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FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS

Everything you need to know about MERIT, the rating system, and how booking works.

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THE REALITY

COMMON QUESTIONS. STRAIGHT ANSWERS.

We’ve broken down how MERIT works — from booking workflows to ratings, data privacy, and club control — so you can quickly understand the system.

What is MERIT
MERIT is shared neutral infrastructure for Atlanta comedy clubs. It’s a performance intelligence platform that provides a single database of rated comics, an automated SMS-driven booking workflow, an earned letter-grade rating system, and multi-venue accountability — all while letting each club keep full autonomy over pay and scheduling.
How does the rating system work?
Comics are rated through four independent input streams: Showrunner Ratings (in-room, 1× weight), Ratings in the Wild (RITW raters at any venue, 1× weight), Video Reviews (submitted performances reviewed by two trained raters, 2× weight), and Peer Votes (A-tier+ comics cast monthly upvotes). All four streams feed the same algorithm, producing letter grades from Open Mic through X-Tier. Comics never see their grade directly — they infer it from the quality of offers they receive.
Can comics see their own grade?
No. Comics NEVER see their grade — they infer it from offer quality and stage time, or a booker or rater may tell them. This grade opacity creates organic competition. Comics perform harder because they don’t know exactly where they stand. There are underlying points for each grade that can be adjusted over time.
Is my club's data private?
Absolutely. MERIT is a private platform where information remains within the club’s ecosystem, never shared with third parties without consent. Comic contact data is never revealed to bookers or club owners — phone numbers, email addresses, and social handles are hidden system-wide. Clubs cannot harvest this data
How does booking work through MERIT?
Booking follows a 5-step workflow: 1) Show Setup — set date, time, room, budget with auto-populated defaults. 2) Sort & Select — filter comics by grade, availability, demographics with drag-and-drop sorting. 3) Send Offers — SMS offers fire via Twilio; comics reply YES/NO. 4) Confirm Lineup — pick from YES responses with automatic confirmation, promo text, and reminders. 5) Rate the Show — showrunner rates each set, then Stripe handles post-show payment. What used to take 2 hours of texting now takes 15 minutes.
Can I customize pay rates and perks?
Yes. Every club configures its own pay rates by grade, stage time allocations, and non-cash perks (drinks, meals, food credits). Weekend rates (Thu–Sun) can be set higher by default. Any cell can be overridden when creating a specific show. MERIT is infrastructure — not a franchise. Your rates, your rules.
How does the system launch with data? Won't it be empty?
The system doesn’t wait for data to accumulate — it launches with meaningful grades from day one through four methods: Self-Registration (comics sign up via Jotform in 3 minutes), Manual Seeding (200+ known Atlanta comics assigned realistic starting grades by God Mode), RITW Launch Push (raters deployed immediately to watch shows at any venue), and an Early Points Multiplier that helps the algorithm converge to accurate grades faster for new comics.
How many comics are in the system?
The initial Atlanta working standup comedian list includes 174 comics, with over 200 rated comics expected at launch. The system covers comics performing across 16 targeted Atlanta clubs and venues including Whiplash, Helium, Relapse, Laughing Skull Lounge, The Punchline, Uptown Comedy Corner, and more.
What venues does MERIT cover?
MERIT targets 16 Atlanta-area venues: 1Up Comedy Club, 97 Estoria, Alley Stage, Atlanta Comedy Theater (Norcross & Underground), Butcher & Bottle, Don’t Tell Comedy, Dynamic El Dorado, Helium Comedy Club, Laughing Skull Lounge, Relapse Comedy City, Star Bar, The Punchline, Uptown Comedy Corner, Whiplash Comedy Club, and Die Laughing Comedy. If a show or venue doesn’t participate, MERIT may still send RITW raters or review video.
What technology does MERIT use?
MERIT is built with production-grade, proven components: Retool for all dashboards (browser-based, no app install), PostgreSQL as the database source of truth, Twilio for SMS booking offers, Stripe for post-show payments, Jotform for comic registration, and AWS S3 for file storage. Everything works in any browser — no custom apps to install.

MERIT isn’t just an operations tool. It’s how Atlanta’s comedy scene gets elevated.

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The Bigger Picture

DATA COMPOUNDS.
EVERY CLUB GETS SMARTER.

Years of Scene Knowledge

Between founders and advisors, years of Atlanta comedy scene knowledge are baked into the system. That experience plus venue relationships equals credible, trusted grades from day one — not a cold-start algorithm guessing in the dark.

One Talent Pool, Every Club

City and metro clubs share a single rated pool. One club’s rating makes every other club’s booking decisions smarter. Data compounds across venues — the more clubs that participate, the more accurate every grade becomes for everyone.

Comics Compete for Your Shows

Grade opacity creates organic competition. Comics perform harder because they don’t know exactly where they stand — they infer it from offer quality and stage time. The meritocratic rooms win the best talent without saying a word.

READY FOR
LAUNCH DAY?

200+ comics seeded. 16 Atlanta venues targeted. The system launches with meaningful grades from day one — no cold start, no waiting for data. See how MERIT transforms your booking workflow.

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“When a booker chooses politics over performance, the data shows it. Comics self-sort to the meritocratic rooms.”

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