The Jokebook
Your guide to the world of comedy — February 22, 2026
Welcome to The Jokebook, your Sunday update on comedy. This week:
The $10M Pop-Up Comedy Boom
Interview: The Case for Staten Island
Comedy Headlines
Festivals and Submissions
3 Takeaways From the $10M Pop-Up Comedy Boom
Kyle Kazanjian-Amory, Founder and CEO of Don’t Tell Comedy. Source: Instagram
This week, The Black Hoody published my deep dive into the rise of pop-up comedy shows. I spoke with two big names in pop-up comedy: Don’t Tell Comedy founder Kyle Kazanjian-Amory and Comedy UO co-founder David Levine. Don’t Tell operates in over 250 cities, while Comedy UO has gone deep into the New York scene.
We spoke about business strategies and how pop-up comedy solves problems that traditional clubs face, like drink minimums and long showtimes. Here are three key takeaways.
1. Pop-Up Comedy Is Solving a Friction Problem
Both founders emphasize the same insight: some people don’t just want to “sit down, shut up, and leave.” They want a night out. Traditional comedy clubs can feel transactional. You often have to go to an entertainment district. When you get there, there’s a two-drink minimum and a dark room. Then you exit the show, and that’s it.
Pop-ups invert that. The venue, maybe a scuba shop, a deli, a barbershop, becomes part of the social experience. It’s curated, novel, and designed to feel like an event. You can get there a little early, bring drinks with your friends, and some shows have an afterparty. Comedy UO often has food, like when they hold pop-ups at Shake Shack.
That shift in curating a night, rather than a one-off comedy show, is expanding the comedy audience. Levine estimates 10–20% of Comedy UO attendees are experiencing live comedy for the first time.
2. Asset-Light Models Work
Don’t Tell now produces 5,500 shows annually across 250+ cities, generating an estimated ~$10M in revenue without owning a single venue.
Comedy UO, by contrast, is hyper-local: 330+ shows across 85 NYC venues, a 35,000-person waitlist, and premium ticketing often double or triple traditional club pricing.
They have two distinct strategies:
Don’t Tell: Scale wide, standardized producer network, digital-first growth.
Comedy UO: Go deep, one-of-a-kind locations, hospitality-forward.
Both avoid permanent leases, liquor licenses, and heavy fixed overhead. That flexibility allows experimentation in markets where a brick-and-mortar club wouldn’t be viable.
3. Digital is a Second Business
Both companies discovered that filming shows can become a revenue engine.
Don’t Tell now releases polished taped sets weekly, generating millions of views, brand partnerships, and production credits, including a Netflix special. Comedy UO is building a similar licensing-and-clipping model.
The flywheel looks like this: Live show → taped set → viral clip → new audience → ticket sales → brand deals.
The Bigger Picture
Pop-ups aren’t trying to replace comedy clubs. Both founders position their companies as complementary to the traditional model.
But the broader takeaway is clear: There is a growing consumer appetite for curated, social, experience-forward comedy nights, often at higher upfront ticket prices and without drink minimums.
The real story isn’t secret venues. It’s that pop-up comedy is being repositioned as hospitality. That changes the business possibilities and market for comedy.
Patrick Golden is a Brooklyn-based stand-up who’s made a habit of crossing the harbor regularly to perform in Staten Island.
While many New York comics treat Staten Island as a novelty stop, Patrick is a regular, performing there multiple times a month and tapping into a tight-knit, growing scene. With brewery rooms, bar shows, a new club in New Dorp, and a weekly Monday show just steps from the ferry, he sees the island as an underrated scene for comedy.
Comedy Headlines
TV & Film
Micro Budget Premieres at Dynasty Typewriter: The comedy Micro Budget is hosting a premiere screening and Q&A at LA’s Dynasty Typewriter, with additional screenings ahead of its March 10 release. Directed by Morgan Evans, the film follows an aspiring filmmaker who uproots his wife to Los Angeles to shoot a low-budget indie, only to spiral into chaos. Cast includes Brandon Micheal Hall, Bobby Moynihan, Maria Bamford, and Jon Gabrus. Watch the trailer here.
Joke Zero Launches Distribution Arm With Isabel Hagen’s On a String: Comedy-focused production company Joke Zero is expanding into all-rights distribution, per Deadline, acquiring Tribeca 2025 Best Screenplay winner On a String, written, directed by, and starring comedian Isabel Hagen. The semi-autobiographical comedy will receive a New York theatrical run later this year before expanding to other markets.
Conan O’Brien Says Colbert Is “Rightly Pissed” Amid Late-Night Shakeup: In a new interview on The New Yorker Radio Hour, Conan O’Brien said Stephen Colbert is “rightly pissed” as The Late Show approaches its May finale amid corporate and political pressure, per LateNighter. O’Brien cited FCC scrutiny and risk-averse network leadership as forces reshaping late night, arguing that many major decisions happen above hosts’ control. His comments come as Colbert publicly sparred with CBS over whether his interview with Texas state rep James Talarico was blocked or voluntarily withheld.
