Founder & Producer
Stand-Up Stands Up
A stand-up comedy show at the Oslo Freedom Forum, built from scratch: 490K views, 300 attendees and #2 most-watched Forum video this year.
- attendees
- 300
- views
- 490k
- most-viewed OFF video
- #2
About Stand-Up Stands Up
This is the comedy show you were never supposed to see.
Stand-Up Stands Up premiered at the 2026 Oslo Freedom Forum — a night of stand-up celebrating comedians who keep performing, keep writing, keep making people laugh even when it can lead to censorship, imprisonment, or exile.
Stand-up wraps truth in a punchline. It makes power look ridiculous. And that makes a lot of dictators very, very nervous.
Simply put: dictators cannot take a joke.
Come for the jokes. Stay for what they mean.
Challenge
- Win budget and leadership approval for a format with no precedent at the Forum
- Identify and secure comedians performing under censorship, imprisonment, or exile. Talent no roster lists.
- Find a venue, produce the show, and sell it out
- Build an audience beyond the room, before and after the night itself
Talent
Impact
- Second most-viewed Oslo Freedom Forum video on YouTube
- Second most-saved event on the Forum programme
- 490k views and 15k engagements across pre- and post-event promotion
- Press for the comedians in Deutsche Welle, Minerva, and TV2 (Norwegian national television)
- 300 in the room
Live Show
atmosphere/proof
Proof
See it for yourself: coverage, posts, and reactions from the event.