Dave Wakeman's The Business of Fun Podcast
Business & Finance
About
When you work in entertainment, you are in the business of fun. This podcast will focus on the challenges and opportunities associated with helping your customers create memories and special moments. We will talk about sports, theatre, performing arts, and other forms of entertainment, highlighting the best ideas in marketing live experiences, creating long-term customers, and growing revenues.
Episodes
- Brian Vinson teaches us about using data to build connections, make decisions, and earn more money...
I had a data conversation that I was excited to share with you because Brian Vinson comes at data in a way that made me excited to rethink my take on data. If you've listened for long, you know that I think people put too much emphasis on…
- John Breyault thinks monopolies will monopoly...I agree.
My guest today is John Breyault. John is with the National Consumers League . His work is on consumer protection. Which made a conversation about the Live Nation trial timely. We cover a lot of ground about Live Nation and tickets includin…
- Mark Roberge wants artists to think about building an audience before they launch their music...
My guest today is Mark Roberge! He's from Red 13 Creative. www.Red13Creative.com Great talk about audience development. Mark is a touring musician and he brings that point of view to his work with artists. In today's episode, we get into a…
- Kris Rudeegraap teaches us about gifting
My guest today is Kris Rudeegraap. He's with Sendoso. We had a great time talking about gifting. Kris shared: Using gifts to open conversations Touch point marketing Creativity Making gifts special ...and much more. We are giving away a co…
- Rick Elmore understands touchpoint...you should too.
My guest today is Rick Elmore. Rick's company www.SimplyNoted.com is really interesting. We talked about a bunch of stuff: Being human in the sales process Using handwritten notes Using notes at scale Touchpoints The beauty of sales ...and…
- Victor Varnado & the Tic Tac Toe Championship
My guest today is Victor Varnado. Victor recently launched the Tic Tac Toe Championship. What an idea?! We got into a bunch of stuff around: Digital accessibility Creativity ADHD Social Anxiety And, a lot more. Check out my website at www.…
- Lynn Harris knows that 80% of brands want to be funny...
My guest today is Lynn Harris. Lynn has started a comedy school called GOLD Comedy, but Lynn is a comedian, a producer, and a lot more. So we got into it about using humor to be better at your job and at life. In today's conversation, we d…
- Bruce Bryan teaches us how to use service industry skills to be better marketers.
My guest today is Bruce Bryan. Bruce has written a book called Turning Tables: Everything I Needed to Know About Business I Learned as a Server. A great premise for a conversation since I credit so much of my marketing skill from my time i…
- Micaela Piccolo doesn't want you to feel like you are "screaming into the void" with your marketing.
What a banger! This one is going to be homework the next time I teach a brand management class. My guest today is Micaela Piccolo. Micaela runs an agency called Pony Social and is a fractional CMO with Dano's Dangerous Tequila. Which is am…
- Vance Morris reminds us that people do business with people.
My guest today is Vance Morris. This is a banging episode focused on customer service and giving your customers a "wow." In this conversation, I talk with Vance about: His experience with Disney, NASA, and the Smithsonian. Memorable servic…
- Nathaniel Marro wants to work towards a more sustainable music ecosystem.
My guest today is Nathaniel Marro. Nathaniel is the Executive Director of NITO . We hit on so many big topics in tickets that I can't even begin to touch on everything. A few of the highlights: Unfair & Predatory Ticketing Fan 2 Fan Resale…
- James Warren wants us to be able to use stories as tools...
This was so much fun. Until I went back through my notes, I had forgotten how many great nuggets of value James shared with me. We hit on the idea of stories, but in a way that makes storytelling accessible to anyone. In today's podcast, I…
- Brando Rich tells me that Cash or Trade started as a passion project...
Brando Rich stops by today and we talk about Phish! Cash or Trade started as a passion project founded on a desire to re-create the community of picking up a ticket to a show you don't have a ticket for. At the heart of Cash or Trade is a…
- Katy Raines's childhood taught her to focus on the audience...
My guest today is Katy Raines. Katy is the Founder & CEO of Indigo. This was a great conversation focused on having an audience centered strategy when it comes to building an audince. We got into a lot of stuff today: Katy's childhood and…
- Attila Gazdag says your historical data can help you set better initial prices...
Great conversation with Attila Gazdag today! Attila is with Dynamo Pricing. You can find them at https://dynamopricing.com We discuss a bunch of things about dynamic pricing including: How do use historical data to set better onsale prices…
- Matt Zarracina talks about patron safe resale
Matt Zarracina is back! We discuss some new innovations at True Tickets as Matt and the team prepare for INTIX in Las Vegas. Give them a look and tell them that Dave sent you. In this episode, I talk with Matt about a bunch of ideas such a…
- Brian Bauer tackles the idea of 100% attribution
My guest today is Brian Bauer from Bauer Entertainment Marketing. We had a great marketing conversation that I think you are going to learn a ton from. In today's conversation, we talk about: 1 to 1 marketing Attribution Zero click searche…
- Martin Gammeltoft is a six timer. We talk about websites and making yours better...
