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Three principles I wish I had known and understood when I was starting out in comedy.

1. The single most common criterion for success is simply staying the course. Talent is not "possessing some magical intangible." Talent is simply the result of staying the course longer than everyone you start with. Talent is staying long enough for your skills (read "talent") be discovered by you, nurtured by you with the audience's assistance, and grown until it suddenly bursts forth and is welcomed by the world as a 'natural' talent being discovered. Talent is not giving up in spite of repeated failures (i.e., repeatedly bombing). Just performing any where, any time, for any audience.

2. You do not make an audience laugh. An audience tells you what they will accept from you that makes them laugh. Too many speakers/comedians/performers disregard the audiences' feedback (except for when the joke is rejected with an undeniable resounding clunk of silence) because they often feel 'what does the audience know? They are a bunch of amateurs, but I'm the pro."

Ah, but the audience knows what they like and what they don't like and you can't force them to like what they don't like. You can only annoy them if you insist on sharing it with them. Persist, but persist with intelligence.

3. You do not create your persona, the audience creates it for you. You've already experienced this multiple times. You tell a line you think is hysterical and they titter at best. Another time you use a very mild laugh line and the audience goes nuts. When that happens, you've just been given very important information. To be wildly successful analyze what is working for you and do less of the former and more of the later (and be prepared to discover this is not always what you think is your funniest or best stuff).

Now go out and break a leg.
John Cantu

The Business of Being Funny

Recorded live at a comedy club before a show. So there's some background noise and fluctuation in John's volume. But if you are new to comedy, you will WANT this tape.

Why you need a business card
How to get booked
Difference between Open mike and Showcase
Paid bookings
How to call to get a gig
How to promote yourself to the club booker
Other type venues to perform at
How to negotiate
What are the REAL money gigs
How to determine material for special gigs
What's the difference between a resume and a bio
How to pick your headshot
Why you should let the booker know you have a car
Hecklers - Should you deal with them

This one hour and 17 minute recording will give you a head start that otherwise only time and painful experience could give you.

AT003JC - Audio Format: CD only $15.00

Adapt Your Stand-up Act To The Professional Speaking Industry

You Can Make More Money NOW Than You Ever Made in Comedy Clubs and avoid the DREADED CURSE OF THE FEARSOME AND LOATHSOME DAY JOB.

HOW? Clean up your act! I mean literally clean up your act and develop a clean humorous monologue then switch to the professional speaking arena.

Let me share this with you:

Jim Giovanni, a tremendous comedian and a great unsung impressionist was booked at the Bohemian Club (The Bohemian Club is a playhouse for power-people like President Bush and former secretary of state George Schultze, etc.) along with humorist T. Bubba Bechtol. Giovanni asked Bubba, "What's the difference between a comedian and a humorist" and Bubba said, "About $15,000 a performance." In 1984 Bubba was doing stand-up in the $2000 dollar range. I don't have any specifics, but based on my educated guess, it wouldn't surprise me if Bubba's gross last year was in the 7 digits range (No, '7 digits' is not a typo and yes, the mind does reel!)

YOU WILL LEARN HOW TO:

Adapt Your Stand-up Act to the Speaker's Platform
What Your Professional Speaking Fees Might Be Right Now
How to Adapt Your Current Material
Where to Find "Open Mikes" for Professional Speakers

SPE011JC - PDF format - $9.97

How to Break into to Comedy (Even if You Are Too Young for Clubs
Or If You Live far from Comedy Clubs)

You will learn:

That in the beginning stage time is more important than so called 'talent'.
From the careers of Robin Williams and Jerry Seinfeld.
How to collaborate with others when you don't have enough material to do a show by yourself.
How to approach professional comics for advice and assistance.
More than three dozen places that might either be open to speakers or might have posting boards that could give you leads to organizations to call for bookings:

To think big. Comedy clubs are small. You can start out there - but the real successful comics are doing concert halls, corporate events, association events

SPE002JC - PDF format - $9.97

Comic Insights: The Art of Stand-up Comedy

by Franklyn Ajaye

This is a MUST READ for anyone serious about stand-up. I have been touting Larry Wilde's Book "The Great Comedians" for years. Franklyn's book matches it in quality.

My name is John Cantu and I am a former comedy club producer based in San Francisco. The 'unknown' comics who started performing in my open mics were Robin Williams, Dana Carvey, Paula Poundstone, Rob Schneider, Will Durst . . . So it's safe to assume I know a bit about comedy.

Not only will "Comic Insights" take years off your learning curve.

Comedian Franklyn Ajaye's book explores the nature and nuances of stand-up comedy with fascinating, candid and insightful interviews with today's top comedians. Chatting with the likes of Louie Anderson, Richard Belzer, Elayne Boosler, George Carlin, Ellen DeGeneres, Rich Jeni, Jay Leno, Richard Lewis, Bill Maher, Paul Reiser, Chris Rock, Roseanne, Jerry Seinfeld, Gary Shandling, Sinbad, George Wallace, and Jonathan Winters, Ajaye explores the method of their madness - why and how they do what they do.

But wait! Not only do you get the goods from the comedian's point of view but their are invaluable insights by comedy club owners, Budd Friedman (The Improve) and Jamie Masada, agent Irving Arthur and personal manager Buddy Morra.

"I wrote this book to demystify the process of becoming a stand-up comedian without diminishing it. Listening to these truly great comedians talk about their experiences and methods made me think about all the things I find interesting in stand-up: the little challenges and puzzles to be solved on a nightly basis and the chance to explore your thoughts and beliefs through your comedy and discover their sometimes surprisingly true validity."

