Contact me ASAP for last minute booking special on the following team building activities. Pay just $500 for any event in New York City, Long Island, Westchester, Rockland County, New Jersey or Connecticut. I can also host these activities at my Times Square NYC comedy club before 5pm daily starting at just $800. I also travel regularly DC to Boston and beyond (travel and other costs in consideration).For.bigger events I can bring a full team of 4 or more comedic actors for Improv or Murder Mystery shows.
Improv Comedy Workshop
Murder Mystery Event – Madcapped Mysteries
Game Night- Trivia, Family Feud, Pictionary, Minute To Win It
Clients include Cushman Wakefield, Google, Merck, Mercedes Benz, META /Facebook, TikTok, JP Morgan Chase, Accenture, Morgan Stanley, Twitter, Roblox, Rimowa, EI Digital, Accenture, Datadog HQ, Milbank, BING/Microsoft, Bank of America – Merrill Lynch, Home Depot, Ernst & Young, Johnson & Johnson, Louis Vuitton, Coach, UBS, BDO, AMEX, Master Card, Macy’s, 360i, IBM, GM, Kraft, UNILEAVER, HBO, Disney, American Express, WeWork, Prudential, Convene, Conference Board and many more…
Improv Comedy Workshops are a ton of fun AND powerful tools. Under the right tutelage, improv comedy games build community and leadership skills. Or as I say, improv creates human skills.ninjas.
Simply playing these games builds self confidence. Ego and insecurity destroy all. Ego, for me, is defined as over compensating for insecurity. When we let go of those blocks, our listening, focus and communication skills soar. Our creativity and critical thinking thrive.
Madcapped Mysteries is the most original murder mystery experience EVER! Ideal for groups of 10-20+, I have a version that works for 100+ as well. For smaller events, EVERYONE becomes a character. Everyone plays detective. This show is one of my top selling events. As crime shows go, you cannot beat the price point. AND every show leads to 2-3 more bookings
I also have the 10-20 character clue party. I bring “scripts” for.up to 20 guests. Everyone plays suspect and detective. Clue Shows are the ultimate cocktail party game.
Some time around 10 years ago a sales team from Coach called and asked, “Do you do Game Nights?” A few weeks later we ran our first event with minute to win it games. Since then we have run versions of Trivial Pursuits, Family Feud, Pictionary and more. Scroll below and check out our free resources including Pictionary Word Generator with timer, Family Feud Question Generator and Trivia Quizzes for numerous themes and topics.
Bring Family Game Night to the office, birthday party, fundraiser, wedding rehearsal dinner, college/univeristy campus activities, Sweet 16, Bar / Bat Mitzvah, etc.
Trivia Night
Draw It! (Pictionary)
Common Knowledge Showdown (Family Feud)
SPEAK GOOD (Poetry For Neaderthals)
British Game Show (a collection of games popularized by numerous British comic for the BBC)
CORPORATE FIELD DAY aka Minute to Win It Games
Email us for a free consultation and custom quote.
“Everyone loved the interactiveness of the show. You are a true talent. You Really Made me shine.”
— Clifton Pierre, Corporate Coordinator Morgan Stanley, Firm Market Risk Department (Repeat client)
“I’d like to thank you for helping me organize such a great event for our team. They all had a great time!”
— Jessica Patel, Manager American Express
“You and your group are so very talented and we feel honored to have participated. I’ve heard many comments within the past few days, and they were ALL positive. Everyone had a great time.”
— Grace Danboise GM Powertrain
“The team had a great time! Sure, you can use me as a reference.”
— Erica Patino Inc.com / FastCompany.com
“Walt Frasier, really made the party! He led our group through some fun games and got everyone involved. People had a blast and got really competitive but in a fun way. Walt is a very talented Master of Ceremonies. He also had some fun prizes at the end. The whole thing was easy to set up. People absolutely enjoyed the party and a big part of that was Walt and our game night. We couldn’t have been happier.”
It’s one of our slowest months every year, Memorial Day Thru end of June. JULY SHOWS already almost sold out. Bring the whole family to one of our shows this month and I will grant the first FOUR tickets to June 13, 20 or 27 FREE. RSVP via this form. Let me know your preferred date in the message and I will add you to will call!!!
12pm Saturdays, Join us for the weekly drop in class. Usually $50/class, RSVP above and join us for just $20 this weekend.
Every week of camp is a self contained unit featuring both improv comedy and stand up comedy. Monday – Friday 8:45am drop offs, 4pm Pickups. Weekly Showcase, Fridays 2p.
