Clean, smart comedy for corporate events and conferences

How long a corporate comedian will perform for is mostly up to you. Comedians generally recommend no longer than a half-hour for a corporate event. Your attendees have probably already spent most of the day sitting around listening to other people talk. Twenty minutes can be fine. I (Shaun Eli) can do well over 90 minutes if it's appropriate. It rarely is.

Your attendees have probably been sitting and listening to serious presentations all day. They need comic relief. Even serious movies have at least a joke or two to lighten the tension. Studies have shown that laughter improves retention- people remember more when they've laughed. They will also have more positive memories of your event. And laughter is a common bond that will improve employee morale. (Read specific scientific studies proving health and business benefits of humor)

Towards the end- after dinner is best. It's not great to have people eating and concentrating on food when they're listening to a comedian. There's no pause-and-rewind at a live show. Whether it's before or after your speeches/awards presentation is up to you. Different comedians have different preferences.

I can write custom jokes for your group for my stand-up comedy performance. Expect to pay extra for that, as writing jokes takes time. Especially jokes I can't test out and hone over several comedy club performances. But you don't need custom comedy. If the comic can make a joke or two about your industry at the beginning, and maybe one more reference towards the end, the audience will leave thinking "Wow, that was all about us!"

There are a lot of variables that go into pricing a corporate comedy performance. More famous comedians are more expensive- and that level of fame might be important to you. But it doesn't necessarily mean a better performance. There are a lot of super-hilarious comedians you've never heard of. Other variables that affect cost include the night of the week (weekends are generally more expensive), how many attendees are expected, how far the comedian has to travel and whether it's a for-profit or charity event. So- the best way to find out is to ask! Shaun Eli is very happy to quote prices via email or over the phone, after asking just a few quick questions about your event (where, when, for whom, approximately how many).

I sure hope not. You should absolutely, positively have a conversation about what you think is inappropriate before hiring a comedian for a corporate or charity event. I'm a clean comedian. I think comedians should know their audience. But what a non-clean comedian will probably say is, you hire me, you get me. You should know who I am. I disagree with that, and if there's a disappointment there's fault on both sides. Avoid all that by discussing it in advance.

A corporate imposter is someone introduced as a leading expert on something related to the company. But they don't actually make sense. As they continue to get more and more ridiculous the audience is confused until they realize they're being put on. I don't like this. To me it's basically one long joke that's making fun of the audience. I've been offered a bunch of money to do this and I've always turned it down.

Absolutely a sound system. Even for a small group the microphone gives us a level of authority. A hand-held mic is best. Not one stuck to a lectern. A lavalier mic (the kind clipped to clothing) is not a great idea. We've all heard stories of someone who went to the bathroom and forgot to turn off their mic. Ideally also stage lighting and an elevated stage. I, Shaun Eli, don't need any AV setup- it's just me talking.

Most good comedians are experienced at emceeing events, from corporate conferences to charity fund-raising nights to awards banquets. Ask. I am. I emcee a lot of comedy shows and other events including cororate events.

There are several ways to categorize comedians: clean/not clean, political/non-political. Impressionists. Musical acts. High energy/low energy. Physical comedians. One-liner comedians. Story-tellers. Observational comedians. My act is a combination of stories and short one-liner type jokes, plus some observational comedy.

I don't do political comedy unless there's a specific reason to. I quickly learned that doing political material will turn off at least a third of the audience, and there's really no reason for that. Of course if you're hiring me specifically for a political event that's a different story. I've written jokes for political candidates, and I've written jokes for a political website (one that was very different from my own beliefs). I've also written political and non-political jokes for three late-night talk show hosts. But unless there's a specific reason to, I do not get political on stage.

The difference between a regular stand-up comedian and a corporate comedian? A regular stand-up comedian may or may not be appropriate for a corporate event. A corporate comedian needs to be clean and have a corporate-friendly act. For example, a comedian might be clean but his or her entire act might be about himself/herself, and might be entirely self-deprecating. That might go over well in a comedy club or even in a theatre, but it could make some corporate audiences uncomfortable.

To find a clean comedian for a company or industry event, Shaun Eli's website www.BrainChampagne.com has a ton of tips on how to hire a comedian.

To choose an entertainer for a conference, look at their videos, their testimonials and absolutely ask them as many questions as you want. I think you want to work with someone who cares enough about you and your event to spend time talking to you. FYI I don't really trust testimonials that don't give you the person's full name, company and title. If the testimonial just says "Joe G, Seattle, WA" why aren't you getting their full name? Plenty of times I've asked for a testimonial after a great show but have been told it's against corporate policy. You know what I do? I have plenty of other testimonials.

Whether it's worth hiring a comedian for your sales kickoff, holiday party, or awards dinner depends on one thing: do you want your event to be fun? Elsewhere on this page there is a ton of information about why you should have a comedian at your event. Including a list of scientific studies about how making something fun helps people remember.

