--- title: "Campus Showcases and College Agents | D.O.C." description: "A roadmap to the campus buyers: NACA and APCA showcases, college agencies, the costs and deadlines in their own words, and where to apply this season." url: https://disciplesofcomedy.com/career-atlas-campus-showcases-and-college-agents.html updated: 2026-11-10 --- The Career Atlas · Colleges & campuses · stop 3 of 5 # Reach the campus buyers: your roadmap Start the playbook → Your proof The short answer You can reach campus buyers through a college agency, through the associations’ conferences, where students and staff watch ten-minute showcases and walk the booths, or school by school. NACA and APCA each ask you to join before you apply, and the fees add up: choose your way in, price the whole trip, and apply where the schools you want will be. - **16** steps, each with its “done when” - **3** buyers, in their own words - **6** places to send it - **4** notes ready to send By D.O.C. Editorial · [The Career Atlas](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-career-atlas.html) ## This roadmap, in five parts Your roadmap ## From here to your first campus date Where you are, the tests for the next stop, and the steps between, in the order most comics take them. The steps are the Career Field Manual's; mark each one as you go, and the day goes in your passport. You’re here if… ### Pitching to campuses: agencies and showcases - Your campus kit is ready: a clean video, a short bio, photos and a price. - You’re deciding between a college agency and representing yourself. - You’ve heard of NACA and APCA, and you want to know what showcasing involves. - You can travel to a conference and stay in its hotel. You’re ready to move on when… ### …to [your first campus date](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/career-atlas-first-college-comedy-gig.html) These are the tests the next stop’s buyers set in their own published rules. Tick each one when it’s true for you. A school, or your agent, has made you an offer in writing, from the office that can sign it. Your price says what’s in it: NACA’s own rule for its lower-priced showcase acts is that a single date may leave travel out, but a block price must include travel. [NACA Membership ↗](https://www.naca.org/join/associate-membership.html) You know who your contact is: NACA says the contacts in its member directory are usually each school’s key contact for bookings. [NACA Membership ↗](https://www.naca.org/join/associate-membership.html) Your records are ready for a school’s paperwork: the IRS tells gig workers to collect and keep their records and receipts during the year. [The IRS on gig work ↗](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/manage-taxes-for-your-gig-work) 0 of 4 true ### The playbook 16 steps in 4 parts, from the Career Field Manual. Each has its “done when”, a D.O.C. tool for it, and your status, note and target date; star up to twelve for your 90-day plan. #### Choose your way in From the Career Field Manual: Choose help when it solves a problem. In [the D.O.C. book](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-book.html): topics 290–313. 1. Choose help when it solves a problem · team-01 #### Identify the people who already influence your bookings **Done when** A map of buyer, host, producer and promoter roles. [What a comedy agent does →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-comedy-agent.html) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 2. Choose help when it solves a problem · team-03 #### Name the actual bottleneck outside help would solve **Done when** A specific time, access or negotiation problem. [When you actually need representation →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-comedy-agent.html#topic-297) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 3. Choose help when it solves a problem · team-04 #### Evaluate an agent’s relevant buyers and recent work Ask which schools an agency booked last year, which conferences it attends and how it would price you. GP, for one, lists NACA and APCA among the associations it belongs to. **Done when** Facts, not a list of famous clients. College agencies, on this page → [Your Team’s directory →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/comedy-agents.html#find) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 4. Choose help when it solves a problem · team-05 #### Read commission, exclusivity, territory and termination terms **Done when** The agreement reviewed before signing. [Do comedians need contracts? →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-comedy-contracts.html) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date #### Price it before you apply From the Career Field Manual: Choose your starting point and Choose help when it solves a problem. In [the D.O.C. book](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-book.html): topics 1–20, 435–455 and 290–313. 5. Choose your starting point · start-06 #### Decide your monthly career-development budget **Done when** Your spending ceiling in dollars. [Price the trip in the Tour Planner →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/comedy-tour-planner.html) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 6. Choose help when it solves a problem · team-07 #### Avoid pay-to-play, bogus showcases and fake representatives An association publishes its fees on its own page: read that page, not someone’s promise of access, before you pay anything. **Done when** Documented checks before paying any fee. [Knowing a real offer →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/pay-to-play-comedy.html) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date #### Apply where the buyers are From the Career Field Manual: Explore specialty markets and Find and pitch the right rooms. In [the D.O.C. book](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-book.html): topics 132–142, 143–173 and 143–196. 7. Explore specialty markets · specialty-05 #### Research college entertainment submission requirements **Done when** Buyer guidance and eligible programs. Where to send it, on this page → **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 8. Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-08 #### Apply to an appropriate open festival or contest Read the conference’s own page for its membership, deadline and costs, the week you apply: windows open and close each season. The conferences under Where to send it each carry the day they were last checked. **Done when** A real application and its current deadline. The showcase calls, on this page → Questions to answer before you apply → **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 9. Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-04 #### Tailor your clip and message to each buyer **Done when** Three concise, different pitches. Asking a college agency → **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 10. Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-05 #### Create a submission tracker with dates and outcomes **Done when** A list showing sent, replied, follow-up, declined. [Your booking desk →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-career-atlas.html#desk) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 11. Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-06 #### Set follow-up reminders that respect buyer instructions **Done when** Follow-up dates, not repeated random nudges. [Follow-up dates on your booking desk →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-career-atlas.html#desk) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date #### At the conference, and after From the Career Field Manual: Become the comic rooms trust and Find and pitch the right rooms. In [the D.O.C. book](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-book.html): topics 400–434 and 143–196. 12. Become the comic rooms trust · pro-05 #### Respect set time even when the room is going well NACA’s showcases give each act 10 minutes, and APCA’s are 10-minute slots: finish on time, on your strongest closer. **Done when** Consistent finish times over several sets. [Time it in Stage Time →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stage-time.html#log) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 13. Become the comic rooms trust · pro-04 #### Learn how to introduce yourself to a host or producer The marketplace is where schools talk dates with acts. Have the video, the one-sheet and your price at the booth. **Done when** A short professional introduction. The booth introduction → **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 14. Become the comic rooms trust · pro-07 #### Follow up after a booking without demanding another date **Done when** A concise thank-you or useful check-in. The note after a conference → **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 15. Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-09 #### Log every accepted or declined offer and why **Done when** A decision trail you can learn from. [Your booking desk →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-career-atlas.html#desk) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 16. Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-10 #### Never list an unconfirmed offer as a booked date A hold, or a school’s interest, isn’t a booking: list a date once the contract is signed. **Done when** Your calendar includes confirmed dates only. [Your confirmed dates, on your own site →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/tour-dates-widget.html) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date ### What speeds this up - **Learn how the conferences work** Membership, the showcase, the booth and the block booking, on one road map. [The College Market road map →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/working-comic.html#college-gigs) - **Bring a booth that sells** Bios, pictures and sample contracts on the table, as APCA’s exhibitors keep them. The booth introduction → - **Talk to agencies that work the conferences** GP lists NACA and APCA among the associations it belongs to. [Agents in Your Team’s directory →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/comedy-agents.html#find) - **Know what an agent does** Choose an agent for access and follow-through in the college market. [What a comedy agent does →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-comedy-agent.html) - **Check before you pay a fee** Know who’s asking, what you get and what it costs, in writing. [Knowing a real offer →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/pay-to-play-comedy.html) - **Go to the marketplace even if you aren’t picked** NACA tells acts not chosen to showcase that they can still meet campus decision makers there. Where to send it → Each week ## Your weekly rhythm here Habits, not a timetable: the atlas has no stopwatch. Keep these going, and the proof for this stop builds up week by week. - **Read one call again** Reread one association’s or agency’s page: deadlines and fees change. - **Work the list** Add a school or two that programs comedy, with its activities office. - **Run your showcase ten** Do your strongest ten minutes, clean, and time it with the laughs. - **Follow up on time** Follow up on one submission, on that buyer’s own timetable. - **Count the costs** Add any new fee, booth or hotel cost to the trip’s total before you commit. - **Keep getting up** A showcase is ten minutes: keep the full show strong in real rooms. What buyers check ## In their own words Each buyer's published rule, quoted from its own page, checked on 10 November 2026. They differ, so send each one what its page asks for, and read the page again before you send. The campus buyers’ association ### NACA Conferences Membership comes first, and a regional membership covers one NACA conference a year. Then the showcase application, and at least one booth and one full registration for each conference you attend. - If you wish to attend one or more conferences for any reason, you must be a regional or national associate member for the 2026-27 membership year. - Regional Associate members can only exhibit and submit to showcase at one (1) NACA conference per the membership year (May 1-April 30). - you must secure at least one (1) Exhibit Booth in the Campus Activities Marketplace and at least one (1) Full Registration for each conference you wish to attend. [NACA Conferences’s page ↗](https://www.naca.org/events/conferences/performing-exhibiting.html) · checked 