Book corporate comedians for comedy events in Delaware- Wilmington, Dover, Newark, Middletown, Smyrna and elsewhere in DE. After all, you are the corporate state. Also hire clean comedians for fundraising shows, golf & country clubs, industry or academic conferences and even private parties. Book us for live or virtual stand-up comedy.
You’ve seen us on TV! Here are just some of the many great clean corporate comedians available to hire for clean stand-up comedy shows in Delaware. A more comprehensive list of comedians is here. Also great to book for Theatres and Performing Arts Centers, Team-building Exercises & Off-sites, Government & Military Groups, Fraternal & Service Organizations, Alumni Groups, Law Firms, Awards Dinners, Charity Fundraisers, Churches, Temples & Synagogues and other Houses of Worship and even Private Parties. Surprisingly affordable and advice is free.
Frank Vignola
Besides television appearances on Comedy Central, CBC (Toronto) and Discovery Channel Europe, Mr. Vignola has also appeared at Montreal’s “Just for Laughs” Comedy Festival with Bill Maher and toured with Armed Forces Entertainment performing for our troops in Afghanistan.
Frank is a native of Wilmington, DE. His most recent film credit includes his starring role as “Eddie” in the short film “Tilting at Windmills” which premiered on opening night of the 2012 “International Film Festival Manhattan” in November at the Quad Cinema in NYC. He also recently created and portrayed the voice of the character of “Dr. Robert” in the imaginative animated television pilot “Ben v World”.
Click to book Frank Vignola or call or text (914) It’s Funny (914 487-3866).
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 has performed regularly at the Grand Opera House in Wilmington and at other theatres in Wilmington and Dover, Delaware. He also hopes to perform in Middletown and Smyrna. And he knows how to pronounce Newark. You’re not New Jersey.
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.
Click to Book Karen Bergreen or call or text (914) It’s Funny (914 487-3866).
Some FAQ
How much do your shows or comedians cost?
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The cost of a comedy show 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.
The cost of a comedy show for a theatre depends on how many seats.
The cost of hiring a comedian for a corporate event 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.
The Ivy League of Comedy's fees for comedy shows for non-profits are 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 of a comedy show is to call or write The Ivy League of Comedy 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?
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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?
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Oh, absolutely- virtual comedy shows are significantly less expensive than in-person shows. 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 that a comedian's material will be clean and safe for a corporate/religious/health care/seniors/family audience?
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The appropriateness of a comedian's material is often a main concern when booking a comedian for a corporate or charity event. 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?
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If you're looking for comedians who can customize their jokes for your event or organization, comedians from 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?
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Are clean comedians funny without resorting to 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?
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Most of us in The Ivy League of Comedy are also excellent emcees/hosts, and at least one of us is a trained auctioneer. 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?
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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?
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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?
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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?
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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 to 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?
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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?
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So far in more than two decades running The Ivy League of Comedy a comic getting sick has 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.
And here is something we do that no one else does- and it's in my contract. My contract says that if we show up with fewer comedians than the contract calls for, we will endeavor to give you the same length and quality of show, but will pro-rate the fee based on the number of comedians. What that means is, if it's a 90 minute, 3 comic show, and someone gets sick at the last minute, we will give you the same 90 minute show but you'll pay only 2/3 of the price. That's one great benefit of my working with true headliners- we can all perform top quality material for much longer than we're expected to.
