UTA’S Nick Nuciforo On Representing The Top 3 Grossing Comedians In The World

Nick Nuciforo has long been one of the most influential comedy agents in the business but this year may be his finest yet. His clients had the top three grossing comedy treks of the year – Nate Bargatze’s “Big Dumb Eyes Tour,” Sebastian Maniscalco’s “It Ain’t Right Tour” and Matt Rife’s “Stay Golden World Tour” – in a stacked field of top entertainers.

Nuciforo, who serves as partner and Head of Comedy Touring at United Talent Agency, got his start at the comedy agency Irvin Arthur Associates in Colonie, New York, in 1996. Though he initially regarded the job as a way to gain experience to become a music agent, he quickly “got bit by the comedy bug” and never looked back. Nuciforo explains, “I went to the comedy club six nights a week and sat in the back with a notebook just devouring it. That’s how I fell in love with it.”

Nuciforo went on to start CAA’s Comedy Touring department in 2005 and made the move to UTA a decade later, transforming the company’s comedy touring department including expanding its reach in the international marketplace.

His incredible roster also includes Max Amini, Dana Carvey, John Crist, Whitney Cummings, Will Ferrell, Flight of the Conchords, Jeff Foxworthy, Jim Gaffigan, Nikki Glaser, Impractical Jokers, Jim Jefferies, Bert Kreischer, Larry The Cable Guy, George Lopez, Seth Meyers, Leanne Morgan, Russell Peters, Andy Samberg, Sarah Silverman, The Lonely Island and Taylor Tomlinson, as well as Alex Cooper, Crime Junkie and Mel Robbins for touring podcasts.

Pollstar: You represent the top three acts on Pollstar’s 2026 comedy chart – and not only that, but UTA represents artists on eight of the top 20 slots. How do you do it? And what sets UTA apart when it comes to comedy?
Nick Nuciforo: I’m really lucky that we have a great team. Nobody can do it themselves. There are a lot of people contributing across the agency for these clients. For example, I’m partnered with Joe Schwartz on Nate; and Heidi Feigin for Sebastian. We have an army of touring experts working on these clients.

As for myself, I’m 24/7. I eat, sleep, breathe and love comedy. So, when you’re passionate and obsessive like I am, it becomes easier.
In addition to the clients you are referencing, I’m proud to work with the absolute best in class artists and creatives in the business. Nikki Glaser’s career has taken off like a rocketship, but she put in years of hard work to get to this place. Leanne Morgan has struck such a chord with an underserved audience – just by being undeniably herself and sharing stories about her life. Jim Gaffigan, who I’ve represented for a long time, is a pioneer and has a successful touring career spanning nearly 20 years. Taylor Tomlinson, a voice of her generation, has grown a massive audience by fearlessly connecting with her fans about topics ranging from mental health to religion. Comedians like Bert Kreischer and Tony Hinchcliffe have both built powerful personal brands through their comedy and podcasting. These artists are all unique, but the common thread among them is that they are each the absolute best at what they do.

Nate Bargatze once again tops the chart with over $77 million grossed in the reporting period. He has arena dates booked through August. What’s next? Do you see him going into stadiums? Expanding into new markets internationally?
There may be stadiums in his future, but we’ve been building this with him in a brick-by-brick fashion, and it’s with intention. He’s really paying attention to the fan experience in everything that he’s doing. He’s obsessive about it. And that comes through in his production and how he presents his standup to the fans. He wants the fans to have a great time and for them to want to come back, time and time again. He built it starting in clubs, and then moving to theaters, and then multiple shows in those markets, and ultimately up to arenas.

So in markets where he’s sold out three, four shows in the round in an arena and putting up those sort of numbers, he could play stadiums if he wants. But we’ll see what the future brings. For 2026, this tour is going to come to a conclusion in August and then he’s going to focus on film projects. He has a number of movies on the runway that he’ll start in the second half of this year. He’s got a yet-to-be announced TV project, which you’ll hear about soon. And of course he’s developing a theme park, which is really moving down the road as well right now. So he’s got a lot on his plate.

Sebastian Maniscalco recently wrapped his “It Ain’t Right Tour.” What’s next for him in 2026?
Sebastian just wrapped a massive, record-breaking 79-show tour that culminated in the release of his Hulu Special, “It Ain’t Right.” He’s got some casinos and private shows in 2026, but is basically coming off the road to get some rest, spend time with his family, and write material. During this off time, we’re exploring opportunities in television, movies, and podcasting. Sebastian’s comedy material is inspired by his life, so this time away from the road will be great for his act. On the film and TV front, he just wrapped “Bookie” for HBO, where he worked with legendary producer Chuck Lorre. He released Ponzi Podcast for Apple and we’re discussing a film/TV adaptation, and he sold a movie to Paramount. Needless to say, he will continue to be busy.

