Comedian & Stand-Up

Bible briefing · vendor shortlist coming

A stand-up comedian is the working comic you book for a corporate dinner, brand activation, charity gala, holiday party, or members'-club night. The NYC market splits sharply into headliner-celeb tier ($25K+ through WME/CAA/UTA) and indie-club tier ($300-$2K through The Stand, Comedy Cellar, and direct booking) — with the post-2022 Caroline's-on-Broadway closure and UCB-NY shutdown leaving a thinner middle than operators expect.

Buyer's guide

How to book NYC comedians for venues + events

NYC comedy market splits into 6 booking tiers — Major (WME / CAA / UTA $25K+ headliners), recognized industry name ($5K-25K corporate keynote + brand event), NYC working-tier headliner ($1.5K-5K club + private), club-tier opener ($300-1,500), open-mic working ($0-500), and indie ($0-2K crowd-source). NYC market lost UCB-NY (closed Apr 2020) + UCB-LA Sunset (sold Dec 2020) creating a "missing middle" — the $300-1,500 indie tier vs $10-50K celeb gap. Magnet/PIT/Asylum/Reckless/Nine Lives are the current NYC improv map.

Brand short list. NYC comedy market: Caroline's-on-Broadway closed Dec 31 2022 (the historical NYC reference). Comedy Cellar + Stand Up NY + Gotham Comedy Club + The Stand NYC are the current NYC headline-club venues. JFL formalized NYC auditions at The Stand Mar 2026. Booking: WME + CAA + UTA at the celebrity tier; Bookin' the Scene + GigSalad + direct via club at indie tier. Podcast crossover rewrites pricing — 200K+ social outsells TV credits 3:1 in 2025-26 NYC private-event booking.

NYC-specific traps: 6-tier comedy booker landscape from Major → indie. UCB-NY closed Apr 2020 = "missing middle" $300-1,500 indie tier. Comedy Cellar = NYC reference + audition-trial venue. Gotham Comedy Club + Stand Up NY at the working-headline-tier.

Vendors profiled below

•CAA / WME / UTA— Major-tier comedy bookers. $25K+ celebrity headliner tier.

Types — see what they actually look like

2 types

🎤Working-tier NYC headlinerWorking

Microphone on red curtain

Stand-up comedy classical · $1.5K-$5K working tierBookin' the Scene · GigSalad$1.5K-$5K

Working-tier NYC headliner

30-60 min set · 100-300 guest

$1.5K-$5K NYC working-tier comedian. The corporate-event + private-booking default.

Price

$1,500-$5,000/event

Best for

Corporate events + private parties + nightclub-residency comedy + brand activations.

3 variants in the wild

Top brands

Bookin' the SceneGigSaladComedy Cellar direct

⭐Recognized industry nameIndustry

Brown coat singing

Industry-name comedian · podcast / TV / social-driven bookingCAA · WME · UTA$5K-$25K

Recognized industry name

45-90 min set · 200-1,500 guest

$5K-25K · TV / podcast / 200K+ social-following. Corporate keynote + brand-event headliner.

Price

$5,000-$25,000/event

Best for

Corporate keynote + brand-defining event + nightclub residency.

2 variants in the wild

Top brands

CAAWMEUTABookin' the Scene

Brands — how the big names compare

1 brands

CAA / WME / UTA

Hollywood big-3 agencies

Major Hollywood agencies

Major-tier comedy bookers. $25K+ celebrity headliner tier.

CAA + WME + UTA are the major-tier comedy bookers for NYC corporate + brand events — $25K+ celebrity headliner pricing tier. Direct booking through agency-rep contact.

Top NYC models

Recognized industry name
45-90 min keynote
$5,000-$25,000
Major celebrity headliner
60-90 min headline
$25,000-$100,000+

Strengths

+Hollywood big-3 + celebrity roster

Weaknesses

−Premium pricing tier
−6-12 month lead at peak

Best for

Corporate keynote + brand-defining event + ultra-luxury private booking.

Vendor profileGet in Nightrush →

By venue type — recommended setup

Venue	Recommended setup	Cost
Corporate event (200 pax)	Bookin' the Scene-booked working comedian · 30-min set	$1.5K-$5K
Brand keynote (300 pax)	CAA / WME industry name · 60-min keynote	$5K-$25K
Major brand event (1,000 pax)	CAA-booked celebrity headliner · 60-min headline set	$25K-$100K+

Common operator questions

All 2,049 FAQs →

⏎Working-tier vs industry-name vs major-celebrity — which fits my budget?→⏎How does podcast / 200K+ social affect comedy booking pricing?→

Sourced from operator + planner interviews + comedy-booking benchmarks 2025-26.

Run your venue from one app.

Download Nightrush. Find vendors, send RFPs, book the right people for your operation. We’ll have a real website soon.

Vendor shortlist coming.

We have an audited bible for comedian & stand-up on file, but the public vendor shortlist isn’t live yet. Download Nightrush — we’ll match you to the right comedian & stand-up vendors directly inside the app.

Browse other categories.

19 more vetted-vendor lists across team, ops, marketing, and event services.

All categories →