A usable tape is one continuous take of a set, with the room’s laughs audible and you clearly in view, at the length the buyer asks for. Film with the room’s permission, check the tape against each buyer’s own page, and keep a link that opens for anyone.
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 that showcase and club buyers set in their own published rules. Tick each one when it’s true for you.
0 of 4 true
15 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. In the D.O.C. book: topics 51–70, 115–131 and 435–455.
Grow the act without padding · set-01
Done when Two or more performances that fit the slot.
Grow the act without padding · set-02
Done when An actual timed set, not censored placeholders.
Grow the act without padding · set-04
Done when Two usable opening and closing choices.
From the Career Field Manual: Become the comic rooms trust, Do the first set, Assemble booking proof and Build a repetition habit. In the D.O.C. book: topics 400–434, 71–114, 143–173, 96–114 and 415–434.
Become the comic rooms trust · pro-02
Ask before you film: rooms set their own rules for cameras, and some record their shows and may give you your set.
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.
Assemble booking proof · package-04
One camera, one continuous take, from before you’re introduced to after you leave, with the laughs audible and you in the frame.
Done when A clip showing what a buyer can expect.
Build a repetition habit · reps-02
Listen without the picture first: if the laughs don’t come through on the audio, a booker won’t hear them either.
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: Find and pitch the right rooms and Record without losing the act. In the D.O.C. book: topics 143–196 and 348–382.
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
Done when A dated first-party booking requirement record.
Record without losing the act · release-05
Gotham asks for 2–5 minutes, Bushwick your best 5 as a YouTube link, Lafayette 5–10 not set to private. For a shorter ask, send one continuous stretch of the set, never pieces joined together.
Done when A compliant clip with current requirements.
From the Career Field Manual: Assemble booking proof. In the D.O.C. book: topics 143–173.
Assemble booking proof · package-01
Use the same name on the tape’s title, the form and the bio: Lafayette Comedy asks for your stage name if you use one.
Done when One consistent name across your records.
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.
Assemble booking proof · package-06
Done when Lengths you can deliver in real rooms.
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; each New Talent Showcase comic 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 only, and a new submission 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
A 5–10 minute video of a stand-up set, not set to private, and nothing but stand-up.
Video should not be set to private.
We are looking for a 5-10 min video of a stand-up set.
Please do not link skits/sketches or anything not standup.
Lafayette Comedy’s page ↗ · checked 10 November 2026
Places that publish how a comic’s tape 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 · 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 routeLafayette, LA · Club spots · Form
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.
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 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 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 usable tape doesn’t need a crew: Lafayette Comedy tells its open-mic comics to set a phone on the stool and record, and Gotham Comedy Club gives each New Talent Showcase comic a pro-quality tape of the set. None of the buyers quoted here asks a fee to watch a tape. What to settle first is permission, and who may use the footage.
Settle before you filmQuestions 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: Recording my set on [The show's date] Hi [The booker's or producer's name], I'm on the lineup at [The room] on [The show's date]. May I record my own set for a booking tape? One camera, set up before the doors open and out of the audience's way, and only my set. If the room records its shows, I'd be glad of a copy of my set instead. Thank you, [Your name]
Thanks for filming. Here's all it needs: 1. Start before I'm introduced and stop after I'm off: one take, no cuts. 2. Keep me in the frame, waist up, with my hands in shot. 3. No zooming and no moving once it's rolling. 4. Keep the camera near the audience, so the laughs come through. 5. Send me the file itself: [Where to send the file]
Tape: [Your tape's link] Room and date: [The room], [The show's date] Length: [The tape's length, in minutes] minutes, one continuous take The laughs are audible: yes / no I'm in the frame the whole time: yes / no The link opens signed out: yes / no The length [The buyer you're sending to] asks for: [The length that buyer asks for]
1. May I record my set, and with what: a phone, a camera or a recorder? 2. Where can a camera go without blocking anyone's view? 3. Does the room record its shows, and could I have my set? 4. Can I take a sound feed from the desk, or should I record the room? 5. Is the clip for submissions only, or may I post it?
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 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 how to record a set, read How to record your stand-up sets.
Updated · The Career Atlas · Comic's Corner · Privacy
