Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Yoder.
Hi Eric, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Grand Rapids, and music was my first connection to live entertainment. I’ve played guitar for more than 25 years, but much of my career has taken place on the other side of the stage, bringing performers and audiences together.
I spent much of my career at Funny Business Agency, alongside my brothers and dad. I ran the club and touring side of the business. At our busiest, I was handling close to 60+ confirmed engagements in a week, spanning comedy clubs, casinos, corporate events, theaters and some college bookings.
A meaningful part of that work happened right here in Michigan. Each week I booked comedians at Dr. Grins in Grand Rapids, Gary Fields Comedy Club in Battle Creek, Connxtions in Lansing, Chaplin’s in Detroit and Joey’s Comedy Shop in Livonia, and those were just a few of the full time clubs. I also worked with Gilda’s LaughFest since its first year. Those experiences gave me a connection to Michigan’s comedy community that went well beyond any one venue.
Booking recurring rooms teaches you something that a single successful event can’t: you have to earn the audience’s trust again the next week. A comedian can be excellent and still be the wrong fit for a particular room. Understanding those differences became a huge part of my work.
Over the years, I also managed a 200-seat comedy club in Asheville, oversaw comedy, variety and enrichment programming across Carnival’s fleet of 21 ships, and booked symphonic productions with orchestras and performing arts venues. I’ve been the agent, the buyer and the person running the room. Each role gave me a different understanding of what makes an event work.
Heritage Talent Booking grew out of that experience. I’d seen how much time could go into finding suitable talent and getting a booking across the finish line. I wanted to make that process more accessible while preserving the professional judgment that makes a good match possible.
I’m building HTB around curated professional comedians, with the goal of letting buyers discover talent, make offers, sign contracts and manage payments in one place, while performers retain control over the engagements they accept. It’s a business I’m continuing to develop, informed by roughly 20 years of booking experience.
There’s something satisfying about building it from the city where I grew up. My work has taken me into very different rooms around the world, but the moment I care about is still pretty simple: the performer connects, the audience starts laughing, and the person who booked the show can finally relax.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It certainly has not been an easy road. There’s a strange feeling that comes with being able to coordinate close to 60-70 entertainment engagements in a week, then finding yourself wrestling with a signup link on your own website. Both have been part of my career.
At Funny Business Agency, I knew the work. I was booking recurring comedy rooms, corporate events, casinos and theaters. You had to understand the audience, negotiate the deal and keep the calendar moving. Building Heritage Talent Booking has meant taking that experience and trying to turn it into a system someone else can use without me walking them through every step.
That has been much harder than having the idea. For example, I’ve had to address city searches that showed performers outside the requested area, mobile pages that didn’t display properly and differences between a prepared fix and what was actually live. Those sound like small technical issues until you’re the buyer trying to find a comedian. Then they become reasons to leave.
The uncomfortable lesson is that my booking experience doesn’t automatically make the product good. The product has to earn someone’s confidence on its own.
Financially, it has been stressful, too. I’ve been building this while also looking for steady employment. There are days when I’m working on a long-term business and applying for a job in the same afternoon. That’s the reality behind the founder title, and it can be difficult to admit after 20 years in the industry.
I also have ADHD, and an open-ended project gives me plenty of opportunities to chase the next improvement. I can see ten things I want to build before I’ve finished the one thing a customer needs. Learning to narrow the scope and finish has been as important as learning the technology.
Probably the biggest challenge is that I’m trying to make myself less necessary to the transaction. In traditional booking, being the person with the relationships and the answers is a large part of your value. With HTB, my ambition is for buyers and performers to handle a booking without waiting for me to move it forward. That requires getting years of judgment out of my head and deciding which parts can become a useful process and which still need human attention.
I’m proud of the experience behind this business. But I’ve had to accept that it gives me a starting point, not a shortcut. The hard part now is turning it into something people can trust and that can support itself financially.
We’ve been impressed with Heritage Talent Booking , but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Heritage Talent Booking helps people find and book professional comedians for their events. That could be a company planning an employee celebration, a comedy club filling its calendar, a theater presenting a show or someone organizing a private event. My background also includes variety entertainment, but professional comedy is the heart of what I’m building.
One thing I want people to understand is that “We need a comedian” is the beginning of a conversation. A late-night club audience, a company banquet and a college event can require very different performers. Someone can be an excellent comedian and still be wrong for the occasion. Understanding that fit is where my experience matters most.
What sets HTB apart is the combination of that booking experience and the direct-booking model I’m developing through Talent Booking Hub. The goal is for buyers to explore vetted talent, compare their options, submit offers, sign contracts and manage payments in one place. Performers decide which engagements they accept. I want both sides to have more control and a clearer understanding of the process.
The curation matters. I’m not interested in building the largest possible directory and leaving buyers to sort through it. I want the roster to reflect professional standards, including the ability to deliver for a particular audience and handle the responsibilities that come with an engagement. A good video gets someone’s attention; the full experience determines whether they get invited back.
Brand-wise, I’m most proud that HTB reflects experience from several sides of the business. I’ve booked the talent, bought the entertainment and managed the room. I know the buyer may be putting their reputation on the line with colleagues or customers. I also know the performer needs accurate information, reasonable expectations and clear terms to do their job well. Those concerns shape the business. Finally, I want HTB’s brand to represent fairness above all else. Performers should be earn more and buyers should pay less, this happens by automating the admin work and minimize the middlemen involved in a booking. That’s the ultimate goal with talentbookinghub.com .
For Michigan readers, this is a Grand Rapids-rooted company informed by work in local comedy rooms and entertainment programming far beyond Michigan. I’d love to make professional comedy feel more accessible to organizations that have never booked it before, while also giving experienced buyers a more efficient way to work.
HTB is still growing, and I’m careful to distinguish the vision from what has already been accomplished. What I want the brand to earn is a reputation for good judgment: suitable talent, clear expectations and a booking experience that gives people confidence before the performer ever steps onstage.
What were you like growing up?
I was the outspoken middle child, always testing the rules and usually saying what I thought before considering whether I should. Some of that might still be true today I suppose. I played sports and skateboarded, but guitar was what really grabbed me. Finding music has been one of the greatest gifts of my life, and playing guitar is still a huge part of who I am.
I’m also like to believe I’m a very loyal friend. My best friend, Matt, and I met in first grade, and more than 30 years later, he’s still my best friend. There’s something special about having someone in your life who knew you long before careers, titles or any of the grown-up stuff.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://talentbookinghub.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heritagetalentbooking
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578899151163
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/heritage-talent-booking/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HeritageTalentBooking
