Clean stand-up comedians from The Ivy League of Comedy who have Netflix specials
Myq Kaplan
Myq Kaplan is a comedian named Myq Kaplan (pronounced “Mike Kaplan”).
Myq made his network television debut on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien and has since gone on to appear on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson and in his own half-hour Comedy Central Presents: Myq Kaplan special.
Click to Book Myq Kaplan or call or text (914) It’s Funny (914 487-3866).
(most of the comics getting Netflix specials are younger, less-experienced and tend not to be clean comedians suitable for corporate or charity stand-up comedy events. Myq’s a rare exception)
Adrienne Iapalucci
Adrienne Iapalucci is writer, comedian, and podcast host who made her stand-up debut on NBC’s Last Comic Standing. She has appeared on Netflix’s Degenerates S2, This Week at the Comedy Cellar, The Late Show with David Letterman, and Gotham Comedy Live on AXS TV. She was a featured performer on JFL’s New Faces. She won the first ever People’s Choice award at the New York Comedy Festival. Adrienne was also a semifinalist in the festival’s New York’s Funniest Stand-Up competition and a runner-up in the New York Underground Comedy Festival’s Best of the Boroughs contest. Adrienne wrote for What’s Your F@3King Deal?! with Big Jay Oakerson. When she’s not touring comedy clubs around the country, she can be seen regularly at The Comedy Cellar and The Stand in New York City.
In comedy clubs Adrienne’s material may not be clean but she is an excellent clean comedian as well.
Click to Book Adrienne Iapalucci or call or text (914) It’s Funny (914 487-3866).
Some FAQ
• How much do your shows or comedians cost?
It depends on location. Almost all of us from The Ivy League of Comedy are in the New York City or Los Angeles area. If we can drive there and not stay overnight, it’s less expensive. If we have to fly and stay overnight, we have to build that into the cost.
For a theatre show, it depends on how many seats.
For a corporate event, it also depends on when, where, how many attendees, and which comedian. We’re not all the same price. We are quite good at meeting a variety of budgets.
Our fee for non-profits is much, much lower than for-profit organizations and industry groups.
And most importantly, I’m not greedy. There are agencies that take most of the money for themselves and pay the comics very little. So the $5000 (as an example) that you’re paying? They’re offering the comic $750. I’m a comic and I’ve seen that happen frequently. I don’t ever want to be one of those selfish greedy awful guys. I’m not secretive- I’ll tell the comic what the gig pays. There’s nothing in my agreement that prohibits a comedian from discussing pay with the client.
Recently I had a comic tell me that for all the work I was doing on a particular gig I should take 15% instead of 10%. I appreciated the offer, but I refused. I got into this business by accident- basically to provide clean comedy shows and to get myself and my friends more work. Not to get rich. I make most of my money when I’m on stage.
So to not really answer your question, the best and easiest way to find out the cost is to call or write and ask. I’ll ask you where, when, for whom and how many and give you a quote.
• Are travel and lodging expenses included in your fees, or are they billed separately?
We at The Ivy League of Comedy generally like to quote a flat fee because that makes it easier for you, even though it adds risk for us as airfares and hotel costs change. But it also avoids any sort of figuring out what the costs actually are, if a comedian is coming from, or going to, somewhere other than home. And sometimes comics want to stay with a friend even though we tell them we’ll pay for a hotel.
Oh, here’s another example of my lack of greed. I booked a comic for a charity gig. I paid for the airline tickets. Then she booked a comedy club gig for the next night and said she’d split the airfare with me. I said no, you got another gig, that’s great, let me just change the return date. I did have her cover the slightly higher cost for changing the ticket, but it was way less than half. She did the work to get more work and both of us were happy with that. Though I did appreciate her offer to split the airfare.
• Do corporate comedians charge differently based on whether the event is in-person or virtual?
Oh, absolutely. The Ivy League of Comedy’s virtual comedy is way less expensive than even if we’re performing just across town.
• How can I guarantee the comedian’s material will be clean and safe for a corporate/religious/health care/seniors/family audience?
That’s often a main concern. And it’s why I got into this business- people were saying “You’re clean but the other comics at the club weren’t. Where are the all-clean shows?” There weren’t any, so I started putting them together and founded The Ivy League of Comedy.
We do shows in churches and synagogues, including for some very devout audiences. We’ve been doing this a long time. We’re all very experienced clean comedians.
• Can the comedian customize their jokes or roast company executives/specific people at the event?
The Ivy League of Comedy can. I (Shaun Eli, the owner) really don’t like making fun of anybody in the audience unless the person being made fun of specifically asks for it in a private conversation. Most people really don’t like being picked on, and you never know until you do it. Often you never have any idea, but they’re unhappy.
• Do clean comedians still perform well without relying on profanity or edgy topics?
Yeah, that’s kind of the point! There’s nothing inherently funnier about dirty or edgy comedy. Sometimes a curse word helps a joke, but if the joke can’t survive without it, it’s probably not a very good joke.
Sometimes the laughter comes from the shock value of a dirty word or phrase rather than from something funny or clever. That’s not what we at The Ivy League of Comedy do.
• Can a comedian also act as the event emcee, auctioneer, or award ceremony host?
Most of us in The Ivy League of Comedy can. Please ask this before we hire someone. I once showed up at a charity gig and most of the way through the show they asked me to auction off a couple of items. I’d never done it before and frankly I was a bit nervous. But I came up with some jokes that worked well for the items being auctioned.
They had me auctioning off the items that nobody bid on in the silent auction, and they were quite happy with how it worked out. I think we sold all but one, and remember that these were items that nobody had bid on.
• What kind of material do you perform?
The Ivy League of Comedy performs clean, smart comedy for corporate events, financial institutions, industry events, charity fundraisers, houses of worship, theatres and private parties. It’s just what you’re looking for!
• How far in advance should we book?
Typically we at The Ivy League of Comedy recommend three months in advance, but it depends on your event. If you have a last-minute need, call (don’t email or text) and we’ll see what we can do. In general we suggest that it’s not so much about us as about giving you enough time to market your event to your audience/subscribers/congregation/donors. And three months is good for that.
• If I’m booking a package show (like a multi-comic corporate showcase or theater event), do you handle all the booking coordination for every comedian, or do I negotiate separately?
Yes, The Ivy League of Comedy gives you a complete, turn-key event. We handle it all and make it as easy for you as possible.
• Can you avoid certain topics?
Sure, but tell us in advance! No comedian wants to be about to go on stage and be handed a list of topics to avoid, and have remember this when they’re performing. The comedians from The Ivy League of Comedy have decades of experience and a lot of material on a lot of different topics.
• What ages are your shows for?
They’re not for little kids, because they won’t understand the show and they’ll get bored. Our best estimate is 14 and up, with the proviso that a 14 year old probably won’t appreciate the show as much as the adults will. But in general we at The Ivy League of Comedy try to avoid cultural references that only certain groups or ages will understand.
• What if the comic gets sick?
So far in more than two decades running The Ivy League of Comedy it’s happened only a few times (we’re healthy people- we get a lot of sleep). We have a roster of good, responsive comedians so when it has happened we got someone else very quickly. If a comedian cancels, I never want to be accused of bait-and-switch so I will try to get someone at least a little more famous, even if I lose money on it.
Many, many more FAQ on having a comedy show