Jeremy Pinsly understands the importance of good timing.
A practical joker since grade school, he now aims to provide a venue for comedians—including himself—to practice their jokes. His new Greenpoint Comedy Club (66 Greenpoint Ave.) is already a crowd-pleaser, regularly selling out shows featuring established performers like Brett Goldstein, Phoebe Robinson, and Shane Torres.
As Pinsly notes, “You can see funny anywhere,” including other North Brooklyn haunts that host comedy shows, like Pete’s Candy Store (709 Lorimer St.), Madeline’s (113 Franklin St.), and Rule of Thirds (171 Banker St.). But Greenpoint Comedy Club seeks to provide a more holistic experience. It’s dedicated to comedy around the clock, running house shows, trying out one-offs in the name of experimentation, and aiming to foster a supportive community for new comics and seasoned pros alike. It’s the kind of place Pinsly, who knows the grind all too well, wishes he’d encountered elsewhere in his 15 years of performing.
While working in marketing after college, Pinsly aspired to build a more comedically-minded career. When the opportunity arose to move to New York from Dallas, he jumped on it. He worked the door at Brother Jimmy’s Barbecue as “the only bouncer to ever wear a size medium t-shirt,” and did bringer shows before running his own at various venues in Manhattan, and his hometown of Nashville.
In 2019, he began co-hosting The Young & The Weary podcast with Dev Rogers, a fellow comedian developing her craft at 90 years old. She encouraged him to focus his attention on finding something longer-lasting. Taking her wisdom with him, he moved to Brooklyn and soon met his now-wife, Kayla, who furthered his efforts to get his act together. He needed a place to feel at home with his comedy; she suggested bringing the comedy home by running a show in their apartment. Bubbe’s Comedy Hour was born.
The couple’s show relocated to a few different addresses, regularly selling out via Instagram and enthusiastic word of mouth from those in the know (plus baked goods by Kayla). Installments were so well-attended that they elicited complaints from at least one grouchy neighbor bothered by the laughter overheard through shared walls. When the last apartment building that hosted the show was sold, the couple decided to look for something more permanent.
Fortunately, those who laugh, last. With their proven track record of successful showrunning, Jeremy and Kayla secured the landlord’s confidence, and the lease, at 66 Greenpoint Avenue. Their club is a labor of love in more ways than one–as with their apartment shows, Jeremy and Kayla are a team here, too. While Jeremy’s front and center, Kayla’s the emergency manager who keeps things running smoothly behind the scenes.
Greenpoint Comedy Club is a sophisticated space that embraces a vintage aesthetic, with the front bar featuring miscellaneous tchotchkes, velvet banquettes, craft cocktails, moody lighting, a merch table (that includes t-shirts in a range of sizes), and a blown-up and framed letter of complaint from the couple’s former frustrated neighbor. The back room includes touch lights between seats to summon staff, motorized skylight shades to set the right mood for shows, and the club’s logo in stained glass on the stage wall for optimal photo opps.
The bar is open Tuesday through Sunday, and open mics are currently offered five days a week (with a one-item minimum to perform). Ticketed programming ($20-25 with a one-item minimum) currently includes Comedians You Should Know on Wednesdays (relocated from the Gutter), an 8 pm show on Thursdays, and two house shows on Friday and Saturday nights. Monday and Tuesday shows are currently in development, as are plans to work in headlining nights, album recordings, after-school programs, and workshops.
Jeremy’s passion for punchlines isn’t the only thing that sets Greenpoint Comedy Club apart. It’s also his genuine excitement about community building. “We’re not just looking for laughter, we’re looking to connect–with the comics, with other people. I’d love for you to come to a show and actually make a friend.”
He hopes the club will eventually become as star-powered as the Comedy Cellar, playing host to his favorite comics, like Maria Bamford, Mike Birbiglia, and Roy Wood, Jr. But he’s content with the current situation, too: “I’m living my own fever dream every night right now.”