Linda Smith is a seasoned writer and stand-up comedian who was nominated for three Emmys for her work as head writer on The Rosie O’Donnell Show. She is now the Director of New Talent at Carolines on Broadway and head of Carolines School of Comedy, a class for beginning comedians.

Punchline Magazine caught up with her last weekend to find out more about the club’s new offerings.

What does your new position, Director of New Talent at Carolines entail?
The job is to produce and book the new talent shows, which we usually do Monday and Tuesday nights. It’s a chance to showcase the new talent here. I work closely with Louis Ferranda, who’s the GM here and talent director. We’re going to work on progressing the new talent here, getting them seen and moving them along. I’m also the head of Caroline’s School of Comedy.

Tell me about that.
It’s a six week class for people who are interested in trying stand-up. Everything is done in house, which I think is great. We’re going be using the room and the stage for the classes which is a great way to get people comfortable. It’s a great room and a great stage. It ends with a showcase.

What are the new rules for doing the new talent shows at Carolines?
We have an incentive system here. It’s a big bringer— it’s 15 people. So I’m telling these guys if you fulfill two bringers for me, you get a freebie. And if you’re really good, and I think you’re ready to be seen, Louis, and Patty who helps him book the room, will watch you and see what they can do for you. Not necessarily middling, but we’ll look into getting you a guest spot on a pro show, so you don’t have to bring people and can be seen by new audiences. Not everyone gets that though. That’s more of a judgment call on my part.

How has starting out in this business changed since when you began?
Oh, it’s really different. I started out in Boston, and in those days, audiences actually came out to open mics. You could go to those things and play to civilians, not just other comedians. So it was much easier to get valuable stage time and then start getting offered guest spots.

What advice do you have for beginning comics?
A big mistake beginning comics make is when they insist on being seen by someone important before they’re ready. That’s a big problem. Then that booker or agent or whoever will always remember them as not being good and being a waste of their time. Listen, ya can’t teach someone to be funny. But there are a lot of things I can do to help people with their material and get them on the right track.

But the huge thing is, get onstage as much as you possibly can. You have to eat, drink and sleep stand-up comedy. You have to take every opportunity. The classes are a great opportunity. You learn, you try stuff. But after that, you just have to keep getting onstage because that’s where the growth happens. That’s where you get challenged.

For more info on Linda’s New Talent Showcases or Carolines School of Comedy, visit Carolines’ official site.