Ali Siddiq, Kountry Wayne, & Ryan Davis Are Building Empires Without Hollywood’s Permission
The internet.
The great equalizer.
As many of us reading this know, before the internet, if you wanted to succeed in entertainment, you had to know someone who could put you on or become visible enough to attract the attention of a major company willing to back you.
While that model hasn’t completely disappeared, creators everywhere are showing that they’ve been able to subvert that system by going directly to consumers, hence the rise of platforms like Patreon and Substack.
More specifically, the comedic community has a really interesting model at play.
Consider this…
The crown jewel of a comedian's career is typically their “special” — a 1 or 2 hour segment showcasing their stand-up abilities. Like a classic album, a great special often lives through decades and defines the comedian’s career.
We’ve seen it with Richard Pryor, Chris Rock, Kevin Hart, and Dave Chappelle.
In this model, streaming platforms are the kingmakers—the most prolific specials of the past five years have been going to places like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime; all of whom made a foray into that field years ago working with comics ranging from mega-stars to emerging.
In this streaming model, if you have a successful special with them, your career will likely take off.
That begs the question…
What happens when you can’t get a deal with a platform like Netflix?
Some of today’s most popular comedians are doing big numbers on social media but haven’t been able to lock in a deal with a streamer for a special.
Rather than waiting on a deal that can platform their work, they’re going directly to consumers via YouTube and Patreon.
WHY DIRECT T0 CONSUMER?
If we examine the business case for why comedians choose D2C, we’ll find that much of it concerns creative autonomy, distribution frequency, and ROI clarity.
On the creative autonomy front, comedian Ali Siddiq recently did an interview on Club Shay Shay, where he alluded to the fact that streamers passed on doing a deal with him because they felt like he was putting out too much content.
However, Siddiq knows his audience and has a model that serves them well, so this point of contention further bolsters his belief in independence.
He talks about it around the 1h 55min mark below:
In just two days since the release of his newest standup special, “My Two Sons,” Siddiq has already cleared 1.4 million views on YouTube, with multiple fans giving donations in the comments just to support him.
Which rolls into point 2….
Some comedians like D2C because they compare its ROI to a major deal, and subscriptions/freemium offerings work better for them overall.
Streaming platforms tend to give upfront money where the backend money likely has to be negotiated, along with how long the company has the rights to the content.
On the flipside, D2C models are often community/subscription-based, which means revenue is recurring, and predictable, AND you also get your customers' data.
Moreover, because the content isn’t exclusive to that platform or partner, creators still retain the right to license the IP however they see fit.
To that effect, ownership could potentially be more lucrative to them if they aren’t a mega-star in their field because it allows them to exploit their IP at their discretion.
THE COMEDIC FLYWHEEL
The new setup that comedians and content creators alike are using to reach audiences is pretty tight. It consists of three parts that, when executed properly, lead to a locked-in fanbase that helps them create a sustainable creative career.
Think of it like this:
I. CONTENT ACROSS SOCIALS
The content isn’t just the comedian being funny at home in front of the camera. Instead, it’s clips of show footage that double as proof of concept.
In that way, they make you laugh and show you that social media is just a small part of their larger comedic experience.
Those who don’t provide show clips use material like skits instead.
The skits show their ability to conceive original work that can make audiences laugh, and the stories often feature a comic who can demonstrate their situational comedic chops.
Like the show clips, the skits offer a glimpse into the show experience, although the skill set needed to perform a one-hour standup set is a bit different.
II. TOUR + MERCH + SVOD
Once the social media clips do their thing and help the creator amass a large audience, they can start doing shows and giving out exclusive content.
In this case, they may have a small, dedicated core group of fans paying monthly for access to on-demand content, merch, etc. Depending on the size of the base, a comic can start visiting select cities to do shows.
This is the foundation that leads to the last step in the flywheel:
III. FREE SPECIALS (OPTIONAL TO PAY/PAY WHAT YOU WANT)
Once a comic has built up a reputable fanbase and a decent touring business, they can activate their social media presence and live show supporters to rally around a freemium piece of content that usually lives on YouTube or Patreon.
