Comedy College How-To-Handbook [Paperback]

Gavin Jerome (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1999

Gavin Jerome's Comedy College How-to-Handbook is the definitive guide to using humor effectively. This fully illustrated comedy book is fun, funny and filled with tips and tricks designed to make you funnier! With over 100 pages, this book will improve your sense of humor,teach you comedy writing and delivery techniques and share with you tricks of the trade that standup comedians have know for decades.

This book also features a glossary of comedy terms and 28 easy to understand exercises to complete. Whether you want to become a standup comedian, add more humor to your writing or business presentations, or simply wish to add more laughs to your life, the Comedy College How-To-Handbook is the answer. After reading this book, you will be funnier!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I ... used one of your techniques ... to get a good laugh in the opening of my speech." -- Bill Matyastik, Professional Speaker

About the Author

Gavin Jerome has been a professional standup comedian for the past 13 years. He has headlined comedy clubs and corporate events from coast to coast working with the likes of Paul Reiser, Steve Harvey and Pat Paulson to name just three.

For the past decade, Gavin Jerome has been teaching his Comedy College workshops to both individuals and companies alike. His corporate clients have included IBM, EDS, Sears and The Principal Financial Group.

Comedy College has appeared in such notable publications as The Chicago Tribune, The Denver Post and The Dallas Morning News to name just a few.

Gavin Jerome's extensive comedy background, coupled with his teaching experience, makes him one of the most qualified instructors on the use of humor today.

Product Details

• Paperback: 102 pages
• Publisher: Goon Bros. Publishing (May 1, 1999)
• ISBN-10: 0967157005
• ISBN-13: 978-0967157009
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,773,359 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars How to get the original idea, polish it into a joke and deliver it to a live audience, December 13, 2007

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Comedy College How-To-Handbook (Paperback)

In many ways, success in comedy is achieved in the same way that it is in other fields. It takes persistence, practice, creativity, imagination and the continuous improvement of the craft. In this book, veteran comedian Gavin Jerome takes the reader through a series of lessons in how to get the original idea for a joke, how to test and modify it and then how to deliver it in front of a live audience.
Success in comedy is a difficult thing, more difficult than many other areas. It requires a stage presence and the ability to adapt on the fly, depending on the reaction of the audience. There are times to move and there are times to simply keep quiet. As Jerome so aptly points out, some of the greatest laughs the great Jack Benny ever received were the consequence of a beautifully timed pause.
If you have ever entertained the idea of trying your hand at stand-up comedy, then this book is a good place to start. Jerome is straightforward in his advice, there are worksheets, tasks and exercises to work through as you take an idea and polish it into a good joke. This book will also have value if your only goal is to be able to tell a joke to a few of your co-workers.

5.0 out of 5 stars At Last! A Useful Humor Resource, August 1, 2000

By 

Ann Boultinghouse (Iowa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Comedy College How-To-Handbook (Paperback)

Gavin Jerome's "How-To" Handbook is an "at your finger tips" handy resource for speakers and communicators in all professions offering tips for making all sorts of writing and communicating more compelling and more interesting. Jerome offers ways to create create humor and to utilize it effectively while taking the risk out for those who are sure they just"aren't funny". Even if you don't want to use his step-by-step approach to writing humor, the grounding provided by the book is a must for those who want to add a creative dimension to their speeches, articles, memos and letters. A plus for the volume is that it is just plain fun reading. The book is worth the price of admission just for the smiles. Thanks, Gavin!