From survey to show: The road to the Homecoming Comedy Show 2011

Eric Feldman
Comedy Director
seecomedy@umd.edu

Your likely experience of the show:

September 14: You find out that Aziz Ansari is coming to UMD.  You get really, really excited and tell all of your friends.

September 16: You wait at your computer for the clock to turn to midnight. Tickets go on sale and you finally get those floor seats that you’ve been dreaming of.

October 13: You show up at around 6 p.m. to get in line for doors to open.  Eventually you find your way into Cole and find some open seats, take our survey, and wait for the show to start.  Finally, the lights dim, the show is introduced, and then you laugh hysterically to Max Silvestri and Aziz Ansari for two hours.  At around 9:45 p.m. you leave to go study for that organic chemistry test the next day and/or go out to Cornerstone, or your favorite bar of choice. 

Our experience of the show:

February: I begin to think about potential performers for the show.  In mid-February, I attend a conference in St. Louis, in which I meet with many agents (including Aziz Ansari’s agent).  Aziz’s agent claims “Aziz would kill it at Maryland.”  It sounded fairly biased but I keep it in mind anyway.

March: We send out a survey on Facebook and get hundreds of responses.  Aziz Ansari and Seth Meyers top the survey, so it is decided that I will be pursuing one of them. 

April: Seth Meyers is not available on the day reserved for the Homecoming Comedy Show; therefore, Aziz has become my target.  I begin learning about his price and availability from his agent. It turns out that he is within our range.  I then propose the event, with Aziz headlining, to the SEE Executive Board and it is approved.  After receiving approval, I send a “bid” to Aziz’s agent, which is an offer to have him perform on a certain day for a certain price.  They have a week to respond. 

           

After about a week we still have no response.  We discover from the agent that his price is more than they originally had told us, due to his TV and movie career possibilities. We begin to panic a bit, as we currently do not have the extra money and we do not know where we are going to find it. 

May: Somehow, miraculously (through several co-sponsorship transformations), we obtain the money necessary to obtain Aziz and I then re-propose the event to the SEE Executive Board.  The event needed to be re-proposed because of change in price. The event is once again approved, so I once again send out a new bid to Aziz’s agency.  The bid is sent out on Thursday, May 26, and just like last time, they have a week to respond. 

           

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday all pass by with no response from Aziz’s agency.  On Thursday morning, the day of the deadline, we get a message from his agent saying, “I am doing all I can do get this done today.  Hold tight.”  I am a nervous wreck all day during my internship. I leave work at around 3:30 p.m. and still have not heard back from them.  Finally, at 4:18 p.m., less than an hour before the deadline, the agent notifies me that they are able to accept the bid and the show will happen.  I begin to yell out in joy and get some strange looks from people.  

June/July/August: Over the summer, we work out contracts, eventually getting them signed and completed in late July after a lot of back and forth.  The show is now official.  I also work with the SEE Promotions Team to determine our marketing strategy for this event and work with the SEE Tech Director and Production Team to work out production requirements.

September: We plan to release the Homecoming Comedy Show on the first day of the First Look Fair, at 10 a.m.  We prepare by printing 2,000 handbills. 

           

Once the clock reaches 10 a.m., we all go crazy, yelling Aziz’s name throughout the entire Mall and handing out handbills.  The 2,000 handbills, which were supposed to last both days of the fair, have all been handed out within the first three hours of the fair.  Needless to say people are excited.

           

We plan to release tickets that Friday at midnight.  In the first day of sales, over 3,000 tickets have been sold; we are shocked.  These are the highest first-day numbers that SEE had ever seen for an event. 

October: We continue to track ticket sales.  Hundreds are selling each day.  DC101 promotes the show the week before, which helps us sell more non-student tickets. 

           

We also hold a production meeting with the Police, the Fire Marshal, staff from Cole Field House and SEE’s Production Team to determine stage set-up, the maximum capacity of the event, evacuation plans, entry plans and more.  The show is now becoming a reality.

           

October 13, Day of Show:

7:00 a.m. – We arrive at Cole to begin setting up the stage, sound and lights for the show. 

3:00 p.m. – The stage, sound and lights are complete. 

5:00 p.m. – Before doors open, the SEE Security Team is trained and prepares for the show. Also, we have our weekly SEE Executive Board meeting backstage. 

6:20 p.m. – Doors open and the 8,200 empty seats begin to fill. 

7:00 p.m. – Aziz Ansari arrives along with his tour manager.  I am occupied with this, while the Production Team is occupied with the tornado warning, which was a bit of an unexpected challenge. 

7:50 p.m. – Max Silvsestri arrives.  I then find out that I, rather than Aziz, will be introducing the opener, so I meet with Max to plan what to say. 

8:07 p.m. – The lights dim, I go on stage to introduce the show, and then welcome Max Silvestri. 

8:12 p.m. – I’m running around backstage to address minor details to prepare for Aziz while Max performs. 

8:45 p.m. – The moment everyone has been waiting for.  Aziz Ansari takes the stage, performing for about an hour.  While everyone else is getting satisfaction from the comedian, I am looking the other way, pleased to see 8,200 plus people having a great time because of SEE’s hard work. 

9:45 p.m. – Aziz ends his set and comes off stage.  The audience empties, and we go backstage to hold our meet and greet with Aziz.  We then begin taking down the stage, sound and lights.

1:30 a.m. – We finish breaking down the stage and lighting, and Cole once again looks like a soccer field. 

1:45 a.m. – Sleep.  

