By Jorge Mercado Sunday, June 7th, 2026

A lot of people lost their jobs during the Covid-19 pandemic, including Santa Barbara resident Samantha Bearman. 

On the day she found out, she admitted she was crying all night about it. But what came after was an investment in herself, one that has paid off not only for her but for voices of all different backgrounds.

Bearman is the founder of Bear Cave Comedy, a pop-up style production company that produces comedy shows, drag shows, hosts trivia and bingo nights and more in both Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties.

Technically, she started producing shows in late2019 and was seeing decent momentum until the pandemic hit. When she lost her job in October of 2020, she decided to go all-in.

“If it didn’t work, I would just pretend it never happened and if anyone were to ask about the gap in my resume, I would say, well, COVID happened,” she said with a laugh. “But here we are, almost seven years later, and I haven’t regretted it since.”

Bearman has always been a fan of comedy, even becoming a finalist for Jimmy Kimmel’s Funniest College Student in America and a semi-finalist in prestigious competitions like the Ventura Harbor Comedy Festival and Laughs Unlimited Comedy Competition.

One thing she was not a fan of, however, was how the space treated women. 

“As a woman in comedy, I was noticing a trend — that still continues to this day — of comedy shows consisting primarily of men and having maybe one or two women on the shows, if any,” she said. “And those women were rarely ever headliners.”

So, when she launched Bear Cave Comedy, it was more than just producing some of the best shows in the region, but rather redefining the space for women and LGBT+ folks as well.

That is why the comedy shows often incorporate drag elements.

“I’ve always loved bringing in drag elements because I find that to be so campy and such a unique art form,” she said. “There’s dance, there’s costume, there’s makeup, there’s this energy to really get the audience hyped, which is so important in comedy shows; it’s keeping energy up, so that was really the origin.”

That is why, for Bearman, who also identifies as bisexual, success isn’t just selling out shows — which Bear Cave has done in spades — but being a home for anyone who wants a laugh.

“I wanted a space for voices that, in my opinion and observation, had been marginalized and hadn’t been given that same credibility,” she said. “I love that people feel safe in my space, both performers and audience members.”

Bearman added that every year Bear Cave Comedy partners with community partners, such as the Pacific Pride Foundation, to help continue pushing the message of inclusivity.

“They do so much for the community and are a community resource for everybody,” she said.

Bearman also likes to have a little fun with the stereotypes. She noticed that when women were the main ticket, it was often sold as an “all-female lineup.” Or that sometimes comedy shows felt they would just add one female comic to their lineup to promote diversity.

Flipping that narrative on its head, Bear Cave Comedy will host events called “Token Comedy Show,” where it is an all-female lineup with just one male comic on the card.

“The difference is the male comedian is in on the gag. Maybe their picture will be a little smaller on the poster, or we won’t give them their allotted time on stage until the night of the show, which is really important for a comic to prepare. These are all things women go through, so to give them a glimpse of that,” she said.

One of the newer things Bear Cave Comedy is adding is walking tours, where they offer comedian-led food tours through the Arts District of Santa Barbara and in the Funk Zone.

Overall, the first six years of going all-in on Bear Cave have paid off for Bearman, but she admits it has been a difficult journey — one that she is excited to continue.

Any entrepreneur who says it’s easy — I haven’t met one. To be perfectly honest, we take risks on ourselves every single day, and there are lots of days when it would be easier to work for someone else, because the burden of being successful is on someone else’s shoulders,” she said.

“But then regularly when I do comedies and drag shows, I will have audience members say they’ve looked forward to it all month, that they’ve been looking for queer events, that they’ve been looking for spaces where they could just be and relax and enjoy and feel safe, and that’s what we are. We’re a space for everyone.”

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