My first, or second, sixth timer on the podcast...Martin Gammeltoft. My dude is back to talk about a few new things he is working and some really cool stuff he is doing with Culture Suite. https://www.culturesuite.co I talked to Martin abo…
- Eric Rubio wants you to know that non-profit doesn't mean what you think it does...
Eric Rubio checks in from DC! We could have have, should have, done this in person... Eric is in non-profit theatre finance and wanted to come on to talk about some of the misconceptions folks have with the idea of being a non-profit. We t…
- Lissa Harris-Suazo wants you to handle your money well...
This is Lissa's first podcast appearance! Nailed it! Lissa is joining me from www.TicketBrokerBooks.com We had a great conversation heading into 2026 about preparing for tax season. Lissa also shared some ideas on setting up proper dashboa…
- Josh Litwack wants touring musicians to be able to run stronger businesses...
Happy New Year! Love this conversation with Josh Litwack from Quantizr. I saved it so it could be the first conversation you hear me have this year, 2026. So...get ready to enjoy some great stuff. Josh and I talk about: Destigmatizing AI i…
- Matt Ford teaches me how to think about Spotify listens from a booking perspective
My guest today is Matt Ford. Matt is CEO of Prism.FM. We had a great time talking about all kinds of concert related things such as: The mix of traditional media and email marketing. What Spotify listens can tell a concert promoter. Compet…
- Daniel Krizan tells me that biometric ticketing can pay for itself
My guest today is Daniel Krizan from TruCrowd. We got together to talk about biometrics in tickets. The important thing I learned was how much the technology has changed over the last few years. What was a great solution and a great idea b…
- Nick Falzon says preparation gives you more flexibility not less...
My guest today is Nick Falzon. As I mention in the show's introduction, Nick is "The Dynamo of Dynamic Pricing" in much the same way that I am "The King of Tickets." You get the title used on you once...you never stop using it. It was grea…
- Matt Wolff says that "immeasurable" data is dangerous.
My guest to today is Matt Wolff, from Ticket Time Machine. We had a good time catching up about the fan experience, "immeasurable data", #PaysToWait and more. Visit Matt at www.TicketTimeMachine.com Check me out at www.DaveWakeman.com Get…
- Eric Fuller talks about "organic" demand and I'm not having it...
My guest today is Eric Fuller. Friend of the podcast, newsletter, and Dave. Eric makes his sixth appearance on the show. We talk about a range of topics: The economic environment and uncertainty in the ticket market. We talk about the sign…
- Jessica Poole says NIL and revenue sharing can co-exist.
My guest today is Jessica Poole. She's a long time friend of the podcast, the newsletter, and me! So I wanted to have her on to talk about the work she is doing with the Jessica Poole Communications Collective. https://thepoolecollective.c…
- Richard Howle trained an AI to think and talk about tickets just like him!
Richard Howle returns! Richard has started a new business called RH Insights. He has trained an AI to think and speak about tickets just like him. Amazing! We had a great conversation about all kinds of things. A few highlights: Richard te…
- Randy Nichols wants band to use the same tools as the secondary market.
My guest today is Randy Nichols! I've been working to get Randy on for a few weeks now. Our schedules finally lined up. We had a great conversation! Some of the things we hit on: Sports v. Concerts Why he fights the secondary market, or, a…
- Jason Lassey talks about how the NRL became the #1 sport in Australia and the Pacific!
My guest today is Jason Lassey. Jason is the man behind www.FootyIndustry.com . His site is my go-to resource when I want to dig into the numbers behind the different codes in Australia. Jason wrote a piece on the battle for fans between t…
- Sondra Shannon loves to celebrate her customers' success using DATA!
My guest today is Sondra Shannon! She is CEO of Gatemaster. We had a great talk about strategy, data, success, and relationships...among other things. Sondra shared how the annual data review that Gatemaster does leads to celebrating clien…
- Keith Pagello says that TicketData.com is not a broker tool. It is for fans.
My guest today is Keith Pagello. He's built a new site called www.TicketData.com . This one interested me because most of the time this data is propriatary to brokers. Keith says that his tool is entirely not for brokers. We discuss the id…
- Scott Friedman says if we put a cap on ticket resale we should put a cap on grocery profits...
