You’ve been booked on a comedy show. Congrats! Now all you need are people to come to the show, and you can help by promoting the show.
First question you may have is it even your job to promote the show? Yes. The comedy club, venue or booker should promote it as well. But things work better when everyone works together.
You don’t have to buy and ad, but you can do a lot of things to help.
How should you promote a show?
Get a flyer from the booker or club and post it to your social media — Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, whatever.
Some comics even make their own flyers or update the ones provided. Great. Be creative.
If you don’t have social media, you can drive around and tack flyers all over town.
When should you promote a show?
You should start as soon as you get the details from the booker. Don’t wait to the day of the show to promote it. That’s too little, too late.
I have several shows coming up, can I just promote them all at once?
Comics love to post flyers listing all their events for the month. That’s nice, but it’s more for promoting themselves than a show. Doesn’t really count as promoting an event.
You want to make it easy for potential audience members to buy a ticket. Put out an item for each show individually and include a ticket link.
If you have three shows at three different spots this week, it’s fine to do a post with flyers for all three. But you should also post them individually.
I saw where the club posted something on Facebook about the show, can’t I just share that?
More than anything, Facebook wants people to buy ads. When you share a post for an event, they tend to get held up and often people don’t see it until after the event.
Copy the flyer and take a minute to create a post of your own.
I have three events this week. Am I really supposed to promote the open mic like I am the show where I’m hosting at the comedy club for the first time?
I think comics should promote every event they are on. You may have gotten the host spot because the booker noticed that you’re good at promoting.
Doesn’t mean you have to give the same attention to every show. You want people at the open mic, too. So promote that some and blast your host spot.
I have been doing comedy for several years and my friends and relatives don’t come to shows any more. What’s the use of promoting shows?
Ideally, you’re a terrific comedian who is building a following. If not, you’re still helping because by promoting shows you are ensuring more people see the event and may decide to show up and discover what a terrific talent you are.
Louisville Laughs is proud to have Shanda Sung closing out the Valentine’s Day comedy show on Wednesday, Feb. 14, at Monnik Beer Co. in Louisville.
Shanda (rhymes with Panda) is a Bloomington, Ind., favorite and regular at the Comedy Attic, where she taped her first comedy special, due out this year. Shanda has been featured at the Limestone Comedy Festival, the Milwaukee Comedy Festival and the Finger Lakes Comedy Festival.
Shanda will be joined Wednesday at Monnik for the Laugh Your Glass Off! show with Bloomington comic Erin Depke and Lexigton comics Dannielle Wornall and Kate Kremers.
You can get tickets here. Use Promo Code HEART to get $5 off while it’s available.
Shanda Sung
Shanda was kind enough to answer some questions for Louisville Laughs.
Louisville Laughs:Your first standup special is set to be released this year. What are your hopes for that?
Shanda: Millions of views! Critical acclaim! Invitations to do comedy all over the world!
Seriously though, I’m already so proud of the work I put into that material and I’m just so excited to share it with people who have not seen me live. The taping was a really amazing experience, and I just hope the energy that we created in that room translates to the screen.
You perform all over the Midwest and are married with 3 kids. What does your calendar look like?
Overwhelming! In the best way. My family is my first priority, and sometimes that means going directly from a youth sports game to the comedy club, or making the drive back every night during a weekend of shows because I am needed at home.
My husband is also very busy, but we make it work with a lot of last minute flexibility, some great babysitters and a shared Google calendar.
I have been doing more and more shows each year, and I don’t underestimate how much support that takes from my family and friends. I am very fortunate to have my people in my corner.
In addition to comedy clubs, you have performed at bars, wineries and waffle restaurants. What’s the trick to getting people to pay attention to you and not the waffles?
I don’t think there is any one trick that always works. Come to the stage with confidence and people will typically respond to that. If you lose them to the waffles or the people at their table or the bar or whatever, just power through and tell yourself you will get them on the next one.
If you have written your jokes well enough, you can feel confident that the quality of your writing will save you in pretty much any situation. Stage presence and personality are important, but they can’t do what a properly written joke will.
What suggestions do you have for people newer to comedy?
Find the best club in your area and go there. A lot. Nothing will teach you more than watching quality headliners and features work in a room.
What’s your comedy horror story?
I am fortunate to not really have any “horror” stories. I’ve had plenty of bad sets and shows, but nothing I would describe as a horror.
Although … once I was extremely pregnant and my stomach was a mess and I had to cut my set short and run off stage directly to the bathroom and is this too embarrassing of an answer for an interview????
