AUBURN — Three years ago, Nick Gordon walked into a Lewiston Adult Education classroom to teach comedy writing and found his future business partner.

No joke.

“Leonard (Kimble) and I especially hit it off real quick,” said Gordon, who lives in Bath.

Both worked full time in the legal profession. Both wanted to get more serious about their comedy.

“A few of us wanted to have our own local place where we could actually practice our jokes and start an open mic,” said Kimble of Auburn.

They started with a handful of friends on open mic and feedback nights at 84 Court in downtown Auburn.

Today, they are The River Comics, producing more than 100 shows a year.

“We all wanted to be comedians, but then we realized that it’s hard to get (spots),” Gordon said. “This is not New York City, so there’s not a comedy club on every block. You kind of have to create your own space for it. If you don’t do it for yourself around here, no one else is really going to do it for you.”

So they perform at bars, breweries, restaurants, theaters, hotels, event spaces and, once, beside a pool in a backyard.

Pulling together an event first takes coordinating with the venue on a dedicated date, anywhere from a week to six months out, Kimble said.

From there, they put out a call among comedians with whom they work: Who is available and up for performing on this date? And for how many minutes?

Kimble said there is usually a strong 20- to 30-minute headliner, another performer or two for 10 to 15 minutes “and with the host, there, you have a show.”

Make up a flyer. Announce it on social media. And it’s on.

Typically, Kimble, Gordon or Nic Dufault and Ian MacDonald, both also in The River Comics, perform or host.

“I think, personally, comedy can happen any night of the week, in any venue you want, indoors or outdoors, underground or up in the air,” Gordon said.

The long-term goal, several years out, is to have their own dedicated comedy club space with shows several nights a week.

For now, their most regular venue is Craft Brew Underground, with standing dates every Saturday and the second and fourth Friday of the month.

Kimble and Gordon also started a podcast in 2021, “Comedy Think Tanked,” interviewing local comedians.

So three years ago, how was Kimble as a student?

“The trouble with Leonard as a student was he was always messing around,” Gordon said. “He didn’t take anything seriously. He was just trying to make everyone laugh. I don’t understand. …”

And Gordon as a teacher?

“Nick was the worst teacher I have ever had,” Kimble said. “I didn’t learn how to fix my car at all.”