They Laugh You Win

I had it all wrong.

For months I've been describing They Laugh. You Win. as:

"It's like having a comedian's brain on your phone."

And technically that's true.

I spent 38 years studying comedy, writing jokes, performing more than 7,000 shows, and reverse-engineering the patterns that make people laugh.

For over 25 years, I've taught the science of humor to entrepreneurs, CEOs, speakers, authors, educators, sales teams, and professionals from all walks of life.

Then for the past 2 years I taught those patterns to AI.

And for the last three months, I've been building the app around them.

But today I realized that's not what the experience feels like.

It doesn't feel like one comedian sitting next to you.

It feels like having 1,000 comedy writers working for you.

Because that's what AI makes possible.

If I sat down with someone one-on-one, I could help them find the funny in a story, write a joke, improve a speech, create a social media post, or develop a better presentation.

But I could only give them one idea at a time.

The app can give them ten.

Then ten more.

Then a completely different angle.

Then a punch-up.

Then another punch-up.

Then a version built around a different emotional truth.

Then another built around a different comedic pattern.

All in seconds.

Not because AI is creative.

Because AI is fast.

The creativity comes from the system.

The science.

The patterns.

The process.

Not how to tell jokes.

How to think.

How to take a thought, observation, frustration, story, or experience and turn it into something funny, memorable, and impactful.

What excites me most is that this isn't a joke generator.

A joke generator gives you an answer.

This gives you possibilities.

You become the head writer.

The engine becomes your writers room.

You decide what stays.

You decide what goes.

And the joke isn't finished until you say it is.

The prototype is working.

Real people are already using it on real projects.

And every week it becomes a little more capable.

If you're an investor, strategic partner, AI enthusiast, or someone interested in where creativity, humor, and AI intersect, I'd love to show you what I've built.

Send me a

Things are moving fast.

Honestly, faster than I expected.

I feel like every day I sit down with the app, discover something new, and realize the opportunity is bigger than I thought.

But I guess that's AI for you.

This week, I crossed a major milestone with They Laugh. You Win.

And it got me thinking about what I've actually been building.

For almost my entire life, I've been obsessed with patterns.

Not data patterns.

Comedic patterns.

The patterns hidden inside everyday life that make people laugh, connect, remember, and pay attention.

For nearly 40 years, I've studied how comedians take an ordinary observation and turn it into something people can't stop talking about.

Not because of a pun.

Not because of a one-liner.

Because they recognize patterns most people miss.

The joke is just the final result.

Over the last year, I've been teaching AI those same patterns.

Not how to generate random jokes.

How to think through an idea the way a comedian does.

How to recognize frustration.

How to find emotional truth.

How to spot contrast.

How to uncover the funny hidden inside an observation, story, speech, social post, presentation, wedding toast, or conversation.

That's what makes They Laugh. You Win. different.

I didn't build a joke generator.

I built a humor engine trained on decades of comedian thinking.

And once I got that working, something interesting happened.

The same system that could help someone write a joke could also help them create:

• Social Media Posts
• Marketing Copy
• Presentations
• Networking Conversations
• Wedding Toasts
• Funny Cards
• Audience Engagement Moments

Because people don't actually want a joke.

They want what a joke does.

Attention.

Connection.

Confidence.

Trust.

Influence.

Engagement.

The brain exists.

The prototype works.

And every day I become more convinced that what I'm building is bigger than a joke-writing app.

That's why I keep coming back to Canva.

Canva democratized graphic design.

You didn't need years of training to create something that looked professional.

What if humor is next?

What if comedian thinking became accessible to everyone?

🎬 Blockbuster Impact. Indie Costs.

Okay… maybe the movie poster is a little dramatic.

But after what I experienced this past weekend, I'm not sure it's that dramatic.

At the first-ever Comedy for a Cause event, we premiered a 2-minute movie I created for Mountainview Church's future Plaza and Playground project.

A few minutes later, a pie sold for $500.

Not because it was the world's greatest pie.

Because a woman stood up and said:

"I'm doing it for the slide."

The slide was a callback from the movie.

She wasn't bidding on pie anymore.

She was bidding on a vision.

That's the difference.

Most fundraising videos tell people what a project is.

This one showed them why it matters.

People didn't just see a plaza and playground.

They saw adults gathering.

