A clip is a sample of the act with one job: to show a booker the set holds, or to bring a new viewer to a live show. Film whole sets where the room allows it, keep the continuous take for buyers, post the cuts that work, and give each caption a live 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.
These are the tests the next stop’s festivals set in their own published rules. Tick each one when it’s true for you.
0 of 4 true
14 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: Record without losing the act and Choose your starting point. In the D.O.C. book: topics 348–382, 1–20 and 435–455.
Record without losing the act · release-01
Decide the job before you cut: a booking clip proves a whole set holds; a post for new viewers needs a fast start and a reason to stay.
Done when A specific audience or career objective.
Record without losing the act · release-02
Bits still growing, and bits that work only in the room, stay off the feed until you’re ready to let them go.
Done when A protected-material list.
Choose your starting point · start-06
Done when Your spending ceiling in dollars.
From the Career Field Manual: Become the comic rooms trust, Do the first set, Turn one good night into a return and Assemble booking proof. In the D.O.C. book: topics 400–434, 71–114, 348–366, 383–399, 435–455 and 143–173.
Become the comic rooms trust · pro-02
Done when A note for rooms with different expectations.
Do the first set · first-07
Done when A recording or a note explaining why not.
Turn one good night into a return · audience-04
Ask before the show, film from where you block no one, and keep the room’s yes with the file.
Done when Source recording and permission record.
Assemble booking proof · package-04
Keep one continuous, unedited set apart from the cuts, starting with you, not the host: festivals and bookers ask for the whole set.
Done when A clip showing what a buyer can expect.
From the Career Field Manual: Build a repetition habit. In the D.O.C. book: topics 96–114 and 415–434.
Build a repetition habit · reps-02
Done when A note on pace, clarity and pauses.
Build a repetition habit · reps-03
Done when The findings you choose to act on.
From the Career Field Manual: Record without losing the act and Turn one good night into a return. In the D.O.C. book: topics 348–382, 348–366, 383–399 and 435–455.
Record without losing the act · release-07
Each caption names one next step: a date, a town or your list.
Done when An active official show or ticket link.
Turn one good night into a return · audience-01
Done when A date page with no phantom ticket links.
Turn one good night into a return · audience-02
Done when A poster, feed caption and venue-approved photos.
Turn one good night into a return · audience-03
Done when A consent-based signup process.
Turn one good night into a return · audience-05
Views show attention; set them beside the sign-ups and tickets in the towns where you post.
Done when A basic city-level result log.
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.
A 2–5 minute tape with clean audio and a clear view of you on stage; a comic it picks for a showcase gets a pro-quality tape of the set.
Send us a 2–5 minute tape (clean audio and a clear view of you on stage).
A pro-quality tape of their set
Gotham Comedy Club’s page ↗ · checked 10 November 2026
Your best five minutes as a YouTube link, and a new tape whenever you film a set with new material.
Send us your best 5 minutes.
5 Minute Set - Youtube Links Only
You may resubmit every time you film a set with new material.
Bushwick Comedy’s page ↗ · checked 10 November 2026
The video starts with you, not the host bringing you up, because producers judge the first minutes. It looks at the content you post, not the size of your following.
The video should start with you, not a host bringing you up.
Remember, most producers watch only the first few minutes. First impressions last a long time.
We don't care about your following, we're looking at the content you're putting out to see if you're a good fit for our shows.
Funny Girl Events’s page ↗ · checked 10 November 2026
No one takes a clip for its own sake: a clip does its work on your own channels, and inside the submissions a booker or festival asks for. Post your cuts where your audience watches, and keep the continuous set for the festival and showcase calls on the next stop. 62 places to send a submission, on the Career Atlas →
Nobody here pays for a clip, and none of these buyers publishes a figure, so this page gives none. A clip costs gear, editing time and captions; the permissions cost nothing to ask for.
Settled before you postQuestions to ask before you film · 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: Filming my set on [The show's date] Hi [The booker's or producer's name], I'm on the [The room] show on [The show's date]. May I film my own set for clips? One phone on a small stand at the back, no light, and nothing in front of a seat. I'd post a minute or two at most, tag the room and send people to its shows. Thank you, [Your name]
[The clip's opening line] Live next: [Your next live date and town] Dates and tickets: [Your SUCDb record or website] Filmed at [The room]. Thank you for the laughs.
Subject: [Your name]: [The set's length, in minutes] minutes, unedited Hi [The booker's or producer's name], Here's a continuous [The set's length, in minutes]-minute set from [The room], unedited, on a link anyone can open: [Your clip's link] My dates and record: [Your SUCDb record or website] Thank you for watching, [Your name]
1. May I film my set, and from where? 2. May I post clips, and should I tag the room? 3. Is anyone on the show who doesn't want to be filmed? 4. Does the room film its shows, and may I have my set? 5. Is there music or video playing that I should keep out of the clip?
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.
Saved in this browser
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 1 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 post clips on TikTok, Reels and Shorts, read How should comedians post clips on TikTok, Reels and Shorts?.
Updated · The Career Atlas · Comic's Corner · Privacy
