Pass Tha’ Mic is a curated stand-up showcase, not a competition — no scores, no elimination rounds. Submit your tightest set for review against the Six Discovery Criteria. The Evaluators (Martin Lawrence, Jo Koy & Leslie Small) select 23 of the 24 featured comics on merit; one more is identified by the PTM community.
Open to everyone. Comic registration is open to the public — newcomers, seasoned comics currently performing who have never had a special, and comics whose last special aired more than ten years ago are all welcome to step up.
Please read each section. By submitting, you agree to all of the terms below. These plain-language terms are summarized for clarity; the Official Rules and the Participation Agreement & Appearance Release are the binding documents and control in the event of any conflict.
Material. Your set must be your own original stand-up material. It must not infringe any third party’s copyright, trademark, right of publicity, or other rights, and must not contain other performers’ material without authorization.
Length. Entry tapes should run five (5) to seven (7) minutes maximum. Sets outside this window may not be reviewed.
Format. Upload a single video file saved on your device (MP4, MOV, or M4V, up to 500 MB) — not a YouTube, Vimeo, or social-media link. Video should be clear, well-lit, with audible sound; a single continuous take from a live or simulated club set is preferred.
Content standards. Adult language and edgy material are part of stand-up and are permitted. However, submissions must not contain unlawful content; content that sexualizes minors; credible threats; targeted harassment; or incitement to violence. The Producer may decline or remove any submission at its sole discretion.
Multiple submissions. You may enter more than once. Community support is combined across all submissions that share your email address and displayed as a single total on each of them. The email address on your submission is the identifier that links your sets — use the same email each time you enter. Submissions made under different email addresses are treated as separate comics and their support is not combined.
Pending review. All submissions are received and cataloged as pending. Submission does not guarantee review, publication, selection, or any appearance.
A non-refundable Submission Review Fee of US $2.99 applies to all submissions, charged at the time of submission through a secure, PCI-compliant payment processor. This fee covers submission processing, eligibility verification, video hosting, content moderation, and administrative review. It is charged uniformly to all submitters and has no effect on the review process or selection decisions. The Submission Review Fee is non-refundable regardless of whether you are selected, except where required by law.
You represent and warrant that: (i) the submission is your original work; (ii) you own or control all rights necessary to grant the rights in these terms; (iii) the submission does not violate any law or third-party right; and (iv) any individuals appearing or referenced in your submission have consented to the uses described here. You agree to indemnify the Producer against claims arising from a breach of these warranties.
You grant the Producer a worldwide, royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual, sublicensable, and transferable license to use, reproduce, host, store, adapt, excerpt, and exhibit your submission and your performance in connection with Pass Tha’ Mic, the production, and its promotion, in any and all media now known or later developed.
To the extent any footage is created by or for the Producer (including footage filmed at the performances), such footage and the audiovisual production are works made for hire owned by the Producer; to the extent any rights do not vest as a work made for hire, you irrevocably assign them to the Producer. You retain ownership of your underlying jokes and written material, subject to the license granted above.
You consent to the Producer’s right to broadcast, telecast, stream, transmit, distribute, syndicate, exhibit, and otherwise exploit your submission and performance — in whole or in part — across all platforms and media worldwide, in perpetuity, including television, streaming, social media, theatrical, home video, and promotional uses, without further notice, approval, or compensation beyond what (if anything) is set out in a separate Participation Agreement.
No guarantee of airing. Submission, selection, and participation do not guarantee that your set will air in the main show. The Producer may, in its sole discretion, include all or part of your set in the main program, an outtakes production, an “almost made it” production, a highlights, blooper, or behind-the-scenes feature, promotional materials, or any other format, edit, or platform — or elect not to use it at all.
You grant the Producer and its designees the right to record, use, and reuse your name, stage name, image, photograph, voice, likeness, performance, biographical information, and social-media handles in connection with the production and its advertising, marketing, and promotion, in all media worldwide and in perpetuity. You waive any right to inspect or approve the finished product or the uses to which it may be applied, and you waive any claim for invasion of privacy, right of publicity, or defamation arising from authorized uses.
You acknowledge and agree that the Producer has the sole and absolute right to edit, cut, re-order, shorten, caption, dub, overlay, censor, or otherwise modify your submission and performance, and to combine it with other content, in its sole creative discretion. You agree that the edited result may differ from your submission and you waive any claim based on such editing.
