INVEST
min $100
Welcome to the Wefunder raise for Pete Smack Comedy Relief!
For the skimmers amongst you, there's a TL;DR summary below.
For the rest of you, why should you mash that red 'INVEST" button?
First, because it solves a problem you probably didn't even knew you had—which are often the most painful and hardest to fix.
Here's how to treat that pain point:
Here's something you might not know...
As this Bloomberg story from May 5, 2024, points out, standup comedy ticket sales—which are just one of several potential revenue streams for comedians—have nearly tripled over the past decade to more than $900 million in 2023.
Wouldn't it have been cool—and profitable— to (literally) invest in the careers of big-name comedians when they were just starting out? Comics like Jerry Seinfeld (estimated net worth of $950M), Adam Sandler ($480M), Chris Rock ($60M) or Amy Schumer ($45M)? Or road warriors like Nate Bargatze (estimated tour revenue for the year ending Oct. 15, 2023 of $20.6M), Bill Burr ($20.6M tour revenue over the same period) or Matt Rife ($15.8M)?
An investment in Pete Smack Comedy Relief entitles you to a share in 10% of my gross revenues for five-plus years, converting to equity on Jan. 1, 2030 at a $1M (pre-money) valuation. While I can't guarantee what your financial return will be—the lawyers were pretty adamant about that—I'm confident you'll have a fun and entertainingly documented ride.
Why should anyone bet on me succeeding in comedy, you might reasonably ask? Well, as all-too-many comics like to say, "Here's a little about me..."
As you hopefully saw in the video at the top—it's worth watching if only for entertainment purposes—I started down the path to Pete Smack Comedy Relief after having a "vision" of being a successful standup comedian during a run on Christmas Day, 2022. Yes, I'm serious.
Shortly after that Christmas Day run, I took a comedy class at Goodnights Comedy Club in Raleigh—complete with a "graduation show"—and simultaneously started the essential grind of the open mic circuit.
I performed 103 times in 2023 alone, with the first coming on Feb. 7. I'll easily top that number this year, especially after going full-time starting July 1.
With each performance, I became more and more convinced that this is how I want to spend the rest of my professional life—and that I can succeed at it.
Here's that graduation show from March 5, 2023, less than five weeks after diving in to standup:
Now let's see how I stack up against some top comics, including those with the big bankrolls mentioned above:
Wow, I'm the only one in the coveted upper-right quadrant! WHO KNEW???
Or if you're more of a checkmark fan..
Some caveats on the box-checking:
There are also additional perks at various investment levels:
The perks are cumulative, so that if (for instance) you invest $3K to unlock a free show, you also receive the perks for crossing $500 and $1K.
And to be clear, there is no cap! It's not like you need to stop at $5K.
There's a saying in standup:
CLEAN = GREEN ($$$)
My comedy is clean because that's who I am and what I'm comfortable performing, but it also happens to be the most commercial kind of comedy. It opens up many more revenue-generating avenues—from network TV appearances to corporate gigs to cruise ships to country clubs to civic organizations to so-called "church shows."
My personal story and unique work history uniquely positions me to target non-traditional but profitable comedy audiences, especially these two:
I will also be attractive to college audiences, including gigs paid for by the administration as a vastly more entertaining form of career guidance. (Check out this set on my many careers from the NC's Funniest Person contest last summer.)
Don't think I can act? Try this on for size and get back to me.
Forward-looking projections cannot be guaranteed.
In part, I'm asking folks to invest to help me chase my dream of becoming a successful standup comedian, while riding along in the passenger's seat for an entertainingly documented journey. But I'm also asking you to invest real money, so we need to talk dollars.
Realistically, I anticipate the revenue from my comedy career to be a slow build from a low base. I'm projecting figuring things out money-wise as I climb toward my 10,000-hour mark, a concept popularized by Malcolm Gladwell (after he surely swiped it from someone else). I expect to surpass 10,000 lifetime hours dedicated to standup sometime in early 2027.
I believe the conservative case is, well, conservative. And frankly, my "dream case" is loftier than what's shown above, but I didn't want the scale to get too out of whack.
Here is what 10% of the above projected gross revenues—i.e. the investors' collective share—will be through the end of 2029, which is the revenue share period. (Remember that on Jan. 1, 2030, your investment converts into equity as an added kicker.)
Do you think I can hit the conservative case? Do you believe I have a fighting chance to approach the upside or even the dream case? Because that is what is going to determine the financial return.
I can't make any guarantees, as the lawyers keep reminding me. But I will dedicate every fiber of my being to the effort.
Here's something I believe that might not be obvious...
Of course, I would say that, right? Well, here are some reasons:
To be clear, this isn't right for everyone.
If you're still here, please consider joining me to:
In case that was too subtle, I mean:
Pick a $ amount, fill out the info, and leave a note about how awesome/funny you think I am to encourage future visitors to this page to invest as well.
While of course I do hope you invest, there are also ways you can help me for free, especially:
Yours in laughter,
Pete Smack
