A festival or showcase picks a set from a short, continuous tape, judged against its own published rules. Have the five they ask for, choose the calls that fit your act and your budget, send exactly what each page asks, and turn the weekend into contacts and credits you can use.
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.
The first tests come from a televised festival’s published rules, the kind of buyer at the next stop. Tick each one when it’s true for you.
0 of 5 true
18 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.
From the Career Field Manual: Grow the act without padding, Assemble booking proof and Record without losing the act. In the D.O.C. book: topics 51–70, 115–131, 435–455, 143–173 and 348–382.
Grow the act without padding · set-01
Done when Two or more performances that fit the slot.
Grow the act without padding · set-03
Done when A ten-minute recording and notes.
Assemble booking proof · package-04
Done when A clip showing what a buyer can expect.
Record without losing the act · release-05
Send one continuous set at each call’s own length: Windy City asks for 5–7 minutes; Raleigh and FunnyFest for five.
Done when A compliant clip with current requirements.
From the Career Field Manual: Find and pitch the right rooms, Choose help when it solves a problem and Choose your starting point. In the D.O.C. book: topics 143–196, 290–313, 1–20 and 435–455.
Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-02
Done when Opportunity types labeled in your lead list.
Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-03
Read each call on its own page: the window, the fee, the clip length and who’s eligible, and note the day you read it.
Done when A dated first-party booking requirement record.
Choose help when it solves a problem · team-07
A real call says on its own page what it costs and what a picked comic gets; pay only when both are clear.
Done when Documented checks before paying any fee.
Choose your starting point · start-06
Entry fees add up: set what you’ll spend on calls this season before the first one closes.
Done when Your spending ceiling in dollars.
From the Career Field Manual: Assemble booking proof and Find and pitch the right rooms. In the D.O.C. book: topics 143–173 and 143–196.
Assemble booking proof · package-02
Done when Current facts without inflated credits.
Assemble booking proof · package-03
Done when A usable portrait with permission to share.
Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-08
Enter where the festival fits your act and your plan, not every call that’s open.
Done when A real application and its current deadline.
Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-05
Done when A list showing sent, replied, follow-up, declined.
Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-06
Done when Follow-up dates, not repeated random nudges.
From the Career Field Manual: Become the comic rooms trust, Choose help when it solves a problem and Find and pitch the right rooms. In the D.O.C. book: topics 400–434, 290–313 and 143–196.
Become the comic rooms trust · pro-03
Done when Travel, arrival, set list, sound and exit.
Become the comic rooms trust · pro-05
Done when Consistent finish times over several sets.
Choose help when it solves a problem · team-01
Note who ran each show, who was in the room, and who asked for your details.
Done when A map of buyer, host, producer and promoter roles.
Become the comic rooms trust · pro-07
Done when A concise thank-you or useful check-in.
Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-09
Done when A decision trail you can learn from.
Habits, not a timetable: the atlas has no stopwatch. Keep these going, and the proof for this stop builds up week by week.
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.
One continuous 5–7 minute set of your original material, no highlight reels, unlisted but not private. Its 2027 call opened on 1 November 2026.
Submit a continuous 5-7 minute set showcasing your original material (no “best of” or highlight reels).
Unlisted tapes are fine, but please don’t make them private or password-protected.
Submissions Open November 1. 2026 until February 14, 2027
Windy City Comedy Festival’s page ↗ · checked 10 November 2026
Your best unedited five minutes in front of a live audience. Its judges watch five minutes and grade joke quality, stage presence, audience response and professionalism.
Your best, unedited 5-minute tape.
Videos can be shorter or longer than 5, but our judges will only watch 5.
They will be looking at a combination of joke quality, stage presence, audience response, and professionalism.
Raleigh Comedy Festival’s page ↗ · checked 10 November 2026
A link to an unedited five-minute performance of original material, with no fee to apply. The video doesn’t have to be high quality.
Link(s) to unedited 5 Minute Performance
Does not have to be a high quality video.
All comedy must be original.
FunnyFest’s page ↗ · checked 10 November 2026
Places that publish how a stand-up 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 →
Published routeRaleigh, NC · Festival · Form
Your best unedited 5-minute tape in front of a live audience, on a link that stays active through February 2027. Its 2027 call closes on 15 November 2026: $25 for a feature comic, free for comics who live in North Carolina. The festival runs 18–20 March 2027, with two sets for each comic picked.
