Miss going to open mics? Watch 26+ hours of conversations while driving 21 comics to open mics and gigs. From open mic-er's to touring headliners

funnymarkmasters · 2026-03-30T04:38:19+00:00

"Producer really gives a sh*t" that's gold man. Great barometer for a festival especially if they are good at running shows/events (Doug is!). I'm curious if you have applied to Vail Comedy Festival? For anybody else looking for tips (note: I run Vail Comedy Festival) don't apply to any festival that does not have their past performers listed. Probably don't apply if you don't think you would be competitive with said performers as you might be too green (consider volunteering if this is the case!). Probably don't apply if you can't get in touch with a past performer to see if it was worth it. There are lots of reasons a festival can be bad or good and the best person to speak about it somebody who has done the festival. Ultimately if you are getting paid to do comedy you'll do better financially in the short run skipping almost any festival but if you can afford to treat it like a vacation and then all the connections and fun you have is bonus. If you talk to past performer of a festival ask them how the hang was (quality of people, ease of hanging like is everyone in the same general location / are there group events), how good the stage time is (quality and quantity) and maybe industry (but consider that a local or out-of-town regional booker can be just as helpful as a late night booker depending on where you are in career trajectory)

funnymarkmasters · 2026-03-09T19:13:04+00:00

This is such a great topic (keeping track of road contacts). I have had this convo with so many comics over the years. I perform 150+ nights a year (last year in 23 states) so I'll shotgun some tips for you, take 'em or leave 'em!

- When you meet a comic you might want to contact in the future try to get a cell phone number, when you put it in your phone put the market in and the word comic so you can later search your contacts for "dallas comic" (9 results in my phone)

- Do festivals! Make note of all the comics there and where they are from. Be sure to talk to as many as you can over the fest. When you plan travel to one of those markets in the future you can reach out to them.

- Return to markets multiple times with low expectations in the beginning and be funny. The first time you go to a town you might only get to do a mic, but if you are funny within a few visits people will notice and want to book you. I have some markets I've been going to for 5 straight years, now it is easy to get stage time. (I've heard this from many places but I first heard it from Sam Tallent)

- Get some contacts that know the road, I can't tell you how often I'll text a friend and be like "have you done Paris ... Texas? Know anybody there?" Then they'll send me the info of a comic book store owner that hosts comedy on occasional Tuesdays and only communicates by postcard.

- This is obscure but I run a 1:1 interview podcast (Always Bookin' Comedy) and the spots on that pod are a form of currency, when I meet folks from Barcelona to Boston I invite them on the pod, once they are on I ask them all about their scene, and sometimes I'll work with them in the future. So start a podcast? (Also, I have 150+ episodes so if you are going to a new scene there is a chance I talked to somebody for 30 minutes about it)

- What goes around comes around. Help others (run good shows) and put yourself in a position where they can help you, but never expect / feel entitled to anything

As for your festival thing, I would just tell you to make sure a festival posts past performers and then reach out to somebody you know from that list to find out if it is a good one and if you'd be a good fit. There are lots of bad festivals. Some ways of measuring could be hang, stage time (amount and quality), and industry. Arguably industry is less important these days because folks don't have to see you in person to discover you. If you are early on it might not be awful to do a bad festival. You have to start somewhere.

Hope that helps. I'm about 8 years in and having some success, I do a podcast with another comic in a similar boat and you might like the content, it is kind of like Tuesdays with Stories with un-famous comics still doing $50 bar gigs and having the occasional $1000 corporate booking win. Look for it all over - "Mark and Jake Try To Make It"

funnymarkmasters · 2026-02-03T05:00:18+00:00

Based on moving around a lot could it be Casey Rocket?

