Welcome to the NZ Comedy Guild - we represent the interests of the professional comedy industry in New Zealand.
Photo credits: Megan Blackwell of Blackwell Photography and Jason Fell
The Guild
The NZ Comedy Guild is the association representing the interests of comedy professionals in NZ. These professionals include performers, writers, producers, venue managers and more.
Our History, as penned by Michèle A'Court
The NZ Comedy Guild was established in 1999 with the mission statement, “To promote and protect the interests of professional stand-up comedians and live comedy performers in NZ’s entertainment industry.” According to my diary, the first meeting was held on Saturday 27 March 1999 at the Classic. We were a fledgling industry then – very few people were making a fulltime living out of comedy, but it was starting to happen. There was a feeling that comedians needed to represent themselves with one voice to the Festival, to the Classic, and to people who produced live gigs and also television programmes (Pulp Comedy, the Festival Gala and so forth.) After a bit of discussion, we called ourselves a “guild” (rather than a union) to recognise that comedy is craft (rather than a trade) and because some people were uncomfortable with the word “union”. Pfft. The membership fee was set at $30 a year.
In large part it was about establishing pay rates (we set a Rate Card for Guild recommended minimum rates in March 2001 – which haven’t changed very much) and sharing information about what we were earning for corporate work (so we weren’t undercutting each other); representing ourselves in disputes (with knob-ends who ran gigs in random bars and might have refused to pay); negotiating with the Festival and TVNZ (in the early years, for example, comedians weren’t paid for their appearances in the televised Gala, hence the Great Gala Boycott threatened in 2002); and professional development – running workshops, sharing skills, talking about our experiences in the industry.
So advocacy, but also “pastoral care” – providing a place for open discussion, the chance to bitch and moan with the possibility it might lead to change, and a growing sense of community as we all attended each other’s weddings and christenings, and some funerals. And we created the annual comedy awards – “The Guildies”.
The inaugural Guildies were held at 7pm on Thursday 13 December 2001 at the Silo (now the Basement) Theatre. There were 6 awards: Best Achievement by a Male Comedian; Best Achievement by a Female Comedian; Best Tour, Best Show Concept, Best Media Outlet for Comedy; and Best Person to Share a Greenroom With.
In large part it was about establishing pay rates (we set a Rate Card for Guild recommended minimum rates in March 2001 – which haven’t changed very much) and sharing information about what we were earning for corporate work (so we weren’t undercutting each other); representing ourselves in disputes (with knob-ends who ran gigs in random bars and might have refused to pay); negotiating with the Festival and TVNZ (in the early years, for example, comedians weren’t paid for their appearances in the televised Gala, hence the Great Gala Boycott threatened in 2002); and professional development – running workshops, sharing skills, talking about our experiences in the industry.
So advocacy, but also “pastoral care” – providing a place for open discussion, the chance to bitch and moan with the possibility it might lead to change, and a growing sense of community as we all attended each other’s weddings and christenings, and some funerals. And we created the annual comedy awards – “The Guildies”.
The inaugural Guildies were held at 7pm on Thursday 13 December 2001 at the Silo (now the Basement) Theatre. There were 6 awards: Best Achievement by a Male Comedian; Best Achievement by a Female Comedian; Best Tour, Best Show Concept, Best Media Outlet for Comedy; and Best Person to Share a Greenroom With.
Executive Board of The Guild - 2020/2021
The Comedy Guild's Executive Board contains nine members who work voluntarily to represent the interest of members and meet regularly to discuss issues and opportunities for Guild members. To connect with any or all of the Executive Board Members, email admin@comedyguild.org.nz
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Josh Davies (Chair)
Josh joined the New Zealand Comedy Guild board in 2020 as the Treasurer and is now the Chair. He has been nominated for the Billy T award and written upwards of 3 funny jokes. During the day he works as a high value fundraiser for Blind Low Vision NZ. 
China Gonzalez (Treasurer & Gender Diverse Rep)
As a performer and producer China has worked hard to create new spaces for comics to flourish including the Spanglish Comedy project which is creating opportunities for Spanish speakers to perform. China hopes to foster inclusivity and diversity in our community as the Gender Diverse Rep. 
Heather Warren (Lower North Island Rep)
Heather is a former school teacher which gives her plenty of experience for working with comedians. She now works as a union organiser with an incredibly useful skillset that includes governance, conflict resolution, problem solving, recruitment, process and procedure, remunerating labour and having 100 different ways to disagree diplomatically. |
Darran Lees (Secretary) With 25 years of experience in executive teams across the world Darren brings a wide range of experience in change management, commination and financial management. He is also currently an elected executive for an industry body making him a perfect fit with his ability of bring a variety of stakeholders to the table 
Jaimieann Tulloch (Women's Rep)
Jaimie has seen the highs and lows of NZ comedy having worked the bar of The Classic Comedy Club for the last 2 years. Being behind the bar she sees and hears plenty of what happens in the Auckland comedy scene and can provide a unique outside perspective. 
Salome Bhanu (Lower North Island Rep) Wellington based, Salome is new on the comedy scene but is already getting heavily involved. She is passionate about finding ways to uplift minority communities and has the drive to make it happen. |
Brandon Wyatt (South Island Rep)
Residing in Ōtautahi, Brandon has been in and around the comedy scene for the last 4 years. In this time he has built great relationships with people across Te Wai Pounamu, making him an ideal representative for its continually growing scenes. |
Claudia Goodacre (General Exec)
While not a performer herself, Claudia is also one of the team at The Classic. Having worked there for over a year while studying a Business and Communications conjoint degree she is bringing not just a well-rounded understanding of the comedy scene but range of organisation and communication skills. |
To connect with any or all of the Executive Board Members, email admin@comedyguild.org.nz