They saw friendships forming.

They saw kids laughing.

They felt the impact before the auction even started.

That's where Jay Fiske's feedback really hit me.

Jay has spent 35 years as a world class auctioneer and has seen thousands of auctions.

He told another veteran auctioneer that the video made his job dramatically easier because the audience was already engaged, emotionally invested, and focused before the first item was sold.

That's when I realized this isn't really a fundraising video.

It's an auction setup.

A movie trailer for generosity.

Because every great trailer has one job:

Make people care enough to stay for what's next.

And here's the kicker...

The next morning someone commented on the auction setup video on Facebook:

"We were out of town, but the video motivated us to donate this morning."

The auction ended.

The giving didn't.

The Mountainview movie is in the comments below.

Watch it and let me know what you think.

Every fundraiser has a different story to tell, which means every Auction Setup Movie is custom-built around the mission, audience, and cause.

If you'd like to create some movie magic—and fundraising magic—for your next benefit auction, let's talk.

🍿 Now Showing.

EventPlanning

For 25 years I’ve been obsessed with one question:

Can humor be taught?

Not just to comedians… but to speakers, CEOs, entrepreneurs, educators, sales teams, awkward people, introverts… people from all walks of life.

After teaching thousands of people and spending decades writing, performing, coaching, and studying what actually makes people laugh…

I stopped asking:

“How do I teach people to write jokes?”

…and started asking:

“How do I teach software to think about humor the way comedians do?”

This is the result.

The **They Laugh. You Win. Humor Engine.**

Not an AI joke generator.

A system designed to help people turn their stories, observations, experiences, speeches, toasts, social posts, awkward moments, and real life into humor they can actually use.

You bring the moment.
We find the funny.

And the part I’m most excited about:

The app doesn’t stop at generating a draft.

Now it introduces **Punch It Up** — a second pass built around my actual editing philosophy to make jokes tighter, more conversational, more human, and more performable.

This is still early.

But it’s working.

So I’m starting to schedule short demos.

Right now I’m looking for:
• Strategic partners
• Early investors
• Product thinkers
• AI builders
• People who see the opportunity in communication, confidence, and connection

If that sounds like you, send me a message or drop a comment and let’s set up a quick demo.

Because when They Laugh. You Win.

I’m pretty obsessed with *The Pitt* right now… and honestly it inspired me to create this. 😂

But unlike *The Pitt*…

NO JOKE DIES THIS WEEKEND.

🚨 JOKE ER WEEKEND 🚨

POST TODAY.
SAVE YOUR JOKE BY TOMORROW.

This weekend inside my FREE They Laugh. You Win. Skool Community… I’m opening the Joke ER.

Got a:
👉 Premise that isn’t working
👉 Half-written joke
👉 Speech opening
👉 Story that needs punchlines
👉 Podcast bit
👉 Sales presentation
👉 Wedding toast line
👉 Awkward real-life moment
👉 “There’s something funny here but I can’t find it” idea

Bring it in.

I’ll take it through my process:
✅ Mine for the funny
✅ Follow the rabbit holes
✅ Find the strongest angle
✅ Punch it up
✅ Add rhythm, timing & tags
✅ Bring the joke back to life

And honestly… even if you DON’T post something, you’re going to want to watch this happen.

Because seeing how a joke gets fixed is one of the fastest ways to understand how comedy actually works.

This isn’t just for comedians.

It’s for:
Speakers.
Entrepreneurs.
Sales pros.
Auctioneers.
Coaches.
Content creators.
People who want to be more engaging, memorable, funny and confident.

⚠️ IMPORTANT:
I’ll work on submissions in the order they arrive at the ER…

So if you want yours worked on, get in there NOW.

Join the FREE community just go the Skool platform and search They Laugh You Win or click the link in the comments.

And when you post:
➡️ Give me the setup/context
➡️ Tell me where you’re using it
➡️ Don’t write a novel
➡️ The rougher the better

Dead jokes welcome. 😂

Maybe I’ve got Star Wars on the brain because the new Mandalorian movie is coming out…

…but honestly, for me teaching comedy and humor feels a lot like this. 😂

For the past 25 years I’ve taught thousands of students — comedians, speakers, entrepreneurs, auctioneers, educators, sales professionals and everyday people — and the biggest breakthrough is almost never “the joke.”