Come watch me in Louisville, I have complete control of my bowels!
A list of the upcoming comedy shows and open mics in the Louisville area. If we missed your event, let us know. (Information on how to sign up for open mics at bottom).
UPCOMING SHOWS AND OPEN MICS
Wednesday, Feb. 7
7:30 p.m. — Laughs In The Lounge Comedy Open Mic with guest host Alex Grove and special guest Alex Whittenburg, The Caravan Louisville. TicketsTo sign up to perform, email CaravanOpenMic@gmail.com
10 p.m. — Stand & Deliver variety open mic, Kaiju. Signups at 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 14
7 p.m. — Romantics vs. Rebels (pledge allegiance to helping your queen win honor and glory in this hilarious farce full of comedy, music and interactivity), Planet of the Tapes. Tickets
8 p.m. — Demetrius Wheeler presents: Funny First Friday with Chris Thomas, The Palm Room, 1821 W. Jefferson St. Tickets $20 in advance, $30 day of show. Call (813) 313-8136.
7 p.m. — Sunday Night, Live!, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, 21st In Germantown. Free
7:30 p.m. –Sugarae’s Boom Boom Room presents: Open Mic Night (all-talent), Lynch Lane Bistro, Clarksville, IN. Free. Sign ups starting at 7 p.m.
TO SIGN UP FOR OPEN MICS
Sundays — Sunday Night, Live!, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, 21st In Germantown Message @UncoolRandy on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter
Sundays — Comedy Attack! open mic, Kaiju. First Sunday of the month. Show up and sign up
Sundays — Sugarae’s Boom Boom Room presents: Open Mic Night (all-talent), Lynch Lane Bistro, Clarksville, IN. Sign ups starting at 7 p.m.
Mondays — The Planet of the Tapes Monday Mic, Planet of the Tapes. Show starts at 8 p.m. To sign up, email planetofthetapesopenmic@gmail.com
Tuesdays — Comedy open mic, 21st In Germantown. Show up and sign up. List out at 7:15 p.m. Show at 8 p.m. Message Ehrin Dowdle with questions.
We have a terrific Valentine’s Day show for you upstairs at Monnik Beer Co.
The show features headliner Shanda Sung, a Bloomington, Ind., favorite and regular at the Comedy Attic, where she will be taping her first special this year.
Shanda has been featured at the Limestone Comedy Festival, the Milwaukee Comedy Festival and the Finger Lakes Comedy Festival.
Also on the show are Bloomington’s Erin Depke, and Lexington’s Dannielle Wornall and Kate Kremers.
Join us for a night of laughter, terrific craft beer and delicious food from Monnik.
Use Promo Code HEART to get $5 off while they last.
Join Louisville Laughs for a night of fun on our monthly Comedy Night at Gravely.
February’s show features Louisville favorites Lucious Williams, June Dempsey and Nathaniel Potts-Wells as well as Nashville comics Marianna Barksdale and Kate Carter.
Enjoy a night of laughter, great craft beer and the new burgers and more from Grub at Gravely.
Join Louisville Laughs on Sunday, Feb. 18 at TEN20 Craft Brewery in Butchertown for our New Comics Showcase.
We selected some of our favorite newer comics to showcase their best material, including Logan Dunbar, Sam Montgomery, Lynn Benson, Ben Stewart, Jon Lenz and James Song.
Then veteran comic Keith McGill will close out the show.
It will be a night of laughter, terrific craft beer and delicious food from MozzaPi.
Join us Thursday, Feb. 22, in the upstairs event space at Monnik Beer Co. for a special standup comedy show with two of the best comics in the region — Dwight Simmons and Mandee McKelvey.
Dwight’s debut comedy special, “Who’s The Master” debuted on YouTube on July of 2023. In that same year, he was selected to the 10,000 Laughs, Milwaukee, Flyover and West-End Comedy Festivals. He was listed as Indiana’s selection for Thrillist’s 50 Best Undiscovered Comics in the country.
Mandee was Kentucky’s selection for Thrillist’s 50 Best Undiscovered Comics in the country and recently recorded her one-woman show.
Eight of the top comics from the region will take the stage at The Caravan Louisville on this special Wednesday night show.
Comics include Sean Smith, Jake Hovis, Lena Beamish, Eric Kimbrough, Adam Minnick, RJ Ryan, Corbin LeMaster and host Creig Ewing. They will be performing their best material to submit to the Sirius XM comedy channels.
Come out for a night that promises to be a great time. Tickets just $5.