Behind the Scenes of the SEE Homecoming Comedy Show

Laura Yannai
Venue Director
seevenue@umd.edu

As most (or hopefully all) of you know, Thursday October 13^th will mark SEE’s annual Homecoming Comedy Show in Cole Fieldhouse. Each year SEE strives to put on a great show featuring a comedian at the top of their field, and this year, with Aziz Ansari as our headliner, will be no different. We are so excited about having Aziz come to our campus and we hope you are too! We have been working very hard to make this show a success and if you’ve ever wondered what goes on behind-the-scenes of a SEE event, here is your chance to find out.

The Homecoming Comedy Show is SEE’s first all-hands-on-deck event of the school year. This means that on the day of the show every SEE Director, as well as members of our Tech and Security Teams, will be working from the minute the sun comes up until way after the sun goes down to make sure the show runs smoothly. We build the stage, set up lights and sound equipment, make sure the chairs on the floor are set up properly, set up green rooms and much more. Once the show is over, we take apart everything we worked so hard to put together! It is a day long—and sometimes exhausting—process, but it’s all worth it when we hear the audience screaming with laughter and cheering for our comedian.

As SEE’s Venue Director I am a member of the SEE Production Team, which consists of the Venue, Tech, Security and Hospitality Directors. Once a programmer books an event and our Promotions Team figures out how best to advertise it to the UMD campus, the job of the Production Team is to physically put it together. Whether it is ordering sound equipment for the stage or figuring out where to position Security Team members around the venue, we like to get our hands dirty and take pride in seeing the physical manifestations of our work. A few weeks ago we held an official Homecoming Comedy Show production meeting. Our advisors, the SEE Comedy Director and contacts from the Fire Marshal’s office, UMD Police, Campus Recreation Services and Facilities Management were all in attendance at this meeting. We discussed the production of the show at length, coordinating various details such as the set-up of the chairs on the floor, the position and set-up of the stage and the rooms that would be used as green rooms for Aziz. Even small details such as the number of ambulances that will be present at the event (following regulations set forth by the Fire Marshal’s office) had to be discussed. Any questions, concerns or anticipated problems were discussed to ensure that no details of the event were overlooked.

I have been making preparations for the Homecoming Comedy Show ever since April when I reserved Cole as our venue. Over the past few weeks I have been planning for the event along with my fellow Production Team members as well as with my contacts throughout various campus departments. I have been filling out Facilities Request forms to request tables, chairs and other items for the event and coordinating green rooms and green room set ups for Aziz. I have also been working with DOTS to reserve parking permits. At an all-hands-on-deck event, we accommodate many vehicles on campus, whether it is an 18-wheeler for our tech company or a personal car for our artist. I obtain parking permits from DOTS to make sure everyone has a place to park.  More importantly, I have been making sure that everything will be set up and delivered on time so we are not scrambling to set anything up at the last minute!

Overall, SEE’s Homecoming Comedy Show is a great example of what we do best, which is to bring you the entertainment that you want to see the way you deserve to see it. I hope you enjoy the show!

Find Funding for your Events

Leyla Korkut
Vice President of Finance
seevpfinance@umd.edu

If you’re part of a student group and you want to put on some great events, but don’t really have the funding to do it, here are some ways to beef up your budget. 

SEE Review Board Funding: If you already have one student group co-sponsoring your event, then you can apply for SEE Review Board (SRB) funding.  The SRB helps promote diverse programming and provides financial support to student groups that are interested in putting on events.  Student groups that are interested in getting funds from the SRB simply need to fill out a short application on the Co-Sponsorship page of the SEE website. Applying for SEE Review Board co-sponsorship is easy!  All you need to do is fill out various details about the event such as which venue you’ve reserved, what other groups are co-sponsoring and how much the event is expected to cost.  If you’re not sure how to plan an event, then you can stop by the SEE Office in 0221 Stamp Student Union, pick up an event-planning checklist and talk with one of the SRB representatives about your ideas.  Make sure that you plan in advance!  If you’re applying for SRB funding, you need to do so at least 45 days in advance of your event.

SEE Review Board Emergency Funding:  Suppose your student group was sponsoring an outdoor event and you paid for everything you needed and took care of all of the logistics.  Then suddenly, you find out the day before that it’s going to rain on the day of your event and now you have to move it to another venue. In order to change the venue, you have to pay an additional fee. The only problem is, your group has already exhausted all of its funding on the event and can’t afford the extra expense. What to do? Apply for SEE Review Board Emergency Funding, of course!  

SRB Emergency Funding is an option for student groups that have already received SRB funding and have run into unexpected costs and need financial assistance to keep their event going.  Your student group can apply for up to $1,000 in SRB Emergency Funding.  You must apply at least one week before the event to qualify for funding. The funding is meant to be used as a last resort and for emergencies only. The SRB will generally not cover costs that result from planning within the student group’s control, so make sure that you’re doing your best to plan your event in the most effective way possible. 

Student Groups: Many groups underestimate the power of co-sponsoring with other student groups. By simply joining forces with other groups you can cut down the costs for an event by dividing up responsibilities. For instance, one group can handle venue costs while another group handles talent fees. By sharing the expenses, the event becomes much more affordable.  

University Departments:  If your event may be relevant to a University department, then you should consider them as potential co-sponsors.  In the past, student groups have worked with University departments to put on educational events, lectures, seminars, and concerts.

There are also other funding options for students outside of SEE:

• SGA Group Help Fund
• Campus Green Fund
• Hoff Funding Board
• Pepsi Enhancement Fund

These are just a few ideas to help fund your way to a great event. Good luck and happy hunting!