By Cassy van Eeden

But if you’re prepared to work hard, grow from your failures and stay relevant, you’ve got a good chance of cracking the industry. Just ask the professionals…

It's a laugh

Although being funny is not enough to become a comedian, it sure counts for a lot of it.

“[The] only qualification required is that you need to be able to make people laugh. Consistently,” says comic, actor and writer, Alan Committie.

“If you’re funny, you’re funny,” says Martin Jonas, stand-up comic and comedy club founder. “It is very rewarding to make people laugh.”

“I would say being a comedian is easy,” says Chris Forrest, comedian, actor and winner of Celebrity MasterChef SACelebrity MasterChef SA. “It’s doing what you love and getting paid for it.”

It’s tough being a newbie

Although being a comedian may be easy, it’s being a good comedian that’s hard work.

Forrest says that when he started out in the industry, it was nowhere near as tough as it is now. This is “due to the sheer number of people who want to get into it”, he says.

“The waiting list for some open mic spots is up to three months,” says Forrest. And while this is great news for the industry, “it makes it quite hard for a newbie getting started”.

“Sometimes travelling is more difficult than the gig,” says Jonas. “But I have seen places and met people in South Africa and abroad I would never have if I wasn’t a comedian.”

“You have to have a thick skin,” says Committie. There are going to be moments when audiences don’t laugh at all, especially in the beginning, he cautions. But being able to cope with and grow from those moments is how you survive in the industry.

“The more seriously you can take your craft and treat it like a business and you comedy like a brand, then you have a better chance of success in the market.”

Your audience knows best

As a comedian, you are performing to an audience (assuming that people actually pitch up to your show). Surely, then, your audience is the most important thing that you should consider?

“It’s not about how many times you kill it on stage,” says Committie, “It’s about understanding why you ‘kill’ and why you ‘die’.” He explains that: “Only those who can accurately assess and hear from others why they did well and why they did badly will be able to grow and improve as comics.”

Jonas says his biggest advice to aspiring comedians is to “listen to your audience [because] they never lie”.

Stay relevant

One of the biggest challenges comedians face is staying relevant. Being known for a set of jokes based on a particular topic is great. But what happens when that topic no longer matters?

According to Jonas, staying relevant is all about staying in touch with what’s happening around you. “If everyone is talking about it, I write comedy about it,” he explains.

Committee says comedians can remain relevant by: “Being true to your comic persona, your brand of comedy and to the audience you have created for your work.” He adds that it is important to listen to, watch and react to changing trends.

Forrest says he maintains his relevance in the industry by making sure he is in the public eye. “And try to keep your material as fresh as possible,” he adds.

Are you an aspiring comedian? Tell us your story in the comments below.