Every platform starts the same way. Some innovative programmer creates a powerful new tool. Then one of three things happen.
One of the soon to be trillionaires pays millions or billions. They embed it into their platform.
One of the soon to be trillionaires pays millions or billions just to kill it.
The creator becomes one of the wannabe trillionaires.
THE RESULT? The people the platform was designed to help are screwed.
The Silicon Valley Get Rich Quick Scheme
Every watch Shark Tank? I have. Almost every episode.
Every year, dozens and dozens of tiny entrepreneurs scratch and claw for a little help. They just want to be seen. They just want to feed their family and pay the rent.
Every year a few tech guys pop up with their apps. They promise a new mousetrap to solve a problem no one knew they had. They millions of capital raised. They have burn rates. They have massive debt. All they need is a few more million from a generous VC to keep the lights on.
They are getting paid. They are on salary. The billionaire sneezed a few million their way. If that app fails. They will try another. It’s a casino game any Las Vegas whale craves.
Sometimes someone has something that truly benefits the world. Love those moments. Mr. Wonderful chastised someone for not knowing their numbers. Then complains about $100k, saying I NEED TO OWN THE WHOLE COMPANY FOR THAT. Then gives some random app $1 millions for 2% advisory shares.
QUIT YOUR DAY JOB?
I wrote my book QUIT YOUR DAY JOB to help actors create work for themselves. I wanted to show how I have been day job free since 2005.
At the same time I want to help artists avoid the pitfalls. There are more folks making money on our dreams than their are jobs working actors.
We need headshots, but unless going g after Hollywood/Broadway starring rolls you don’t need $1000 headshots. If answering ads for $200 gigs on actors access, use your phone. Not a selfie. Pose. Natural lighting is fine. But your phone is more powerful than the camera a guy used for my first headshot in 199 (something).
Day job free since 2005. I haven’t had a so called professional headshot in 20 years. I booked TV costar roles off my homemade shots.
Take classes. Train. But most of you don’t need to spend money on “coaching”. You need to be on a stage practicing your craft with other artists and great directors. You don’t need to pay to perform. You certainly most likely dont need to spend $2000+ for the honor of showcasing for free at a social called “comedy school”.
You need an agent/manager. But legit agents and managers never charge upfront. Professional casting directors never charge you to audition. I am even against most “networking” events. They are money makers for put of work actors preying on another’s dream.
I want to help change all this!
This is why I tell folks DON’T BUY MY BOOK. Emsil me and I’ll send you the PDF for free.
For five years I have been complaining about losing GOLDSTAR as a tool to fill seats and generate some income. It was a major blow to my marketing plans.
In thay five years, social media and SEO have compounded the problem. I told a few people the other day, NEVER MIND. DON’T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB!!!
I will be fine. What I do still brings in corporate clients and schools, the backbone of my income. My expertise in using improv to teach invaluable life skills awards me a loyalty I often question.
If I ever have imposter syndrome, it’s WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS? THmhen I slap myself and remind myself of the life time of hustle to get a ticket sold or book a client and then the quality work I and my teams deliver EVERY DAY.
I hate the word DESERVE. I DESERVE… I don’t deserve anything. But I have EARNED everything I have!
THE FUTURE IS NOW
For five years I dreamed of assembling a team. In 30 years I have collected a roledex of artists, theater/club/venje owners, entertainment lawyers, producers, and chosen / found family (our fans, students, and clients).
I had this idea of creating a new GOLDSTAR. A platform where an artist and a fan can connect. A single platform that is a better YELP, LinkTree, MailChimp, and TodayTix for indy artists and smaller venues. A community builder that truly helps artists and venues an artists earn a living.
GOLDSTAR had a community of LIVE experience providers. As a producer, I gave up a cut of my ticket, offering a discount, but Goldstar filled seats with zero marketing dollars from me. And I intern used GOLDSTAR to experience new shows, classes, and even a tourist traps. Fun local activities I wrote off.
I have been dreaming on of a way to bring this GOLDSTAR expereince back. I now have the team and the means. Just you wait!
If you are an artist, a venue, a show, an experience provider, etc reach out. I am looking for beta testers for a new type of service app. Or better, an old type of service app. One that is not infected by the goals of Silicon Valley and investors. This will be something for YOU to build YOUR community. A discoverability platform without AI, algorithms and greedy CEOs.
I’ve been performing live for over 30 years. Music. Theater. TV. Commercials. Comedy. Improv. Murder mysteries. Kids shows. Times Square to touring nationwide. Thanks to the hustle balanced with training I am day job free since 2005.
