The Home of Stand-Up Comedy | NextUp Comedy

Stream and support great comedians

Our Mission

Our mission is to amplify the power of live comedy, allowing its laughter and underlying messages to reach more people than ever before, all whilst supporting the artists and the wider community in as many ways as possible.

Values

The company values were created by the NextUp founders and live in everything we do.

Problem & Solution

Problem

Theatrical performances of comedy do much more than make people laugh – they generate awareness and break taboos on a variety of social issues including mental health, physical disabilities, social exclusion, abuse, gender equality and learning disabilities. Using laughter as a veil, performers are able to reach audiences in a way that doesn’t feel preachy or lecture-like – allowing their messages to be absorbed more organically and by people who might not normally engage with those issues. 

It’s an incredibly powerful communication method but has one significant problem – the reach of these performances is limited to live audiences – stunting the social impact that these shows offer. 

That’s a significant problem for various groups; most importantly for those who would benefit from their messages sowing the seeds of social change, as well as for comedians whose work is disappearing without any visual trace, and for audiences who can’t see a show live due to various accessibility barriers. These include logistical barriers such as venue location, event timing, ticket availability and event awareness, social barriers such as ticket cost and a perceived class-divide of the performing arts and physical barriers such as a lack of disabled access and induction loops.

Solution

To film theatrical performances of comedy that would otherwise be lost and allow their messages of laughter and social commentary to reach more people than ever before, whilst sharing revenue with the comedians and showcasing their work. It’s a win-win. 

All shows are subtitled and made available worldwide via a subscription-video-on-demand (SVOD) service that’s available via web, mobile and TV apps for £9.99p/m with a 7-day free trial – removing the accessibility barriers previously faced. 

Shows are also licensed to third parties beyond the subscription platform such as the BBC, Virgin Atlantic and Audible which significantly increases the reach of the shows. 

During the show release, NextUp also aims to get as much press as possible to amplify a show’s social message whilst promoting the platform and increasing subscriptions.

Feedback From Acts

“Thank you for your continued support with all things ‘comedy’. It’s so needed, and so appreciated.” – Shirley & Shirley, Sketch Duo

“I wanted to thank you and the whole team for being so brilliant.”
– Rachel Parris, Comedian

“Thank you NextUp! You are so lovely, thank you.” – ‘Weirdos’ Comedy Collective

“Thank you, thank you, thank you. This is such a lovely thing to have done for me and I’m really proud to have had it filmed!”
– Ali Brice, Comedian

“Here it is, our debut show. We are enormously proud of it. Thank you to the wizards of NextUp Comedy.”
– The Delightful Sausage, Sketch Duo

Comedian?

If you’re a comic performer and would like to be part of NextUp and have your talents showcased worldwide, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch below.

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