"Success in entertainment is not a zero sum equation. One person's success does not subtract from another person's potential success. On the contrary, it increases demand providing more opportunities for everyone to succeed." -- Bruce "Charlie" Johnson, Clowning Around, September 2013

The 2014 World Clown Association Convention is being held in Chicago, a town that was important in the history of radio and television. I wrote an article on the history of early Chicago radio programs for the September issue of Clowning Around, published by the World Clown Association. In researching the article I frequently found references to the success of a new genre of radio program creating a demand that provided more entertainers the opportunity to star in other programs fitting into that genre. I also found many references to the early radio entertainers helping and encouraging each other. As the demand for radio programs grew, the stars of one show would appear as supporting characters on episodes of other programs. The creators of many early radio programs shared ideas and inspired each other.

Something similar happened in the world of clowning. In 1926, Edie Shipstad and Oscar Johnson began performing clown routines on ice at skating carnivals and between periods of ice hockey games. Their clown acts became the foundation for their Ice Follies production that premiered in 1936. The success of their show created a demand for ice shows paving the way for the Ice Capades, Holiday on Ice, and other shows. These shows included acts by skating clowns.

In 1957, Emmett Kelly was hired as the mascot of the Brooklyn Dodgers, known as "dem bums." He was the first non-athlete to be hired by a professional baseball team. He opened up a new type of venue for performances by clowns. Scott Linker, Dave Fisher, and Rick Cobban have appeared as clowns at baseball games in recent years.

A promotional campaign for the Burns and Allen radio program involved Gracie looking for her lost brother. Gracie Allen would appear as a surprise guest star on other programs asking the characters to help her find her brother. Although the networks were competing for listeners, she was allowed to appear on programs on each of the networks. While the publicity did help improve the ratings for the Burns and Allen program, there was another effect. Because people didn't know where Gracie would turn up they listened to shows they normally ignored hoping to hear her. This sampling of other programs led to people discovering new programs that they began to listen to on a regular basis. That promotional stunt for one particular show increased the ratings for all radio shows. That is an example of "a rising tide raises all boats."

There are some people who work hard to promote the art of clowning while also promoting themselves. Aurora Krause and Lee Mullally are among those people who strive to gain credibility for clowning through how and where they promote their performances. They are actively involved in educating others by writing magazine articles and teaching classes. By trying to improve the quality of clowning in general they create more demand for performances by clowns. In return that gives them more opportunity to perform.

I have also seen the opposite happen. One charitable organization scheduled some volunteer clowns for an event. The group was very unhappy with what the clowns had done and decided volunteers were inferior to professionals. So the next year they hired some clowns. They were unhappy again so they decided that clowning was not appropriate for their event and banned clowns from participation. Their president saw me perform someplace else, liked what I did, and hired me on a trial basis. I ended up performing for them annually for several years. When I was not available one year due to a prior commitment, I recommended some clowns I knew would do a good job. They have continued to appear at that event each year.

What can you do to increase opportunities for all entertainers? What new venue can you break into where other entertainers could also perform? How can you make sure your entertainment is of a quality that will create more demand for entertainers? How can you help and encourage other entertainers? When you can't do an event, who can you recommend who would do a good job? How can you gain increased credibility for clowning? When you market yourself how can you also promote family entertainment in general?