The Career Atlas · Club circuit · stop 3 of 5

Feature bookings: your roadmap

Start the playbook → Your proof
The short answer

The feature holds the middle of the show, between the host and the headliner, and it’s often the first job where a set has to last for strangers night after night. Build the set at the length rooms ask for, tape it whole, send it the way each room asks, and keep the proof that you delivered.

  • 21 steps, each with its “done when”
  • 3 buyers, in their own words
  • 2 places to send it
  • 4 notes ready to send

By D.O.C. Editorial · The Career Atlas

This roadmap, in five parts

Your roadmap

From here to headline a full show

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…

Feature act: the middle of the show

  • You’ve hosted or done guest spots, and a booker has seen you work a real room.
  • You can hold an audience past the short spots: a feature set runs longer than a guest spot, and the length is the room’s own call.
  • You have clean minutes ready for the nights a room asks for them.
  • The next booking you want is the middle slot, after the host and before the headliner.
You’re ready to move on when…

…to headline a full show

These are the tests the next stop’s buyers set in their own published rules. Tick each one when it’s true for you.

0 of 4 true

The playbook

21 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.

Grow the act

From the Career Field Manual: Grow the act without padding and Host, feature and headline. In the D.O.C. book: topics 51–70, 115–131 and 435–455.

  1. Grow the act without padding · set-05

    Build a flexible twenty-minute set

    Done when A recording that shows pacing across the act.

    Log the set in Stage Time →
    Your note and target date

  2. Grow the act without padding · set-06

    Build a thirty-minute feature-length set

    A feature set needs more than its minutes: room to cut, replace and go clean when a night asks for it.

    Done when Material tested in several different rooms.

    Log the set in Stage Time →The Writers’ Room →
    Your note and target date

  3. Host, feature and headline · roles-04

    Prepare a twenty-to-thirty-minute feature set

    Done when Dependable tested material and recording.

    Read the tape in Comic Critique →
    Your note and target date

Assemble your booking proof

From the Career Field Manual: Assemble booking proof and Host, feature and headline. In the D.O.C. book: topics 143–173, 115–131 and 435–455.

  1. Assemble booking proof · package-01

    Choose the stage name used on every booking

    Done when One consistent name across your records.

    Your SUCDb record →
    Your note and target date

  2. Assemble booking proof · package-02

    Write a one-paragraph comedian bio

    Done when Current facts without inflated credits.

    How to write a comedian bio →
    Your note and target date

  3. Assemble booking proof · package-03

    Prepare a clean headshot or clear performer photo

    Done when A usable portrait with permission to share.

    Headshots and credits →
    Your note and target date

  4. Assemble booking proof · package-04

    Record an uninterrupted live sample set

    One camera, the whole set, the room’s laughs audible, no music or cuts: buyers ask for continuous, unedited footage at the slot’s length.

    Done when A clip showing what a buyer can expect.

    Set up the tape: Stage Time’s Tech tab →
    Your note and target date

  5. Assemble booking proof · package-05

    Prepare a separate clean clip if you sell clean work

    Done when An actual clean performance sample.

    Clean vs. Dirty →
    Your note and target date

  6. Assemble booking proof · package-06

    List your proven set lengths accurately

    Done when Lengths you can deliver in real rooms.

    Your log in Stage Time →
    Your note and target date

  7. Assemble booking proof · package-07

    Record recent rooms, shows and dates with references

    Done when A verifiable performance history.

    Your log in Stage Time →
    Your note and target date

  8. Assemble booking proof · package-08

    Build a one-link electronic press kit

    One link that answers a booker’s basic questions without an email back.

    Done when Accessible bio, clips and contact information.

    What a booker needs from an EPK →
    Your note and target date

  9. Assemble booking proof · package-09

    Claim or create your SUCDb record with sourced credits

    Done when Submitted or updated information that is accurate.

    Claim your SUCDb record →
    Your note and target date

  10. Host, feature and headline · roles-05

    Gather two references from rooms that booked you

    Done when Permission to share each reference.

    The note after a weekend →
    Your note and target date

Find and pitch the right rooms

From the Career Field Manual: Find and pitch the right rooms. In the D.O.C. book: topics 143–196.

  1. Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-03

    Verify the current submission route for three target rooms

    Start inside the distance you can drive and still keep money. Note each room’s own route: a form, an email address, a showcase night.

    Done when A dated first-party booking requirement record.

    Where to send it, on this page →The Club Directory →
    Your note and target date

  2. Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-04

    Tailor your clip and message to each buyer

    Say you’re submitting as a feature, send the tape at that room’s length, give real dates, and name who you’ve worked with.

    Done when Three concise, different pitches.

    The submission email →Draft the booking message →
    Your note and target date

  3. Find and pitch the right rooms · bookings-07

    Ask about the slot, audience, pay and recording rules

    Done when A specific description of the opportunity.

    The questions to ask →
    Your note and target date

Get paid, and keep the record

From the Career Field Manual: Host, feature and headline and Get paid. Keep records.. In the D.O.C. book: topics 115–131, 435–455 and 234–289.

