Do you dream of committing more fully to clowning, not just as a pastime, but as a sustainable career, occupation, or even a life’s calling?

Many people have felt the deep joy and transformational power of clowning. They’ve experienced the beauty, the connection, the laughter—and now they feel the pull to go deeper. To bring more of that magic into the world.

Maybe you’re one of them.

But with that calling often comes a wave of questions and challenges:

How do I find an audience for my work?
What do I charge?
How do I navigate casting processes or self-produce?
What’s my brand?
Do I really have to be on social media?

For many, these questions feel overwhelming—like a fog that clouds the path forward, or a wall that stands between passion and profession.

At the heart of all these challenges lies one essential ingredient:

Understanding the business of clowning.

But this doesn’t mean dry spreadsheets or soulless marketing strategies.
This is not about squeezing yourself into a corporate mold.

This is about learning to build a career the clown’s way—with joy, creativity, authenticity, and a sense of play.

It’s about crafting a life where your artistic passion and your livelihood can actually coexist. Where you can do what you love, earn what you need, and feel confident that you’re making a meaningful impact.

This is what The Business of Clowning is all about.

Ready to take the next step?

How it works

DATES: Aug 11 - Nov 3 (12 weeks)

TIMES: 90 mins every Monday at 12pm (PST), 3pm (EST), 8pm (UK), 9pm (CET).

FLOW: 12 sessions in 3 month-long blocks (each block includes 3 guest teachers + integration session)

NOTE: all sessions will be via Zoom and will be recorded, so it is not necessary to attend every week.

Class Outline

Block 1 - August

Aug 11 - TAD HARGRAVE (Ethical marketing coach)

Make Your Marketing Effective, Fun AND Ethical

Frustrated with avoiding marketing entirely (because you can’t find a way to do it that feels good) or marketing that works (but you can’t sleep at night)? Break free from the endless cycle. You don’t have to choose between ethics and effectiveness. Tad Hargrave has cracked the code with his Seven Fundamentals of Ethical Marketing.

Aug 18 - JEFF RAZ (Founder of SF Clown Conservatory and Business coach)

Craft Your Clown Career

"Clowning" and "Business" can sound like opposites, but most professional clowns are small business owners. Some clowning skills are helpful in business, and there are specific business skills needed to be successful as a clown. Topics will include: What business skills to you need to grow; negotiating deals; researching potential employers; working with a lawyer.

Aug 25 - MARK GINDICK (Cirque/Big Apple/Ringling Clown)

Five Essentials for Business Success

Clowning is an art—but making it a career is a craft. In The Business of Clowning, veteran performer Mark Gindick shares practical strategies from nearly 30 years of performing professionally—without ever holding a traditional job. Through five core principles, Mark offers insights into building a sustainable clown career across circus, stage, and beyond. The class ends with personalized feedback to help refine your craft and clarify your next steps. Ideal for performers ready to pursue clowning with purpose and professionalism.

Sept 8 - BARNABY KING

Integration Session

Open space for participants to come and share learnings, visions and questions about how to apply this stuff to their own unique situations.

Block 2 - September

Sept 15 - SCOT NERY (Coach to Showbiz stars and Clown Spirit)

Formula for Renown

Scot Nery's Boobietrap — the #1 live show in LA (TripAdvisor) — has featured over 700 performers. Scot’s been on casting teams for ABC, NBC, FX, Netflix, and Cirque du Soleil. Since going pro at age 11, he’s done 5-figure gigs for Fortune 500 companies. Lately, he’s had hundreds of candid conversations with showbiz freelancers about the offstage side of their work. He’s obsessed with the ways big businesses operate—and how individual artists can steal their best tricks.

Sept 22 - KAREN HALL (Musician, clown and highly successful entrepreneur)

Self-producing Your Clown Show

Karen Hall is professional clown and cellist who tours the world to major festivals as a solo performer. In this class she teaches all the trick of the trade when it comes to self-producing, from booking a tour, to budgeting to marketing effectively to make sure you are maximizing your returns and actually making money rather than just funding a hobby.

Sept 29 - TIFFANY RILEY & DICK MONDAY (Clown duo, founders of Laughter League)

A Great Time to Be a Clown

Clowning may not be a 'real job', but making a living from it takes serious commitment. Dick and Tiffany, whose 40 year careers have spanned circus, street and hospital, explores the practical realities of building a sustainable clown career. From setting goals and finding your niche to saying “yes” to scary opportunities, you’ll gain insights into the many creative ways clowns make a living—on stage, in schools, in communities, and beyond.

Oct 6 - BARNABY KING

Integration Session

Open space for participants to come and share learnings, visions and questions about how to apply this stuff to their own unique situations.

Block 3 - October

Oct 13 - MARTIN CIESIELSKI (Consultant, Clown and Corporate Jester)

The Magic of Money

In this workshop we look at the very cultural and artistic roots of money. We will try to understand the relationships between money, clowns, fools and jesters. How can we play these relationships, helping us and money itself to develop further into the unknown and its infinite jest?

Oct 20 - LUCY HOPKINS (Festival producer, community organizer)

Community Impact

Moving away from the commercial sector, clowning has the potential to deliver great transformation and positive social change. Learn with Lucy how to harness this potential by creating events and other containers that emphasize community resilience, leadership, empowerment, while allowing room for failure, vulnerability and being human.

Oct 27 - DAN RUDOLPH (Playfulness practitioner and logistics legend)

Loving Logistics

Whether it’s replying to emails, organizing social media, planning newsletters, or designing your website, logistics are what make it possible for your gifts to be shared and received. Yet many people carry a sense of dread or resistance toward these kinds of tasks. In this session, we’ll explore new perspective - seeing logistics as acts of service and alignment. Through reflection, mindset shifts, and practical tools, you’ll learn how to approach the behind-the-scenes work with more ease, clarity, and care.

Nov 3 - BARNABY KING