Must Love Dogs and Comedy is an NYC-based company that produces dog-friendly comedy shows that raise money for charity. It was founded by Jolie Dudley (she/her) and Nicolas Polanco (he/him).
Here is their story, written by Must Love Dogs and Comedy co-founder, Jolie Dudley.
“Must Love Dogs and Comedy is a female and minority-owned small business that produces public, private, and corporate dog-friendly events in the greater New York City area. We are on a mission to support animal rescue and to create space for underrepresented performers!
Our shows, open to the public, feature up-and-coming and established stand-up, character, storytelling, improv, sketch, and musical comedy acts in dog-friendly spaces. A portion of all ticket sales are donated to a local animal shelter. So far, “Must Love Dogs and Comedy” has donated more than $8,000 to NYC animal shelters, including Social Tees Animal Rescue, Muddy Paws Animal Rescue, and Bideawee. To date, we have featured more than 80 diverse comedy talent acts that both humans and their furry friends have enjoyed! TimeOut NY recently named Must Love Dogs and Comedy, “The happiest place in NYC!”
Attendees of our shows can expect:
- Lineups that heavily feature: Womxn, LGBTQIA+, POC, and BIPOC performers
- Diverse comedy talent: stand-up, character, storytelling, improv, sketch, and musical
- A portion of their ticket sale to be donated to a local animal shelter
- Shows in partnership with local female and minority-owned small businesses
- Guest spots from dogs in need of adoption or fostering
Must Love Dogs and Comedy is looking to grow its mission to more locations around NYC and beyond, so they can continue to support animal rescue while also challenging the status quo of traditional comedy shows.
We are primarily based in NYC, but we have many friends, family, and followers all over the world that are passionate about our mission and want to support us. Originally, we chose Bonfire because it is mission-driven, just like us!
Our design was created by my younger sister and is a depiction of our shows.
Bonfire’s platform was extremely easy to use, super straightforward, and very user-friendly! Thank you for providing people with this space and service!”
Be sure to follow Must Love Dogs and Comedy on Instagram and Tiktok.
At the time of writing this, Must Love Dogs and Comedy has raised over $500 through Bonfire for animal rescue.