From the Comedy Cellar to Madison Square Garden, New York’s comedy scene has a deep history in the entertainment industry. One company is working to keep comedy accessible.
Don’t Tell Comedy hosts secret, pop-up-style comedy shows in untraditional venues. Its CEO, Kyle Kazanjian-Amory, created the concept seven years ago in Los Angeles.
“[It’s] an experience that feels more like a house party meets a comedy show versus the experience of going to a comedy club, so that’s what we do all around the country and in New York, which is the biggest comedy scene in the world,” said Kazanjian-Amory.
Don’t Tell Comedy’s New York shows expand beyond Manhattan, which has been a popular hub for comedy over the years. The shows also take place throughout Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens, and even out to Long Island.
The twist? After you purchase tickets on the Don’t Tell Comedy website, you won’t know where the show is (beyond its neighborhood location) until the day of the show.
“So in New York, it’ll say ‘Don’t Tell Chelsea’ or ‘Don’t Tell Park Slope,’ so you know the general neighborhood. On the day of the show at 8 a.m., you’ll get an email saying the secret location, and hopefully, it’s just a couple blocks from where you live,” said Kazanjian-Amory. “It makes it really easy and accessible to get there and see a cool show and a unique location.”
For Kazanjian-Amory, bringing the “Don’t Tell Comedy” concept to New York City was an absolute no-brainer. Kazanjian-Amory says that though comedy thrives in the Big Apple, it can be tough for up-and-coming stand-up comedians to get stage time.
“What we try and do is introduce people to the best of the next generation of comedians that are emerging, people that haven’t quite made it yet but are just so funny and are gonna put on a great show, and that we want people to know about,” said Kazanjian-Amory. “We do get drop-ins at our shows, too. We’ve had people like Michael Che and Ali Wong, Bill Burr. It’s cool for them too because it’s rare as a celebrity comedian to get to perform for an audience that’s not expecting you there, and you could test out new material.”
From Jan. 31 through Feb. 2, Don’t Tell Comedy will be filming the performances that take place those nights. Kazanjian-Amory told amNewYork Metro that filming these secret shows and posting them online not only puts Don’t Tell Comedy on the map, it also puts these comedians on display to grow their platform.
Kazanjian-Amory cites three major successes in Ralph Barbosa, whose performance at Don’t Tell Comedy garnered over 4.3 million views on YouTube, and Emil Wakim and Michael Longfellow, both of whom were cast on “Saturday Night Live.”
“Doing one of our ‘Don’t Tell’ taped sets has become what doing a late-night set used to be for comedians, and the reception’s been incredible. We’ve literally helped launch some comedians’ careers,” said Kazanjian-Amory. “We’ve had some older comedians that are in their 70s who have been doing stand up for 40 years, and their careers have taken off and surged and they’ve gotten an increase in bookings. That’s been really exciting to not just feature up-and-comers that are in their mid-twenties, but also people that we feel like deserve the spotlight that are a little bit older.”
As Don’t Tell Comedy continues to grow, Kazanjian-Amory says that the brand has been featuring more overseas entertainers and expand their shows, which outside the US take place in a few Canadian cities, as well as Barcelona and Paris, to include more non-English speaking shows. Kazanjian-Amory also noted that he hopes the Don’t Tell Comedy brand can also work to help build up comedians’ careers beyond the stand-up stage.
“It started with the live shows, it’s now extended to doing films, stand-up sets that we put online. We’re super interested in expanding on that into doing non-stand-up content with comedians. That could mean shooting a pilot with a comedian that has a great idea for a TV show and working with them to develop something that we either put out online or shop around to buyers like streaming services,” said Kazanjian-Amory. “We really come from a place of, what can we do that can be actually helpful to both comedians and audiences?”
For more information on Don’t Tell Comedy, visit www.donttellcomedy.com.
