Day in the life of
Professional Comedian – Mrs. Bridget McManus
I’m a professional comedian who works as a warm-up comic for television shows and comedy specials.
My Typical Day
When I’m working on a talk show, I arrive an hour before the audience to set up the music for the preshow and touch base with the producers. As a warm up comic, my job is to inform and energize the crowd so they know what’s happening during the show, who the guests are and how the producers would like them to react on camera. Some segments require a lot of energy and cheering, and some are somber, and the producers want the audience to react naturally. So I describe myself as an audience concierge. I’m there to cater to the crowd and make sure they are having a good time. When I’m hired to perform stand-up, I fly out to the gig, check into my hotel, stretch and practice in my room, head to soundcheck. I’m off to the green room to change and practice until I get called to the stage to do a 30-90 minute set. Afterward, I usually do a meet and greet and hang out with the crowd, and the next day I’m flying back home.
Pros
Connecting with the audience. The people who attend a show taping are in good spirits. They are excited and want to be entertained, so I’m happy to do anything to ensure they have a good time. In addition, I’ve made many lifelong friends that I met at a television taping.
Cons
I’m a high-energy performer, so I’m jumping around between 2 to 12 hours a day. In addition, many shows shoot multiple episodes in a single day with between 150-400 audience members at each show. That means I can interact with 1200 people, which can be draining at times. But there is nothing like performing for a live audience. Here’s a clip of me dancing on the Queen Latifah Show.
Advice for aspiring Comedians
Research is key. Watch as much stand-up as you can. Netflix comedy specials are great, but you must see LIVE comedy.
People who are funny (or whose friends tell them they are funny) assume that being a comedian is easy. Stand up is like any other job. It’s work. The more experience you have, the better you are at your craft:
- Perform open mics.
- Test your jokes on your friends and family, and if you make someone laugh organically.
- Write down what you said and revisit it later to see if it’s still funny.
If you want to work as a warm-up comic on television, make sure you practice emceeing. Every live audience is different and made up of different people who think different things are funny. You’ll need to learn how to adjust your humor to match that of the audience. Example: I wouldn’t tell the same joke to my sister that I would tell my grandmother because they have different senses of humor and points of reference. Lastly, I highly recommend checking out Jerry Seinfield’s documentary “Comedian,” Steve Martin’s book “Born Standing Up,” Dave Chappelle’s comedy special “Stick & Stones,” and Judy Carter’s book “The Comedy Bible.”
