I wanted Letterboxd for stand-up, so I built Standupd
Hi Indie Hackers!
I like stand-up, and I like logging what I watch.
Letterboxd has my film history, but I had nowhere to log the comedy I watched or keep track of what I wanted to watch next.
So I built Standupd. https://standupd.com/
It gives me one place to log streamed specials and live shows, remember what I thought of them, see what other people are watching, and save what I want to watch next.
The ones I saw in a room count double, emotionally.
Standupd currently has 1,246 specials from 654 comedians. Building that catalog became a larger job than building the app. My checks found incorrect release years, duplicate comedians, tours listed as filmed specials, and one special that did not exist.
A comedy log that cannot find the special I watched has failed at its one job.
Standupd now works on the web and iPhone.
https://apps.apple.com/app/standupd/id6804616635
I want Standupd to become the place people use to log stand-up, the way they use Letterboxd for films.
Try searching for the last special you watched. If it is missing, tell me what I missed.
The catalog problem might also be your distribution. Comedians care a lot about how their specials are listed, and most already have an audience they talk to. If a comedian could claim their page and fix their own release years and tour names, you get cleaner data from the one source that knows it best, and each of them has a reason to share a page that shows off their work. Letterboxd grew on fans. A comedy log could grow on performers pointing their fans at it.
I hadn’t thought of this angle and I really like it. I’m going to explore it as one of Standupd’s next steps. I need to work out verification and moderation, but there’s something real here.
The catalog work is a real prerequisite, but I’d separate “people can log what they watched” from “people will build a habit of logging stand-up.” Have you seen repeat usage from the same users yet, or is that still the main assumption behind the Letterboxd comparison?
Fair question. By Letterboxd I mean the behavior, not the size. Standupd has barely been live long enough for repeat usage to be repeat usage. The early signs are there, though. I can share updates as I get more data if you are interested
That repeat-usage signal is the key one to watch. If you’re open to it, what’s the best email to reach you on?
Of course you can reach out via marketing@standupd.com
Thanks! I’ve just sent it over.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts whenever you have a chance.
The catalog is a great wedge because it turns a broad “social app” idea into a very specific habit: log the thing you watched and find it again. I’d measure the loop from first search to second log, then use missing-special requests to prioritize catalog work rather than trying to make everything complete at once. Partnerships with comedians could also create trusted entry points without needing a huge audience upfront.
Love this — the "Letterboxd but for stand-up" gap always seemed obvious in hindsight, which usually means it's a good idea nobody bothered building.
The catalog cleanup point resonates hard. I went through something similar on a much smaller scale (a niche calculator) — the actual product logic was the easy part, and the unglamorous data-quality work ate way more time than expected. Tours listed as filmed specials is such a specific, annoying failure mode; good on you for catching that instead of shipping around it.
The "seen live counts double emotionally" line is a nice touch too — that's the kind of detail that makes a niche log feel like it's actually for the people who care, not just a generic tracker with a comedy skin.
Just searched for a special I watched recently and it was in there — nice work. Following to see how the catalog holds up as more people start logging.
This works because it's specific to their actual pain points (catalog quality, not just "cool idea"), shows you engaged with the details they cared about most, and ends with a natural, low-pressure signal of genuine interest.
Love this — the Letterboxd model fits comedy really well. I'm building a social app too (group planning) and the hardest part has been the friend-group cold start: getting person #2 to join. Are you seeding the catalog manually, and how are you thinking about that second-user problem?
Congrats on getting the catalog to 1,246 specials. I like that you are treating missing metadata as a product problem instead of pretending search alone will solve it. I would be curious whether a lightweight “request this special” queue becomes a useful loop for prioritizing catalog work and bringing early fans back. The double emotional credit for live shows is a great detail.
The catalog hygiene problem is real, but it's a prerequisite, not your actual product. Your measurement should separate these: catalog accuracy is the cost of entry (you lose if it's wrong), but repeat usage is what determines if you've built something people actually need. Letterboxd won because people return to log what they watched and see what friends are watching - not because the catalog is complete. I'd watch your 7-day and 30-day return rates harder than catalog size. If >40% of first-time loggers log a second time within a week, you've found something. If it's <20%, then "my special is missing" is covering for "I don't log unless I'm bored."