A list of the upcoming comedy shows and open mics in the Louisville area. If we missed your event, let us know. (Information on how to sign up for open mics at bottom).
UPCOMING SHOWS AND OPEN MICS
Wednesday, Jan. 31
7:30 p.m. — Laughs In The Lounge Comedy Open Mic with guest host Bonita Elery and special guest Lucious Williams, The Caravan Louisville. TicketsTo sign up to perform, email CaravanOpenMic@gmail.com
10 p.m. — Stand & Deliver variety open mic, Kaiju. Signups at 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 14
7 p.m. — Romantics vs. Rebels (pledge allegiance to helping your queen win honor and glory in this hilarious farce full of comedy, music and interactivity), Planet of the Tapes. Tickets
7 p.m. — Sunday Night, Live!, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, 21st In Germantown. Free
7:30 p.m. –Sugarae’s Boom Boom Room presents: Open Mic Night (all-talent), Lynch Lane Bistro, Clarksville, IN. Free. Sign ups starting at 7 p.m.
10 p.m. — Comedy Attack open mic, Kaiju. Free. Show up and sign up starting at 9:30
TO SIGN UP FOR OPEN MICS
Sundays — Sunday Night, Live!, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, 21st In Germantown Message @UncoolRandy on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter
Sundays — Comedy Attack! open mic, Kaiju. First Sunday of the month. Show up and sign up
Sundays — Sugarae’s Boom Boom Room presents: Open Mic Night (all-talent), Lynch Lane Bistro, Clarksville, IN. Sign ups starting at 7 p.m.
Mondays — The Planet of the Tapes Monday Mic, Planet of the Tapes. Show starts at 8 p.m. To sign up, email planetofthetapesopenmic@gmail.com
Tuesdays — Comedy open mic, 21st In Germantown. Show up and sign up. List out at 7:15 p.m. Show at 8 p.m. Message Ehrin Dowdle with questions.
If you are a fan of Louisville comedy, you’ve probably heard of Creig Ewing or attended one of the many shows he produces.
Creig works hard to showcase the pool of talent in Louisville, Nashville, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Bloomington and beyond. Creig has brought standup comedy to venues all over the city and this Thursday, he will be headlining Laughs at Mellwood, a brand new, monthly standup comedy showcase at The Mellwood Tavern.
He will be joined by local favorites Ehrin Dowdle, Bonita Elery, and Alex Grove. Seating is limited so get your tickets here!
Creig was kind enough to answer some questions. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Louisville Laughs: When did you start comedy and why?
Creig Ewing: I’ve been doing it about 6 years. I started comedy when I was in my 50s. I always wanted to do it, but was told it was hard so I put it off. I was an English major in college and I wanted to write comedy papers, but I was discouraged by professors.
I had some friends who did standup, but I never had the guts. Then I just decided, “Hey I’m gonna try it. I’m gonna write things out and see if it works.”
Louisville Laughs: So at first you wanted to just write? Or was standup always the goal?
Creig Ewing: At first I wanted to write comedy, and I was the sports editor at The Courier Journal and we had this page where we’d have smaller fun items, so I’d throw some funny things in there about UofL or UK without being too mean. I thought, ‘Well if I can do this, I can figure out standup. No one has cancelled their newspaper subscription because of my stupid jokes so far.’
Then I started posting my own humor on Facebook and Twitter and people encouraged me to take the stage and try standup.
Louisville Laughs: When did you start Louisville Laughs? What made you want to start producing your own shows?
Creig Ewing: I started it after about one year doing standup I put on a show at a Holiday Inn, and it didn’t seem too hard. It was harder than it looked. The first show I actually said the wrong name for the very first comic.
After that I joined Tim Northern and others to put on a festival here, and we started the company Louisville Is Funny. Unfortunately, it didn’t survive COVID so after bars and clubs started opening back up, I decided to start Louisville Laughs on my own.
Louisville Laughs: How have your comedy goals evolved since you started?
Creig Ewing: When I started, I just wanted to get three laughs in my first five minute set. Then I wanted to be able to host, then feature, and now the goal is to headline. I’m really doing more producing and booking shows than I am focusing on my being on stage.
I’ve kind of unintentionally made that shift. With the shows I put on, I try to give people a shot that are newer, or in between hosting and featuring, or in between featuring and headlining and give them a chance to develop so they can get more opportunities.
Louisville Laughs: You’re clearly one of the hardest workers in Louisville comedy. You throw these shows to help young comics develop, but comics can be very annoying. My question is why do you work so hard to help these terrible people?