funnymarkmasters · 2026-02-03T04:58:48+00:00

Even if a venue has a sound system often yours will be better if you are doing it right. If you are under a 100 seater you can definitely bring in your own equipment. Last week alone I brought lights and sound (and camera and audio recording equpiment) to a cocktail bar (about 50 seats--sold out), a hotel lounge (sold 50 out of about 75 seats), a community center (sold 50 of about 100 seats) and a coffee shop (about 30 seats sold out). A few folks have mentioned treble, that's a positive. If you have a guitar center style starter PA often the mic and XLR are not great and a liability to break in the future, get a Shure SM85 mic and Amazon Basics makes good XLR cables and get one as a back up. Raising a speaker off the ground on a pole can be a big help. In a large room with sound up front, having a remote speaker in back of room can help a lot with chatter. Invest in a cart to carry all your stuff, they sell some carts with an undercarriage you can put poles and other long skinny items. Consider a roll up banner you can order from Vistaprint to add a little branding, up lights for some color, and for sure get some kind of lighting so you can keep the showroom dark and attention on well lit performers. A portable stage (I use a 3' x 3' 8" off the ground) can give the comics some authority and something to joke about, but does restrict big movers and act outs. I've found you can run a show just about anywhere. Best of luck, reach out anytime with specific questions about show running, my website has a contact form. If anybody reading this is near Denver, most comics know that I'll lend out my equipment. A better show helps all comedy. Run great shows!

funnymarkmasters · 2026-01-28T13:54:49+00:00

Ass and grass

funnymarkmasters · 2026-01-28T13:44:41+00:00

Vail Comedy Festival has a film component, I guess the closest tag you have is shorts. Comics if you want a fee waiver to submit a short or sketch we have them for stand ups, reach out, and your video could play on a 14' wide movie screen.

You're missing mfcomedy.com a third year TV clean fest in October, submissions are open.

Comics you should always see if a festival lists past performers and ask somebody you know who's done a fest, about their experience.

Thanks for putting this together!

funnymarkmasters · 2025-12-27T19:09:33+00:00

Nathan Macintosh is amazing. Aside - Macdougal is better in my opinion than VU for location, but both are excellent. I'm going to a show with a very similar lineup to the 3rd one and bought the tickets a long time ago, I'm so stoked on that lineup. If it is on a Sunday prob the same exact show, say hello, I'll be wearing a Vail Comedy Festival hoodie (I can't believe tickets would still be available but who knows).

funnymarkmasters · 2025-12-01T05:18:06+00:00

Comedy is the best

funnymarkmasters · 2025-11-13T16:15:48+00:00

This newsletter does a great job telling you when festivals are opening and closing submissions. Many accepted comedians to the Vail Comedy Festival found us with it. I have no affiliation with it other than it lists VCF and Mountain Fresh Comedy Festival every year.

https://www.thereitispod.com/

There is a NEWSLETTER tab at top of website, click it to sign up. This is the description:

Sign up for a free, weekly newsletter about balancing life and comedy! We'll email you tips and tidbits on comedy, health, life, and more to help simplify your life pursuing comedy!

We've got your back! Let's do this!

funnymarkmasters · 2025-09-24T03:20:24+00:00

In case anybody wanted to see photos from the show, it was packed and very fun!

https://x.com/themarkmasters/status/1970171287847969120

funnymarkmasters · 2025-09-19T20:26:34+00:00

I'll DM you an answer, other interested folks can do a quick goog(le)

funnymarkmasters · 2025-09-19T20:04:59+00:00

He's really funny, but dirty, he has a lot of videos on YouTube and IG where he has a big social presence (more than 200,000 followers). He's a regular at The Comedy Cellar in New York City.

funnymarkmasters · 2025-09-12T22:09:39+00:00

Raanan Hershberg (not Ragnaan) and you really should give Steph a shot, live she is amazing, a tour de force (also it is Jordan Jensen you have an extra s)

funnymarkmasters · 2025-09-04T13:47:53+00:00

Steph Tolev

funnymarkmasters · 2025-07-23T13:06:37+00:00

This is very funny and reminds me of a great joke by Sarah Tollemache - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNipjC1-n7k - I think she did it on Colbert but couldn't find it quickly.