Franklyn Ajaye is an Emmy-nominated writer/rpoducer/actor/comedian. his television writing and producing credits include "The Parent 'Hood," "In Living Color," "Roc," "NYPD Blue," and "Politically Incorrect." Ajaye has appeared on "The Tonight Show," "Politically Incorrect," "The David Letterman Show," And "The Aresenio Hall Show." and acting credits include "Carwash," "Hollywood Shuffle," "The Burbs," and "Stir Crazy."

BK001FA - $18.95

Great Comedians Talk About Comedy

by Larry Wilde

Seventeen of the funniest people of the 20th Century talking about how they make people laugh!

Each engaging interview was painstakingly elicited by best-selling humorist, Larry Wilde, who spent years researching, collecting the material and recording these intimate one-on-one conversations.

Not merely for comedy aficionados, this is a book for ALL those who:

Love to laugh and for those who want a good, entertaining read;
Are curious about what makes top comedy performers tick, and the secrets behind their timeless wisdom and appeal;
Would like insight into comedy techniques and sound philosophies that can inspire and benefit everyone in every walk of life;
Aspire to careers in comedy or as professional speakers, as well as toastmasters, managers, business executives, clergy, civic leaders, lawyers - all who must interact with the public.

A fascinating compendium of life lessons, wit, motivation and inspiration that can be used to revitalize our own lives and careers!
Featuring big time performers including: Woody Allen, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Shelley Berman, Joey Bishop, George Burns, Johnny Carson, Maurice Chevalier, Phyllis Diller, Jimmy Durante, Dick Gregory, Bob Hope, George Jessel, Jerry Lewis, Jerry Seinfeld, Danny Thomas and Ed Wynn.

BK001LW - Hardbound $25.00

CANTU'S UPDATED 2011 GUIDE TO 101 WOW SITES TO BOOST YOUR COMEDY CAREER

Here are 101 web sites John collected that can cut years off your learning curve as a humor writer, humor performer, or just provide valuable information for you if you are a serious humor fan.

CHAPTER 1 Creating Humor: That is one of the most commonly asked questions of any creative person. And the only answer is, "From everywhere." But one does have to have that initial spark of an idea that then works like the proverbial grain of sand in the oyster's shell that is transformed into the pearl. Here are nineteen sites to help you with ideas on creating your first monologue or humorous speech.
CHAPTER 2 Basic Platform Skills Once you have your monologue or speech written you have to practice your delivery. Effective delivery depends of effective use of your voice and your gestures. Here are nine sites to help you support your material with effective vocal control and body language...
CHAPTER 3 Speaker Humor There are techniques that one uses as a speaker that are different than the techniques you use as a stand-up. Here are six sites to help you if your career choice is that of a humorous speaker...
CHAPTER 4 Written Humor Perhaps the thought of standing in front of others and delivering you humor ideas verbally is not what you wish to do. Maybe you are more comfortable writing your ideas and letting others read them. If that is the case here are eight sites to help you be a better comedy writer...
CHAPTER 5 Borrowed Humor
CHAPTER 6 Inspirational Success Stories
CHAPTER 7 Marketing
CHAPTER 8 Specialty Humor
CHAPTER 9 Miscellaneous
CHAPTER 10 Improv

Those of you who know John's abilities as a teacher and his insight and passion for comedy won't be disappointed. It's an easy read and an even greater resource. This ebook will help YOU keep your audience (clients, friends or relatives) laughing.

SPE004JC - PDF format $9.97

Cantu's Comedy Wit and Humor Wisdom

Cantu Humor was a series of articles John wrote during the last four years of his life where he sums up for you what he had learned and taught so well.

Valuable articles on
PERFORMANCE/ON-PLATFORM OFF-PLATFORM SKILLS: How to do it
HUMOR DEVELOPMENT TECHNIQUE: How to write it.

Below are the articles on Humor Writing Development Techniques.

The Substitution Technique:
Writing the reverse joke
Humor Principles - #1
Observation and Inspection of Wordplays
Writing entertaining and realistic dialogue
Complex/simple Contrast
Anthropomorphism
Exaggeration Technique
The Essence of British Humor - Understatement
Thirty Years of Comedy/humor Writing - Some lessons Learned
The Word Play - Words That Sound Alike
Off-The-Wall Humor
Finding humor lessons For You in the Work of Gary Larson
Your Humor Lessons In The Work of Monty Python's Flying Circus
Doing Full-scale Sketches
Some additional thoughts on sketch writing
The Misdirection Humor Technique
The Take-away Joke and It's Cousin the Negation Joke
The Combo Technique
The Truth Joke
Formula Jokes
The Fill-in-the-Blank Joke Technique
"Ignoring the Obvious" Humor Technique
The Endless Segue Story Telling Technique
The Use of Overlays to Spice Up your Humor
Literal Sarcasm Humor Technique
Pattern Jokes
The Art of Riffing
Writer's Block? Look Around You and Create
Increase Laughs by Using Funny Attribute for Quote Authors
Increase Laughs by Using The Relabeling Humor Technique
The Misunderstanding Humor Technique
Your Material's Acceptance
The Alphabet Humor Technique
Increase Laughs by Using The Time Machine Humor Technique
Don't Pre-Judge Your Initial Ideas
Increase Laughs by Using Humor Through Contradiction
Increase Laughs by Doing-Things-the-Hard-Way Technique
The "Hammer & Nail" Humor Technique
Physical Jokes - Jokes That Have a Physical Component to Them

Here's a practical example from Cantu's Comedy Wit and Humor Wisdom
Cantu's Humor ezine all together in a PDF format - 269 pages of digitally indexed articles on Performance/Platform Skills & Humor Writing Development Techniques
30 years of expertise for only $29.95

Digital EBooks via download.

Comedy Humor Techniques for Stage and Speaker Platform

Power Tools for Success