Creig Ewing: You must be reading my posts. I like helping them and I see myself in a lot of them. I didn’t know anything when I started, and I thought I was George Carlin, but you get humbled quickly. People just need to learn, so I want to give them the opportunity to do so.
What’s frustrating to me is I think confidence on stage is the main thing that a comic needs, and you see people who are really funny, but you wish they could be more confident. Then you see other people on stage and think, “Why is this person so confident? They’re not funny!”
Louisville Laughs: Who are some of the people that helped you out when you were getting started?
Creig Ewing: Tim Northern let me help out running festivals and things. Eric Kimbrough closed out the first show I was on, and he does things so differently than I would so he’s a great source to see what he does because comedy isn’t just one thing.
Melissa Doran used to be here in town and I really love her attitude. She’s got a certain Jersey spirit that’s really fun to watch on stage. And I’ve worked a lot with Mandee McKelvey. She’ll sometimes reach out to connect other comics with me and I always take her suggestions seriously.
Keith McGill and I now do classes together, and he is great help to comics. I still use several of the suggestions he had for my jokes. If Keith is at a show, ask him before you go up for feedback and he’ll give it to you.
Louisville Laughs: Is there a joke you wish you had written?
Creig Ewing: For me, it’s less about the writing, but there are some people who’s confidence and attitude I really admire. I’ve seen Keith McGill come on when the crowd is just not receptive and do great. I wish I had his ability to just get a crowd totally on your side.
Louisville Laughs: Do your friends and family find you funny or do you save it for the stage?
Creig Ewing: That was the criteria that made me decide I could give standup a try, when I could finally make them laugh. Because for 50 years they did not laugh. So at first I would work things past them, but now I make them laugh all the time.
Louisville Laughs: What’s a piece of advice that made a difference in your comedy career?
Creig Ewing: Just getting up there and doing it. I think that you see people who get good quickly, and they’re the people who are constantly on stage. There are good joke writers who maybe only get on stage once per month and they develop more slowly. Constantly edit, edit, edit your jokes. Don’t use words that don’t serve the joke and always work to make a joke better.
Louisville Laughs: What keeps you excited about comedy in Louisville?
Creig Ewing: I think we have a really strong scene. We have all different types of comics and it’s amazing to me that we have four comedy clubs for a city this size. We have The Caravan Comedy Club, Planet of the Tapes, Louisville Comedy Club, and Laugh Louisville.
Louisville Laughs: We also have comedy coming back to The Mellwood Tavern! Thursday, January 25th get your tickets here! Have you done standup at The Mellwood Tavern before?
Creig Ewing: Yes, we used to have a great open mic at The Mellwood Tavern. They have a terrific setup in the downstairs area for shows. We’d actually routinely get told to quiet down because the upstairs used to be apartments. Now they’ve renovated the space and it’s called the Rendezvous Room with it’s own bar and it looks like a great place for a show.
Louisville Laughs: What is your goal with a Creig Ewing show? What do you want the audience to take away from the Creig Ewing experience?
Creig Ewing: I want them to think, “Dang, that Creig sure is funny. And he had a new joke! I wasn’t expecting that.”
I want people to see that we put together a good lineup of funny and diverse comics. Not just the same people you’d see somewhere else in town. I take pride in having lineup of diverse funny people from all over and comics that they might not have seen before.
Get your tickets before it’s too late. Doors open at 6pm so come get some friend chicken and a drink and be ready to have a good time!
A list of the upcoming comedy shows and open mics in the Louisville area. If we missed your event, let us know. (Information on how to sign up for open mics at bottom).
UPCOMING SHOWS AND OPEN MICS
Wednesday, Jan. 24
7:30 p.m. — Laughs In The Lounge Comedy Open Mic with guest host Lena Beamish and special guest Eric Kimbrough, The Caravan Louisville. TicketsTo sign up to perform, email CaravanOpenMic@gmail.com
10 p.m. — Stand & Deliver variety open mic, Kaiju. Signups at 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 14
7 p.m. — Romantics vs. Rebels (pledge allegiance to helping your queen win honor and glory in this hilarious farce full of comedy, music and interactivity), Planet of the Tapes. Tickets
7 p.m. — Sunday Night, Live!, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, 21st In Germantown. Free
TO SIGN UP FOR OPEN MICS
Sundays — Sunday Night, Live!, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, 21st In Germantown Message @UncoolRandy on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter
Sundays — Comedy Attack! open mic, Kaiju. First Sunday of the month. Show up and sign up
Mondays — The Planet of the Tapes Monday Mic, Planet of the Tapes. Show starts at 8 p.m. To sign up, email planetofthetapesopenmic@gmail.com
Tuesdays — Comedy open mic, 21st In Germantown. Show up and sign up. List out at 7:15 p.m. Show at 8 p.m. Message Ehrin Dowdle with questions.