To know if a comedian will be appropriate for a corporate event, watch their videos, ask lots of questions, read their testimonials. And again, I don't really trust testimonials that don't give you the person's full name, company and title. If the testimonial just says "Joe G, Seattle, WA" why aren't you getting their full name? Plenty of times I've asked for a testimonial after a great show but have been told it's against corporate policy. You know what I do? I have plenty of other testimonials.

I don't have a specific list of recommended questions but I suggest you ask whatever you can think of.

If you're within driving distance of NYC or Los Angeles, you have a great selection of local comedians. Otherwise, well, most of us live in those two areas. I strongly suggest you get someone with more than a decade of experience, and who has done corporate events before. And someone who does this full-time.

I sure hope that doesn't happen. It shouldn't. A skilled corporate comedian reads the room and adjusts. Worst case, a section gets quieter laughs. Not a catastrophe. That's very different from an inexperienced comedian misjudging an audience entirely.

Comedians are generally much harsher critics of ourselves than audiences are. For example, if a joke normally gets five seconds of strong laughter every twenty seconds, but one night it gets three seconds of moderate laughter, we're disappointed in ourselves. But the audience? Obviously they enjoyed the joke. They were laughing! They don't know that we're used to bigger laughs. They just know they saw a comedian and enjoyed the show.

Sometimes with a new comic, the opposite is true. They come off stage at a comedy club's new talent night after getting sparse laughter, like 50% of the audience laughing a little at most of their jokes, and announce that they crushed. The only thing they crushed was the chance that I'd ever want to book them.

I did a show for a Jewish Community Center the same day as a shooting at a nearby synagogue (only the shooter was killed). We were all very worried about how it would go, but it went really well. People needed to laugh. And no, I didn't mention the horrible tragedy, because I wanted people to focus on laughing. A good comedian should be able to figure out, if the audience isn't responding to the first few jokes, why that is, and fix it. It's possible the audience just isn't listening. I'm not particular about my introduction; I just want it very short. But I do give specific instructions that the audience must be quieted down before I'm introduced. Because if they're talking through the introduction then they won't shut up for the performance. I discuss how we can make that work right. But not every comedian knows how to do this.

As far as offending someone, anyone can be triggered by anything. A joke about McDonald's could upset someone who got food poisoning, or someone who had a horrible experience working there. But I try very hard to ensure that there's little in my act that would offend someone, absent these sorts of specific circumstances. There are topics I avoid just because they could upset even a few people.

When I was a new comic I had a joke about having a mentally handicapped friend. The joke didn't make fun of her handicap. Quite the opposite- it was that she was happy because she could have eggs for breakfast whenever she wanted them, whereas we worried about all sorts of stuff, from unemployment to actually having to pay for eggs. Someone in the audience told me that Down syndrome is common enough that in an audience of a hundred people, a couple of people will have a relative with it.

I no longer tell that joke.

And no joke lasts forever. There's just about always another one following it.

I think so. Most comedians start in their early twenties. I didn't start until more than a decade later.

Starting later gave me something a lot of younger comics didn't have yet: sufficient wisdom. When you're twenty-two and get some laughs at a new talent night, it's easy to think that you already know what you're doing. You don't yet have the wisdom to judge yourself against other people's real skill levels. When you start in your thirties or later, you've already spent years in a career, being evaluated, being called out on your mistakes. That makes it a lot easier to honestly assess your own performance instead of just assuming good laughs mean you're a comedy genius.

I say that you have to get better to realize how good you're not. Most comics continue to get better, but probably most of us are only as funny as we thought we were five years ago.

Yes, I record most of my shows, video or at least audio. Perception's a weird thing. In 2003, cell phones didn't have video cameras. I was already employed for over a decade so I could afford a video camera to see how I was actually doing.

When I was just starting out I told a joke about my father. My friend, who was in the audience, later commented that the joke didn't do well because it was a mean joke and I am not a mean comic. But when I watched the video, I saw both that the joke did just fine and that it didn't come across as mean. But my childhood friend knew my father, so even though the joke wasn't mean (and my dad loved the joke), he didn't like it.

The video camera comes in handy. A few years ago at a theatre I told a joke about an ex-girlfriend. It had always done well, except this time. I watched the video. When I told the joke, I looked angry. Now I make sure I'm smiling when I tell the joke.

I'm a good comedian for a corporate conference because I have 20+ years of corporate work experience plus a Wharton education. You can find a lot of information on how to hire a comedian on the web page www.BrainChampagne.com/how-to-hire-a-comedian

For a comedian to close out a multi-day conference: single day or multi-day doesn't really matter. You want a comedian who has experience performing for corporate groups. Someone like me, Shaun Eli.

A comedian is a fabulous way to end a conference. Your attendees will leave laughing, will be talking about the event fondly for days, weeks or months, and they'll want to come back to the next one.

A comedian can be appropriate for a hospital gala, but it depends on the comedian. If it's someone experienced with corporate and charity events, then yes. I'm an experienced performer when it comes to corporate and charity events.

A corporate comedian can be sensitive to illness-related humor for a healthcare event. Just make sure to discuss any guidelines, ground rules or concerns you might have, before you book the comedian. As both a person and entertainer I'm sensitive to illness-related humor.

