Dave also dives into the world of impressions, discussing his favorites like John Mulaney and Mark Heap, while asking listeners for suggestions on who he should learn next. Between stories of questionable school assemblies involving towel-flicking "ninjas" and the financial hurdles of festivals like the Edinburgh Fringe, Dave teases a massive, "game-changing" announcement coming this Friday that has been 14 years in the making.

Dave also takes listeners behind the scenes of a unique comedy game called "Laughter to the Death," where he attempted a James Acaster impression and navigated the precision of hitting a three-minute set. He also sets a new objective for May: securing the podcast’s first advertisements to keep the dream moving forward.

In this episode, Dave finally tells the full story. The parts that didn't make Niko's video. The parts that didn't make the stand-up show. What it was actually like driving Niko Omilana across the country in a corroded 2003 Ford Fiesta that probably shouldn't have been on the road. Piggybacking into a Nando's, Doing stand-up at midnight in a rock bar/prison half way house in Nottingham to a crowd that absolutely wanted none of it.

And the honest truth about what happened after. YouTube subscribers that came, the imposter syndrome grew and a missed opportunity. Using the next 2 years to make up for it.

This is the untold version of the Smiley Dave and Niko Omilana story, two years on.

Niko Omilana original video - https://youtu.be/QLwIrsG0E08?si=n0oNVr2gEhpq53S0

Smiley Dave - Stand up - https://youtu.be/aYRv0j636N0?si=hsrbBzcUsu_AMRx2

Smiley Dave and Niko - Trilogy - https://youtu.be/mfO5GNW1VcM?si=cyr58Z32ajp-e5tu

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In This Episode, We Cover:

• The "Special Agent": Dave reveals he has secured an agent to help pitch creative sketches and ideas to major brands.
• The Rock’s Business Lesson: Why a story about Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Vince McMahon changed Dave’s perspective on learning the "nitty-gritty" of the comedy business.
• The Solid Ten: The importance of finally capturing a high-quality 10-minute set for booking bigger theaters and comedy clubs.
• The Salisbury Escape: Dave discusses the struggle of staying productive while visiting his parents and the "danger" of getting sucked into daytime TV like The Tipping Point.
• Listener Feedback: Addressing the "loud ad breaks" and how Dave is tailoring his content based on your YouTube comments.

Support the Journey on Patreon

Get exclusive access to "Joking Around with Dave," where he breaks down the "boring" but essential mechanics of writing comedy and perfecting new material.

• Join here: https://patreon.com/c/SmileyDaveUKPro-Tip: Sign up via the website instead of the app to avoid the 30% mobile tax!

Follow Smiley Dave:

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf054-GgU5SKt0taRYhvOcw
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But the real story this week is Beat the Blackout, one of the most brutal comedy competitions in London. Dave did it twice. The first time, barely two and a half minutes before the lights went out. The second time, he came back angry, survived the full five minutes, and still got buzzed by one woman who apparently does the same material. Andrew Mensah was not impressed with her either.

Oh, and someone told him he sounds like Matt Berry. After the week he'd had, he'll take it.

The doubt is real this week. But so is the process.

Makle sure to follow, leave a rating/review

Join the Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/cw/smileydaveuk

Dave talks about the comedians who changed everything for him growing up, the personal mission to make every teacher laugh before GCSEs were over, and what it actually feels like to accidentally become Bill Bailey's scape goat.

Each week, I’ll be documenting what I’m actually doing to make this happen (or failing to do), talking to people who’ve chased big dreams of their own, and generally trying to work out if there’s a smarter way to get there or if the delusional is strong in this one.

In this first episode: Why I set the O2 goal in the first place The moment someone told me I might be too old to be dreaming like this The five “impossible” dreams I’ve already completed (and how they actually happened) How I accidentally ended up on radio, TV, and DJing festivals Why you absolutely cannot speedrun stand-up comedy and how this whole thing is going to work (in theory)

If nothing else, you can watch me try.

New episodes weekly.