HECKLERS: The Comedy Club Chain Where Roasts Rule
Hot off the success of my comedy club chain “CROWD WORK,” I’m expanding with a new concept called “HECKLERS.”
You know how most people have that one moment in life that sparks their big idea? For some, it’s staring at a blank wall and dreaming of the iPhone. For me, it was getting absolutely destroyed by a guy named Gary in the back row of a comedy club in Cleveland.
“Nice shirt,” Gary bellowed. “Did Kohl’s have a buy-one-get-one sale for losers?”
The audience roared. I froze, mid-setup for my joke about airport security. Gary, wearing Crocs and a Margaritaville hat, had out-funnied me in five words. That night, my set bombed, my ego got curb-stomped, and my brain planted the seed for HECKLERS—the first comedy club where the hecklers are the show.
Why Hecklers Deserve a Spotlight
Let’s be honest—heckling is an art form. It takes timing, creativity, and just enough liquid courage to embarrass yourself without fully regretting it. The problem? Hecklers have been relegated to comedy’s underground, like raccoons digging through trash cans of humor.
At HECKLERS, we’ve turned those raccoons into raccoon stars. Instead of booing hecklers off the stage, we’re putting them front and center. Every night, the comedians know what they’re signing up for: a verbal bloodbath. And the audience? They’re not just there to laugh—they’re there to participate.
We provide microphones for the boldest hecklers, and they take turns trying to knock the headliner off their game. Think of it as comedy’s version of Shark Tank, but instead of pitching products, people are pitching insults, and instead of Mark Cuban, the panel is a bunch of strangers with nacho cheese on their hands.
The Secret Sauce: Viral Content
Here’s the genius part: Every single performance at HECKLERS is professionally filmed and edited, free of charge for the comedian. That’s right—get roasted on stage, and I’ll make you TikTok-famous by tomorrow morning.
The videos practically post themselves. One clip of a heckler shouting, “What’s it like being the off-brand John Mulaney?” got 500,000 views in two days. The comedian’s reply—“It’s great, actually, because I get to eat bread without crying”—landed her a guest spot on a late-night show. See, they don’t even have to be good comebacks — the fun is the thrust and parry!
Heckling School: Because Even Insults Need Polish
During the off-hours, we run workshops to hone the craft. Comedians learn how to handle hecklers with quick wit and sharper comebacks. Hecklers, meanwhile, get trained in the finer points of their craft. It’s like improv class, but with more shouting and fewer trust falls.
You wouldn’t believe how serious some people are about heckling. We had one guy sign up for all eight sessions of our “Roast Mastery” course. He wanted to learn how to deliver insults with “the elegance of a poet and the precision of a surgeon.” I don’t know if he’s roasting comedians or proposing to them now, but either way, I’m proud.
The Expansion Plan
The first HECKLERS location in Chicago has been a smash hit. We’re packing the house every night, and the reviews range from “This is the future of comedy” to “I laughed so hard I almost choked on my mozzarella sticks.”
Next up, we’re taking this show on the road. New York, LA, Austin, even a location in Des Moines (because if you’ve ever been heckled in the Midwest, you know they’re brutal). Eventually, I’m thinking international. I mean, have you heard the way Brits insult each other? It’s practically their national pastime.
The Dream: A Roast Revolution
If this chain succeeds—and let’s be real, it’s already happening—I’ll have turned my lowest moment into a cultural movement. Hecklers and comedians, locked in a never-ending battle of wits, with the audience egging both sides on. It’s chaotic, it’s ridiculous, and it’s exactly what comedy needs right now.
Some people say I’m crazy for giving hecklers a platform. They tell me it’s like inviting termites into a lumberyard. But to me, those termites are the stars along with the comedians.
And if my bank account keeps growing as fast as our TikTok views, I’ll happily keep handing out microphones to anyone brave enough to get called a deadbeat dad and curb-stomp the heckler with a retort so devastating the heckler moves back in with their mom.