I’ve sold tickets every way imaginable — on street corners, through the mail, on MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, and a dozen ticketing platforms that promised to change everything. I was a beta tester on Google Plus. What is that? Exactly.
Almost every platform started out changing things for the better. A few like YELP started as gatekeepers from day one. But most eventually fall to the pay to play model. The democratizing discoverability platform, one by one becomes a money making engine for the greedy at the expense of the artists and fans.
For a while, there was Goldstar
If you don’t know Goldstar, here’s what made it special: it was a discoverability platform. Not just a place to buy tickets. A place to find things you didn’t know you were looking for. A place where an unknown show could sit next to a Broadway production and win — not because of a marketing budget, but because the audience said so.
I know this firsthand. My show, Improv 4 Kids, became the top-rated comedy show in the world on Goldstar.
Not a Broadway show. Not a Netflix special. A scrappy improv show for familirs, built from nothing, running in New Jersey and New York City.
We beat massive competitors with million-dollar marketing budgets. We did it because Goldstar was fair. You couldn’t buy your way to the top. (Not at first). You couldn’t spam reviews. The only people allowed to rate a show were verified ticket holders. Real audiences. Real voices. Real democracy.
It was Yelp for live entertainment — but without the corruption. From day one YELP felt like the mafia. If you paid them $300 a month, the good reviews were featured. No pay, the bad reviews filtered up and your paying competitors featured above. And often the BAD reviews from from the competition. ANYONE could post just about ANYTHING.
In 2006, I was rehearsing our show at the World Famous New York Improv, the original comedy club. Thanks to hustle in Times Square, we were selling our 2 shows every Sunday and Monday. I met a guy named Marty Fisher. RIP. He was an interesting character. He was a deal maker. He brought the IMPROV name to the club owner on 53rd street that is now the Broadway Comedy Club.
He told me about Goldstar. For 15 years, Goldstar helped me fill seats and create a base income for public shows.
There are ticketing platforms. Producers spend big bucks and/or tons of time creating content to get traffic to websites to sell a ticket.
There are papering sites, professional seat fillers thay get paid but no money goes to the show.
There was GROUPON where most businesses lose money to aquire a new customer. If you can convert that customer long term, great. Most so many use Groupon to game the system. They will never come back and pay full price.
But GOLDSTAR was different. They sold a ticket and the artist got paid. They got paid. Maybe just $5-10 but the cost of that acquisition was ZERO. And GOLDSTAR patrons were savvy theater goers. The platform had a YELP like component. Ticket holders rated and reviewed shows. By the time it was murdered we had 1000s of reviews and a 4.3 out of 5 stars. The BEST comedy clubs in New York averaged 3.7ish.
Combined with a hand full of full price ticket sales, a few group sales, we were able to pay our actors a base rate for every show. This was not a showcase of improv players at a “school” where you pay $2000+ in classes for the honor of performing improv for free for 10-30 for other improv players and friends (HI MOM!). This was professionally PAID performers entertaining strangers from around the world performing 4-8 75 minutes shows every week, often sold out.
Then TodayTix Bought Goldstar
In January 2022, TodayTix Group acquired Goldstar.
The transition was framed as an expansion — more events, wider reach, a better experience for everyone. What actually happened was something very different.
Our ticket sales were cut in half. Almost immediately.
Not because our shows got worse. Not because audiences stopped caring.
Immediately tep platforms became one. Those two grocery stores that lived next to each other for decades suddenly had zero competition.
Suddenly a monopoly completely killed competition. Fans suffer too. Todaytix rates are much higher. Everything is more expensive.
TodayTix made deals. Exclusivity arrangements. Preferential treatment for certain producers. Broadway shows — already armed with massive budgets — were now also armed with algorithmic advantages on a platform that used to be a level playing field.
The little guys got buried. By design.
I’ve watched this happen over and over again.
The Pattern Is Always the Same
Every platform starts the same way. It needs creators. It needs content. It needs the scrappy independent artists who will hustle to build an audience because they believe in what they’re doing.
So in the beginning, the platform is fair. It has to be. That’s how it grows.
Then comes scale. Then comes monetization. Then comes the inevitable moment when the platform realizes it can charge for visibility. That the algorithm can be rented. That the little guys who built the community can be quietly deprioritized in favor of whoever is willing to pay more.
I’ve lived through this on Facebook. On YouTube. On Eventbrite. On every social platform that used to feel like a genuine community and now feels like a pay-to-play casino.
