How to Get Booked on a Variety Show

After last week’s post, a few people asked how, exactly, to get booked on a variety show. This is my best attempt to answer the question.

To be honest, most of my advice has to do with what do to once you’re already booked. But I’m going to outline my process below.

The general answer, unfortunately, is frustratingly simple—after you get booked on one, you need to crush that show, and word of mouth will do the rest. Basically, you’re trying to get in a situation where bookers reach out to you. But in order to do that, you need to get the ball rolling by reaching out to them.

Here are the details:

Before You Reach Out

1. You might not even know what variety shows exist in your city, because shows of the scale I’m talking about are often monthly or quarterly, and advertised quite poorly. This is where having a friend who’s been in the scene longer than you can really help. Never be afraid to ask advice from someone who knows more than you do.

2. Give the booker something to look at. Ideally, this is an Instagram profile that gives them a good idea of who you are. I’ve booked most of my spots through Instagram DM, and while I don’t have a lot of viral videos, my Instagram is clean, professional, and updated regularly.

3. If you don’t have a good social media handle (again, good does not mean a lot of followers. I am referring to quality), you need a short video (5 minutes or less), that a booker can check out. Send that video in your pitch.

4. Go to the show: This is a big one, and it will make you stand out. Everyone wants stage time. Few people are willing to put their butt in a seat and pay money to support other artists. Go to the show, introduce yourself to the producer afterward, maybe even do a trick if the situation is right. Do that correctly, and you might get booked on the spot.

5. Furthermore, be patient: Give the booker the idea of booking you. Subtly imply that you do spots. It is 10x smarter to do a trick for the booker and say “I did a variety show like this a few weeks ago and this is the trick I did,” than to say “could you please book me for the show?” The best ideas are the ones we come up with ourselves! Let it be the booker’s idea.

Reaching Out

It’s pretty funny how many people want to get booked on a show, but they don’t do the work. They just expect someone to contact them out of the blue. Like most things, there is no special secret to this. You kind of just…reach out. So, if you’re ready to take the step, here’s what you can do (again, I’m assuming you’re using Instagram DM here):

1. Find some mutual connection that gives you a justification to contact this particular show. It is, unfortunately, a bit like college applications, where you need to invent specificity. “I want to go to Michigan because…I’ve always heard Ann Arbor is great!” Which is why, whether you like it or not, knowing people works. “My friend x who I believe you also know told me to reach out and said that we might be a great fit!”

2. People are, quite simply, far more likely to book people that they already trust. We often get DMs from comedians who want to do Stand-Up Magic, and we rarely book them. It’s not because we don’t want to be nice, it’s that they rarely give us a good reason to do it. We only have space for one comedian per show. We’re not going to risk it on a completely random person.

3. Be willing to follow up. You need to balance this with not being annoying. But following up once or twice, respectfully and politely, won’t hurt you.

You’re Booked!

1. Do the booker a favor and promote the show. This is beyond easy. If it’s a variety lineup show, the producer will likely tag you on Instagram. Repost it! The producer will see that you’re promoting their show, and I promise that they’ll be grateful for it.

2. What’s more, find a few friends and get them to come to the show. When the producer sees that you were capable of putting butts in seats, they’ll like you even more.

Before, During, and After the Show

Now to my favorite part! This is where you can really shine and separate yourself from other performers. It might take a while to get that first gig. But the momentum will grow if you do a great job in person.

Before and During:

1. Get there early. Comics will typically show up right before or even during a show, because they’re doing other sets, and they have nothing to set up. Getting there even 20 minutes early gives you a ton of face-time with the producer of the show. When you get there early, ask them about themselves. How long have they been producing for? What have their challenges been? Is there anything you can do to help? The shows I’m referring to are very small, and the producers are often setting up chairs. Help them set up chairs. Don’t expect anything in return, just do it because it’s kind.

2. Likewise, I will sometimes do a “warmup” trick. If I notice people just standing around, I’ll ask them if they want to see something quickly. This establishes credibility, and gets people excited to watch me later.

3. Be easy to work with—you need to be able to perform at a handheld mic. You need to be able to walk on stage with all of your props (I’ve definitely stashed some stuff to the side, but you need to be prepared). The worst thing is dealing with someone who has a lot of weird requests, which is unfortunately common with magic. Do whatever material you want, but make sure you have your shit together. Be as easy for the booker as you possibly can.

4. Stay. On. Time. I can’t emphasize this enough. Going over your allotted time is disrespectful to the producer, the other performers, and the audience. It’s also lazy, because it shows that you didn’t do the work to time your set. You are not too good for the show. Do your time and leave them wanting more.

5. Be undeniable. At the last variety show I did, I didn’t really feel like memorizing people’s names. But right before I had to make the call, I thought, “Screw it. It’s probably gonna go well.” The booker texted me after the show with something along the lines of “I loved the magic, but the fact that you memorized everyone’s names made it feel really special.” Do the hard thing that you know is worth it.

6. As someone who’s produced 100+ shows, I promise you, the booker wants you to do well! It reflects positively on them if you do.

After the Show

1. First of all, stay. After the show is where all the connections are made. You can:

2. Meet fellow performers and follow them on Instagram. Don’t fish for the follow. Be proactive about helping them.

3. Do closeup magic. Definitely don’t overstay your welcome. But 1-2 tricks for the right people can go a really long way.

4. Give the producer a hand-written thank you note. This, quite simply, cannot hurt you. Ever. The worst case scenario is a neutral reaction. And from experience, it will be a positively strong reaction.

The Cheat Code

You aren’t going to like this, and you probably won’t do this, but this is my true cheat code: I produce a show (Stand-Up Magic) that allows me to circumvent every major problem to getting booked.

Producing a show turns me from a taker to a giver. I am no longer begging for stage time. I’m comping people to my show. My DM can now say “Hey, I saw you produce this show, and I really respect your work. I went to the show last month with my friends and we loved it. I produce Stand-Up Magic, and I’d love to invite you to come for free with a friend!” Do you know how great it feels to get that message? Yes, it requires you to play the long game. No, you might not get booked for six months. But quick fixes, in any industry, are artificial.

Giving people free tickets to my show is a) a nice thing to do and b) let’s them see me live with no risk. If they like me, great! They’ll probably book me. If they don’t, that’s ok too.

I’m fully aware that producing your own show isn’t easy or practical. But if you’re serious about doing public shows, you need to be serious about how you get them. I certainly wouldn’t produce a public show just to get spots. But it’s an added benefit.

In Conclusion

I don’t want to over-inflate myself. I probably do these shows about once a month. But they’re fun, fulfilling, and good promotion for Stand-Up Magic. Like I wrote about last week, there’s tons of benefits to low-stakes variety shows.

I also don’t reach out to shows very much anymore. I’m lucky to do Stand-Up Magic anywhere between 2-5 times/month, and have enough private bookings that my calendar is relatively full. But I still do spots whenever someone asks.

The bottom line is: Be nice to people and put others before yourself. If you do that, everything else will fall into place.

Good luck!