Shaun Eli is a good comedian for a comedian for a nurses week or doctor appreciation event. I have a story about taking a nursing course in college, and I have doctor jokes.

Stand-up comedy is great for a medical conference. After spending a day on serious medical issues, won't your attendees welcome laughter?

My material is clean/family-friendly. Not edgy. I'd say it's clean and clever, corporate-friendly and written for a corporate audience.

I can tailor jokes to your industry or company, but you really don't need a lot of that. And frankly, after sitting all day through a conference that's all about your company and industry, your audience probably wants to hear someone talk about something else. I don't make fun of people in the room- that's probably not want you want. Your CEO may be smart enough and thick-skinned enough to not let it show, but most people really don't want to be made fun of. Oh, and with my business background I may know more about your industry and company than you realize. I might even read your annual report to learn more.

Mostly it's material written in advance and honed over dozens or hundreds or thousands of shows. But depending on circumstances and the layout of the room, there may be some crowd work.

I specifically do avoid those sorts of topics. That said, I may, depending on circumstances, talk about my own religion, but not in a rude way and certainly not in a way that perpetuates bad stereotypes. I very much dislike comics who do that.

As is the industry norm, I ask for a 50% deposit. I'm very flexible with rescheduling, and I am reasonable and sensitive when it comes to a client who needs to cancel.

That's complicated because, though I like to record my sets, doing it at a corporate event can be awkward. I think that if you review the videos I make available, many of which are from charity events and theatre shows, you will be comfortable with my style. I have a ton of content online.

I don't generally carry liability insurance, because I'm just a guy standing on a box talking into a stick. I'm not a band with complicated equipment and obviously no pyrotechnics. If for some reason you do need insurance, we can work that out. Often you can add me to your policy for the event, or I can buy insurance. On the rare occasions when I've been asked for insurance I've either bought a policy (for example Armed Forces Entertainment requires it for their tours, but they pay for it) or I've been added to the venue's policy.

I really don't want to make jokes that make fun of your company or executives. But I can, and have, run jokes by someone beforehand. I have a joke that talks about a Hindu girlfriend. To be clear, it doesn't make fun of her religion. If anything it makes fun of people who are NOT Hindu. I showed up at an event and, judging by the appearance of the people in the room, there were probably a lot of Hindus there. I said to the guy who'd hired me (the head of the company) I guess I'm not doing my Hindu joke. He insisted I tell him the joke, he LOVED it, so I told it. And yes, the rest of the audience did too.

Typically three months out is good, but I've booked events two years in advance and I've booked shows the day before the event, says corporate comedian Shaun Eli. Your best bet is to contact the comedian as soon as you are thinking about having comedy at the event. You won't be signing a contract until you have the date, price and other terms set, but this will give you an idea of the comedian's time frame and you could ask the comic to hold the date while you firm up the details. That said, if you have an urgent rush for a comedian, reach out. Plenty of us are available at a few hours' notice if we're available.

It really depends on when, where, for whom and how many. If you give me that information I can give you a quote pretty quickly, although if it involves travel I'd need to look into airfare. I prefer to give you an all-in quote that includes my travel expenses, so there are no surprises. Yes, this passes some risk onto me, but it does make it easier for you.

Corporate comedian Shaun Eli says "I check my email a zillion times a day. If I'm traveling overseas and there's a big time difference, it might not be the same day. Usually it's within hours, and sometimes five minutes."

When I started in comedy someone told me that a comedian should dress at least as well as the audience. I agree. If the audience is in suits then a guy showing up in torn jeans and sneakers looks out of place.

I generally wear a dress shirt, sports jacket and dark jeans. That's usually enough to blend in, but if you are all wearing suits and ties (or the female equivalent) and you think I should too, you should tell me that in advance. I own more than enough clothing. And here's something I discovered from working in comedy clubs, something that most comedians haven't figured out: If a comedian dresses even a little bit better than the other comedians, even boots, a polo shirt and nice jeans vs. sneakers, a t-shirt and lighter-colored jeans, he gets heckled/interrupted/talked back to much, much less frequently (I say 'he' in this case because I haven't done the research to see if this is true for women too, but few female comics dress sloppily on stage).

My thought on this is that it's very rarely a good idea. You may think your CEO is a good sport but very few people like being made fun of. If the CEO wants to appear approachable then he should be self-deprecating. Don't hire someone to make fun of him. (I say he/him because studies have shown that male bosses who are self-deprecating are seen as more approachable, but female bosses who are self-deprecating are sometimes seen as weak. And please don't shoot the messenger.)

Says comedian Shaun Eli: I can and do perform virtually and I'm quite good at it. During the pandemic I did a lot of virtual events for corporations and charities, and I got quite good at it. It requires changes from an in-person performance. I figured out what they were, and adapted my performance accordingly. Some comics, maybe most comics, don't like virtual events. I enjoy them.

You're already on my website! Email Shaun at BrainChampagne.com, or text or call (914) 487-3866 (call after 10 AM NY time).