Tampa Improv Festival

What Tampa Improv Festival does

Tampa Improv Festival was a small, nonprofit live entertainment event originally produced by Post Dinner Conversation, Inc., Tampa Bay's original improv comedy company. Founded in 2013 and operating through 2015 under its own name, the festival was an annual four-day improv comedy event held at the Silver Meteor Theater in Tampa's historic Ybor City neighborhood, featuring roughly 40 local, regional, national, and international improv groups performing short-form and long-form sets in an intimate 50-seat venue. The festival was run by organizers Justin Peters and Kelly Buttermore (the duo "From Justin to Kelly," both Magnet Theater alumni), with additional leadership from Post Dinner Conversation Director Kari Goetz. Programming combined ticketed evening shows, add-on daytime workshops taught by nationally recognized instructors such as INNY Award-winner Jimmy Carrane, live podcast recordings (Improv Nerd, Table Talk Podcast), and after-parties targeted at both performing improvisers and comedy fans.

The business model was straightforward event ticketing layered with team registration and workshop fees. Show tickets were priced at $25 per night with a $40 weekend pass; workshops ran $15-$25; and a 2015 pricing restructure introduced a flat $30 per-team registration that bundled free show access, after-parties, green room access, and festival merchandise. Distribution was direct via the tampaimprovfestival.com website and walk-up sales at the door, with no third-party ticketing platform. Marketing relied on the festival website, email, community word-of-mouth within the improv circuit, and earned media in outlets such as Creative Loafing Tampa. Sponsorship came from SAK Comedy Lab (Orlando) and venue partnerships included Silver Meteor Gallery (2013-2015) and later Hillsborough Community College's Studio Theatre (2018).

The Tampa Improv Festival brand was retired in 2017 when the event was briefly renamed the 321 Improv Festival, then in 2018 became the Countdown Improv Festival, an extension of the organizers' New York-based Countdown Theater. The original Tampa Improv Festival entity therefore has no ongoing operations under that name; the tampaimprovfestival.com domain now serves as an archive of the 2013-2015 era.

Name

Tampa Improv Festival

Legal name

Post Dinner Conversation, Inc.

Website

https://tampaimprovfestival.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tampa Improv Festival was a small nonprofit live comedy event produced by Post Dinner Conversation, Inc. in Tampa's Ybor City, running annually from 2013 to 2015 with ~40 improv acts over four days at a 50-seat theater, serving performers and comedy fans before being renamed the Countdown Improv Festival in 2018.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Comedy Entertainment

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Comedy Festivals (MPAGACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Improv Comedy Performances (MPAGACAB), Improvisational Theatre (MPAGABAJ)

Keywords

• Live comedy festivals
• Improv comedy events
• Comedy workshops
• Theatrical performances
• Live entertainment

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from selling individual show tickets ($25 per night) and weekend passes ($40), providing access to evening improv performances featuring multiple acts.
2. Workshop Registration: Additional revenue from workshop fees ($15-25 per workshop), offering educational improv classes taught by notable instructors from around the country.
3. Team Registration Fees: Registration fees per team ($30 per team in 2015) which included free show access, after parties, green rooms, and festival merchandise.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Tampa Improv Festival is an annual multi-day live improv comedy festival held in Ybor City, Tampa, featuring nearly 40 local, regional, national, and international improv groups performing short-form and long-form improv. The festival offers ticketed evening shows (single-night and weekend passes) and paid daytime workshops taught by notable instructors, serving both performing improvisers and comedy audiences.

Product overview

Tampa Improv Festival is a single unified product — an annual live comedy event focused on improv theatre. The festival offers multi-day passes for audiences to attend shows featuring various improv troupes and solo performers, along with daytime workshops taught by experienced instructors covering improv techniques and scenework. The festival originally operated under the Tampa Improv Festival name (2013-2015), was later renamed the 321 Improv Festival, and subsequently became the Countdown Improv Festival (2018 onward), maintained by the Countdown Theater in New York.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tampa Improv Festival (Annual Live Comedy Festival) A multi-day annual improv comedy festival held in Ybor City, Tampa, featuring nearly 40 local, regional, national, and international improv groups performing short-form and long-form improv for general audiences and comedy enthusiasts.
• Festival Show Tickets (Single-Night and Weekend Passes) Ticketed access to evening improv performances at the festival, available as a $25 per-night pass or a $40 weekend pass providing access to all evening shows.
• Improv Comedy Workshops Daytime educational improv classes offered during the festival at $15–25 per workshop, taught by nationally recognized instructors such as Jimmy Carrane, covering improv techniques, scenework diagnostics, character creation, and scene partnership.
• Team Performance Registration Direct team registration for improv troupes to perform at the festival; in 2015, registration was $30 per team and included free show access, after parties, green rooms, a free t-shirt, and festival merchandise.

