Questions We’ve Been Asked.

1. I have no chance of winning any of the awards, why should I enter?
Firstly, you need to work on that self-esteem – no comic ever got ahead by being thin-skinned. Secondly, you’re not alone. Most comics statistically have a very small chance of winning – we know of at least 240 comics eligible for entry – only 5 will win on the night. If we made thes awards easy to win – we’d be cheapening them. It’s a big mountain to climb just earning a living from comedy anyway, getting the approval of the majority of your peers is almost impossible. If you are a winner, we all want that statue to put a lump in your throat, and make other comics work harder to get one of their own. You’re not entering to win, you’re entering to show your support for a credible and prestigious Award for excellence in your profession.

2. What do I get for my money?
The money you are being charged gets you in to Premium seats at the Awards show, as well as the industry afterparty at Parker’s, sponsored by Hunta Live. It also gets you registered as a recognized Comic – your photo and biography will be listed on the comicschoice.co.za public site for 12 months, where we will be directing event organizers, conferencing companies, etc to browse for talent they may not have heard of or used before. You also get the responsibility of becoming able to vouch for your fellow comics, this puts the onus on you to keep the awards credible.

3.Can I perform at the awards?
No. The awards show itself takes a variety format – we really don’t want to turn it into a line-up show. In terms of stand-up, we will ask the winners to perform a 7 minute set as an acceptance speech. The content of the show has been largely signed off already, and suggestions will be taken on 2012. Anyway, if we gave you a spot on the night, why shouldn’t all other 240 comics get a turn? See why this isn’t easy?

4. What happens to money raised?
This is a simple question of maths – we have invested some money in this project to secure venues, staging, statuettes, legal work, etc. We have now got some cash and print spend from The Times, as well as airtime from Kaya. We still need to raise a fair amount of money to cover the costs – this should come hopefully from the approximate 240 registrations, as well as the ticket sales. In year one, there is not much chance that Whacked will recover the time and energy put into this, but we are open about the fact that we will look to recover our investment, and make some money to cover the services we have supplied to make these awards possible. We have said from the start that the financials for the Awards will not be kept secret, but we are not happy to publish them on the web. Any comic who would like to take a look is welcome to call on the office during business hours.

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