Kick Off 2025: A Recap/A Question/How I Help
Hello!
And, Happy New Year!
I wanted to take a moment this morning to reintroduce myself.
I do this occasionally because many new folks may be meeting me for the first time.
In today’s note:
A brief introduction
What I offer you/how I help
What you want and need
A bit about me:
I’m Dave.
I write this newsletter.
My background in tickets is deep.
I started in nightclubs, helping open clubs in Ft. Lauderdale, St. Louis, and Chicago.
From there, I spent several years in Seattle, helping open the Experience Music Project at the Seattle Center.
That’s where my ticket journey got started:
Game day operations with the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Supersonics.
Many jobs at STG.
In NYC, I was a backend partner to AmEx for the Black Card.
So, it seems, I worked with everyone in the primary and secondary market, such as MSG, Radio City Christmas, Nike, Google, Amazon, and so many more.
In 2007, I moved out on my own.
In that time, my work has dealt with strategy, branding, and pricing.
I host ‘The Business of Fun’ podcast.
80% of the podcasts focus on how to do the job of selling tickets better. 20% are things that seem interesting to me.
A lot of marketing, technology, and strategy.
Some great, great episodes on the stream.
Today, I do a lot of strategy and marketing work.
You will find my speaking at conferences around the world.
Some of my favorite topics:
Discounts are for dummies.
Strategy before tactics.
Data is reactive. Research is proactive.
Your fans don’t owe you a thing.
How I help:
Everything I do falls into one of six buckets: some fee, some free.
Advisory Services:
This is for business leaders, team leaders, and executives to help them grow their businesses.
These are often customized.
In-Person Events:
The first one I’m working on is Indianapolis in the spring.
I do 6-12 “destination” events each year. If you are interested in me coming to your city, reply and let me know.
That is how the Indianapolis idea came to pass.
Private sessions focused on your specific business.
I’ve got a few booked already for this year.
Strategy Work:
This all focuses on creating and capturing opportunities, showing up in the market, and maximizing your opportunities.
This last one is where a lot of the pricing stuff comes up.
Classes & Speaking:
I give a bunch of lectures each year.
I’ve spoken at some of the world’s great universities such as NYU, Indiana University, and SMU.
I’ve spoken to some of the great organizations in the world such as the Australian Football League, the Boston Red Sox, Rugby Australia, and many others.
Podcasts:
‘The Business of Fun’ has over 225 episodes in the can!
We have heard from some great folks like Scott O’Neil, Andrew Recinos, Angela Meleca, and so many more.
In 2025, I’m going to continue to have conversations with industry leaders.
I will mix in some how to ideas.
Plus, I’m going to do some subject specific conversations with a co-host that is TBD. (Applications are open! )
Talking Tickets:
That’s this newsletter.
We are going to focus on creating and capturing opportunities in the entertainment business.
Sometimes, I’ll cover big stories.
And, sometimes, I’ll share links.
My ambition is to help you stay sharp.
You can also join our dedicated ‘Talking Tickets’ Slack Channel.
What do you want or need to learn?
Hit reply, let me know.
Or, you can say “hey”.
You’ll always get me when you hit reply.
Next time, we will get back into the tickets.
Take it easy,
Dave