FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why were there no ECNY Awards in 2006?
Founder Derek Gordon moved to California and he was unable to continue the awards. The current producing team picked up the torch, with Derek's permission.
Have there been any changes?
Plenty. The web site is more interactive so you can easily see nominated videos, websites and images. The nomination process has been changed to ensure fairness and balance. Of most importance the awards are no longer called the Emerging Comics of New York Awards. They will simply be known as The ECNY Awards. We feel that "Emerging" is too subjective a word. Careers take years to blossom; in the past previous ECNY winners were no longer eligible in that category. Now one can continue to be nominated until they are no longer eligible. For that reason we have a new category, the Emerging Comic Award, which celebrates the individuals, duos and groups who have emerged within the past few years and have contributed significant and consistent quality work to the New York comedy scene.
What makes one eligible for an ECNY Award?
To be eligible you have to live most of the year in the New York City area and perform the majority of your shows or do most of your work in the region. Once you make your living in a particular category you are no longer eligible. That means that professional stand-up comedians can still be eligible in other categories, say as a member of an improv group that doesn't generate enough income to support its members full time.
How are nominees chosen?
Good question. A few months ago we allowed the general public to recommend names for consideration. Over 1,000 names were submitted. We took that list to our hand-picked Industry Committee which consists of a broad spectrum of comedy professionals based in New York. These people live and breathe comedy: they manage theaters, they produce shows, they work in television, they run internet sites, they blog about us and review shows. The Industry Committee voted and the top vote getters became nominees. Our awesome web designer created a private voting program; none of the producers know how the Industry Committee members had voted!
And how are winners chosen?
Until January 10th anyone can vote on our site, provided they have an email address. Also, our Industry Committee gets to vote again. The final winners will be combination of the general public's votes and those of the Industry Committee.
Can anyone attend the awards show at Comix on January 28th?
Absolutely. Tickets are on sale now.
I'm a nominee. Can I get free tickets to the show?
Of course. Email us at contact@ecnyawards.com before January 10th and we will guarantee tickets for you. After January 10th you may have to buy them like the rest of the public.
I run a variety show. Can I book an all ECNY nominee show and call it an ECNY Showcase?
Absolutely. However, since our award show is at Comix make sure your venue allows your show to promote a show at another venue. We also ask that your website and promotional emails link to our site. If you want to get fancy, email us and we'll send you our logo.
So if ECNY no longer stands for Emerging Comics of New York, what does it stand for?
Whatever you want it to stand for, beautiful. We are partial to Exciting Comedy Now, Yeah!