--- title: "How to Post Stand-Up Clips: A Comic's Roadmap | D.O.C." description: "A step-by-step roadmap for stand-up clips: film with permission, give each clip a job, keep the whole set for buyers, and lead viewers to a live show." url: https://disciplesofcomedy.com/career-atlas-stand-up-clips.html updated: 2026-11-10 --- The Career Atlas · Discovery & recordings · stop 1 of 5 # Stand-up clips: your roadmap Start the playbook → Your proof The short answer 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. - **14** steps, each with its “done when” - **3** buyers, in their own words - **5** pieces of proof to keep - **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 a festival or showcase that picks you 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… ### Live comic with stand-up worth sharing - You work real rooms often, and some of your sets are worth showing. - You film where a room allows it, and the footage sits on your phone. - Bookers and festivals ask for a link, and you want the one you send to hold up. - People find you online, and you want them to come to a show next. You’re ready to move on when… ### …to [a festival or showcase that picks you](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/career-atlas-comedy-festivals-and-showcases.html) These are the tests the next stop’s festivals set in their own published rules. Tick each one when it’s true for you. You have a continuous, unedited set of at least five minutes in front of a live audience: Windy City Comedy Festival asks for a continuous 5–7 minute set with no highlight reels, and Raleigh Comedy Festival for your best unedited 5-minute tape. [Windy City Comedy Festival ↗](https://www.windycitycomedyfest.com/submissions2027) · [Raleigh Comedy Festival ↗](https://raleighcomedyfestival.com/submissions) Its link opens for anyone and keeps working: Raleigh disqualifies broken or private links, and Windy City takes unlisted tapes but not private or password-protected ones. [Raleigh Comedy Festival ↗](https://raleighcomedyfestival.com/submissions) · [Windy City Comedy Festival ↗](https://www.windycitycomedyfest.com/submissions2027) The material in it is your own: FunnyFest’s competition says all comedy must be original. [FunnyFest ↗](https://funnyfest.com/comedy-competition/) You’ve chosen the calls that fit your act, and know each one’s window and fee. 0 of 4 true ### The playbook 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. #### Decide what each clip is for From the Career Field Manual: Record without losing the act and Choose your starting point. In [the D.O.C. book](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-book.html): topics 348–382, 1–20 and 435–455. 1. Record without losing the act · release-01 #### Decide why you are recording or publishing this material 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. [Give each clip a job →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-comedy-clips.html) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 2. Record without losing the act · release-02 #### Keep a list of material intended only for live audiences 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. [Your set log 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 3. Choose your starting point · start-06 #### Decide your monthly career-development budget **Done when** Your spending ceiling in dollars. [The Working Comic →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/working-comic.html) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date #### Film it whole, with permission 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](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-book.html): topics 400–434, 71–114, 348–366, 383–399, 435–455 and 143–173. 4. Become the comic rooms trust · pro-02 #### Confirm each room’s code of conduct and recording rules **Done when** A note for rooms with different expectations. The questions to ask before you film → **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 5. Do the first set · first-07 #### Record only when the venue permits it **Done when** A recording or a note explaining why not. Asking the room to film → **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 6. Turn one good night into a return · audience-04 #### Record a clip with permission and a clear intended use 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. [Filling the Room: filming a set →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/promote-your-comedy-show.html#film) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 7. Assemble booking proof · package-04 #### Record an uninterrupted live sample set 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. [Set up the tape: Stage Time’s Tech tab →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stage-time.html#tech) The full set, for a booker → **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date #### Choose the minute worth sharing From the Career Field Manual: Build a repetition habit. In [the D.O.C. book](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-book.html): topics 96–114 and 415–434. 8. Build a repetition habit · reps-02 #### Listen to a recording without watching the screen **Done when** A note on pace, clarity and pauses. [What the recording tells you →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-record-your-stand-up.html) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 9. Build a repetition habit · reps-03 #### Run a transcript through Comic Critique **Done when** The findings you choose to act on. [Read the tape in Comic Critique →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/critique.html) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date #### Lead viewers to the live show From the Career Field Manual: Record without losing the act and Turn one good night into a return. In [the D.O.C. book](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-book.html): topics 348–382, 348–366, 383–399 and 435–455. 