Comedy Competition or Contest: Response

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on October 27th, 2005

Just got an email response to our recent posting about the recent San Francsisco Comedy Competition.

We aren’t in the habit of posting emails from people who won’t identify themselves, but this one raises some interesting questions. And they aren’t questions that a whole lot of other people probably didn’t have after reading the letter from the Competition organizers or reading accounts of the competition on the SFICC site.

So, without further qualification, we present a letter from a comic who has “never competed in the San Francisco International Comedy Competition,” and who claims to be among a group of “other San Francisco comedians (who) have chosen to boycott it.” He adds that there are “no sour grapes here, either. I just don’t want to eat the grapes in Reno, Fresno, Chico, Saratoga, Brooks, Benicia, etc.”

Dear San Francisco International Comedy Competition Coordinator,

First off, thanks for having your competition.

If this year?’s competition wasn’t quite up to par, perhaps you should ask yourself, “Is there a reason that a previous winner had to return to win it again this year?” For example, other competitions prohibit winners from competing again, forcing the competition coordinators to keep an eye on fresh upcoming talent.

Maybe you should have the competition inside of San Francisco. Why was the first round of the competition in Reno? That’s not even the same state. Over the course of the four-week competition, only one show took place in San Francisco. Maybe you should ask yourself,”Why don’t the local venues want to have any part in my competition?” If your event used to be the talk of the town and now you can?t even be in the town, maybe there is something wrong.

What is the quality of the venues? For instance, you would not want a bucket sitting on the stage to catch droplets of water leaking from the ceiling like you did in 2003. Comedians don’t want to perform in dilapidated venues and crowds do not want to watch shows in those venues for an outrageous ticket price.

Why are your crowds dwindling? Is it the aforementioned bad venues? Or is it because your promotional hype includes the names of winners from ten or more years ago and nothing current? What incentive do crowds have to attend your event?

In the thirty years of this competition, how come the only thing you have to offer next year’s contestants is more money? Where is the industry? Where is the prestige the competition once had?

Keep the comics on your side. It’s about them. Don’t treat them like children. If you keep them happy, the audiences will be happy.

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