Callback Success
I returned to the Laugh Factory for my callback and I was so excited. My friend gave me a shirt to wear (she said the one I was wearing was too distracting, she wasn’t wrong). Maybe it was the energy of Sunset Blvd., of being at the famous Laugh Factory, of having a new shirt, but it was a rush of adrenaline. I sat down in the back and waited. In the past two weeks I had observed that they threw the callbacks somewhere in the middle of the line-up. So I was going to take this time to assess the room and the vibe. I saw a few comics who had been there the two weeks I had been there before and we said hello and exchanged small talk. It was nice to feel accepted and part of the community.
Then the show started. The host, Frazier Smith, came up and told a few new jokes he has been working on. They were great. Frazier is an LA legend and I have seen him at the Comedy Store multiple times. I really do enjoy watching a professional work on their craft. Then he went over the rules of the show and called the first name on the list. But it wasn’t the first name on the list - it was me! I wasn’t expecting this since in the past few weeks callbacks had been mixed in the middle of the line-up, but I went with it. I went up and did my set and felt good about it.
Reflecting on it, I think they put me up first on purpose, to see how I would handle it. I must have done well because afterwards I was approached about hosting some shows at a comedy club nearby. Success! Looking forward to this coming to fruition. Takeaways from this experience:
1) Always be prepared - even though I thought I would be later in the line-up, I was called first and I was ready to go. If I had not been ready, it would have been a disaster.
2) Network, network, network - I exchanged social media info with some of the comics, a few run shows that they wanted me to be on and I offered them spots if they ever come to New Orleans.
3) Give props where props are deserved - A few comics that I had seen over the past few weeks had been working on the same joke(s) and the progress showed. I gave them their kudos, it was exciting to see the material take shape, and I know from being on the other end of these conversations, it is nice when other people notice too.