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• SAK Comedy LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrlando-based improv comedy theater and training center, operating since 1991. SAK Comedy Lab provided sponsorship for the 2015 Tampa Improv Festival. Their performers participated in the festival, and the partnership helped elevate the festival's credibility within the Florida improv community. The SAK Comedy Lab team, including Mike Carr, was featured in festival events including the live Improv Nerd recording.
• Hillsborough Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHillsborough Community College's Studio Theatre on the Ybor City campus served as the venue for the Countdown Improv Festival in 2018 (the rebranded Tampa Improv Festival). The partnership provided venue access for the festival's three-day run at Aug. 16-18.
• Silver Meteor GallerycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe primary festival venue from 2013-2015. Located at 2213 East 6th Avenue in Ybor City, this 50-seat converted house theater provided intimate performance space ideal for improv. Venue included backstage dressing rooms, concession stand with alcohol, and smoking deck.
• Countdown Theater (NYC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew York City-based pop-up comedy space devoted to celebrating and creating memorable, ephemeral theatrical experiences. Led by comedians Kelly Buttermore and Justin Peters (improv duo From Justin to Kelly). The Tampa Improv Festival was renamed the Countdown Improv Festival and became an extension of the Countdown Theater venue. Justin Peters and Kelly Buttermore are the core organizers of the festival.
• Cigar City Comedy Co-opminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTampa-based comedy co-operative affiliated with Post Dinner Conversation. As Tampa Bay's original improv comedy company invested in the local comedy scene, PDC and this co-op supported the Tampa Improv Festival as part of their broader community-building efforts.
• Improv Nerd (Jimmy Carrane)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerImprov Nerd is a podcast hosted by Jimmy Carrane featuring interviews with improvisers. The festival featured live recordings of Improv Nerd during the 2015 event, with Jimmy Carrane hosting Mike Carr from SAK Comedy Lab. Additionally, Jimmy Carrane taught his award-winning Art of Slow Comedy workshop at the festival.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• ImprovBoston: Boston-area improv comedy theater that produced Big Bang Improv, a TIF 2013 performer. Comparable as an improv theater with training programs and touring ensembles that participate in regional festivals.
• Magnet Theater: NYC-based improv theater and training center where festival organizers Justin Peters and Kelly Buttermore trained. Comparable as a long-form improv venue producing shows and workshops.
• Washington Improv Theater: DC-area improv theater whose instructors have taught at TIF. Comparable as a regional improv theater producing shows and workshops and contributing instructors to festivals.
• SAK Comedy Lab: Orlando-based improv comedy theater and training center operating since 1991. Direct peer as both a Florida improv venue and a TIF sponsor with overlapping performer pool and audience demographics.
• Del Close Marathon: Annual long-form improv marathon festival held in NYC and Chicago. Most directly comparable as a multi-day improv festival featuring dozens of troupes and workshops, competing for similar performer and audience pools.
• Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre: NYC-based improv and sketch comedy theater with training center. Comparable as a long-form improv venue and a feeder for performers at festivals like Tampa's, with overlapping audience of comedy enthusiasts.
• Countdown Theater: NYC-based pop-up comedy space run by Justin Peters and Kelly Buttermore. Effectively the parent operation that the Tampa festival now extends, sharing organizers, performers, and brand identity.

Broad incumbents

• The Second City: Iconic Chicago-based comedy theater producing improv, sketch, and revues with a national touring arm. Comparable as an improv and sketch comedy institution, though much broader in scope.
• iO Theater: Long-running Chicago improv theater and training center with national reputation. Comparable as a long-form improv venue and instructional hub, though at much larger scale than Tampa's festival.
• ComedySportz: International improvisational comedy league with franchises in multiple US cities. Comparable as an improv comedy brand producing shows and training programs across multiple markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tampa-improv-festival

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Tampa Improv Festival