Who's a Standup Comedian?
Want to be the next Kaneez Surkha, Kanan Gill, Vir Das, or Lilly Singh? Do you have it in you to have people in splits, laughing until they can barely breathe? Do you think you can woo an audience with your punchlines and funny jibes? If so, consider a career in stand-up comedy.
As a stand-up comedian, you would try to put a humorous spin to everything you do and say. Whether you are talking about the current political landscape of the country or about the typical Indian family, everything you do and say will have to have a major humour factor. You could perform at comedy clubs, bars, college events, theatres, or just about anywhere you want! Depending on your interests, you could do observational, satirical, anecdotal comedy, etc.
What will you do?
Where will you work?
How do you get there?
What skills would you need?
Adaptability
If you have adaptability as a skill, you can easily adjust to new situations, roles, or challenges without losing focus or productivity. You’re able to embrace change, whether it’s a new technology, a shift in team dynamics, or a sudden project requirement. This skill allows you to remain composed during transitions, learn quickly in evolving environments, and stay effective when facing unexpected problems or shifting priorities.
Communication Skills
Communication skills are the ability to clearly express ideas, information, and feelings, both verbally and in writing, so others can easily understand. This includes listening effectively, using the right tone, and being aware of non-verbal cues like body language. These skills help you explain your thoughts clearly, build relationships, and work better in teams. Good communication is important in almost every job, from customer service to leadership roles, because it ensures that tasks are understood and done correctly, and it helps prevent misunderstandings. build this skillCreative Skills
Creative skills involve the ability to think outside the box, generate new ideas, and find innovative solutions to problems. These skills include imagination, design thinking, artistic abilities, and the capacity to develop fresh concepts or approaches in different fields, from writing and art to problem-solving in business. Creative skills help you come up with original ideas, improve processes, and develop unique solutions in the workplace. In roles like marketing, design, or product development, creativity is essential for staying competitive and bringing new perspectives to projects or challenges. build this skill
Time Management
Time management refers to the ability to plan and organise how much time you spend on specific activities. Good time management enables individuals to work smarter rather than harder, helping them prioritise tasks, set goals, and allocate time efficiently. It includes skills such as prioritisation, scheduling, and setting deadlines, allowing individuals to maximise productivity and reduce stress. This skill is especially valuable in fast-paced environments, where the ability to adapt and adjust priorities can significantly impact performance.
Analytical and Data Skills
Analytical and data skills involve the ability to evaluate information, interpret data, and draw insights to solve problems or make informed decisions. These skills require critical thinking, logical reasoning, and proficiency in working with data sets, often using tools like Excel, SQL, or statistical software. This skill set helps you break down complex problems, identify patterns, and make data-driven decisions. In the workplace, strong analytical and data skills allow you to provide insights that guide strategies, optimise processes, and drive innovation. They are essential for roles involving research, business analysis, marketing, finance, and operations. build this skill
Attention to Detail
Attention to detail means being careful and noticing small things that others might miss. It involves checking your work carefully for mistakes, following instructions exactly, and making sure everything is done correctly. This skill helps you do accurate work and avoid errors. In jobs, attention to detail is important for tasks like writing reports, managing data, or following safety rules. build this skillHow do you make it to the top ranks?
Amateur Comedian
At this stage, you can perform at open mics and cafes or bars and restaurants that are looking for talent. You may not be paid at this stage, although you could get paid if you are well-received. You could also work with drama groups or assist playwrights with dialogue. If your work is noticed, you could work as a filler for a professional comedian.
Professional Comedian
Once you get the hang of performing, you could be hired by events companies to work for them. You could also work on scripts for plays, movies, or radio. You could work at a radio or TV station where you could get your own segment or perform with someone else.
Expert Comedian
You are now well-known, at least in your land. You could book venues and hold shows that you can charge for. You can also get your own TV show or radio gig. You can start your own YouTube Channel or work with streaming platforms. You can still continue to do gigs and events from time to time as part of your trial shows.
Pursuing your career locally VS abroad
If you plan to become a standup comedian in India, then there is no such specific educational course that you need to take up. You can instead watch comedy shows online, join stand up comedy workshops or attend open mic events to improve your comedy skills. You can also join an acting school that will help you improve your performance skills. Top acting schools include Chennai Film School, National School of Drama, Whistling Woods International and others. The duration and the fee of the course may vary from institute to institute. Joining an acting school will help you improve your acting techniques, body movements, voice modulation and communication skills. You can pursue a course in acting at a fee of INR 50,000 – INR 5,00,000 depending on the institute and the duration of the course. If you don’t wish to join an acting school, then you can pursue a course in stand up comedy online.
Pursuing a career in stand up comedy overseas is difficult unless you have exceptional skills. You can establish a place for yourself in the global market by enthralling the audience on a global scale by posting videos on social media platforms or collaborating with international comedy clubs and events. There are a lot of schools and comedy clubs abroad that conduct workshops or courses to help amateur artists improve their comic skills. You can be a part of schools like Gaiety School of Acting, Dubomedy and others to develop your authentic and unique stand up routine. You can also pursue an acting course from top acting institutes abroad like Tisch School of Arts, Oxford School of Drama, Yale School of Drama and others. Pursuing a course in acting abroad gives you an opportunity to reach out to a global audience that further helps you network with people from different countries. The fee for an acting course abroad may vary depending on the institute and the duration of the course. It can range anywhere between INR 5,00,000 – INR 30,00,000.
How much would you get paid?
As a comedian, the monthly income you earn would largely depend on your popularity. You can make lakhs of rupees per month simply on the basis of your popularity.
What are your career options?
Talk shows
As a talk show host, you would have your own show on TV, a streaming platform or on radio wherein you will invite people from various industries to share their life stories and experiences. You will talk to the guests and ensure to entertain the audience while doing so. To host a talk show, you should have the ability to catch the attention of the audience easily and ensure the script is high on entertainment to increase the number of viewers.
Acting
Actors play a character in a film, television, radio or theatre production. You should have the ability to convince the audience that your character is real and should be able to engage and draw them into the story. You can further specialise in genres such as comedy, romance, horror and others. Vir Das is a classic example of someone who started out as an actor and then gained popularity as a comedian.
Scriptwriting
As the name suggests, you will write scripts for movies, TV dramas, radio plays, TV commercials or web series. You would be responsible for creating different characters, crafting dialogues, writing engaging plotlines, etc. Every scene in a movie, TV drama or a TV commercial would be a piece of your creative work.
Influencing
As an influencer, you can use your high popularity on social media to influence people’s buying decisions. You would generally specialise in a particular niche and collaborate with various brands to promote their products and services across different social media platforms. In short, you would help a brand achieve its marketing objectives.
Journalism
You could be employed with a newspaper, magazine or a news agency to cover stories and report them to people. You can specialise in any beat – politics, sports, entrainment or even crime, depending on your area of interest. Your job would involve doing extensive research and travelling frequently to interview people and cover breaking news stories. Eventually, you can start writing your own columns where you will be given more creative freedom.
Actors with good comic timing and if you are a good performer then you are likely to get a chance to work in the entertainment industry.
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