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Comedy Outliers: Step Up Your Networking Game!

Comedy >

254162-250Today we feature another guest post from Brandon Collins and Mike Brown of Comedy Outliers. Brandon and Mike offer great advice to comedians, or performers in general, on how to survive and thrive in today’s competitive artistic climate.

The Comedy Outliers have a show coming up TONIGHT at Lily O’Brien‘s in New York City. Their shows are free but we highly recommend you pick up tickets so you don’t show up to a full house.

If you’re in New York or headed that way, be sure to check out their show. It’s rare to see comedy of this calibre without a cover charge or drink minimum. That said, if you want them to continue bringing these great shows to the Big Apple, we highly encourage you to support their efforts by hitting the “Donate” button on their website.

So, without further ado, I give you Brandon and Mike of The Comedy Outliers:

We are often commended by fellow comics and show producers on our networking game. That’s a pretty good indicator that we are effective in getting the word out about our “Comedy Outliers” brand. That’s how good planning and understanding each other’s strengths and weaknesses pays off. Mike Brown is out in these streets meeting everyone and their mother telling them about this great monthly showcase he co-runs. Brandon Collins reads everything he can about successful marketing strategies to make sure the brand is reaching the masses. We both also give out hugs to those that come out to support what we are doing. What? Hugs are free. And soft when you use the right kind of fabric softener.

The first networking event we ever attended representing “Comedy Outliers” was a Brown Paper Ticket event. It was this moment that changed our whole mentality of what a little comedy show could be. Speaking to new business owners about their own ventures and then seeing how impressed that were by our concept and execution plans excited us. We realized through the positive responses of these marketing-savvy people meant that we were doing something right. We also learned the benefits of how networking can allow for certain opportunities down the road.

Realizing the opportunities networking could afford us, we created a website, business cards and developed a podcast to share with people we are meeting on a daily basis. Strong networking skills seem to be something that a lot of artists and producers lack. By relying heavy on the marketing basics of reaching out to people individually or on a more personal level rather than just relying on a generic Facebook post or tweet, you can begin to build a strong network of fans and connections that can really benefit you in the future.

Since that first Brown Paper Tickets event, we have attended several networking functions and made great connects to help spread the word about “Comedy Outliers”. YouTube, Yelp, and other successful businesses are just the beginning of a wide array of contacts we have made over the past year and a half. It also doesn’t hurt that we are immensely proud of what we are building. Having that pride and confidence helps us from feeling embarrassed or rude for speaking enthusiastically to people about “Outliers” whenever the opportunity arises. A few months ago, we wrote a blog that discussed the importance of branding. What good is developing a successful brand if no one knows about it? That’s where networking comes in. It’s the best first lesson we learned since we started this show.