Program Board spends 20 percent of annual budget on Back to School Comedy Jam
Program Board spent 20 percent of its annual budget on the Back to School Comedy Jam.
Out of the $325,000 budget allocated from the Campus Programming Fund, Program Board spent $65,000 on the event’s talent.
former "Saturday Night Live" cast member Jay Pharoah was paid $35,000, Michael Blackson was paid $17,500 and host DC Young Fly was paid $12,000 for their acts during the Sept. 8 event in McGuirk Arena.
Damon Brown, Director of Student Activities and Involvement, said Program Board distributed 2,500 free tickets, and filled the same number of seats. He added the $20 tickets on sale for the general public were minimal, calling it primarily a student show.
Talent's Pay:
SNL’s Jay Pharoah - $35,000
Michael Blackson - $17,500
Emcee DC Young Fly - $12,000
The organization paid for production and technology fees, but has yet to receive a finalized amount.
Brown called the event the “biggest comedy show he has seen in his 10 years at CMU.” This was the first comedy act to perform at McGuirk Arena since Demetri Martin in 2009, when McGuirk Arena was known as the Rose Center.
He said the Back to School Comedy Jam was meant to students excited about the upcoming school year.
“At the end of the day, we wanted to find a way to give back to the students," Brown said. "Sometimes you’ve got to do what’s in the best interest of the students.”
Last year, Program Board initially planned to showcase headliner Nick Swardson in McGuirk Arena, but was moved to the Plachta Auditorium the day of the event due to low ticket sales.
In 2014, Program Board was forced to give away tickets to see Ludacris at McGuirk Arena due to low ticket sales.
The Back to School Comedy Jam tickets being free isn’t related to the recent history of low-selling tickets. The goal for Program Board, he said, is to bring top-notch entertainment to campus for an affordable price.
This year’s Program Board budget is one of the highest in the country, and Brown believes it’s important to put on shows such as the Back to School Comedy Jam.
“We’ve got a great organization structure where the students really talk to them. They work hard to put those things in fruition," Brown said.
This was Nicole Hengesbach’s first large-scale event with the group. The Program Board comedy chair said she was pleased with the turnout, and said the comedians mentioned being pleased with the university's hospitality.
"We received a lot of positive feedback," Hengesbach said. "We were very happy we were able to provide great entertainment for free for our students, especially right at the beginning of the school year.”
Angie Distelrath, Program Board executive director, had little time to promote the show, but was excited to see such a large crowd for the first large event of the semester.
"I can’t say I had the highest expectations for it, but I had a good feeling that it would be an average turnout for the event," Distelrath said. "It was definitely a huge success for Program Board.”
Brown added the limited time and the cancellation of Mainstage was not harmful to the show and its ability to engage student interest.
“For a free show, there’s no need to put out mass marketing ahead of time because there’s no demand to get tickets — there’s no rush to get tickets," Brown said.
Brown stressed the importance of having an event like the Back to School Comedy Jam to start the school year, and is looking forward to seeing how Program Board grows throughout the year.
“We’re in the midst of everything right now,” he said. “This year’s going pretty fast, but it that was a good way to start the (2016-17) academic year.”
