The first spot someone books you for is often a showcase, a guest spot or a place on an independent show. Send each room what its own page asks for, confirm the details in writing, deliver the minutes asked for, and ask the producer for one note after.
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.
These are the tests the bookers who bring comics back set in their own published rules. Tick each one when it’s true for you.
0 of 4 true
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.
From the Career Field Manual: Find and pitch the right rooms and Choose help when it solves a problem. In the D.O.C. book: topics 143–196 and 290–313.
Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-02
Label each lead: open mic, bucket spot, showcase, guest spot, bringer or paid booking. Each one asks for something different.
Done when Opportunity types labeled in your lead list.
Choose help when it solves a problem · team-07
Before you pay to perform or bring paying guests, know what you get for it: stage time, a recording, a booker in the room.
Done when Documented checks before paying any fee.
Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-01
Done when Ten candidates and their official sources.
From the Career Field Manual: Find and pitch the right rooms and Assemble booking proof. In the D.O.C. book: topics 143–196 and 143–173.
Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-03
Done when A dated first-party booking requirement record.
Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-04
Name the show you want, send the tape at that room’s length, give real dates, and list your credits as they are.
Done when Three concise, different pitches.
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
Follow each room’s own word: Bushwick Comedy Club answers only the comics it picks, and Henceforth Comedy welcomes a new video after 90 days.
Done when Follow-up dates, not repeated random nudges.
Assemble booking proof · package-07
Done when A verifiable performance history.
Assemble booking proof · package-09
Done when Submitted or updated information that is accurate.
From the Career Field Manual: Find and pitch the right rooms and Become the comic rooms trust. In the D.O.C. book: topics 143–196 and 400–434.
Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-07
Done when A specific description of the opportunity.
Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-10
Done when Your calendar includes confirmed dates only.
Become the comic rooms trust · pro-03
The address, your arrival time, your set list, your exact time, and who you check in with.
Done when Travel, arrival, set list, sound and exit.
Become the comic rooms trust · pro-04
Done when A short professional introduction.
From the Career Field Manual: Become the comic rooms trust. In the D.O.C. book: topics 400–434.
Become the comic rooms trust · pro-05
Done when Consistent finish times over several sets.
Become the comic rooms trust · pro-06
Done when Know who has authority and where to get help.
Become the comic rooms trust · pro-07
Thank the producer within a day, ask for one note, and leave the next date to them.
Done when A concise thank-you or useful check-in.
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.
Its New Talent Showcase puts new comics on a mixed lineup with professional comedians, from a 2–5 minute tape.
Gotham Comedy Club invites you to perform at a New Talent Showcase.
Stage time on a mixed lineup with new talent and professional comedians
Gotham Comedy Club’s page ↗ · checked 10 November 2026
It books from video, and asks comics from out of town for a definite window of dates, with the tape in at least two months ahead.
We book entirely off of video submissions.
This window must be definite
Please submit your tape AT LEAST 2 months before your dates.
Bushwick Comedy’s page ↗ · checked 10 November 2026
A high-quality video of a recent five-minute set, credits beyond open mics and contests, a short bio and your available dates.
A high-quality video of a recent five-minute set
open mics and contests do not count
Your available dates in Cleveland
Henceforth Comedy’s page ↗ · checked 10 November 2026
Places that publish how a showcase comic 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 routeNew York, NY · Showcase · Email
A 2–5 minute tape with clean audio and a clear view of you on stage, to be considered for a New Talent Showcase.
Worth knowing. A showcase spot is stage time, not a paid club booking.
Checked 10 November 2026Published routeBrooklyn, NY · Showcase · Form
A short bio and a performance video link anyone can open, for the weekly Rising Stars Showcase and other new-talent shows.
Worth knowing. The form also signs you up for an alert when the next showcase is being booked.
Checked 10 November 2026Published routeBrooklyn, NY · Club spots · Form
Local comics have their own submission link; producers pitch a show by email.
Checked 10 November 2026Published routeBrooklyn, NY · Club spots · Form
Your best five minutes as a YouTube link and a definite window of dates, sent at least two months before them. It books entirely from video, and answers only the comics it picks.
Checked 10 November 2026Published routeForest Park, IL · Club spots · Form
Apply through its form for the Friday Local Laughs Showcase; one person books the comics and watches every clip sent.
Checked 10 November 2026Published routeCleveland, OH · Independent show · Email
A high-quality video of a recent five-minute set and your credits: festivals, clubs, television and other professional bookings.
Worth knowing. It can’t answer every submission; send again after 90 days with a new video.
Checked 10 November 2026Published routeDayton, OH · Independent show · Form
A form for comics in the Dayton and greater Miami Valley scene: tell it about you and add a clip of your work, to be kept in mind for future shows.
Checked 10 November 2026Published routeHouston, TX · Independent show · Form
Its contact form has a choice for “comedian looking for stage time”.
Worth knowing. It has many requests for a few spots a show.
Checked 10 November 2026Published routeCorpus Christi, TX · Independent show · Form
Its booking form has a choice for “comedian looking for stage time”.
Checked 10 November 2026Published routeHouston, TX · Independent show · Form
Apply to work with it: one to three video clips (YouTube or Vimeo) and your experience.
Checked 10 November 2026A spot on a lineup may be unpaid: Gotham Comedy Club lists what each New Talent Showcase comic receives, a pro-quality tape of the set and stage time on a mixed lineup. None of the buyers on this page publishes what it pays for a spot, so this page gives no figure: ask, and get the answer in writing.
In writing, before you goQuestions to ask before you say yes · 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.
Subject: Showcase submission: [Your name], [Your home town] Hi [The producer's or booker's name], I'm [Your name], a stand-up from [Your home town], and I'd like to be considered for [The show]. A recent [Your set length, in minutes]-minute set, in one take: [Your clip's link] Where I've performed, as it is: [Where you've performed, as it is]. I'm available [The dates you can do]. A short bio and photo: [Your SUCDb record or website] Thank you for watching, [Your name]
Subject: Confirming [The show], [The show's date] Hi [The producer's or booker's name], Thank you for the spot. To confirm what I have: [The show's date] at [The venue], [Your set length, in minutes] minutes, arriving by [Your arrival time]. [The pay as agreed, or: Unpaid, as agreed.] Is there a content rule for the show, and who do I check in with when I arrive? See you then, [Your name]
Subject: Thank you, [The show] Hi [The producer's or booker's name], Thank you for having me on [The show] on [The show's date]. [One line on how the night went] If you have a minute, I'd value one note: what would make the set stronger for your room? Best, [Your name]
1. What's the date, the call time and my set length? 2. Is the spot paid? If so, how much, and when? 3. Do I need to bring guests or sell tickets? 4. What's the content rule for the show? 5. May I record my set? 6. Who's hosting, what's the running order, and who do I check in with?
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: the common start, stop 4 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 what comes after open mics, read What comes after open mics: showcases, bringers and contests.
Updated · The Career Atlas · Comic's Corner · Privacy
