Inspiring Conversations with Maxwell and Caitlin Benson of Can’t Even Comedy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maxwell and Caitlin Benson. Them and their team share their story with us below:

Maxwell and Caitlin met at the beginning of the pandemic. Before the start of their relationship, Caitlin had been performing as a stand-up comic for 5 years and Maxwell had a production company specializing in tour management and concert photography and videography for major rap/hip-hop artists.

They dated for an entire year while the world was still on lockdown simply enjoying their new relationship. Around March 2021 they decided to start an open mic for comics in the back parking lot of Delicious Pizza on Sunset. That was the birthplace of Can’t Even Comedy. Maxwell had a relationship with the venue and Caitlin had a relationship with the comedy world.

Their mission was to create a community where comics felt safe to be bad lol. Comedy is hard and a lot of new comics are quickly intimidated into quitting because comics don’t usually operate from a place of abundance. They want as little competition as possible. When in reality, there’s room for anyone who wants it badly enough and is willing to put in the hours to get there.

This attitude towards the business saw them immediate success. After a month of running mics, they started booking and producing shows as a chance to showcase the talent they saw really hustling. That one monthly show then turned into a residency in Austin, Texas every three months and they soon outgrew the back parking lot and have had a residency at Mama Shelter’s rooftop since August of 2021 producing two weekly shows there.

They now book not only the new talent they believe in, but they showcase them alongside some of the biggest headliners in the industry. Oh, and they got married too!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s going to sound cheesy, but we don’t see obstacles so much as opportunities. We stepped into an industry that’s super set in its ways.

Our whole goal is to create new avenues of success outside the one that already exists. We want to inspire other comics and producers to think outside the box.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are the only free, independent, bi-weekly comedy show in Los Angeles showcasing up-and-coming comics on the same lineup as national touring headliners.

We also pride ourselves on providing a better audience experience. Again, operating from abundance, we don’t require a two-drink minimum and Mama Shelter provides an atmosphere where you can relax post-show versus being herded out like cattle.

It doesn’t hurt that we also book some of LA’s best DJs for our pre and post-show dance parties. Starting in June we will also be filming mini comedy specials for up-and-coming talent to be showcased on our YouTube channel.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
We’d first like to thank Rick and Mike Ross of Delicious Pizza. Without that first location, we wouldn’t have known what we had on our hands. They gave us so much freedom to birth this baby and we’re eternally grateful.

Secondly, we’d love to thank everyone at Mama Shelter! Without the help of the whole staff from the front desk, servers, bartenders, and managers, the show wouldn’t run as smoothly as it does. A special shoutout goes out to Veda Jones for bringing us in the door.

And another special thank you goes to Andrew Jay (GM of Mama) for being the best partner our team could ask for. It’s very rare to find a working relationship that works this well. Thank you to you both for the continued support and faith even when others don’t quite get it. And thank you for trusting that we’re good enough at what we do, that you don’t micromanage our creativity.

It’s truly a blessing and a dream come true. Lastly, we’d like to thank our parents, if you didn’t birth your babies we couldn’t birth ours.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.cantevencomedy.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/cantevencomedy
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCMl2Gofop5EcPP6VEMVT9A

Image Credits
@cantevencomedy, @danneypaul, and @jesseisnude