Comedy business and pleasure

?Christmas started early at Funny Women CIC when we treated this year’s Funny Women Awards winners to a celebratory afternoon tea at the Coral Room in London with our ‘Matron’, Jo Brand. This was part of their prize, and nothing beats getting valuable first-hand advice from comedy royalty in the form of the brilliantly funny and generous Jo.

?Many congratulations again to this amazingly talented group of Award winners pictured above clockwise with me: Sarah Bowles , Kate Cheka, Amy Spinks, Chloe Partridge, Jo Brand, Lauren Soley and my colleague Kirstin Miller . ‘Mammy Banter’ Serena Terry was unable to attend. We’ve been finding out more about them after their Award-winning success and you can read a series of Q&As over on our website magazine here .

If you fancy trying out comedy for a new year confidence boost and to perk up your presentations we’ve got lots of options both online and in person. A popular start point is our easily accessible online Comedy Crash Course and the next one takes place from Monday 22nd to Friday 26th January. One hour a day with four different facilitators and a 'showcase' with feedback on Friday.

?Not to be missed, live and in person, is our very special ‘Winter Warm Up’ one-day Stand Up to Stand Out comedy workshop on Saturday 3rd February to prepare you for the year ahead. Taking place at the The Groucho Club Ltd. in London’s Soho, this is a fantastic Christmas gift experience for the woman who has it all. Or why not plan a day out in the new year for yourself and a bring a friend or two?

Another inexpensive 'stocking filler' is a Funny Women Patreon membership which entitles you to exclusive deals on all of our wonderful courses and workshops. ??

By joining our expanding Patreon community from as little as ￡1.50 (plus VAT) a month, (that's less than the price of a takeaway coffee), your support will be rewarded with discounts, monthly online Patreon exclusive ‘Open House’ events, industry advice and special content.??

Join Patreon at the ‘Amusing’ level of ￡5.00 (plus VAT) a month or more and take part in our Comedy Crash Course and the Winter Warm Up one-day comedy workshop for half-price.

Everything is transferable and we’ve worked with some incredible corporate clients this year to take comedy into the workplace including SES Engineering Services , J.P. 摩根 , Vistra Corp. , 英国伦敦大学学院 and more! ?We run workshops, webinars, interactive events, book comedians and provide entertainment solutions to our clients – check out www.herlarious.com for the full story.

I also speak in public, love a ‘fireside chat’ about my career in comedy and guest on podcasts. Thanks Katie Street for our chat on Marketing in the Madness and Laura Bailey for inviting me on to the Creative Health Podcast , coming soon. Oh, and I nearly forgot, I’m (finally) writing a book.

Funny Women is a non-profit organisation, so the income that I generate supports our ongoing outreach work and goes towards running the annual Awards to ensure that women and those who identify as women have a voice in an increasingly complex world. ?This year has been particularly tough, and we've run the Awards with minimal funding and the help of some incredible volunteers and our board of NEDs.

I'm continually applying for funding and seeking commercial sponsors, partnership and collaborations. There's not much we haven't tried at Funny Women CIC over the last 20 years or more and we have a wealth of experience and creativity on hand to promote your brand or service. Humour makes you memorable and I'm always happy to help you explore new opportunities.

I'll end with a picture of me with the amazing V, formerly Eve Ensler, who I met at the The Trouble Club a few weeks ago. I may have had a difficult year but V has had a life of pain and trauma but still shines through. I'm reading her latest book 'Reckoning' at the moment and it's an emotional ride but truly inspiring.

Thanks for reading this and if I don't get to this again before Christmas, have a good 'un!!!

Best - LYNNEx