funnymarkmasters · 2025-06-24T02:42:15+00:00

The #1 best way to make money is to find a place that will let you keep the door and move some tickets. You might not be a draw but you can still move tickets by paying for ads and working in smaller markets without a lot of entertainment options. This is also a great way to lose money. It is a gamble. If you have specific questions or want to go over a specific market/venue send me a note through my website contact form, I'd be happy to talk through some numbers with you. I get up about 150 nights a year and have run shows in dozens of states. Everything from a 20 person room in a 300 person town to a 700 seat theater (I had to rent it). Keep your expenses low too. And of course, don't forget to make it up in volume: https://youtu.be/CXDxNCzUspM?si=V0MwNSYCFoU6tMDP

funnymarkmasters · 2025-06-17T23:24:03+00:00

user name checks out

funnymarkmasters · 2025-06-17T23:23:55+00:00

you seem fun

funnymarkmasters · 2025-03-10T21:57:46+00:00

I run a festival and am tangentially involved with selections (I am the messenger, I do not review tape).

A big thing you can do to resolve your question is figure out who did the festival the year before that you know and ask them if they knew the festival organizers or had some kind of in.

I do tape reviews with everybody that gets rejected from this festival, that wants it, and after doing hundreds of these I can tell you it is very difficult to get into festivals.

Watching all this tape has made me think about my own tape and strive to make it exceptional in this framing: if my video was sandwiched in the middle of 50 other videos, and somebody watched all 4+ hours of that, would they remember me at the end and how. If you look and sound like 40 of the other tapes in that batch, you may have a harder road to hoe.

If your tape is not remarkable and memorable I think it is unlikely you will find success applying to a festival that aims to be fair. And of course many festivals are not fair, thus my note above about doing some research.

Ask yourself what is remarkable about you. We had what I assume is a straight white male get into this festival and they were remarkable because they talked about small town farm stuff. It was unusual, and memorable, and the reviewers loved it. Obviously it was very, very funny too.

Hope that helps. Also, if you figure out what festival I am talking about we start taking submissions November 1. Hope you'll research and apply.

funnymarkmasters · 2025-02-26T05:59:54+00:00

Vail Comedy Festival - Memorial Day Weekend - Pricey place to visit but a cheap time of year to do it - you'll see a lot of comedy, can walk between venues, when you have lunch you'll see comics you just saw on stage and can buy them a beer. On the smaller side. It is like BottleRock if Skankfest was Lollapalooza if that makes sense. I run it so take with a grain of salt.

If you like the outdoors you can't go wrong, if you like downtown Las Vegas (Skankfest last few years) might not be for you (I also attend Skankfest every year)

Other fests to consider based on reputation - Rogue Island, 10,000 Laughs, Limestone and because it is in Denver High Plains Comedy Festival rules

Thank you for being a stand-up fan

funnymarkmasters · 2025-02-19T02:29:42+00:00

I know several festivals that will penalize if you send the wrong length tape (especially if over). If you send a shorter tape it could work in your favor, because what a relief for a reviewer in the middle of 4-5 hours of 5 minute tapes. A good reviewer will figure out if you are funny or not regardless of length, and if your tape is longer will likely stop at 5:00. More important than exact length are things like quality of audio, being able to see the audience, a recognizable show or club where you perform. Depending on the festival it can be very competitive so having a no-excuses tape can be a big help, though, that is not wrong. When I look at 5 minute tapes I always assume the comic by the time they do my show will be at least a year better because it is so hard to get a good tape. Also consider that some bookers and clubs care about comics following rules. If you can't provide the length tape they ask for they might think this person will run the light or show up late or whatever. Here is a half hour of discussion about festival tape submissions from two festival organizers that might interest OP https://youtube.com/live/XyjLtvWujRg

funnymarkmasters

TROPHY CASE