This content is generally their “Special,” ranging from 1 to 2 hours.
Depending on how much the comic invests in the special (or if they have the foresight to know that it can be licensed later), this is the content for which the investment is the largest; it often includes renting a stage, hiring a production crew, shooting on cinema-grade cameras, and THEN selling tickets to the venue.
It’s high risk, high reward — and for those who’ve done it so far, the reward seems to be there.
HOW THE COMEDIANS DOING IT
Ryan Davis, Ali Siddiq, and Kountry Wayne are a few comedians who have recently shown an affinity for this new model.
Through subscriber-only content, touring, and merch, they’ve been able to create comedic empires that may not put them at the top of Forbes but can create a sustainable, comfortable living for themselves and their team members.
I. RYAN DAVIS & PATREON
Born in North Carolina, Ryan cracked the code by flipping social media into a stage, speaking directly to a generation raised on memes, algorithms, and barbershop-level commentary.
Although Netflix passed on doing a special with him, he’s found a path to success akin to what indy musicians do outside of the label system (i.e., they build a community).
With his success, Ryan invested over $150k in making his newest comedy special, Underrated, which is exclusively available to his Patreon community (although a preview is below).
II. ALI SIDDIQ & YOUTUBE
Ali Siddiq is likely the comedian making the most use of YouTube in his business, with four specials and counting being uploaded in their entirety to the platform.
For corporate folks, it may seem unorthodox to release premium content so freely, but honestly, it feels right in line with a generation that consumes content at a high rate with an expectation for it to be easily accessible.
What separates Siddiq’s comedy from others isn’t just his delivery—it’s the storytelling. His sets feel like conversations with your OG, who’s trying to put you on the game at the family function.
If you’ve seen any 3 Domino Effect standup specials, you already know the vibes. His newest standup is already making waves across social media.
III. KOUNTRY WAYNE & FACEBOOK/TIKTOK
Of all the new school comedians, Kountry Wayne likely has the most complex setup. He’s carved a niche with a series of shows running across all his social media platforms — some feature him routinely, while others dont.
Kountry Wayne releases multiple pieces of content daily, and each piece of creative consists of a different cast of actors’ storylines; and while he does have a Netflix deal, he still doesn’t wait for anyone to work with him. Instead, he’s built a dedicated subscriber base and generated six monthly figures from platforms like Facebook.
From there, he can tour, sell merch, appear in other content, etc., making a sound business model that doesn’t live or die on the say-so of anyone besides the fans.
As of yesterday, it was also announced that his second stand-up special is on the way. This time through Amazon Prime.
Let that sizzle in ya spirit.
OTHER COMEDIANS THAT ARE DOPE
I. TACARRA WILLIAMS
A viral TikTok clip of Tacarra at the Laugh Factory introduced her to a new audience (including me), and her presence online has continued to grow since then.
While I can’t say for certain if Taccarra will release a special in the future, she is currently touring in different cities and selling out crowds. Overall, she’s super funny and electrifying to follow online—I highly recommend tuning in.
I. NATE JACKSON
Nate’s ability to work a crowd and bring them into his set is second to none. Even if you’ve never been to one of his shows, the TikTok clips make you feel like you were in the front row.
The promo video he did for his tour also shows his creative range, so if a special isn’t the works for him, TV/film 1000% has to be.
III. Zainab Johnson
I just found out about Zainab while doing research and fell down a rabbit hole of her content (which I highly recommend).
She too has a special out with Prime, but like her contemporaries, her presence doesn’t seem to live or die off of the big looks from streaming partners. Outside of her special “Hijabs Off” she also has a podcast, a strong touring biz, merch and more.
WHAT NOW?
The Comedy Space is a microcosm of what’s happening worldwide. The bottom line is that more creators are taking their destiny in their own hands, and the corporations that are often the slowest to realize this are those that have too many layers of red tape to shift to the new business model.
If you’ve got a sec this weekend, look at some of the comedians above. On one hand, you’ll spend the weekend laughing, which is good for the soul. On the other hand, you might get a primer in the evolving content landscape, which, for many of us, is equally as priceless.
Tap in.
One.