Knowledge Hub
How to Build a Comedy Festival Submission Pack (Clips, Bios, Credits & Dos and Don'ts)
Booker brain meets folder hygiene — the stuff actually asked for versus what cosplayers think “looks prestige.”
If your submission pack screams Canva chaos + five hyperlinks labeled “FULL SET”, you’re not mysterious — you’re taxing people who open 220 emails between lunch & panic attack. 😵💫 Festivals skim like bored doom-scrollers until something feels immediate + clean + confident.
Treat the pack like pitching a weird startup: concise deck, proof clip, coherent numbers (dates, durations, comps). Humans book humans who don’t make them reconstruct your career via Instagram archaeology.
🔗 Supporting reads on this Hub:
booked more often playbook · clip that gigs · reel deep dive companion · crowd clips tactically
🗂️ Folder anatomy (literally name folders like an adult)
| File | Goal |
|---|---|
CLIP_PRIMARY | Highest laugh density w/out context drift 🎯 |
CLIP_ALT | Different energy (safer baseline / hotter risk) ⚡️ |
FULL_SET_LOCKED 🔒 | Only if genuinely requested AND watchable pacing |
BIO_SHORT 📄 | 80–140 words-ish / paste-friendly |
BIO_MICRO ⚡️ | 2 sentences for festival grid blurbs |
PRESS_PHOTO_HIRES 🖼️ | JPG/PNG cleanly named + credited |
LOGO_ARTWORK_PACKAGE 📦 | If you have typography — zipped |
No “Final_FINAL_v49.” Bookers resent archaeology.
🎞️ Clip rules that survive reality
SEO reality: comedians hunt “best comedy festival audition clip length”— algorithmically boring but humanly predictable:
| Guideline detail | Sanity |
|---|---|
| Cold open killer ⚡️ | Laugh or tension in the first ~20 seconds |
| No inside-baseball warmup 📵 | If context needs you don’t introduce it verbally |
| Two laugh peaks minimum ✅ | Density beats sheer runtime |
| Captions burned in ♿️ | Accessibility + skim-friendly |
🔗 Full reel structuring → reel guide above.
Avoid “compilation of six random TikTok punches” unless your brand is purposeful chaos clownery.
🪪 Bios: stop novelling
| Layer | Cheat |
|---|---|
| Micro blurbs ⚡️ | Role + specificity + cheeky tonal word |
| Standard bio 📄 | Cred bullet → tonal proof → logistical facts |
| Credits | Only what lands on a poster realistically |
Credits ordering trick: marquee names first, thematic clusters second 🧱
Nobody needs your GCSE drama teacher unless ironic callback is insanely funny 🎓
✉️ Email pitch skeleton (adapt but don’t bloviate)
Suggested structure:
- Subject: Show title + geography + timeframe + why them
- Para 1: 2 lines logline persona
- Para 2: Clip link + timestamps for laugh peaks 📍
- Para 3: Logistics bullets (genre, dur, rider weirdness flags) ⚙️
- Outro: single CTA (“happy to tweak set for family programming,” etc.)
Bookers skim vertical — bold key numbers.
🚫 Don’t list (actually tanked submissions vibes)
| Cringe artefact |
|---|
| Mysteriously huge PDF that embeds uncompressed JPEGs 📉 |
| “Just watch IG highlights” 🤡 |
| Asking programmers to RSVP to private links every refresh |
| Lying credits (internet receipts age poorly) ⚠️ |
✨ Fringe-specific micro note
If pitching August Edinburgh variants, skim our dual guides covering PBH ethos + programmed routes:
- comedians corridor →
/hub/edinburgh-fringe-comedians-pbh-pleasance-free-fringe-guide/ - cross-gen performers →
/hub/edinburgh-fringe-performers-programmed-vs-free-fringe-explained/
Rules mutate annually — ethos PDF trumps TikTok folklore.
✅ Submission sprint checklist
| Task |
|---|
| Re-export bio text into plaintext sanity pass ✂️ |
| Playback clip on mediocre phone speakers 📱 |
| Friend watches once without context — note confusion ⚠️ |
| Zip folder under sensible size ✅ |
Festivals punish chaos energy; tiny discipline + ruthless clip editing buys you reconsideration slack when competition is inflated. 📈
What to do next
- Fire off your next invoice while the gig is still fresh — consistent line items make follow-ups easier.
- StagePay keeps templates and totals calm on the road; sync when you want history across devices.
- Keep browsing the Knowledge Hub for the next knot in your workflow.
Stay sharp
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Compiled from working performers, DJs, photographers and touring comics — field notes from real gigs, not theory.