Comedian Resources

Badges, Green Rooms, and Weird Gigs: A Comic's Field Guide to Thriving on the Alternative Festival Circuit

Navigating the alternative comedy festival world is part hustle, part performance art, and entirely unlike anything they teach you in a traditional stand-up class. We talked to comics who've done it the hard way — and came out funnier for it. Here's what they learned so you don't have to learn it the painful way.

Jul 26, 2026

So You Want to Be Weird for a Living: The No-Nonsense Playbook for Building a Comedy Brand That Actually Sticks

Alternative comedy doesn't happen by accident — it takes strategy, stubbornness, and a remarkably high tolerance for performing to seven people on a Wednesday. Using the Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival as a masterclass in what weird done right actually looks like, here's a practical guide for aspiring comedians who want to build something genuinely their own without accidentally becoming someone else in the process.

Jul 25, 2026