Luke Watson & Scott Field | Third Coast Comedy
Co-Founders of Third Coast Comedy Club
Scott Field and Luke Watson are the co-founders of Third Coast Comedy Club. In this video, they share how a Craigslist ad, a creative community, and a lot of hustle helped them build one of Nashville’s most beloved comedy venues.
Getting Started
Scott and Luke are the co-founders of Third Coast Comedy Club in Nashville, Tennessee. After more than a year of searching for a venue, they stumbled upon their future space on Craigslist — a former jean manufacturing shop in Marathon Village. Their vision: build a space dedicated to comedy for and by locals. Today, Third Coast hosts improv, stand-up, sketch, and more, and includes a training center, bar, and show space — all powered by a tight-knit creative community.
Early Lessons
From the start, Scott and Luke knew they couldn’t do it alone. Rallying friends and local comics was key to building momentum. But entrepreneurship, they say, is relentless. “You’re not really going to have a day off. Once you figure that out, it’s easier to maintain and keep going.” One early lesson they learned the hard way: processes matter. It took years to create systems, manuals, and checklists — but those structures became essential to communicating standards and creating consistency for both performers and patrons.
Entrepreneurial Wisdom
Their advice for other founders? Don’t be afraid to fail — you have to take risks to move forward. Be intentional about documenting what matters, and build systems that scale. And perhaps most importantly: get an accountant. “There’s no better investment early on.” They also emphasize seeking and accepting counsel from those who’ve walked the path before. And when it comes to location, Nashville’s creative energy and collaborative spirit have been a major driver in Third Coast’s success.
“Being an entrepreneur means it’s kind of nonstop—but once you accept that, it gets easier to keep going.”
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I didn't know they were doing both, what are you doing here? I didn't know they were doing both of us. I didn't either. Uh, you know what? It's fine. You know what? No, it's fine. No, no, it, it, it is fine because I was not told that you were gonna be here had I known that I, I wouldn't have walked in with that attitude.
So that's, can I do one of the questions? Can I answer one of the questions? Sure. Great. Can I answer the same question? Yeah. Okay. Is that how Alright, great. Great. Good, good. Okay, great. Uh, my name is Scott Field, co-founder, co-owner of Third Coast Comedy Club, a venue that's been open for almost nine years.
I'm Luke Watson, uh, co-founder of Third Coast Comedy Club and Marathon Village. We focus on local comedy for and by locals and, uh, do everything from improv stand up. Sketch comedy and more. We found this particular location via Craigslist, and I have to credit Luke for doing that. We had been looking for over a year without much success.
Yeah, we had searched everywhere. Uh, Craigslist had not made the normal routine of searches, but uh, this was a gene making. Factory right here in this particular suite. And they were making jeans here up until the weeks before we got opened. Yeah. So with our business we have, uh, three components. We've got the food and beverage, so the bar, we've got the training center, which also, uh, involves corporate training, and then we have our ticket revenue for the shows.
Yeah, I think some of the early successes, uh, we had, uh, were rallying a, a lot of friends and, and comics in the community. Who we already knew to pitch in and help out. There's, there's definitely no way the two of us could have physically done everything we needed to do without. Other bodies being around you have to be tough in a lot of ways.
Being an entrepreneur, I think, um, obviously you have to, you know, have tenacity and resilience, but just being prepared that you're not really gonna have a day off and you might have every now and then a day off, but it really is kind of nonstop. Once you figure that out, then I think it makes it a lot easier to maintain, uh, and keep going.
I say it at the same time. Okay. Okay. You got it? Yep. Okay. 1, 2, 3. Accounting, accounting.
That would, yeah, get an accountant early on is great advice. I would say another piece of advice for, uh, anyone looking to be an entrepreneur is, um, not being afraid to fail, which I think if you're already considering being an entrepreneur, then you're probably already not afraid to fail. But like I. If you're afraid to fail, it's gonna stop you from taking the needed risk to either get started or to do the next step.
Took us years, I think, to learn that it is worth the time to create the processes and checklists and manuals. There's not a better way to communicate. Here's the standards we want, you know, as Third Coast Comedy Club, here's what we want for the patron experience, here's what we want for the performer experience.
So, uh, yeah, spend the time on the front end doing that and. It will yield really good results. Seek counsel, receive it. Be willing to learn from those that have already done, you know, what you're trying to do before what, what Nashville has contributed to. The success of Third Coast has been its people.
There are a lot of really talented creative people that move here. It is their participation in the business that's made it successful. If you're in a larger city like this where there are creative types, uh, really interesting people who are interested in lots of. Different things. It's those people. Uh, Nashville has contributed to the success of Third Coast.
So yeah, we've got a lot of opportunities for folks of all ages within our training center. We've got young professionals all the way to retired. It's always changing. Uh, but all of that information is also available on the website. Uh, third coast comedy club.com.
Why We Share These Stories
We believe that celebrating Tennessee’s entrepreneurs will inspire the next generation of bold thinkers, risk-takers, and community builders. Entrepreneurs don’t forget where they come from—and they carry the power to transform not just their businesses, but entire neighborhoods, towns, and local economies. See more entrepreneur stories from the Patton Foundation.