Worth knowing. Broken or private links are disqualified without a refund. The festival doesn’t record the sets; you may film your own.
Checked 10 November 2026Published routeChicago, IL · Festival · Form
A continuous 5–7 minute set of your original material, with no “best of” or highlight reels, unlisted but not private. Open since 1 November 2026: $20 in November, $25 in December, $30 late. Comics must be 21 or older; the comics it picks hear in April 2027, for the festival on 5–8 August 2027.
Worth knowing. Its page gives both January and 14 February 2027 as the close: send by January to be safe. Fees aren’t refunded, and it’s a showcase with no cash prizes.
Checked 10 November 2026Published routeCalgary, AB, Canada · Competition · Form
A link to an unedited 5-minute performance, a bio of 100 words or less and your tier (opener, middle or headliner), for comics who aren’t yet headliners. No fee to apply; applications close on 1 February 2027, for rounds in Calgary from 8 April 2027 and one round on Zoom.
Worth knowing. It normally answers only the comics it picks, and the material must be your own.
Checked 10 November 2026Published routeTemecula, CA · Festival · Form
Its home page says comedian submissions are open for its 2027 spring festival, 1–4 April 2027 in Temecula, through the form it links; the form lists comedian competitions, showcases and networking among the festival’s events.
Worth knowing. The home page gives no closing date or fee: read the form through before you send.
Checked 10 November 2026ClosedTulsa, OK · Festival · Form
Its 2026 call closed on 30 April. Its stand-up slots ran from a 5–7 minute host to a 35–45 minute headliner, from a clip of at least 5–10 minutes before an audience, with a fee to apply ($20 early to $50 late).
Worth knowing. Closed: watch for its next call. Performers aren’t paid; its page lists bookings on its shows through the year among the perks.
Checked 10 November 2026ClosedAlbuquerque, NM · Festival · Form
Its submissions page says, at the top, that submissions are now closed.
Worth knowing. Closed: watch for its next call.
Checked 10 November 2026ClosedProvidence, RI · Festival · Form
Its submissions page now asks for a password: the last call for comics has ended.
Worth knowing. Watch for its next call.
Checked 10 November 2026ClosedNationwide · Competition · Form
Entries for its 2026 competition closed on 4 September 2026.
Worth knowing. Closed: watch for the next year’s call.
Checked 10 November 2026Each call on this page publishes its own entry fee and what a picked comic receives. None quotes a fee for performing, so this page gives none: count the entry fee, the travel and the nights away before you enter.
Know before you payQuestions to ask before you pay · Road Maps: the Math of a Gig, with your own numbers · Get Paid, Get Back: the deal in writing · The IRS on gig work ↗
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 name] is a stand-up comedian from [Your home town], performing for [Years doing stand-up] years. Credits, as they are: [Your credits, as they are]. Clips and dates: [Your SUCDb record or website]
1. What does a picked comic receive: how many spots, and how long? 2. Are the sets filmed, and who may use the footage? 3. Is there a stipend, a festival hotel rate or help with travel? 4. When will I hear, and when must I confirm? 5. Is the fee refunded if the festival changes its dates? 6. Who attends the industry shows?
Subject: [The festival or showcase]: yes, and thank you Hi [The producer's name], Thank you for picking me for [The festival or showcase]. I can do [The dates you can do]. Please send the schedule, my set lengths, where to check in and anything you need from me. My bio and photo: [Your SUCDb record or website] See you there, [Your name]
Subject: From [The festival or showcase]: [Your name] Hi [The booker or producer you met], We met at [The festival or showcase], where I did [Your set length, in minutes] minutes on the [The show you were on] show. Thank you for watching. A full set, unedited: [Your clip's link] I'm open [The dates you can do]. My record: [Your SUCDb record or website] Best, [Your name]
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.
Nothing yet: your status changes and ticks appear here, each with its day.
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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.
By D.O.C. Editorial. This is one stop of the Stand-Up Career Atlas: discovery & recordings, stop 2 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 comics get into festivals, read How do you get into comedy festivals?.
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