  1. Host, feature and headline · roles-06

    Calculate whether a feature date actually pays after travel

    A feature fee isn’t income until the road costs are out: miles, nights, meals and parking.

    Done when A net-gig calculation with your expenses.

    Run the Math of a Gig →
    Your note and target date

  2. Get paid. Keep records. · money-01

    Confirm the buyer, slot, set length and fee in writing

    Done when A saved agreement or confirmation.

    Get the deal in writing →
    Your note and target date

  3. Get paid. Keep records. · money-02

    Verify whether lodging and travel are included

    Done when Exact terms rather than assumptions.

    Get Paid: the deal →
    Your note and target date

  4. Get paid. Keep records. · money-03

    Know the payment date, payment method and paperwork

    Done when Who owes you what and by when.

    How comedians get paid →
    Your note and target date

  5. Get paid. Keep records. · money-04

    Calculate every gig’s expected net before accepting

    Done when Fee minus realistic expenses, before taxes.

    The Math of a Gig →The Tour Planner →
    Your note and target date

What speeds this up

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.

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.

A club’s published booking rules

The Loony Bin, Tulsa

Full-length, unedited video, and 30 minutes for a feature.

  • We book from full length, unedited set video.
  • 30 minute set for feature consideration

The Loony Bin, Tulsa’s page ↗ · checked 10 November 2026

A producer’s published submission rules

Funny Girl Events

One continuous take of the whole set: 25 minutes for a feature, 45 for a headliner, nothing explicit. Only comics who already feature or headline at clubs should submit.

  • Feature: 25 minutes
  • Make sure the video is a continuous shot
  • only submit if you feature or headline at comedy clubs

Funny Girl Events’s page ↗ · checked 10 November 2026

A club’s published submission rules

Lafayette Comedy

A 5–10 minute video of your stand-up, the role you want and references. Its own example of a feature set runs 10–25 minutes.

  • Feature: this could be 10-25 min set.
  • Who can vouch for you?
  • Who have you opened for?

Lafayette Comedy’s page ↗ · checked 10 November 2026

Where to send it

Places that publish how a feature 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 routeLafayette, LA · Club spots · Form

Lafayette Comedy

A 5–10 minute stand-up video, not set to private, the role you want (host, opener, feature, headliner) and references who can vouch for you. Its own examples of set lengths: a feature 10–25 minutes.

Worth knowing. It mostly brings in national touring comics; the showcases are where it books others.

Its page ↗
Checked 10 November 2026

Published routeNashville, TN · Club spots · Email

Zanies Nashville

Email a 5–10 minute clip, a paragraph about you and your comedy, and any stage references, venues played and headliners you’ve featured for.

Worth knowing. Its booker gets in touch only if there’s an opening.

Its page ↗
Checked 10 November 2026
The money here

Ask, and get it in writing

None of the buyers on this page publishes what it pays a feature, so this page gives no figure: ask, and get the answer in writing.

In writing, before you go
  • The dates, the number of shows and your set length
  • The fee, and whether it’s per show or for the run
  • When and how you’re paid
  • The room or condo, and who pays for travel
  • What happens if a show is cancelled
  • Recording and merch: whether you may

Questions 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 ↗

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

The submission email

Subject: Feature submission: [Your name], [Your home town]

Hi [The booker's name],

I'm [Your name], a stand-up from [Your home town], submitting as a feature for [The club].

Here's a full, unedited [Your set length, in minutes]-minute set: [Your clip's link]

Credits, as they are: [Your credits, as they are].
I'm available [The dates you can do]. My bio and photo: [Your SUCDb record or website]

Thank you for looking,
[Your name]

The note after a weekend

Subject: Thank you, [The club]

Hi [The booker's name],

Thank you for having me as the feature this weekend. [One line on how the weekend went]

If you need a feature again, I'm open [The dates you can do]. The full set from the weekend: [Your clip's link]

Best,
[Your name]

The short bio

[Your name] is a stand-up comedian from [Your home town]. Credits, as they are: [Your credits, as they are]. [Your name] features in clubs and has a clean set ready for corporate and private shows. Dates and clips: [Your SUCDb record or website]

Questions to ask before you say yes

1. How many shows, which nights, and how long is my set?
2. What's the fee, and is it per show or for the run?
3. When and how am I paid?
4. Is there a room or a condo, and for which nights? Who pays for travel?
5. What's the content rule for these shows?
6. May I sell merch, and may I record my set?
7. Who do I check in with, and when?
8. What happens if a show is cancelled?
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

Your status

Feature bookings

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 →

    Saved in this browser

    Next stops

    Club circuit · Close the roomHeadline a full showThe headline slot carries more risk and more responsibility. Colleges & campuses · Read the campusAn act for campusesA campus is a buyer with a job to do, not just another comedy room.

    Go deeper

    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.

    About this roadmap

    By D.O.C. Editorial. This is one stop of the Stand-Up Career Atlas: club circuit, 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 what the feature slot is, read What is a feature comedian, and how do you become one?.

    Updated · The Career Atlas · Comic's Corner · Privacy