of corporate work. The brands should not be in a position to dictate an act's material but acts should always be respectful to the company. Alex observes that acts interested in corporate work should investigate corporate showcases, citing Stephen Grant as a successful act in this regard.
Caroline believes that it's important that someone accompanies an act to a corporate event who will provide evidence to back you up in the case of any potential dispute. Keith agreed, stating that both parties should know what's expected beforehand. Make sure for example that you know how you'll be introduced and what the plan is for the evening.
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