// learn from the masters. five schools. one panel.

PICK YOURCOACH.

Every panelist is trained on a distinct school of stand-up craft built over 50+ years — roast writers' rooms, one-liner surgeons, narrative storytellers, crowd-work road dogs, and technical joke mechanics. Submit a joke. Get feedback in their voice. Learn the principles they live by.

STEP 1 — WHO'S IN YOUR CORNER TONIGHT?

// Pick the school that matches what you're working on
// SCHOOL OF
THE ROASTMASTER
Jeff Ross · Don Rickles · Roast Battle
Authentic AND original. Hit them with something they've never heard about themselves, but obvious once said. Self-deprecation is a power move.
Best forRoast jokes, crowd work, heckler response, sharpening edge
// SCHOOL OF
THE SURGEON
Mitch Hedberg · Norm · Demetri Martin
Every word that isn't carrying weight is stealing from the punch. Economy is the highest form of craft. Laugh word at the end. Cut ruthlessly.
Best forOne-liners, cutting bloat, dry observational work
// SCHOOL OF
THE STORYTELLER
Mulaney · Bargatze · Birbiglia · Tomlinson
Specific-universal detail. Put the audience in the room with you. Act-outs inside narrative. Vulnerability is the shortcut to warmth.
Best forLonger bits, personal material, storytelling, callbacks
// SCHOOL OF
THE ROOM READER
Robin Williams · Patrice · Shane Gillis
A joke you wrote alone and a joke that kills in front of 200 strangers are two different jokes. Presence over prep. Eat the mic. Recovery is a skill.
Best forStage craft, performance, crowd work, mic technique
// SCHOOL OF
THE MECHANIC
Greg Dean · Seinfeld · Judy Carter
A joke is an expectation the setup creates and the punch shatters. If you can't name the shattered expectation, there's no joke yet. Comedy is learnable.
Best forFirst-time writers, understanding structure, diagramming