10 Tips For Making It As A Comedian From Sarah Halstead

When Sarah Halstead informed her friends that she was quitting her established career in the champagne industry, selling her home, liquidating her belongings, and packing up her two cats into an RV to drive cross-country to LA to pursue her dreams of becoming an actor-standup comedian... they thought she had lost her mind.

And yet just a few years later, Halstead has a wildly successful career including:

• A monthly comedy show called Bottle Shock at the Hollywood Improv
• A special, RVs and Cats, with over 1.8 million views on Amazon Prime, and a related album on Spotify and other music streaming sites
• A podcast called Drinking During Business Hours that gets about 13,000 streams per episode
• Nearly 100,000 followers on Instagram
• Guest-starring roles on several television shows and appearances in over 100 commercials

“As I was making the journey across the country to move to LA, I began to rekindle my life’s purpose,” Halstead told me in an exclusive interview. “I knew it was now or never if I wanted to take another stab at show business for the first time since my youth.”

Here are Halstead’s top ten tips for how to make it as a comedian:

1. Carry a butcher knife.
2. Remember, hecklers are dispensable.
3. Have good hygiene.
4. Tell people you’re Jewish.
5. Don’t tell people you’re Jewish.
6. Only tell dick jokes if your name is Dick.
7. Wash dirty jokes under warm water with soap. Dry on medium heat.
8. Wear Chance perfume by Chanel.
9. Refrain from dancing on stage.
10. Quit your day job immediately. Comedy pays big!

Halstead grew up in Flint, Michigan, where she felt called to a career in the entertainment industry from a young age. She studied ballet, piano, voice and saxophone. After college, she moved to New York City and took an acting class. “I was quickly hooked and started booking theatre, commercials, and soaps, which back then was the trifecta for actors in the Big Apple,” she says.

Then Halstead’s mother died. They had been very close and her mother had been her biggest fan. “Her passing left a gaping hole in my heart,” says Halstead. “Chasing my dreams felt pointless. I decided to take a break from acting.”

Halstead moved to Miami, got married, and became an ambassador to various champagne houses. Although she gained many wonderful experiences, she felt devoid of her true calling. The grueling travel and opulent lifestyle quickly lost their luster. “I felt vapid and creatively unfulfilled,” she says. Eventually, her marriage also ended.

Halstead thought of the Confucius quote, “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” She thought about how whenever she was on stage, writing, memorizing lines for a role, on set, or doing anything creative, she would feel exhilarated and not only at her happiest, but at her best.

This is when Halstead made the commitment to trying standup comedy – something she had always longed to do. “It was the first time in years that I felt an inner ambition and fire in my belly that said I could do it if I put myself out there,” she says.

The life of an actor is not easy. A lot of it boils down to luck and timing, Halstead emphasizes, no matter how talented, disciplined and experienced you may be. “My success as an actor is not in my control and learning to accept that has been the greatest challenge. As a result, I’ve leaned on other creative endeavors which I have more control of, like standup comedy and podcasting.”

To anyone looking to pursue a career in entertainment and follow their path to their life purpose, Halstead says, “Be curious. Explore hobbies, travel, and cultures that are not your own. Be still and take time to listen to your thoughts. I’m very spiritual and believe in manifestation; therefore, if you visualize your dreams, they will come to fruition.”