My guest today is Scott Friedman ! You know Scott from his Twitter feed, the 'Ticket Talk' webseries, and the world of ticket resale. We had a wide ranging conversation this morning about all kinds of topics... A few highlights: We discuss…
- Bill Cates has a story to tell us that will help our selling...
My guest today is Bill Cates. His new book was released on September 16, 'The Hidden Heist'. We had a great conversation about sales and parable that drives his new book. In our conversation, we touch on: The 3 Rs that can help make you su…
- Jakob Eliason brings 'Pickleball as a Service' to Venues Around the Country
My guest today is Jakob Eliason. He's one of the co-founders of Pickleball Pop Ups. 'Pickelball as a service' as Jakob describes the concept. This one was fun because that's the foundation of what Jakob and his partner and team are doing w…
- Jacob Hicks has a different approach to the sales process
Great episode today... Jacob Hicks is my guest on the podcast. Find him here: https://jacobhickscoach.com We got into the sales process. We discuss: Awareness Persusasion's role in selling Insights Relationships and selling Handwritten not…
- Hannah Grannemann comes back to talk the opportunity in arts' emergencies.
My guest today is my friend, Hannah Grannemann. She is working on a book and had more ideas than she knew what to do with...so she came to share them with us. We hit on tons of topics: The Kennedy Center Recovery from COVID Funding for the…
- Albert Bramante talks anxiety, actors, and NPL
Hi! Fun one today with Albert Bramante. We went in a bunch of different directions that I didn't expect. We talked about: Anxiety Mental loops Mindsets Psychology And, more all through the lens of the arts and selling more tickets. Great f…
- Dan Galpern is bringing dance to the world
My guest today is Dan Galpern. Dan is CEO of DanceOne. What a great conversation this is. We discussed how dance impacts every aspect of our lives, even if we don't recognize it. Dan humors me and talks about the Baldwins. We discuss dance…
- Simon Severino teaches us about the $80K webinar
My buddy, Simon Severino, is back. I wanted to have him come teach us how he turned one webinar into $80,000. Why? Because it applies to all of us. We go through Simon's plan for coming up with the idea, filling the webinar, and following…
- Faisal Hoque tells me AI might steal my job...or, it might not.
My guest today is Faisal Hoque. He has a new book, Transcend: Unlocking Humanity in the Age of AI. This is a very hopeful conversation because Faisal definitely knows that there are always going to be things that people can do that AI and…
- Jimi Gibson says we all have magic within us...
My guest today is Jimi Gibson. Jimi is a trained magician. He's used his magic skills to help us understand marketing and strategy a little bit better. This is a fun conversation. We talk about Jimi's work at The Thrive Agency and how the…
- Lawrence Armstrong teaches us about leadership, creativity, and strategy.
My guest today is Lawrence Amstrong. He's written a new book, Layered Leadership: Drive Double Digit Growth and Dominate Your Competition With Creative Strategies and Execution. This conversation is even more timely than it was when we had…
- Jill Schulman is a bad ass! She teaches us about being brave!
My guest today is Jill Schulman! A total badass. She is a Marine that focuses on teaching people the power of positive psychology so that they can be braver. This was a conversation I was excited to have because I feel like we all can use…
- John Reider is 'The Bubble Man'
My guest today is John Reider! He is 'The Bubble Man'. Seriously, it says so on his Teams' handle! We had a great time talking about John's businesses. He is the king of bubbles and has a number of businesses built around bubbles. More imp…
- Steven Burchard owns a smile factory!
This is amazing! Happy 2025 to you all! My guest today is the owner of Magical Memories Entertainment, Steven Burchard. We had a great talk about relationships and creating experiences for folks. This conversation had some serious range be…
- Zack Sugarman & Superplastic Bring a New Experience to Area 15 in Las Vegas
Love this episode! A great conversation with Zack Sugarman. Zack is the Chief Strategy Officer at Superplastic. Superplast just opened a brand new IRL space in Las Vegas at Area 15 called Dopeameme. Dopeameme is called "The Institute for P…
- John Kinsner has walked a diverse road in the world of entertainment
I love this conversation with John Kinsner because John has done so many things as he has made his way to becoming CEO of Black Ink Presents that I can't call our conversation anything less than a love letter to the business. We discuss a…
- Key Performance Indicators: Why Are You Using the KPIs you are using?
This is a special conversation that comes from a LinkedIn Live I did with Bruce Eckfelt and William Lieberman. We discuss KPIs. You can find me at www.DaveWakeman.com Sign up for my newsletters on my website. Tell me who you want to hear f…
- Jon Allen teaches me how to approach a new market
My guest today is Jon Allen from TKT.com. We had a good time talking about TKT's move to the European market. Jon teaches me about taking a US tech focused approach to the hospitality ticket market in Europe. We talk about opportunity. We…