It is a question I get asked from time to time. I mean other agencies have comedians videos on the site. The site is new…shouldn’t Side Splitting Productions have videos?
Perhaps. It was a conscious decision made by Side Splitting Productions not to have videos on the site. To be completely honest, videos and television do not do stand up comedy justice. When live standup comey is done correctly it is quite magical how one person with nothing but spoken word can get a room of hundreds of strangers to all move as one and experience something as a group yet individually. Live comedy is in the moment. Even when it is scripted if it is done properly it should seem unscripted. Video just can’t capture that very well.
“But I want to see who I am hiring.” That is completely valid. However, very often SSP is contacted to book comedians for private parties or corporate events. Most comedians have their tape from comedy clubs. A comedy club show is much different then a show for your Church or your Uncle’s birthday party. A comedy club often does not have restrictions on language and content and people know they are there to see live comedy. They are most likely fans of the art form. At your private event there is a good chance that people do not even know a comedian will be performing. Many people may have never been to a club and do not know what to expect. There could be small children in attendance. The point is the performance you see in a video might be quite different then the performance you would get by the same performer at your event. Performing in a comedy club is much simpler for the performer then performing in front of a very specialized audience.
Also, very often these video clips are 5 minutes or so. You want the comedian to perform for thirty minutes. A comedian who is great for five is not always great for thirty minutes. Those other 25 minutes could be very painful for your guests.
Our philosophy is we ask you exactly what you are looking for in a performer. We ask you all sorts of questions about the event, the guests, the expectations, and the limitations. After that, it is our job to get you the best comedian for your specific event within your budget. Quite honestly, SSP could really avoid all risk and just let people choose from videos and then if it did not work out we could just say well you chose him/her. To us that is just lazy on our part and leaves too much to chance for your special event. Let’s be honest, in the world of the internet you can just do a search and find thousands of comedian’s videos. Unfortunately, you will have to base your decision almost entirely on that video clip.
Side Splitting Productions earns its money by filling in the blanks. Going past a five minute clip and determing who will work best for your event. Is the ability to work clean or dirty important? Do you need specific ethnic material? Do you like a lot of improvisational comedy? Do you want a roast?
We would rather assume more risk because we feel our chances for your satisfaction are greatly increased if we give you our knowledge about what you might want and who might fit that bill.