I never paid for ads. I couldn’t compete with Broadway show budgets. The one time I tried a small ad in a major publication, the ROI was zero. I would have had more fun lighting the cash on fire.
What worked — the only thing that ever consistently worked — was a fair platform that let real audiences discover real artists and decide for themselves what was worth their time and money.
That’s not a radical idea. That’s just honesty.
What We Actually Lost
When Goldstar died, independent live arts lost something specific and important.
We lost a platform with zero pay-to-play. No algorithm you could buy your way into. No ad sales team calling every week trying to sell you visibility you shouldn’t have to buy.
We lost a platform where the audience was the authority. Not a marketing budget. Not a publicist. Not a deal between a platform and a producer. The people in the seats.
We lost a community. Patrons who used Goldstar weren’t just buying tickets. They were discovering art. Building habits. Becoming regulars. Some of the strangers who found my shows through Goldstar are still coming back ten and twenty years later.
We lost discoverability for the independent artist. The thing that lets a show built with passion and craft compete with a show built with capital.
The Landscape Right Now
I get five cold calls a week from ticketing platforms.
There are more of them than ever. Every one of them promises to solve the discovery problem. Every one of them eventually becomes another cash register — useful for processing transactions, useless for building community.
Google just gutted organic search. Social media — once the great democratizing force for independent creators — is now controlled by a handful of soon-to-be trillionaires who have made it clear that visibility costs money. The algorithm rewards whoever pays. Everyone else gets buried.
The independent artist is being squeezed from every direction.
And the audiences feel it too. There’s a growing backlash against algorithmic content, against AI-generated noise, against the sameness that comes when every platform optimizes for engagement over authenticity. People are hungry for something real. Something human. Something that happens in a room with other people and can never be replicated on a screen.
Live arts is the answer to that hunger. But only if people can find it.
What We Actually Need
We don’t need another ticketing platform.
We need a new Goldstar.
A platform whose entire purpose is to connect independent artists with real audiences. Where discoverability is democratic. Where you cannot buy your way to the top. Where the only currency is the quality of your work and the honesty of your audience.
A platform where a kids improv show in an off off broadway theater can become the top-rated comedy show in the world — because the people in those seats said so.
A platform that serves artists and fans equally. That builds real community. That keeps zero algorithms between a performer and the audience that would love them if they could only find each other.
A platform that remembers why live arts matters in the first place.
Not content. Not product. Not inventory.
Experience. Community. Human connection.
The arts have survived every platform that tried to own them. They will survive this moment too.
But they deserve better tools. They deserve a fair platform. They deserve a place that is genuinely, structurally, permanently on their side.
That platform should exist.
It needs to exist.
And the artists and audiences who built communities on Goldstar — the ones who know what a fair platform actually feels like — deserve to have it back.
Walt Frasier is a comedian, actor, improv artist, producer, and promoter based in New Jersey with over 30 years in live performance. He is the founder of 8 Improv Theater and the creator of Improv 4 Kids and Madcap Mysteries.
If this resonates with you — as an artist, a venue, or a fan of live arts — share it. The conversation starts here. EMAIL ME! SOMETHING IS COMING!
Meet David Lee Morea David Lee Morea is an accomplished New York-based filmmaker and photographer who holds both a BFA in Film and Television Production and a Master’s in Italian Studies from NYU. With a diverse professional portfolio, he has contributed to major productions like “The Voice” and “American Idol” while serving high-profile clients such as NBC, Michael Kors, and the United Nations. In addition to his commercial work, Morea is a dedicated documentarian, having produced titles like “Before Neorealism” and the Amazon Prime feature “We Are Mermaids.” He currently offers versatile photography and video services tailored to accommodate a wide range of budgets. https://www.instagram.com/davidlmorea/
REMEMBER ME? For 30+ years Walt Frasier has been entertaining audiences live from Times Square NYC, Touring Nationwide, and occasionally popping onto their TVs and other devices. For casting Walter in SAG AFTRA Film, TV & Commercial projects, contact (Jaime) Baker Management. International credits include TV, Commercials, Theater, Music & Comedy. Currently the Artistic Director of the NEW YORK IMPROV THEATER and North East Managing Director for THEY IMPROV. https://www.instagram.com/waltfrasier/
Florida’s oldest and last remaining roadside attraction struggles to compete against Orlando’s mega parks and keep its famed tradition of being the worlds first and only real City of Live Mermaids.
EMAIL for group sales & private events. We daily work with corporate teams and student groups from around the world and tour events DC to BOSTON and beyond!
Walt Frasier 