Happy Monday guys! Quick question out of curiosity - what’s one show on NextUp you’d tell a friend to start with? I know mine, but intrigued to hear yours! 🤭

Keeping in line with our Meet the Team series, here's Isabelle/Issie behind-the-scenes planning the socials for the week ahead and generally being silly. If you aren't following NextUp on Instagram or Facebook yet, go make her day and comment "Kai sent me!" on a recent post. It's an inside joke only we'll know. 👀

Welcome to The Pub! 🗣️

This is the bit of the community that’s less “what’s on this week” and more “what are we all chatting about”.

Think of it like the pub after the gig (a big thank you to Indulis for the inspiration!) Just a place to hang out, talk nonsense, answer silly polls, share opinions and generally loiter...

I’ll be dropping the odd BTS or mildly pointless thought in here 😉, and you’re very welcome to do the same. Join in loads, dip in occasionally or you know, just sit in the corner nursing a drink. All acceptable pub behaviour!

Pull up a chair and make yourself at home.

Cheers!

Meet the Team 🎤❤️

Hiya NextUppers! I realised over the holidays that while I’m the main face you see in the community chat most days, there are actually other humans behind NextUp who you might not know yet. So, once a month, I’ll be introducing someone from the team properly.

Partly so you can put faces to names. Partly so you don’t have to blame everything on me if something goes wrong. (Kidding. Mostly.)

To kick things off, meet our newest team member Isabelle - but you can call her Issie. I asked her a few questions to help you get to know her a bit better…

What’s your role at NextUp, in normal human terms?

I'm the Social Media Manager - which means I have the highest screentime out of everyone I know.

How long have you been with NextUp?

Since November 2025!

What’s the best part of the job so far?

Getting to watch comedy shows every. single. day. It's an actual dream come true. Laughing for a living? Yes please.

Who’s your favourite comedian (or one you keep coming back to)?

I'm obsessed with Jon Stewart from The Daily Show.

What was the last thing on NextUp that genuinely made you laugh?

Tarot's latest show! The sauna sketch had me physically gasping.

Besides comedy, what are your other interests/hobbies?

I love pilates, photography, videography, graphic design, musicals/theatre, F1, rugby and travelling South Africa.

When and where were you born and raised?

I was born in Sussex, England on 16 December 2000, and then moved to South Africa when I was 2 years old.

What’s your most used emoji?

Probably: 🥹

Do you have any pets?

Yup! I have a 10 year old black lab called Max and an 18 year old jack russell called Gemma who doesn't seem to age.

Tea or coffee? (There is a correct answer.)

Can I say neither (don't kill me!) I'm a matcha girl, which I feel is very Gen-Z appropriate, haha!

Ideal night in vs ideal night out?

Ideal night in is ordering a thai green curry, making a fort in the living room and watching Nottinghill or any 90s rom-com. Ideal night out is either karaoke or going to a disco-themed club that only plays iconic, cheesy hits. If ABBA music is involved, I'm there.

What’s a very normal thing you’re surprisingly bad at?

If I'm spelling a word that has g or j in it, I have to sing/say the alphabet until I get to those letters, otherwise I cannot differentiate between the two.

Who is your favourite singer at the moment?

I have many favourite singers/bands but at the moment I’m in my Silk Sonic era.

Finish the sentence: “Comedy is best enjoyed when…”

...the world seems to be falling apart, which I guess is every day now.

Last question, is there anything you'd like to say to the NextUp Community?

Like, comment and share our posts! (I wish I was kidding). But on a more human note, I love seeing how passionate you all are about comedy. It makes my job easier knowing that there is a supportive group of people behind the brand that make it more than just a logo. So thank you!

Hope you enjoyed part 1 in our Meet the Team series! Until next time…🤭

Oh hey guys! Happy Monday! We’ve been pretty busy filming recently, so thought I'd share a little behind-the-scenes look at our film team - the real MVPs who keep everything running smoothly (and calmly). Big round of applause to them for capturing the comedy for you! 👏🏻