Last year Matt Rife became the youngest comedian, at age 29, to sell out Madison Square Garden and he has arena dates booked throughout 2026 in arenas across the world. Though Matt made headlines a few years ago for arguably controversial jokes, his career has just become bigger and bigger. What can you share about his success?
On top of being a great stand-up, Matt Rife is one of the greatest crowd-work comedians of all time. Watching Matt is like watching a magician. Somehow, he figures out who in the crowd to engage with and then all of a sudden, they say something insane. It’s awesome. That said, he’s more than just a crowd-work comedian. His live show is mainly stand-up and the fans know what they are coming to see, and Matt is selling out arenas and breaking records. His audience is voting with their wallets. I really believe that comedy has to be a safe space to say the ridiculous and to take risks on stage, but his popularity is not cause and effect as you suggest. Matt is selling a lot of tickets because he’s really good! His growth is a result of a massive social media following and his specials being among the highest rated on Netflix. I mean, my parents know Matt Rife and it’s not because I work with him. The audience has just gotten much bigger.

What qualities make for a successful comedy agent?
The number one thing, you have to love what you do. This is a lifestyle as much as it is a career. It won’t ever work if you’re clocking in and clocking out. And then all of the other things one might say: be innovative, be strategic, have a plan. The one thing I would underline is you have to be curious, because it’s really about discovery of talent, and remaining curious about the evolution of the business. Every day you show up to the job and it’s different than it was the day before. And if you’re curious, that helps you stay in it, and active, and ahead of where the business is going.

Has your approach changed over the years in how you scout talent or what you’re looking for?
You still have to go and see comedians performing live. There is nothing like it. There is no replacement for being in the room and feeling the electricity of the crowd and watching our clients live. Sure, there’s the algorithm feeding up comedians on social media, but there’s no replacement for the live experience.

Who are some of the latest comedians UTA has signed? Which rising stars at the agency are you most excited about?
Some of our clients you should keep your eye on in 2026 include Max Amini, who recently sold out the Forum, and sold out Madison Square Garden a month in advance, and has a huge international tour. Derek Stroup is a comedian who’s going to be on everybody’s radar in ’26. There’s a lot happening for him. Adam Ray is somebody who’s breaking out as both a stand-up and master of comedic characters. I would keep an eye on people like Amber Autry, Zoltan (Kaszas), Vittorio Angelone, and Sahib Singh. We have, in my opinion, the greatest group of agents in comedy, situated in London and New York and Nashville and L.A. and they all have incredible taste. They all work very, very hard. So I’m so excited about the collective clients that we’re representing across the department, and all of the great things that are in the works for them now.

What’s your take on the state of comedy?
Comedy is just getting bigger. We have distribution platforms that are still new. There were many years where comedy was poorly distributed and now we have great distribution. Unscientifically I’m going to guess comedy is now 10 to 15 percent the market size of music. So there’s plenty of room to grow. Every day there are new genres of comedy that are starting to sell tickets, and see a broad diversification of fans. I have a lot of clients who attract audiences that don’t even identify as “comedy fans.” They might say “you’re the only comedian that I come to see.” The potential audiences are massive, but the actual audiences can be quite segmented in reality. So if these fans just went to one more show a year, you can imagine the upside.

And the international marketplace is as hot as it’s ever been, and growing. There are really talented people worldwide. I remember being in Mexico City and seeing their young comedy scene, and even though I’m not fluent in Spanish, I understood what they were doing. Comedy is being exported into new regions where it maybe hasn’t really been seen as an art form, but is now becoming something. There are scenes growing in every region of the world. So, I’m incredibly optimistic about the state of the comedy business and where it’s all heading.

What’s the most recent thing that really made you laugh?
Comedy’s best when it’s shared. Some of my favorite moments are laughing with my family. I have two young boys – 9 and 11 – and there’s absolutely nothing better than the sound of their laughter, whether we’re cracking each other up with impressions of family members, funny physical humor or something that we’re seeing in a movie or on YouTube. The sound of that laughter automatically puts a smile on my face – and it really sums up my optimism for the comedy business. Comedy is a shared medium and we want to share laughter with others.