Our Intrepid Reporter: Tell me about yourself.
Justine: I’m Justine, and I’ve been producing comedy for about nine years. It was through another comedy brand that I met Jomi, who runs Comedy Freaks. When we met, I was interested in moving towards cinematography and film, and I wanted to learn how to shoot comedy in visually interesting ways. I ended up teaming up with him, and I now help him grow the show, develop live tapings, shoot the specials, and produce.
OIR: What sort of comedy does Comedy Freaks represent?
Justine: We like to have a diverse lineup - we’re interested in different voices. We have local comedians, but also make sure different voices are represented. Most importantly, we’re booking people who are funny!
OIR: And how do you book these comedians?
Justine: We start on social media, sliding into DMs. A lot of people actually reach out to us because it’s such a longstanding show in the community - people like the energy and want to be on it. The first show I attended, before I even started working with Comedy Freaks, I felt an energy there. It’s very involved and collaborative, which is really important and necessary for comedy. Stand-up isn’t an art form you can train in by yourself; you need to have a room of people who are engaged. At Comedy Freaks, comedians are allowed to try new things because everything else is figured out for them - we bring the crowd, an atmosphere.
OIR: How did you end up collaborating with clueQuest?
Justine: We were originally looking for a ‘secret location’ for another comedy night, and searching in the King’s Cross area. We came to clueQuest and realised it would be amazing for Comedy Freaks. We met Alex, the Head of Operations, and Gabor, the CEO, and their attention to detail and breadth of expertise aligned with us. We liked the idea of our audiences overlapping!
OIR: What’s it like setting up for a comedy gig at clueQuest?
Justine: We’ve been so lucky due to how involved the clueQuest team are, helping with the stage, making the room look perfect. They built a backdrop to make the space look like an actual comedy club.
When I arrive on a Thursday clueQuest will have already set out the stage and chairs for me. I go to the lovely back garden and get the ladder, then I put up all the lights, put a sign on the door and behind the stage. There’s a lot of situations where you partner with a venue but they don’t really care about the experience, whereas clueQuest is always asking ‘what would make this easy for you? What would make this better, what would make this seamless, what would make people want to come back here?’
OIR: How would you promote Comedy Freaks to our readers?
J: The quality of the show is unlike anything you can get in the city for under twenty-five pounds! The best thing is the level of return. I always ask audience members, ‘how did you find out about the show’, and the most common answer is ‘I’ve been to a show, had an amazing time, and that’s why I’ve come back’. We deliver a consistently great product.
OIR: What would you say to any other companies who are considering using clueQuest as a partner?
Justine: I would recommend clueQuest to anyone. It’s so supportive, and somewhere things can grow.
If you’re looking for somewhere to be on a Thursday night, why not try Comedy Freaks’ uproariously funny comedy evenings? Cap off the evening with a fiendish escape room, perfectly designed to put your wits to the test.