For What I'm Worth

Mar 20, 2017

Money.jpg

For What I'm Worth. Why Professional Entertainers Charge What They Do.

Pablo Picasso was once asked, "Why are you charging so much for that little painting?" Picasso replied, "I'm not charging for the painting, I'm charging for all the time and effort it took me to learn to make that little painting."

Something's happening here. I wish to make it clear. I occasionally  get asked why I charge $xxx and up for a 1/2 hour stand-up comedy and $xxxx and up for an hour and a half comedy/hypnosis show.

I mean, really? $xxx for 30 minutes of telling jokes

Nope. $xxx for 30 years of learning how to write and tell 30 minutes of jokes. And learning how to relate to most audiences, and learning how to write custom material for almost any group. And for learning how to do material that's funny and (for corporate and association audiences) non-offensive. And for getting on stage thousands of times, whether we feel like it or not. (Entertainers rarely get sick days and they never get a paid vacation.)

These things go for not only my stand-up comedian show, but also for my hypnotist show. And then add the learning to hypnotize, the safety aspects of a stage hypnosis show, producing the show (music, bits and so on) and for knowing how to stage the show for the audience's best experience.

And for doing something that most people are deathly afraid of doing: Speaking in front of people!

That's why we charge the fees we do. We're willing (and stupid enough) to do something that scares the pants off most people. (I think that's where "imagine your audience in their underwear" came from.)

Telling of jokes and making people laugh are skills that one is not only born with, but are honed and learned and improved upon over time and experience and learning from mistakes. (There's no real "Comedy College.")

So next time you get sticker shock from what an entertainer is charging, remember what he or she does (public speaking) and what they've done to get where they are.

Taking a risk on an inexperienced and/or inexpensive entertainer is something that can damage your reputation for a long time..

Are you willing to take that risk? Or will you do the brainy thing and (to borrow a word from politics) vet your entertainers and pay them what they (and your reputation) are worth? 



Category:

Please add your bio info through your member profile page, or through your dashboard.


Please add a comment

Posted by Alan Sands on
Yup - no retirement benefits, no health benefits, no supplements for travel or per diem, no costume or dry cleaning reimbursements, no development or experimentation supplements, and when the season is dry - no weekly paycheck to get you through the slow times .. that can last for up to three months.
Advertising costs - web site, printing, attending conventions and trade shows, further education in your field or allied fields and the list goes on and on...

I feel you, Rusty.
Leave a Reply



(Your email will not be publicly displayed.)


Captcha Code

Click the image to see another captcha.