We have a terrific Valentine’s Day show for you upstairs at Monnik Beer Co.
The show features headliner Shanda Sung, a Bloomington, Ind., favorite and regular at the Comedy Attic, where she will be taping her first special this year.
Shanda has been featured at the Limestone Comedy Festival, the Milwaukee Comedy Festival and the Finger Lakes Comedy Festival.
Also on the show are Bloomington’s Erin Depke, and Lexington’s Dannielle Wornall and Kate Kremers.
Join us for a night of laughter, terrific craft beer and delicious food from Monnik.
Use Promo Code HEART to get $5 off while they last.
Join Louisville Laughs for a night of fun on our monthly Comedy Night at Gravely.
February’s show features Louisville favorites Lucious Williams, June Dempsey and Nathaniel Potts-Wells as well as Nashville comics Marianna Barksdale and Kate Carter.
Enjoy a night of laughter, great craft beer and burgers and more from Grub at Gravely.
Admission is free. Tickets ensure seating.
Enjoy a night of laughter, great craft beer and the new burgers and more from Grub at Gravely.
Join us Thursday, Feb. 22, in the upstairs event space at Monnik Beer Co. for a special standup comedy show with Dwight Simmons and Mandee McKelvey.
Dwight’s debut comedy special, “Who’s The Master” debuted on YouTube on July of 2023. In that same year, he was selected to the 10,000 Laughs, Milwaukee, Flyover and West-End Comedy Festivals. He was listed as Indiana’s selection for Thrillist’s 50 Best Undiscovered Comics in the country.
Mandee was Kentucky’s selection for Thrillist’s 50 Best Undiscovered Comics in the country and recently recorded her one-woman show.
Come for a night of laughter, terrific craft beer and delicious food from Monnik.
A list of the upcoming comedy shows and open mics in the Louisville area. If we missed your event, let us know. (Information on how to sign up for open mics at bottom).
UPCOMING SHOWS AND OPEN MICS
Wednesday, Jan. 17
7:30 p.m. — Laughs In The Lounge Comedy Open Mic with guest host Brandy Norton and special guest Rick Gene, The Caravan Louisville. TicketsTo sign up to perform, email CaravanOpenMic@gmail.com
10 p.m. — Stand & Deliver variety open mic, Kaiju. Signups at 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 14
7 p.m. — Romantics vs. Rebels (pledge allegiance to helping your queen win honor and glory in this hilarious farce full of comedy, music and interactivity), Planet of the Tapes. Tickets
Sundays — Sunday Night, Live!, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, 21st In Germantown Message @UncoolRandy on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter
Sundays — Comedy Attack! open mic, Kaiju. First Sunday of the month. Show up and sign up
Mondays — The Planet of the Tapes Monday Mic, Planet of the Tapes. Show starts at 8 p.m. To sign up, email planetofthetapesopenmic@gmail.com
Tuesdays — Comedy open mic, 21st In Germantown. Show up and sign up. List out at 7:15 p.m. Show at 8 p.m. Message Ehrin Dowdle with questions.
A list of the upcoming comedy shows and open mics in the Louisville area. If we missed your event, let us know. (Information on how to sign up for open mics at bottom).
UPCOMING SHOWS AND OPEN MICS
Wednesday, Jan. 10
7:30 p.m. — Laughs In The Lounge Comedy Open Mic with guest host Nathan Alexander and special guest Dyke Michaels, The Caravan Louisville. TicketsTo sign up to perform, email CaravanOpenMic@gmail.com
7 p.m. — Sunday Night, Live!, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, 21st In Germantown. Free
TO SIGN UP FOR OPEN MICS
Sundays — Sunday Night, Live!, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, 21st In Germantown Message @UncoolRandy on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter
Sundays — Comedy Attack! open mic, Kaiju. First Sunday of the month. Show up and sign up
Mondays — The Planet of the Tapes Monday Mic, Planet of the Tapes. Show starts at 8 p.m. To sign up, email planetofthetapesopenmic@gmail.com
Tuesdays — Comedy open mic, 21st In Germantown. Show up and sign up. List out at 7:15 p.m. Show at 8 p.m. Message Ehrin Dowdle with questions.
