Book hilarious clean stand-up comedians for your Washington State corporate or charity event, house of worship, fundraising dinner and more. You’ve seen us on TV. Now hire us for live or even virtual stand-up comedy performances. Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Olympia or anywhere else in Washington.
We make your audience laugh- you get all the credit for booking us! Watch our videos!
You’ve seen us on TV! Here are just some of the many great comedians available to hire for clean comedy shows in Washington. 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 and advice is free.
Joe Larson
Joe Larson, son of a working comedian, started comedy at an early age and has always had a knack for making light of any situation. At 20 he really began to seriously pursue stand-up, comedy acting and improv as a potential career when he was chosen “College Comedian of the Year” at the Las Vegas Comedy Festival. Then the Seattle born and raised Comedian decided he didn’t have enough traffic, smog, and pastrami in his life so he moved to New York City. “I realized that my dream of being the first person on the cover of ‘O Magazine’ other than Oprah wasn’t going to happen on its own.”
Working the comedy circuit on the east coast, Larson found early success. He was nominated “Best Up-And-Coming Comedian” at the NYC MAC Awards, and was a finalist in both the prestigious Johnny Carson Great American Comedy Festival and the well respected Boston Comedy Festival. And a perk of being in New York: He is in a serious relationship with his girlfriend… they’re married. “She proposed to me” he explains…. “At a romantic candlelight dinner she looked me in the eye, held my hands in hers and said, ‘Joe, I’m pregnant.’”
Parenting has given his comedy a whole new spin. His popular blog, “Man with A Baby” is read and enjoyed by many, and online sketch comedy pieces with “Grandma’s Favorite” are a Youtube favorite. If you haven’t see him killin’ it on stage, you might have heard Joe on the nationally syndicated “The Bob & Tom Show”. .. or seen him in television appearances on The Tonight Show’s Laugh Squad, “Laughs” on FOX, Gotham Comedy Live, and on the Speed Channel. He’s even had the time to fit in an appearance on the film, “Stand-Up 360”.
Joe Larson has an irreverent, intelligent style that gets to appeals to… well… everybody. He says it’s because he just doesn’t care. The only things he cares about are his wife, his child, his hometown, his new town, his mother, his father, his audience and most importantly making people laugh. From a colleges to comedy clubs, Joe has been funny everywhere. And he will do his damnedest to continue entertaining the masses.
Click to Book Joe Larson or call or text (914) It’s Funny (914 487-3866).
Steve Mittleman
Steve Mittleman was launched when he won The Big Laff-Off on Showtime! One of the rare comedians that appeared on The Tonight Show with both Johnny Carson & Jay Leno – Jimmy Fallon coming soon. Also appeared on David Letterman, HBO, Comedy Central and many many more.
Seinfeld: ‘Mittleman is always funny!’
Steve Martin: He’s funny!
Seattle and Spokane, you’ll love our clean stand-up comedy shows. Tacoma, Vancouver and Bellevue, you too will love our clean comedians. Olympia and other cities and towns, we’re not leaving you out. Give us a call and let’s get the show started.
Kerri Louise
High-energy, commanding and versatile- but enough about her sex life- Kerri Louise can entertain any audience with her warmth and razor-edge wit. So it’s no wonder that Kerri was a regular correspondent on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Because of that, Kerri was asked to be on the very first episode of the Dr. Oz Show. NBC took Kerri all the way to the finals in the show Last Comic Standing. Her performance on that show prompted The Women’s Entertainment Network to make her the star of their new reality show called “TWO FUNNY.” Kerri’s guest appearances include Nick Mom Night Out, Comics Unleashed, the Montel Show, The Fine Living Channel, Access Hollywood, The Apprentice, The View, Comedy Central, VH1, 20/20 and New Joke City. These credits plus her appearance in the Marie Clair Magazine, the HBO Aspen Comedy Festival and the Montreal Comedy Festival have made Kerri an attraction.
Click to Book Kerri Louise or call or text (914) It’s Funny (914 487-3866).
Ross Bennett
“I dropped out of West Point to Become a Comedian… probably the greatest service I will ever do for my country.”
MacArthur attended West Point and became a national hero. Eisenhower attended West Point and became the President of the United States. Ross Bennett attended West Point, dropped out and became a comedian.
The mid-70’s were a different era, and West Point was admitting a different kind of cadet when Ross Bennett was sworn in on July 8, 1975. But by 1977 Ross had decided that he wanted to take aim and fire jokes at nightclub audiences. So he undertook a giant career change, he dropped out of West Point, and landed right square in the middle of the comedy explosion that was taking America by storm.
For 30 years Ross has led a comedy attack. Armed with an expressive delivery and real life topics. Growing up with a father who was a Marine Colonel (a nice mellow guy!), grade school snow days, disastrous golf games, catastrophic water skiing outings and middle age medical procedures. Ross Bennett is a high-powered performer who takes his act to the audience and comes back with a victory every time! Seen on dozens of television shows, including The Late Show with David Letterman, 5 appearances on Comedy Central’s Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and 4 appearances on An Evening at the Improv.
Click to book Ross Bennett or call or text (914) It’s Funny (914 487-3866).
Jimmy Brogan
In 1975 Jimmy Brogan realized he had a fear of heights and gave up on his dream of becoming a Human Fly. He turned his attention to standup comedy. He did guest appearances on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman.
He starred in a sitcom called Out of the Blue (ABC). He hosted Laffathon (Showtime), Comic Strip Live (Fox) and You Asked For It, Again (Family Channel). The perfectionist that he is, he won’t be satisfied until he has been cancelled by all the networks.
Deciding that he could save a few dollars by not hiring a lawyer, he worked for nine years as an indentured servant on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Since leaving The Tonight Show, Jimmy has been busier than ever. Besides doing his standup, he has written two movies and seen three others.
He also was a creative consultant on Yakov Smirnoff’s one-man Broadway show, As Long As We Both Shall Laugh. He found out exactly how long we both shall laugh. It was 24 performances.
Click to book Jimmy Brogan 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?
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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.