Wednesday, February 2
Comedy-Live Entertainment’s Best Kept “Secret”
Moderator: Geof Wills, Bill Graham Presents
Rick Greenstein, The Gersh Agency
J.P. Williams, Parallel Entertainment
Nick Nuciforo, Agency for the Performing Arts
Ron DeBlasio, Ron DeBlasio Management
Stacy Mark, William Morris Agency
Marcus King, King Entertainment

The comedy business is hardly a “secret” with acts such as Lewis Black, Larry The Cable Guy and George Lopez packing venues. The genre has reclaimed a spot as first-choice entertainment with concert-goers, as it previously had in the 1980s.

The Gersh Agency’s Rick Greenstein talked about the resurgence of comedy.

“The business has grown and become, I think, a multiple of what it’s been in years. When I started doing this ... at any given time, you may have one, two or three acts that were out there doing theatres,” he said, adding that nobody was doing arenas except Eddie Murphy, Andrew Dice Clay and a handful of others.

“But in the last three to five years, you have a tremendous number of artists out there who are touring and doing solid business – anywhere from 2,000- to 4,000-seat theatres – and several going out doing amphitheatres. A handful now are starting to go out and do arenas,” he said.

“Ticket prices have started to increase, although they are still are reasonably priced compared to what music is doing. It’s a big part of why we’ve been able to build this niche; we’re still a phenomenal value for the money.”

Veteran manager Ron DeBlasio, who has worked with stars including Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Freddie Prinze and now George Lopez, added that comics have become more cutting edge as a voice of the times.

“More people get their news from Jay Leno and Letterman than they do from NBC or ABC. It’s a very exciting time,” he said.

DeBlasio had retired following Prinze’s death but Lopez inspired him to get back into the business.
Parallel Entertainment’s J.P. Williams didn’t agree that comedy acts are as successful as they were 20 years ago, but acknowledged the obvious upswing.

“I personally don’t think it’s as good as it was in the ’80s when there were 480 comedy clubs and they were everywhere,” Williams said. “I think you have a handful of people that we’re talking about here that are doing the bulk of the business.

“In music, if you do 2,000 people a night, I don’t think that’s considered big numbers. In comedy, that’s considered big numbers, so there’s the perception of it. It’s a very difficult leap; there’s a lot of club acts.”

The conversation switched to the pros and cons of working with one promoter compared to various promoters, and getting the most money for the artists.

Williams, a former agent, said he prefers finding the person who will do the job right and be consistent, and avoid bidding wars for his artists.

APA’s Nick Nuciforo, on the other hand, said he works with hundreds of promoters.

“We work with every concert promotion company out there,” he said. “There have been a few promoters who have been more aggressive about comedy and artist development, but I don’t think there is a legitimate promoter in this country that I haven’t done comedy shows with.” Williams said that with artists like Lopez, Dave Chappelle or Jerry Seinfeld, “my four-year-old son can promote them,” but taking an up-and-coming act to the next level is another story.

Bill Graham Presents’ Geof Wills then asked Williams Morris Agency’s Stacy Mark why comedy seems to be run by fewer agents and managers compared to other genres.

“I guess it takes a certain kind of person to deal with comedians. They’re not regular kind of people,” Mark said. “A lot of them don’t have managers for personal appearances. You’re part psychologist; you have to be able to get into them.”

“It’s a niche business,” Greenstein added. “The reality is, you have to take on a certain number of young acts and develop them. You have to assess everything.”

As for making the big bucks?

Wills asked Marcus King, who manages Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx, if he thinks the prices paid for comedians are getting out of hand.

“Are you kidding me!? Comics are still the most underpaid entertainers outside of circus monkeys,” King said.

Wills disagreed, saying the megabucks coming in for Larry The Cable Guy, Lopez and others can dwarf what music acts are taking in.

He wrapped up the panel by asking, “Will the business get any better?”

“It’s not brain surgery. People still need to laugh,” Greenstein said. “I firmly believe the more fucked up this world becomes, the more people need a release.”