You agree to conduct yourself professionally and lawfully throughout your participation. The Producer may, in its sole discretion, disqualify, remove, or decline to feature any participant whose conduct — past, present, or future, on or off camera — is or becomes, in the Producer’s reasonable assessment, unlawful, dishonest, abusive, harassing, or likely to bring the participant, the Producer, Martin Lawrence, Jo Koy, the venue, or the production into public disrepute, scandal, or ridicule, or to reflect unfavorably on the production. This clause survives selection and performance.
This is a curated showcase, not a competition — there are no eliminations. The Evaluators review all eligible submissions and select twenty-three (23) of the twenty-four (24) featured comics based exclusively on merit, evaluated against the Six Discovery Criteria (Authenticity, Command A Room, Distinctiveness, Growth Ceiling, Universal Audience Appeal, Emotional Range). One (1) additional featured spot is identified through the PTM Community Discovery feature: the entrant with the most popular community support earns that spot, selected by independent PTM Influencers — community members who are not affiliated with the production and receive no compensation or benefit from it. Each registered PTM Influencer receives 25 support indicators to allocate however they choose — all on one comic, spread across many, or any combination. No supporter may exceed 25 total indicators. PTM Community Discovery support is available to all registered submitters on equal terms and cannot be purchased, obtained, or influenced by any payment; the Submission Review Fee has no effect on selection under either pathway. The twenty-four (24) selected comics are invited to film a segment on Pass Tha’ Mic, a multi-episode comedy discovery series filmed live before a studio audience; everyone involved is invited to grow and develop under the Runteldat umbrella, and will have the opportunity to receive management advice from Runteldat.
For comedians selected to perform at Route 66 Casino Hotel, the Producer will cover round-trip travel and hotel accommodations on a reasonable, pre-approved basis per the Producer’s travel policy. You are responsible for your own personal incidentals (e.g., hotel incidentals, room service, minibar, parking, and similar charges). As is standard hotel practice, you must provide a valid credit card to the hotel at check-in, and the hotel may place its standard hold on that card for incidentals; the Producer does not keep any card on file. Failure to appear, or to meet call times and production requirements, may forfeit selection and reimbursement.
If selected, you must, as a condition of participation:
The Producer does not collect copies of your ID or card through this form. Identity and payment verification occur securely through the payment processor and at check-in.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, you release and hold harmless the Producer (Comic Knockout LLC and Runteldat Entertainment), Magenta Light Studios (“MLS”), Martin Lawrence, Jo Koy, Leslie Small, the venue, and their respective affiliates, officers, employees, agents, and partners from any and all claims, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses arising out of or relating to your submission, your participation, the uses authorized here, and any travel or appearance. You agree to indemnify these parties against third-party claims arising from your submission or your breach of these terms.
You agree to keep confidential any non-public information about the production, scoring, other participants, and selection that you learn through your participation, and not to issue press or social statements purporting to speak for the production without the Producer’s prior written consent. The Producer may announce participants and finalists at its discretion.
Information you provide is used to administer submissions, communicate with you, verify eligibility, and operate the production. Payment information is handled by the payment processor and is not stored by the Producer. The Producer does not sell your personal information. See the Privacy Policy (when published) for details.
The Producer may disqualify any submission or participant that violates these terms, provides false information, infringes third-party rights, tampers with the submission or voting process, or whose conduct triggers the Morals & Conduct Clause — at any stage, without notice.
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of New Mexico, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. The production, performances, filming, and venue all take place in New Mexico.
Binding arbitration. Any dispute arising out of or relating to your submission or these terms will be resolved by binding arbitration seated in New Mexico, administered under the AAA Commercial Arbitration Rules, on an individual basis. You and the Producer waive any right to bring or participate in a class, collective, or representative action, and waive trial by jury. The Federal Arbitration Act governs the interpretation and enforcement of this provision.
California residents. To the extent any California-resident submitter’s claims are governed by California law notwithstanding the New Mexico choice of law above, the Producer operates this submission process in good-faith compliance with applicable California talent-protection statutes.
If any provision is found unenforceable, the remainder stays in effect.
These terms, together with the Official Rules and the Participation Agreement & Appearance Release, constitute the entire agreement regarding your submission and supersede prior understandings. The Producer may update these terms; the version in effect at the time of your submission applies. No waiver is effective unless in writing. Questions: submissions@passthamic.com · Comic Knockout, LLC, 30 North Gould Street, Suite R, Sheridan, WY 82801.