Colbert’s Talarico Interview Sparks FCC Response and Goes Viral: Colbert’s YouTube-only interview with Talarico has now surpassed six million views, becoming his most-watched interview clip in over three years, per LateNighter. The clip’s surge followed CBS’s denial that it blocked the segment over Equal Time concerns, prompting a fiery on-air rebuttal from Colbert. FCC chairman Brendan Carr weighed in during a press conference, saying he was “highly entertained” by the dust-up.
Jesse Jackson Dies at 84. A Look Back at His SNL Appearances: Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson died at 84. Jackson hosted Saturday Night Live in 1984 during his presidential campaign and later returned in 1991 for a memorable “Weekend Update” appearance, where he read Green Eggs and Ham in tribute to Dr. Seuss. Watch the 1991 clip here.
Culture
Simran Rye Responds to The Comedy Shop Statement: In a new Instagram post, New York comedian Simran Rye responded to The Comedy Shop’s public statement, in which the Greenwich Village club denied wrongdoing related to sexual misconduct allegations.
David Zucker Breaks Down 8 Digital Comedy Trends: In his latest Substack, David Zucker shares a roundup of new digital comedy formats, from inventive self-filming hacks to viral sketch structures and aspect ratio experimentation. In the comments, comedian Matt Ruby pushed back on the pace of content production, asking whether comics can take their time crafting something clever instead of constantly feeling pressure to “feed the beast.”
Patrice O’Neal Comedy Benefit Set for April 28: The 13th annual Patrice O’Neal Comedy Benefit will take place Tuesday, April 28 at New York City Center, with proceeds going directly to Patrice O’Neal’s family as the event continues to honor the late comedian’s legacy.
Matt Ruby Highlights Isabel Hagen on Developing “A” Material: In his newsletter Funny How, Matt Ruby spotlighted comedian Isabel Hagen’s process for turning loose premises into polished stand-up. Hagen explains how she records every set, listens back, takes detailed notes on wording and emphasis, and reapplies adjustments until jokes gradually evolve into “A” material. Read the full post here.
Zack Slingsby & Brendan Nardozzi Launch King Jester: The Human Factor Media founders debuted King Jester, a new digital comedy platform focused on developing original, internet-first scripted comedy, per Deadline. The platform aims to incubate new comedic voices with co-owned IP, and has already seen viral success with sketches like 1 Gen Z vs. 20 War Veterans.
Doug Stanhope Guests on Hot Breath! Podcast: Joel Byars’ comedy craft podcast Hot Breath! recently featured Doug Stanhope for an inside-baseball conversation about stand-up.
Comedy UO Expands Into Magic Shows: NYC-based pop-up producer Comedy UO is kicking off 2026 by expanding beyond stand-up into live magic programming under Magic UO.
Taylor Tomlinson’s Prodigal Daughter Sets Netflix Release Date: Taylor Tomlinson will release her new stand-up special Prodigal Daughter on Netflix February 24, marking her first special since departing CBS’ After Midnight, according to LateNighter.
Pretty Vee Signs With Gersh: Comedian and Wild ’n Out alum Pretty Vee signed with Gersh for representation in all areas, per Deadline.
One Interesting Comedy Show
The Joke Box Experience is an interactive comedy show in Denver that encourages the audience to bring a smartphone. Audience members scan a QR code to vote in polls, answer questions, and directly influence which comedians win, lose, or face new twists on stage. There seems to be a unique excitement about gamified comedy shows these days.
Comedy Fests This Month
Black Women in Comedy Laff Fest · Feb 25–Mar 1, 2026 · Manhattan & Brooklyn, New York, USA
SLO Comedy Festival · Feb 26–Mar 1, 2026 · San Luis Obispo, California, USA
Golden Comfort & Comedy Festival · Feb 27, 2026 · Golden, Colorado, USA
Tree Town Comedy Festival · March 4–7, 2026 · Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
West End Comedy Festival · March 6–8, 2026 · Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Festival Submissions Closing Soon
Corkscrew Comedy Festival takes place June 19–21, 2026, in Santa Ynez Valley, CA. The second annual event invites comedians to perform in California wine country, offering performer discounts at wineries and restaurants, swag, and industry networking. Early bird submissions are $15 through December 31, 2025, and $20 after January 1. The deadline is February 28. Submit here.
Dallas Sketch Fest runs May 28–31, 2026, in Dallas, Texas, showcasing sketch comedy. Submissions deadline: February 28, 2026, with accepted acts notified by March 15. Non-refundable $20 submission fee. Applicants submit a show or team description, performance history, preferred set length and availability, content rating, tech needs, a marketing graphic, a written bio, team details, and a video of a recent performance. Submit here.
Helena Comedy Festival runs November 12–14, 2026, in Helena, Montana. The festival brings stand-up comedians to top local venues for a weekend of live comedy in Montana’s capital city. Early bird submission deadline: February 28, 2026; early bird submission fee is $15. Submit here.
Meadowlands Comedy Festival runs April 23–27, 2026, in Secaucus, New Jersey (near NYC). Early bird submissions are $20, increasing closer to the festival. Submit a 4–7 minute YouTube set, short bio, and social links via email after payment. Selected comics may be invited to live showcase auditions. Submit here. Deadline is February 28.
Full list of festival submissions on our site here. There It Is Pod also has a list with some we don’t have listed!
That’s The Jokebook — your Sunday comedy update. Have something to share? Message us at [email protected].