To book a corporate comedian or for information on the best comedians, call or text (914) it’s-funny (914) 487-3866.
The Ivy League of Comedysm is a boutique entertainment company owned by a comedian.
We specialize in stand-up comedy. That is all we do! Scroll down to see videos & biographies and to learn how to hire the best corporate comedians for corporate, industry or non-profit charity events. Most of us are also great at emceeing events.
(We’re not some huge agency booking comedians as a sideline. We have particular expertise arranging great comedy shows specifically to fit your organization) What to know about people calling themselves booking agents for comedians
Executive Director Shaun Eli performs along with these corporate comedians at corporate, charity & private events and at clubs & theatres and can be on-site at your event. He has been a professional comedian since 2003.
Send me information on hiring male or female comedians for my event
Why do we mention gender? Women make up about a third of stand-up comedians but so many comedy shows are all men.
We try very hard to make sure that our shows are balanced by gender and also by energy level, point of view, attitude, type of comedy and style. You don’t want three comedians in a row who look and sound the same and talk about the same topics.
Three dozen top hilarious clean corporate comedians we’re thrilled to have in our shows (with biographies and videos):
Andy Hendrickson
Adrienne Iapalucci
Liz Miele
Josh Gondelman
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You can also call or text us at (914) it’s-funny (914) 487-3866.
Beware of the “booking agent”
When you hear the term “agent” you probably think of someone who finds jobs or gigs, fields offers and negotiates deals on behalf of actors, musicians, comedians, film & TV writers, etc. That’s a talent agent and they represent the entertainer (their client). Talent agencies are licensed and regulated by the state and they can charge their client up to 10%.
The term “booking agent” is often used by people to imply that they’re exclusive representatives of the artist when they are not. They don’t work for the artist. They work for themselves and act as a middleman. There are no laws regulating how much money they can make. As a middleman they may not even tell the artist how much they themselves are getting paid. It’s not unheard-of for a “booking agent” to charge you $5000 for an entertainer and pay the entertainer $2500 or even $500.
Speakers bureaus operate somewhat differently and have a standard commission percentage, usually between 25% and 30%, although sometimes as high as 50%.
There can be some value added by these agents. They may suggest a comedian who’s a good fit for your audience, or even steer you away from one who isn’t. They may advise you on how to arrange your event so it’s as good as it can be, and handle other logistics. They may have a sheet detailing how to run your event, and they have a contract to work with. A lot of comedians don’t even have a standard contract (yes, they should). And if the comedian suddenly gets sick or misses their flight the “booking agent” may be able to find someone else in a hurry.
On the other hand some “booking agents” are also managers of entertainers (managers are not agents, and in fact legally their job is to advise the client and manage the client’s career; they’re prohibited by law in some states from having anything to do with finding work for the client- that’s a talent agent’s job). But they also have to prove their worth to their clients. So if you contact a “booking agent” who is also a manager they’re likely to steer you to their actual clients as it’s in the manager’s best interests to do so.
The Ivy League of Comedysm is not an agency. With our industry knowledge and experience we very often book comedians at a much lower total cost than you would get by direct contact. Comics prefer to work with us because we handle all the logistical details and other business issues on their behalf so they just have to show up and be funny (plus, we give them a lot of work). If you have any questions about why this matters so much, feel free to ask. And no, we don’t keep most of the money for ourselves. For theatre and charity events, Ivy League of Comedy founder Shaun Eli is usually one of the comedians in the show. For corporate events, if he isn’t the comedian booked for the event he’ll recommend the best comedian for the event. And unlike “booking agents” he has no contract with any artists that prohibit the artist from discussing payment terms with the client.
To watch or listen to interviews with many comedians from The Ivy League of Comedy, visit our Videocast page.