10 November 2026 The campus buyers’ association ### APCA Join APCA before you apply to its conferences. It charges no showcase submission fees, and a school’s interest in your artist profile comes straight to you. - All Agents and Associates must be APCA Members prior to submitting registration for the Summer or Fall Conferences. - NO showcase submission fees! - Interest forms are forwarded directly to the Agent or Self-Repped Artist! [APCA’s page ↗](https://apca.com/artists-agents-membership/) · checked 10 November 2026 The campus buyers’ association ### NACA Membership You can go to NACA on your own: its National Single Act membership is for self-represented artists, and NACA doesn’t assign agents. - National Single Act is designed for solo/self-represented artists. - NACA does not assign agents to represent artists. [NACA Membership’s page ↗](https://www.naca.org/join/associate-membership.html) · checked 10 November 2026 ### Where to send it Places that publish how a campus act gets in, each checked on 10 November 2026. Save one to your booking desk to keep its status, a follow-up date and a note. [62 places in all, on the Career Atlas →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-career-atlas.html#ways) Seasonal: check first St. Paul, MN · College market · Membership #### NACA St. Paul, regional showcase Showcasing at a NACA regional conference takes associate membership first (a regional membership covers one conference a year), then a $180 showcase application, a booth and a full registration. Of the 2026–27 regional conferences, NACA St. Paul (8–10 April 2027) is still taking showcase applications, until 7 January 2027. **Worth knowing.** The costs add up, and delegates are expected to stay in the conference hotel block: price the trip first. An act that has never showcased at NACA, with minimal tech needs, can also apply for its People’s Choice Showcase, for St. Paul by 11 February 2027. [Its page ↗](https://www.naca.org/events/conferences/performing-exhibiting.html) Checked 10 November 2026 Seasonal: check first Hershey, PA · College market · Membership #### APCA National Campus Activities Conference Join APCA first (a self-represented artist membership is $269 a year), then apply to showcase at its national conference, 27 February to 2 March 2027: there’s no application fee, and nothing to pay until a showcase is accepted. A 10-minute non-catered showcase package is $2,399, a booth included. **Worth knowing.** If you’re accepted, you also need a delegate pass ($549 early, by 25 January) and a room in the conference hotel block, and payment is due within 10 days of the showcase notice. [Its page ↗](https://apca.com/event/2026-apca-national-campus-activities-conference-3/) Checked 10 November 2026 Published route Nationwide · College market · Email #### GP College Entertainment At least 5–8 minutes of clean, college-appropriate material on video, a bio of 200 words at most, two high-resolution photos and your college dates. **Worth knowing.** A submission to an agency isn’t a booking or a promise of representation. [Its page ↗](https://www.gpentertainment.com/prospective-artists.php) Checked 10 November 2026 Published route Nationwide · College market · Email #### KP Comedy, representation inquiries A college comedy agency’s representation inquiry: a bio, a headshot, your experience in the college market, your credits, your website and social links, and a video demo of 4–8 minutes, sent to the address on its page. **Worth knowing.** It asks for a college-appropriate video, not a club set with a note that you can be clean, and does most of its reviewing in May and November. [Its page ↗](https://www.kpcomedy.com/about.html) Checked 10 November 2026 Published route Nationwide · College market · Form #### Neon Entertainment, artists seeking representation A form for entertainers looking for a college agent: the type of act, a bio, a headshot and a link to a quality video of a live performance, with clear picture and sound. **Worth knowing.** It reaches out only if it’s interested. A submission to an agency isn’t a booking or a promise of representation. [Its page ↗](https://www.neon-entertainment.com/artists-seeking-representation/) Checked 10 November 2026 Closed Columbus, OH · College market · Membership #### NACA Live, college showcase Showcasing at NACA Live (19–22 February 2027) takes national associate membership, a $195 application fee and showcase fees; the showcase applications closed on 2 November. **Worth knowing.** Closed for 2027: watch for the next cycle. The fees are significant. [Its page ↗](https://www.naca.org/events/naca-live/performing-exhibiting.html) Checked 10 November 2026 The money here ### Price the whole trip first The associations publish their own fees, and they add up. NACA’s regional conferences charge a $180 showcase application fee and need a booth and a full registration; APCA charges no application fee, and once you’re accepted you pay for a showcase package and a delegate pass and stay in its hotel block. Read each conference’s page, add the travel, and set your ceiling before you apply. **Add it up before you apply** - The membership: which kind, and the year it covers - The showcase application fee, if there is one - The showcase fee or package, if you’re picked - The booth, and the registration or delegate pass - The conference hotel block, and the travel there - What happens to your fees if you aren’t picked, or can’t go Questions to answer before you apply · [Road Maps: the Math of a Gig, with your own numbers](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/comedy-road-maps.html#math-of-a-gig) · [Get Paid, Get Back: the deal in writing](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/get-paid.html#deal) · [The IRS on gig work ↗](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/manage-taxes-for-your-gig-work) Ready to copy ## The notes to send Fill in what you know once: it fills every note below and stays on this device. Anything left blank shows in [brackets], to fill in by hand. Your details Your name Your home town Your clean set length, in minutes Your clip’s link Your SUCDb record or website Your college dates, as they are What your show is about The term or semester The conference The