09/26/2024
Hey. Steve Hofstetter here. You may know me from your inbox.
I've been a stand-up comedian for 22 years, and I pride myself on being ahead of the curve. I was the first comedian to offer a pay-what-you-want album. I was the first comedian to regularly post crowd work videos. I'm pretty sure I was the first comedian nominated for The Nobel Peace Prize. I doubt that's going to be a trend, but it's certainly something my mother likes to tell people.
And as far as I know, I just became the first stand-up comedian to sell a percentage of my career - and I want you to be a part of it. There are a lot of sites that allow fans to help their favorite creators directly, which is great - but those don't come with any financial return for the fan. That changes today.
I have partnered with Gigastar to allow fans to own a share of my YouTube revenue. And this isn't some fly by night operation - this is real investing. Just like the stock market, you can buy shares and hold on to them or buy and sell as the market changes. Like the stock market, this is even regulated by the SEC. But unlike the stock market, you don't have to sell to make money. Revenue is automated and distributed monthly - so after you invest, it starts coming back to you.
These are highly regulated securities; you're buying revenue sharing rights. I'm also including perks with each share - things like meet & greets at my shows, access to proprietary digital content, and even a zoom hang just for investors. There's also a very limited number of shares, but there's more information about that on the offer page. I'd tell you here, but the SEC is serious about their regulations, and, well, that's one of the rules.
When I left my agent earlier this year, it was a risk. I was scared, but now my career is better than it's ever been. We live in a time where artists no longer need the approval of the industry. All we need to survive and thrive are you - the fans.
This offering is the next evolution in the process to allow artists to be completely independent. With the money raised, I'll be able to do things like invest in better audio and video equipment, finance new tours in parts of the world I've never been, and to revolutionize the concept of the comedy special. But that last one is another video for another time.
If you are a fan, you've seen my career grow. I've gone from bar shows to comedy clubs to theatres. If you were to graph my success, it would look like walking uphill in Pittsburgh. Now, I invite you to take a risk with me. Like any investment, there's no guarantee here. But if you believe that my career will keep growing, you understand why this could be amazing for all of us.
The offering is now live and limited. So you can invest until it closes - or more likely until we run out of shares. To do so, the link is in the comments as not to upset the almighty algorithm.
Thank you for taking a chance, as always. You're the reason I've grown this much already. Now, I hope we can grow together.
