Book clean comedians perfect for corporate, industry and government events. Also available to hire for academic conferences, for private clubs, and more in Washington, DC. Super-hilarious and yet affordable enough to book for government events and non-profits. We’re available for hire for live or virtual stand-up comedy shows. Advice is free so ask away!
Hey DC! You’ve seen us on TV. These are just some of the many great corporate comedians available to book for clean stand-up comedy shows in Washington, DC. A more comprehensive list of comedians is here. Also great to hire for Theatres and Performing Arts Centers, Team-building Exercises & Off-sites, Government & Military Groups, Fraternal & Service Organizations, Alumni Groups, Law Firms, Awards Dinners, Golf and Country Clubs,
Charity Fundraisers, Churches, Temples & Synagogues and other Houses of Worship and even Private Parties. Surprisingly affordable!
Shaun Eli
Stand-up comedian Shaun Eli has rightfully been called one of America’s smartest comics. Whether it’s a story about dining with a vegetarian or successfully fighting a parking ticket, master storyteller Shaun Eli shows you that there’s hilarity in the ordinary if you approach life with a comedic warp. Job interviews? Serving on a NYC criminal jury? How about the Ten Commandments? For just about anything he’s experienced Shaun has a hilarious story at the ready.
Shaun performs regularly at theatres in NY.
Shaun’s father worked for the Internal Revenue Service (in NYC, not in Washington, DC) and yes Shaun has stories about that. When your dad works for the IRS and your friends’ parents think they have to hide the new TV when you come over…
As the child of a civil servant Shaun has great respect for government officials and he never complains about paying taxes. Once Shaun was at a conference where an expert on The Beatles was speaking. The speaker said that the album “Revolver” was kind of innovative for The Beatles because it had only one love song. Shaun went up to him afterwards and said “I disagree. From the point of view of the IRS, “Tax Man” IS a love song!”
Click to Book Shaun Eli or call or text (914) It’s Funny (914 487-3866).
Karen Bergreen
A mother of two small boys, Karen does stand-up in order to get out of the house. She has appeared on Comedy Central, The Oxygen Network, Nick Mom, The View and The Joy Behar Show. She also has a Dry Bar comedy special.
While the kids aren’t looking, Karen is a novelist. Her 2010 comic novel Following Polly earned praise from The New York Times, Oprah Magazine, and her mother-in-law. Her second novel Perfect is Overrated was released a few years ago.
Karen attended Harvard University and the University of Minnesota Law School, and is a former law clerk and litigator. She likes comedy much better.
Click to Book Karen Bergreen or call or text (914) It’s Funny (914 487-3866).
Wali Collins
His first time on stage Wali was convinced that he had bombed, but the manager paid him and asked him to come back every week as a featured act. Wali moved to New York City to work on a show for Comedy Central called “Stand-up Stand-up”. He hosted the largest, funniest, most varied collection of stand-up comedians in the world.
Nominated three years in a row as “College Campus Entertainer of the Year,” Wali is also sought after for corporate events. One of Wali’s greatest achievements was hosting an event for First Lady Michelle Obama. Collins’ television stand-up credits include NBC, CBS, FOX, HBO, ABC’s “The View”, Comedy Central’s Tough Crowd and Commentary on VH1. David Letterman caught Wali’s act and recruited him to warm-up for his show. Later that season Wali performed his stand up on the Late Show with David Letterman. In the words of Robert Klein, “Wali Collins is versatile, smart and very, very funny.”
Wali’s father was a former Marine Drill Instructor and yes, Wali has stories about that. How could he not?
Click to Book Wali Collins or call or text (914) It’s Funny (914 487-3866).
Andy Pitz
Comedian Andy Pitz performs clean comedy but not that boring kind. It’s fresh, relatable and very funny. Andy talks about his twenty years in standup, a long marriage to a neurotic woman, and small everyday things like how the world is perceived by our weird human mind. Andy can do this in a funny way even though he is not famous. Look at his picture. “I think I saw this guy at a comedy club one time…” Yes, you probably have. Andy’s been based in New York City since 1997 and has been performing professionally since 1991.
In 2003 Andy made his television debut on The Late Show with David Letterman, and a month later he was on CBS’s Star Search, where he was eliminated from the semi-finals in a total ripoff. Andy also did standup in 2007 on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson where he was asked to sign the guest book backstage. Sweet.
Having clean material allows Andy to work for a wide range of audiences. Standup comedy venues enjoy his energy and uniqueness. The corporate show crowd and even houses of worship appreciate cleaner subject matter and shows where anyone could be there and have fun.
Andy’s second live comedy recording, “More Mr. Nice Guy”, was released in November 2010 and is played in heavy rotation on Sirius Satellite Radio’s clean comedy station “Laugh USA”.
In and around New York City, Andy performs at the most well-known clubs and also the more obscure rooms, with the goal of working at least four nights a week. He could be at Comic Strip Live, Gotham Comedy Club, Caroline’s, Dangerfield’s, or the Underground Lounge, Zinc Bar, or a youth hostel on any given weekday evening.
When road trips happen they are headlining engagements across the U.S. and Canada. Andy has toured China, performed in Woodstock New York and it’s very likely he’s appeared in the Netherlands.
Click to Book Andy Pitz or call or text (914) It’s Funny (914 487-3866).
Cory Kahaney
Cory is every woman. Mother, daughter, wife… ex-wife. She has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Late Show with David Letterman, made her fifth appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and a new TV special for Nick Mom. Cory appeared in the first season of NBC’s Last Comic Standing and made it to the finale, where host Jay Mohr called her performance “flawless.” Other television credits include Comedy Central Presents: Cory Kahaney, The View, and many episodes of Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher.
Click to Book Cory Kahaney or call or text (914) It’s Funny (914 487-3866).
Andy Hendrickson
Andy Hendrickson, who grew up in Springfield, Virginia (Fairfax County) is a comedian, writer and actor that built his career in New York City. He now resides in Los Angeles. He has a clever, conversational style that has been engaging audiences for over 15 years. His material is based on real life experiences and his anecdotes are laced with a hearty disapproval. He doesn’t really know what that means either.
Andy has a matter-of-fact sense of humor and specializes in highlighting life’s silly details. One reviewer said it best, “He’s the exasperated guy next door.” But hey, don’t take my word for it, I’m just a broke college student that Andy paid $5, on a freelancer website, to make this thing sound good. Instead, watch one of his many clips from his TV appearances.
He’s had multiple TV appearances including: The Late Show with David Letterman, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Gotham Comedy Live, NBC/Seeso’s The Guest List and more. Internationally, Andy has performed at clubs and festivals throughout the world, including Canada, England, Holland and Ireland. He also performed for our troops on Outback’s Feeding Freedom Tour that provided entertainment for the troops on military bases across Afghanistan. His comedy CD “Underachiever” recently released to rave reviews and debuted in the iTunes Top 10.
Click to Book Andy Hendrickson 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.