10. Record without losing the act · release-07 #### Give listeners and viewers one clear path to your live dates Each caption names one next step: a date, a town or your list. **Done when** An active official show or ticket link. The caption → **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 11. Turn one good night into a return · audience-01 #### Publish accurate upcoming dates with official ticket links **Done when** A date page with no phantom ticket links. [Your 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 12. Turn one good night into a return · audience-02 #### Create a small, consistent set of show-promotion assets **Done when** A poster, feed caption and venue-approved photos. [Promo Studio →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/comedy-show-flyer-maker.html) [Ready-made posts →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/promote-your-comedy-show.html#posts) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 13. Turn one good night into a return · audience-03 #### Build an opt-in email list with an unsubscribe path **Done when** A consent-based signup process. [Why an email list →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-email-list-for-comedians.html) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 14. Turn one good night into a return · audience-05 #### Compare promotion activity with actual city ticket sales 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. [Followers who buy tickets →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-comedy-following-that-buys-tickets.html) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date ### What speeds this up - **Film your strongest rooms** The clip worth posting comes from a strong night, so keep the camera ready. [Record your sets →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-record-your-stand-up.html) - **Light and sound first** A clear voice and a lit face matter more than a new camera. [Filming a set →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/promote-your-comedy-show.html#film) - **Keep the long take** Festivals and bookers want the whole set; keep it beside the cuts. [What goes on a demo reel →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-comedy-demo-reel.html) - **Build your list** A viewer who signs up is one you can tell about the next show. [Why an email list →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-email-list-for-comedians.html) - **Show your dates** One link that always shows where you’re on next. [Tour Dates Widget →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/tour-dates-widget.html) - **Keep the clip yours** Leave out music you don’t have the rights to use. [Music and copyright →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-music-licensing-comedy-special.html) 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. - **Film one set** Where the room allows it, film a whole set: one camera, clear sound, your face lit. - **Watch it back** Watch the week’s tape once, and mark the minute worth sharing. - **Cut one clip with a job** Cut it for one purpose: to show the act, to sell a date or to grow your list. - **Caption by hand** Read the captions word by word: names, slang and punchlines. - **Point to the show** Each post names one next step: a date, a town or your list. - **Count what moved** Note sign-ups and tickets beside views, town by town. 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 submission rules ### Gotham Comedy Club 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 ↗](https://gothamcomedyclub.com/New-Talent/) · checked 10 November 2026 A club’s published submission rules ### Bushwick Comedy 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 ↗](https://www.bushwickcomedy.com/contact/out-of-town-submission) · checked 10 November 2026 A producer’s published submission rules ### Funny Girl Events 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 ↗](https://www.funnygirlevents.com/submission.html) · checked 10 November 2026 ### Where to send it 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 →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-career-atlas.html#ways) The money here ### Know the costs and the permissions 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 post** - The room’s yes to film, and to post what you film - The other comics’ yes before they appear in a clip - No music in the clip that you don’t have the rights to use - Who owns the footage when a venue or festival films it - What you’ll spend on a mic, a stand and editing, inside your monthly budget - Captions read word by word before the clip goes up Questions to ask before you film · [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 The booker’s or producer’s name The room The show’s date The set’s length, in minutes Your clip’s link Your SUCDb record or website The clip’s opening line Your next live date and town ### Asking the room to film ``` 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 caption ``` [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. ``` ### The full set, for a booker ``` 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] ``` ### Questions to ask before you film ``` 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? ``` 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 continuous, unedited set on video, on a link anyone can open Each room’s yes to film and post, kept with the footage Three clips posted, each with a stated job A live date or a sign-up link in each clip’s caption A note of what each clip moved: sign-ups and tickets beside views Your status ### Post strong stand-up clips 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 [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) [Your own shows · Find your people **Build a crowd that comes back** A list of people who chose to hear from you survives any venue or app.](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/career-atlas-build-a-comedy-crowd.html) ## Go deeper - [How should comedians post clips on TikTok, Reels and Shorts?](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-comedy-clips.html) The explainer, from the D.O.C. book - [How do you record your stand-up sets?](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-record-your-stand-up.html) Cameras, sound and the audience on tape - [Chapter 16, Podcasts, Social Media, and Content](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-book.html) In D.O.C.’s companion book, Stand-Up Comedy: From Writing to Touring ## 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. - [Gotham Comedy Club, New Talent ↗](https://gothamcomedyclub.com/New-Talent/) A club’s published submission rules. - [Bushwick Comedy, out-of-town submissions ↗](https://www.bushwickcomedy.com/contact/out-of-town-submission) A club’s published submission rules. - [Funny Girl Events, submissions ↗](https://www.funnygirlevents.com/submission.html) A producer’s published submission rules. - [Windy City Comedy Festival, 2027 submissions ↗](https://www.windycitycomedyfest.com/submissions2027) A festival’s published submission rules. - [Raleigh Comedy Festival, comic submissions ↗](https://raleighcomedyfestival.com/submissions) A festival’s published submission rules. - [FunnyFest Calgary, the comedy competition ↗](https://funnyfest.com/comedy-competition/) A competition’s published rules. - [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): 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?](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-comedy-clips.html). 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)