As the late great Bob Saget said, “I become a chameleon for wherever I am.” At Clovis Comedy Scene, rising stars of stand-up like Sammy Obeid and JC Currais — folks seen on platforms including Netflix, Hulu, Comedy Central, and BOB AND TOM — bring that transformative energy to the room, making the event the top comedy show in California’s Central Valley.
“No one else is doing shows the size we’re doing every Wednesday and Friday,” says Danny Minch, comedian and host of Clovis Comedy Scene. “We’re the No. 1 comedy venue in the Central Valley, and I think a lot of that has to do with Eventbrite Boost.”
Clovis Comedy Scene shows run every Wednesday and Friday in DiCicco’s, a popular Italian restaurant and pizzeria. And like so many entertainers, Minch has learned a lot about business from the pandemic. Pre-pandemic, Minch was hosting shows five nights a week; today, with shows two nights a week, he sells more tickets than he did for those five nights combined. As he puts it: “Now that we only have one headliner on a Wednesday and one on a Friday, if you want to go see them, you gotta go see them.”
And people do go see them — new people, too. Minch shares that 75% of the audience at the Wednesday shows and 80–90% at the Friday shows are fresh faces. These new ticket holders are vital for keeping Clovis Comedy Scene growing. The secret to Minch’s marketing success? “I started using Eventbrite Boost. That has helped exponentially.”
“Something that makes me look like a rockstar”
Talking with Minch (who lovingly describes his job as, “comedian — not as great as it’s cracked up to be”), it’s easy to see why his shows are popular. His jokes come fast and furious. He’s by turns smart and self-effacing, yet always passionate about his work: giving comedians a space to perform and comedy fans access to those incredible performances.
Minch’s own career in stand-up brought him in touch with “some of the biggest names in comedy.” These relationships and network help him bring top acts to Clovis. “The bigger name comics either play a theater around here,” Minch says, “or my show.”
Show, in this instance, means two shows each Wednesday and Friday, in addition to special-occasion events like Valentine’s Day (“wildly successful”) or New Year’s Eve (“always completely sold out”).
Minch has been using Eventbrite for more than 10 years. That’s why when he noticed the launch of Eventbrite Boost last spring, he gave it a shot. It was an instant win: “I’m 53 and I’m kind of a luddite,” Minch says. “I need something that makes [marketing] as simple as possible for me and makes me look like a rockstar, and that’s what Eventbrite Boost did.”
Pre-Boost, Minch relied on Facebook. With Eventbrite Boost, though, there’s no more dealing with Ads Manager, “having to do this and do that. With Eventbrite Boost, I can pretty much use the same template. It’s a lot easier to manipulate.” Plus, events promoted using Boost marketing tools get nearly 2.5x more listing views*.
“I go deep into audience targeting”
Minch shares that, “Boost has made it easier for me to reach the market that I want.” He relies on Boost’s audience targeting features to reach the right people. “It helps zone in on the people who are interested in comedy, interested in entertainment. Eventbrite Boost has a spot where you can put people you’re looking at in your area.”
He experiments with interest-based targeting, pinpointing people who like “comedy,” “comedy movies” and similar topics. And interest is only one targeting parameter. Age is another. “I go for an older market, and Facebook is the best place to get the 35 and older. What I want is people with disposable income coming to the show: they’re going to buy drinks, they’re going to buy food, they’re going to buy merchandise at the end of the show.”
Location is important, too. Minch adjusts his geo-targeting, changing up the locations — from the Fresno/Clovis area to extending his radius as much as 40 miles. “We get people coming all the way from Modesto and Merced.”
A “one, two, three” punch
Lately, demand has let Minch raise his door prices and get bigger shows. In turn, he “was able to put more money into marketing, especially using Eventbrite Boost,” benefiting both Clovis Comedy Scene shows and the venue.
“We’re getting a large portion of people who are new coming to the venue, which the venue loves,” Minch says. “They try out their food for their first time, and they’re trying out our comedy for the first time.”
Minch recommends Eventbrite Boost for entertainment events adjacent to stand-up comedy: bands, variety shows, even Elvis impersonators. Of course, he laughs, he’s hesitant about recommending Boost to comedy promoters in the area. ”I want to keep this secret to myself!”
Jokes aside, when friends in the industry ask him how to fill up a room, he tells them, “Eventbrite Boost. And Eventbrite for their ticketing. I create my event, it goes right to Facebook, I use Boost. It’s a one, two, three punch.”
*Eventbrite data 5/1/2022 – 12/1/2022 comparing events promoted with Eventbrite Boost with any event that was not promoted with the same tool.