It’s learning how to THINK differently.

How to see patterns.
How to follow the funny.
How to trust the process.
How to make choices without freezing.
How to understand rhythm, timing and disruption.
How to ride the energy once the laugh happens.

That’s why I always say:
Comedy isn’t magic.
It’s awareness.

And once you learn how to see it…
you start finding humor, stories and connection everywhere.

That’s what I’m building inside the They Laugh. You Win. Skool community.

A place for people who want to become more funny, engaging, memorable and impactful — on stage, in business, in content and in life.

And yes…
sometimes it apparently involves tiny comedy monk energy. 😂

Come join us.

Free community: Link in the comments

Your First Choice Usually Isn’t the Best Joke… And That’s OK.

One of the biggest problems newer comedians and writers have is they think every line has to be perfect the first time.

It doesn’t.

Professional comedians make choices.

A lot of them.

Because sometimes the first line isn’t “the line”… it’s just a placeholder so you don’t get stuck.

That’s one of the biggest differences between experienced comedians and newer comics: we know how to KEEP MOVING.

George Carlin always said that last thing he did when writing a standup routine was to "punch it up" ... go through what he had already written and rewrite it using different words and phrases and timing to bring more energy and spark to it.

“Punch up” writing has been a longstanding and vital practice in Hollywood since the first screenplay was written and there is evidence that even William Shakespeare would often apply this finishing touch on many of his works.

Going back through the material and rewriting words, phrases, timing and imagery to make the joke hit harder.

Because words on a page are a living organism.

They evolve.

And there are always ways to make them:
• sharper
• funnier
• more vivid
• more memorable
• more impactful

That process doesn’t just apply to stand-up comedy either.

It applies to:
podcasts, speeches, keynotes, sales, storytelling, content creation and everyday communication.

That’s a huge part of what I teach inside my free They Laugh. You Win. Skool Community.

If you’re a:
• comedian
• speaker
• entrepreneur
• content creator
• coach
• salesperson
• storyteller
—or just someone who wants to become more engaging and memorable—

come join us.

We’re building a community around the science and strategy of humor, storytelling and human connection.

👉 https://www.skool.com/the-laugh-you-win-7940/about

I think the reason people AREN’T flooding into my Skool community is simple…

They think there’s a catch. 😂

Honestly… I get it.

The internet has trained people to believe:
“FREE” means:
➡️ Fake value
➡️ Constant upsells
➡️ A giant sales funnel
➡️ Someone screaming “BUY MY COURSE” every 12 seconds

But this community is different.

I started performing comedy at 3 years old.

I’ve spent my entire life studying:
🎤 Stand-Up Comedy
🧠 Humor
🎙 Public Speaking
✍ Storytelling
🤝 Human Connection

I’ve headlined Las Vegas.
Taught at the Smithsonian.
Built the Stand-Up School at the DC Improv
Worked with high level speakers, athletes & Olympians, entrepreneurs, educators, auctioneers, podcasters and performers.

And honestly…

At this point in my life, I feel a responsibility to SHARE what I know and bring together people who genuinely respect the craft.

So yes…

Eventually there will be:
➡️ Workshops
➡️ Courses
➡️ Private coaching

Of course there will.

But that has NOTHING to do with the community itself.

The community is FREE because I want people:

* learning together
* sharing ideas
* watching jokes get built in real time
* understanding HOW funny actually works

And I honestly believe people from EVERY industry can benefit from this:
Comedians.
Speakers.
Authors.
Podcasters.
Leaders.
Entrepreneurs.
Sales people.
Content creators.
Teachers.

Humor isn’t just about getting laughs.

It’s about:
Connection.
Trust.
Attention.
Memorability.
Energy.

I’m also going to start doing LIVE “Joke Writing Office Hours” inside the group where people can literally bring me:
➡️ stories
➡️ ideas
➡️ speech content
➡️ awkward moments
➡️ podcast bits
➡️ presentations
➡️ failed jokes

…and watch me put funny together in real time.

No catch.

Just people who love this stuff getting better together.

And honestly… I think it could become something really special.

If that sounds interesting to you, drop a comment and let me know if you’d come hang out at the Office Hours.

👇👇👇

and then check out the community and all it has to offer for FREE
(link in the comments)

Because when They Laugh… You Win.