Dave Wakeman's The Business of Fun Podcast

Dave Wakeman

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.

  • 41 minutes 43 seconds
    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 bunch of helpful topics such as:

    • The myth of the algorithm: "I got my song on Spotify."
    • Word of mouth marketing and finding the first fans...then turning them into superfans.
    • Building an audience.
    • How to launch a band, product, or album.
    • "Overnight success"
    • Streams of revenue

    ...and a lot more.

    Visit my website at www.DaveWakeman.com

    Get the 'Talking Tickets' newsletter at https://talkingtickets.substack.com

    Join our Slack Channel!

    8 April 2026, 4:19 pm
  • 34 minutes 1 second
    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 copy of Giftology from John Ruhlin. You can receive one by sending me an email at [email protected] or Kris an email at [email protected]

    Do both even!

    Visit me at www.DaveWakeman.com

    Get Talking Tickets at https://talkingtickets.substack.com

    Join our Slack.

    30 March 2026, 5:54 am
  • 36 minutes 1 second
    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 more.

    Visit my site at www.DaveWakeman.com

    Get Talking Tickets at https://talkingtickets.substack.com

    Join our Slack Channel.

    24 March 2026, 5:39 am
  • 46 minutes 55 seconds
    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.DaveWakeman.com

    Get the 'Talking Tickets' newsletter at https://talkingtickets.substack.com

    Join our Slack channel.

    17 March 2026, 5:34 pm
  • 43 minutes 48 seconds
    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 discussed things like:

    • Brands wanting to be funny
    • Practice makes funny
    • Diversity as a strength
    • Giving people a place to learn that reflects their lives

    ...and, a lot more.

    Check out GOLD Comedy!

    Lynn's site!

    Come see me at www.DaveWakeman.com

    Get the 'Talking Tickets' newsletter at https://talkingtickets.substack.com

    Join us over on Slack!

    2 March 2026, 5:15 am
  • 48 minutes 32 seconds
    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 in night clubs.

    We talked about a lot of things such as:

    • Empathy, prioritization, and communication
    • Food service as a team sport
    • The humility of a marketer
    • Creating better ads
    • Fixed mind v. Flexible mind

    ...and, a ton more.

    Visit my website at www.DaveWakeman.com

    Get the 'Talking Tickets' newsletter at https://talkingtickets.substack.com

    Join our 'Talking Tickets' Slack Channel!

    26 February 2026, 5:15 am
  • 52 minutes 43 seconds
    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 amazing stuff.

    We had a deep dive conversation about Dano's, Pony Social, and marketing.

    In our conversation, we hit on things such as:

    • Building brand awareness around the term agave
    • Being a disrupter in a market segment
    • Picking an enemy in your branding
    • TikTok and social media
    • Loyalty
    • Market Research

    ...and, a lot more.

    23 February 2026, 5:43 am
  • 48 minutes 2 seconds
    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 service
    • Touchpoints
    • Customer journeys

    ...and, a whole lot more.

    Visit my site at www.DaveWakeman.com

    Get the newsletter at https://talkingtickets.substack.com

    Join our Slack Channel!

    19 February 2026, 5:29 am
  • 48 minutes 47 seconds
    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
    • Lina Khan
    • Touring Sustainability
    • Fee Transparency

    ...and, a lot more.

    Visit my website at www.DaveWakeman.com

    Get 'Talking Tickets' at https://talkingtickets.substack.com

    12 February 2026, 5:50 am
  • 53 minutes 48 seconds
    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 talk with James Warren about:

    • Stories as tools to influence.
    • Audience segmentation
    • Qual v. Quant data
    • How to manage research and data together
    • And, a lot more.

    Visit James at www.ShareMoreStories.com

    You can check me out at www.DaveWakeman.com

    Get the 'Talking Tickets' newsletter at https://talkingtickets.substack.com

    Join our Slack Channel!

    9 February 2026, 5:45 am
  • 40 minutes 32 seconds
    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 fan to fan ethos.

    Today, we discuss a bunch of stuff:

    • Building a community online.
    • Innovation
    • The importance of getting fans into seats so that the seat isn't empty
    • "Slow Ticketing"
    • Possible reforms
    • And, more...

    Check out Cash or Trade at www.cashortrade.org

    Visit my site at www.DaveWakeman.com

    Get 'Talking Tickets' at https://talkingtickets.substack.com

    Join our Slack Channel.

    5 February 2026, 5:25 am
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