Book clean corporate comedians for Missouri company or industry events, charity or religious fundraisers, private parties and more. Hire us for live or Virtual stand-up comedy.
You’ve seen us on TV. We will show you how much fun a comedy show can be! These are just some of the many great clean corporate comedians available to hire for clean comedy shows in Missouri. 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, Golf and Country Clubs and even Private Parties. Surprisingly affordable to hire and advice is free!
Kansas City, Saint Lewis, Springfield, Columbia, Independence, Jefferson City or anywhere else in your state- let us know you want to laugh and we will make it happen!
Nick Griffin
Originally from Kansas City, Nick Griffin has appeared on Conan, The Late Late Show, in his own half-hour Comedy Central special and was featured on The Late Show with David Letterman eleven times.
A comic for more than 25 years, Griffin’s smart, sarcastic and hilarious style makes him one of the most well-respected in the business.
Click to book Nick Griffin or call or text (914) It’s Funny (914 487-3866).
Kansas City, Missouri we know we can make you laugh and laugh and laugh at our hilarious clean stand-up comedy shows. We’ll also make St. Lewis, Springfield, Columbia, Independence and Jefferson City laugh so hard some of you will fall out of your chairs. But not all of you. Most of you have good balance. Give us a call and let’s see who.
Carmen Lynch
Comedian Carmen Lynch grew up in Virginia & Spain and performs in both English and Spanish.
Carmen Lynch is a NYC-based comedian who has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and twice on The Late Show with David Letterman, plus Conan and the Late Late Show. She’s been a semi-finalist on Last Comic Standing and has performed several times for the troops in Iraq and Kuwait.
Click to book Carmen Lynch or call or text (914) It’s Funny (914 487-3866).
Al Lubel
Al Lubel became a lawyer to please his mother and a comedian to please himself (which did not please his mother). After graduating from law school in Florida, Al moved to Los Angeles, passed the California Bar Exam on his first try and wouldn’t you know it, immediately began the practice of stand-up comedy.
Lawyer by day and comedian by night, Al was doing justice to neither. At comedy clubs, the crowds would stare, in court, the juries would laugh. Al gradually began getting work on the road, soon becoming a full-time comic. “I realized I had to give up the practice of law when clients began calling me for legal advice at places like the St. Louis Funny Bone.”
So, Al quit the law. This was a good decision, because within a year he won the $100,000 Grand Prize for comedy on Star Search. Doing the “The Tonight Show” was a childhood fantasy, so when Al heard that Johnny Carson was retiring, he auditioned and became one of the last comics to appear with Johnny. Al has made five appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman.
Even though comedy is his first love, Al admits to missing the practice of law. “I’d like to have one more trial, something serious like a murder trial because as my client’s fate hangs in the balance I’d like to see his reaction when I whisper in his ear…I’m a comedian!”
“Al Lubel is a terrifically funny comedian.” – David Letterman
Click to book Al Lubel 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.