person you met The dates you’re routing ### Asking a college agency to represent you ``` Subject: Representation inquiry: [Your name], clean stand-up Hi, I'm [Your name], a clean stand-up comic from [Your home town], looking for a college agent. Video, [Your clean set length, in minutes] minutes of clean, college-appropriate material: [Your clip's link] Bio, headshot and credits: [Your SUCDb record or website] College dates, as they are: [Your college dates, as they are] I've followed the steps on your page. Thank you for your time, [Your name] ``` ### The booth introduction ``` Hi, I'm [Your name], a clean stand-up comic from [Your home town]. I do a [Your clean set length, in minutes]-minute show about [What your show is about], and here's the video: [Your clip's link] Are you booking comedy for [The term or semester]? I can do a single date, or a block with schools near you. Here's my one-sheet, with my price. ``` ### The note after a conference ``` Subject: [Your name], from [The conference] Hi [The person you met], Thank you for stopping at my booth at [The conference]. As promised, here's my video and one-sheet: [Your clip's link] I'm routing campus dates near you [The dates you're routing]. If a date works for your board, I'd be glad to hold it. Best, [Your name] ``` ### Questions to answer before you apply ``` 1. Which conference reaches the schools I want, and when is its showcase deadline? 2. Which membership does it take, and what year does that cover? 3. What does applying cost, and what do I owe if I'm picked? 4. Do I need a booth and a registration even if I'm not picked? 5. Must I stay in the conference hotel block? 6. What's refundable if plans change? 7. Would an agency that already attends reach these schools for me? ``` Your proof ## Proof for your passport Tick each piece when you have it: the day goes in your passport with it. The passport keeps your whole career's record on this device, to download, print and review once a year. The evidence ### This stop is done when you have A decision, written down: an agency, your own membership, or both A dated application to an agency or a showcase, made the way its page asks The full cost of a conference, added up before you applied Your strongest ten minutes, clean and timed A list of the schools you met or wrote to, with each follow-up date Your status ### Reach the campus buyers A link to your proof: a tape, a booking, a review Your private note **On your record** Nothing yet: your status changes and ticks appear here, each with its day. [Your whole passport: the timeline, your booking desk, your 90-day plan, the printable career record, the yearly review and the cloud copy →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-career-atlas.html#passport) Saved in this browser ## Next stops [Colleges & campuses · The first date **Your first campus date** How you handle the first campus date shapes the next one.](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/career-atlas-first-college-comedy-gig.html) [Discovery & recordings · Exposure **A festival or showcase that picks you** Choose stages where your audience or your buyers will be.](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/career-atlas-comedy-festivals-and-showcases.html) ## Go deeper - [How do comedians get college gigs?](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-college-comedy-gigs.html#topic-170) The explainer, from the D.O.C. book - [What does a comedy agent do?](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-comedy-agent.html) The explainer: an agent, or book yourself - [The College Market: how comics get booked on campus](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/working-comic.html#college-gigs) The road map, from the showcase to the rebook ## Sources The buyers' rules are quoted from each buyer's own page, checked on 10 November 2026. A buyer can change its rules at any time, so read its page before you send anything. - [NACA Conferences, performing and exhibiting ↗](https://www.naca.org/events/conferences/performing-exhibiting.html) The campus buyers’ association. - [APCA associate membership, for artists and agents ↗](https://apca.com/artists-agents-membership/) The campus buyers’ association. - [NACA associate membership ↗](https://www.naca.org/join/associate-membership.html) The campus buyers’ association. - [IRS, Manage taxes for your gig work ↗](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/manage-taxes-for-your-gig-work) Government guidance. - [APCA National Campus Activities Conference ↗](https://apca.com/event/2026-apca-national-campus-activities-conference-3/) Its published route, checked 10 November 2026. - [GP College Entertainment ↗](https://www.gpentertainment.com/prospective-artists.php) Its published route, checked 10 November 2026. - [KP Comedy, representation inquiries ↗](https://www.kpcomedy.com/about.html) Its published route, checked 10 November 2026. - [Neon Entertainment, artists seeking representation ↗](https://www.neon-entertainment.com/artists-seeking-representation/) Its published route, checked 10 November 2026. - [NACA Live, college showcase ↗](https://www.naca.org/events/naca-live/performing-exhibiting.html) Its published route, checked 10 November 2026. - [The D.O.C. book](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-book.html) The playbook's book topics, matched to the book's contents on 10 November 2026. ## About this roadmap **By D.O.C. Editorial.** This is one stop of [the Stand-Up Career Atlas](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-career-atlas.html): colleges & campuses, stop 3 of 5. It's a way to plan, not a promise of bookings: it gives no expected years, its only figures are the ones buyers and venues publish on their own pages, and the buyers' rules are theirs. For how campus shows are bought, read [How do comedians get college gigs?](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-college-comedy-gigs.html#topic-170). Updated 10 November 2026 · [The Career Atlas](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-career-atlas.html) · [Comic's Corner](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/tools-for-comedians.html) · [Privacy](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/privacy.html)