Don't Tell Comedy
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Don't Tell Comedy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Don't Tell Comedy
- Legal name
- Don't Tell Comedy, Inc.
- Website
- https://donttellcomedy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Don't Tell Comedy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Live Comedy Entertainment
- NAICS
- Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Stand-Up Comedy Shows (MPAGACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Comedy Clubs (Nightlife Venues) (MPAGAIAH)
Keywords
Where Don't Tell Comedy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Don't Tell Comedy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Primary revenue from consumer ticket purchases for live comedy shows. Tickets sold directly through website with prices kept confidential in scraped data.
- Private Events: Corporate and private event hosting services for secret comedy shows, mentioned in navigation as separate revenue stream
- Sponsorships: Brand sponsorship opportunities for shows, referenced in navigation under Sponsorships page
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Standard show tickets |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Don't Tell Comedy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Don't Tell Comedy operates a distributed network of live stand-up comedy shows held at secret, undisclosed venues with secret comedian lineups. Tickets are purchased directly via the company website; the venue location is emailed to ticket holders at 8 AM on the day of the show. Shows run 70-90 minutes and feature 4-7 up-and-coming comedians, with most events following a BYOB (no drink minimum) house party-style format across 200+ U.S. cities and select international markets. The company also books private/corporate comedy events and sells gift cards.
Product overview
Don't Tell Comedy operates a single unified product offering: live secret comedy shows in 200+ cities across the U.S. and internationally. The core product (Live Shows) features undisclosed venues and comedian lineups revealed only on the day of the event. Secondary offerings include Private Events for corporate or personal celebrations, and Gift Cards as an ancillary product. The company differentiates through BYOB policies (no drink minimums), unique secret venue experiences, and curated lineups of emerging comedians.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Live Shows Live stand-up comedy shows held at secret, undisclosed venues with secret comedian lineups. Shows are 70-90 minutes and feature 4-7 up-and-coming comedians. Venue details are emailed to ticket holders at 8 AM on the day of the show. Most shows are BYOB with no drink minimum. Available in 200+ U.S. cities and select international markets. Targeted at adults 21+ seeking unique, affordable live entertainment.
- Private Events
Companies that use Don't Tell Comedy
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Don't Tell Comedy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Don't Tell Comedy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights2 records
Don't Tell Comedy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Comedy Store: Iconic LA comedy club headquartered in the same metropolitan market as Don't Tell Comedy, presenting nightly stand-up lineups of emerging and headlining comedians — directly overlapping in product (live stand-up) and customer (adult comedy audiences).
- Laugh Factory: Multi-city comedy club chain (LA, NYC, Chicago, Las Vegas, etc.) operating ticketed live stand-up shows with beverage minimums — serving the same consumer use case as Don't Tell Comedy but with the traditional venue model DTC explicitly reacts against.
- Helium Comedy Club: Multi-city comedy club operator (Portland, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Buffalo, etc.) running full show lineups of comedians — comparable offering to Don't Tell Comedy's curated lineups, but in fixed-venue, ticketed-with-drink-minimum format.
- New York Comedy Club: NYC-based comedy club operator presenting curated stand-up lineups nightly. Comparable core product (live stand-up lineups of multiple comedians per show) and overlapping urban consumer segment.
- Zanies Comedy Night Club: Regional comedy club chain with locations across the Midwest and South (Nashville, Chicago, Rosemont, etc.) — directly comparable in nightly ticketed stand-up product and geographic overlap with several of Don't Tell Comedy's strong markets.
- Funny Bone Comedy Club: National comedy club chain operating in suburban and mid-tier U.S. markets — directly comparable consumer (adult comedy audience) and product (curated multi-comedian stand-up shows) to Don't Tell Comedy's off-cycle or suburban city footprint.
- Caroline's on Broadway: Long-running NYC comedy venue presenting ticketed stand-up lineups — same core product, overlapping NYC audience, traditional venue model that contrast with Don't Tell Comedy's secret-location format.
Broad incumbents
- Improv (Live Nation): Long-running comedy club chain owned by Live Nation; presents ticketed stand-up nationally and represents the incumbent venue model against which Don't Tell Comedy positions as a differentiated alternative.
- Just For Laughs (JFL): Global comedy festival, tour, and content brand based in Montreal — comparable curated live comedy programming at scale and global comedian talent relationships, but operates a festival/showcase model rather than recurring city-by-city shows.
Emerging players
- Hot Mic: Stand-up comedy show platform curating live and recorded sets in various venues — emerging digital-to-live comedy operator with partial overlap in curated multi-comedian show format used by Don't Tell Comedy.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Don't Tell Comedy social profiles
Digital presenceDon't Tell Comedy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Don't Tell Comedy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Don't Tell Comedy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Don't Tell Comedy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Don't Tell Comedy
What does Don't Tell Comedy do?
Don't Tell Comedy operates a distributed network of live stand-up comedy shows held at secret, undisclosed venues with secret comedian lineups. Tickets are purchased directly via the company website; the venue location is emailed to ticket holders at 8 AM on the day of the show. Shows run 70-90 minutes and feature 4-7 up-and-coming comedians, with most events following a BYOB (no drink minimum) house party-style format across 200+ U.S. cities and select international markets. The company also books private/corporate comedy events and sells gift cards.
Is Don't Tell Comedy a public or private company?
Don't Tell Comedy is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Don't Tell Comedy founded?
Don't Tell Comedy was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Don't Tell Comedy based?
Don't Tell Comedy is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Don't Tell Comedy make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are private Events and sponsorships.
Who are Don't Tell Comedy's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Comedy Store, Laugh Factory, Helium Comedy Club, New York Comedy Club, Zanies Comedy Night Club, Funny Bone Comedy Club and Caroline's on Broadway. Broad incumbents are Improv (Live Nation) and Just For Laughs (JFL). Hot Mic is listed as an emerging player.
Does Don't Tell Comedy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Don't Tell Comedy.
What industry is Don't Tell Comedy in?
Don't Tell Comedy's product category is Live Comedy Entertainment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGACAA, Stand-Up Comedy Shows, with a secondary code of MPAGAIAH, Comedy Clubs (Nightlife Venues). Its NAICS code is 71111 and its SIC code is 7900.