- Are you at least 21
years of age?
- Were you NOT in last
year's competition?
NOTE: Being eligible is one thing.
Being "ready" is quite another. Don't look at the five minute
sets required in the first round of the competition and think "Oh, I could
manage that..." That's really not the point. You should really
be comfortable working as a professional feature level comedian with the
ability to be a headliner/show closer...or on the verge of doing so. If
you feel you'd be stretching yourself far beyond your capabilities to get to
that point, there's nothing wrong with concentrating your efforts on being
truly ready for competition NEXT year.
With that obligatory warning complete, are you still interested in applying for this year? Wonderful! Then, by all means, read on.
2) Is it time to apply?
With that obligatory warning complete, are you still interested in applying for this year? Wonderful! Then, by all means, read on.
2) Is it time to apply?
- The application
process runs from May 1st through August 15th.
- Applications received
after August 15th risk not receiving full consideration,
depending on how far along we are with the roster selection process when
we do receive such a late application.
NOTE: We want to get the best
possible competition roster. While we're not going to automatically
reject an application that gets to us before our start date, and, unless we've
picked our entire roster, we're unlikely to outright reject a top quality
application just because we've received it after August 15tht—you
should know that we do the majority of our roster consideration starting in
July and it really heats up in August.
Obviously, as decisions are made, the number of available roster spots
will get smaller—so, there’s no point in waiting until it's too late.
And, if it's getting close to the deadline...or if that deadline has already
past…perhaps you should consider making a better impression, by being better
prepared, for NEXT year.
3) What do I need to include in my application?
3) What do I need to include in my application?
- Basic
information: Your name, your age, your location, your phone number
and your email address
- Brief biography
describing your comedy experience
- Video of you
performing comedy
NOTE: Your brief biography shouldn't
just be your promotional boilerplate. There's no point in including stuff
like "This comedian always leaves 'em laughing" that often pads
out many working comedians' bios. What we're interested in are things
like how long you've been performing comedy, what are your major comedy career
milestones...things like that. If you have recommendations or references,
they are optional but you can certainly include them for our benefit--as long
as they know that you've included them in your application…because, we may
contact them to discuss your candidacy.
As far as your video goes, we’ll take whatever you send us…send us what shows us you doing what you do best. Obviously, it helps if we can see and hear you clearly. We recommend clips that are approximately ten minutes long, unedited, of you performing stand-up comedy for an audience. That’s what we recommend…but the key is to let us see what you do, as your video represents you when we compare you to other applicants.
As far as your video goes, we’ll take whatever you send us…send us what shows us you doing what you do best. Obviously, it helps if we can see and hear you clearly. We recommend clips that are approximately ten minutes long, unedited, of you performing stand-up comedy for an audience. That’s what we recommend…but the key is to let us see what you do, as your video represents you when we compare you to other applicants.
As to why we recommend unedited ten-minute long videos: Videos shorter than five minutes don't show
us what you could actually do in the competition. Videos showing us your
entire two hour long theater headline set...well, the chances of us actually
watching ALL of your lengthy video would be slim...so, hopefully you opened strong. Videos that are an edited montage of snippets
of various performances make it hard for us to clearly see how you actually
perform.
4) How do I get my application to you?
- The quickest and
easiest way would be to apply by email.
Include the link to an online hosted video. Send your
application directly to pgreyy@gmail.com
- Or, you can choose to
apply by mail, sending us your video on DVD or VHS. Mail to Peter
Greyy 2816 NW64th St. Seattle, WA 98107
NOTE: Please make it clear that this is
your application to the San Francisco Comedy Competition. It should say
"Application for the San Francisco Comedy Competition" in the
title/subject line of your email or on your envelope if you're applying via
mail.
5) Can I audition in person, instead of applying with a video?
5) Can I audition in person, instead of applying with a video?
- At this time, there
are no San Francisco-based showcases scheduled. This may change. If San Francisco-based showcases are
scheduled, participation will be by invitation only and will be limited to
San Francisco-area performers.
- If you are a San
Francisco-based performer and would be interested in being considered for
an invitation to such a showcase, if and when they are scheduled, please
email me at pgreyy@gmail.com and put
"Interested in San Francisco Competition Showcase" in the
subject line.
- However, it is
recommended that you should apply with a video…just to be certain that
your candidacy is considered.
6) Other Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an application fee?
Not at this time, but in the future, there may be. (Personally, I’m against entry fees…but they
are becoming more and more common in our industry.)
-
Why do you need to be 21 years of age?
Some shows are held in casinos that deny entry to those under 21, even
performers.
-
What are my chances of being selected?
Generally, thirty-two comedians will compete in the competition.
We expect to received applications from over 600 comedians from around the
world this year.
-
When will I know if I've been selected or rejected?
That’s a very good question. The
roster selection discussions go on throughout the process. Some will receive invitations before the
application period has ended, but most of our applicants will still be part of
the roster consideration discussions that will happen after the application
deadline has passed. Obviously, we need
to have our roster decisions completed before the competition actually starts (the
second week of September.) I make it a
point to let every applicant know what their status is as soon as I can (when
final roster decisions are approved by the Executive Producer) as I know that
holding an entire month open is a hardship for any working comedian (as I am a
comedian myself.)
-
What if I have other questions that aren't answered here?
Feel free to email Director of Talent, Peter Greyy (pgreyy@gmail.com)
with any questions you may have. I’ll do
my best to get answers back to you as quickly as possible.
Best of luck to everyone considering applying for this year's event!
(The 37th Annual San Francisco Comedy Competition will run from September
to early October 2012. The competition takes place in venues in Northern
California--and more details about the specifics of this year's event will be
posted at a later date.)
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