| Clean Comedians | |
| Type: | Privately held company |
| Foundation: | Los Angeles, California [1] |
| Founder: | Adam Christing[2] |
| Location City: | La Mirada, California |
| Location Country: | United States |
| Industry: | Entertainment and speakers bureau |
Clean Comedians is a comedy booking agency,[3] entertainment bureau, speakers bureau, and event-planning company[4] that represents comedians, speakers, magicians, jugglers, emcees and entertainers who avoid using profanity and other objectionable material in their performances and speeches.[5] The company was founded in Los Angeles, California in 1990 by comedian and author Adam Christing.[6] Clean Comedians is known throughout the United States[4] and has been profiled in publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Daily News,[1] Southwest Airlines Spirit Magazine, and Chicago Tribune.[5] The organization works with over 100 performers[4] and operates under the motto "It Doesn't Have to Be Filthy to Be Funny."[5] The company provides meeting and event planners with "Laughter You Can Trust."[7] [8]
Clean Comedians was founded in 1990 largely as an alternative to comics and entertainers like Andrew Dice Clay and Howard Stern, who used profanity extensively in their performances.[1] Adam Christing noticed the trend of more vulgar comedians and felt that there would be a sizable market for curse-free performers.[1] [9] He drafted the "10 Commandments of Comedy," which were essentially "clean" guidelines for performers offered to meeting and event planners.[1] He would later devise the "NO G.R.O.S.S." pledge, which stated that performers could not incorporate gender bashing, racist jabs, obscenity, sexual innuendo, or swearing into their acts.[10] [11] These guidelines must be followed by entertainers featured on the Clean Comedians roster.
The company started out with a small number of performers including Christing, Cary Trivanovich, Scott Wood, Guy Owen, Jason Chase, and impersonator Steve Bridges. The company made approximately $100,000 in its first year of operation and approximately $200,000 in its second.[5] The entertainers and variety artists mostly performed (and continue to perform) at corporate events, associations, sales meetings, and large church events.[1] [7]
In 1996, the company was granted a federal trademark for the name "Clean Comedians" for recordings and for booking live performances.[12]
By 1999, the company had an active roster of 49 performers and several thousand booking clients. They gave over 640 performances in that year.[13] In addition to standard performances, Clean Comedians has also provided fundraising opportunities for many schools and non-profit organizations.[14]
In 2005, Christing sold Clean Comedians to Ford Entertainment to pursue other entrepreneurial ventures.[3] He returned as owner and president of the company in 2012.[4] [6]
The company has also booked shows and appearances for conventions and events at major corporations like Canon,[15] Johnson & Johnson, Insperity, and HP.[4]