WILMINGTON — After hosting a show to sold-out crowds one year ago, comedian Cliff Cash is preparing to debut his first recorded comedy special this weekend — a decade in the making.
READ MORE: Local comedian talks ‘The Long Road’ of standup, plans to pitch recorded special to streamers
On Sunday, Cash and Lighthouse Films, which produced the special “The Long Road” — directed by Brad Walker — will welcome upward of 300 people to view it on the big screen at Brooklyn Arts Center.
The special was recorded at historic Thalian Hall in fall 2023 and highlights comedic insights from Cash’s personal life, even in places where it seems unimaginable — such as when his father died or when he went through a painful divorce. His act also consists of impersonations of characters that feel relatable to many Southern folks, heavy drawl included.
Cash tackles stereotypes others put on the South and he doesn’t shy away from politics or current events ticking the headlines. He’s been known to punch up (Trump) to those in power and avoids punching down to marginalized voices (LGBTQ rights).
“I went after homophobia and racism and fascism and theocracy, and tried to kind of say something that matters,” Cash said. “So I feel good about that. … And that’s what I’m hoping is going to make me stand out as a comic: Make people feel something, and, hopefully, drop in a little wisdom and be a little more cerebral than a lot of comedy that’s out there.”
“The Long Road” is a culmination of Cash’s passion for the craft, something he spent a decade cultivating while on the road. He packed a Sprinter van and upfitted it into his bedroom, drove it across the country multiple times over, camping at 45 national parks and visiting almost every state while doing club shows.
“The Long Road” starts with Cash exiting his van and entering into Thalian Hall; it’s scored by local musician Sean Thomas Gerard. The van will be parked at BAC Sunday as well for photo-ops.
His aim is for the special to inspire a wave of shares across social media, with the plan to debut it at BAC the same night it goes live for free on his YouTube channel.
“Virality is really kind of more important at this point than money,” Cash said. “Because if I can achieve one, I can surely achieve the other.”
Cash and Lighthouse Films — also behind Kevin Hart’s “Hart of It All,” released on Peacock — will host a question-and-answer session at the in-person event. They will share the creative choices made in its recording and behind-the-scenes insight. They’re also donating proceeds from half of its ticket sales to Helene disaster victims in western North Carolina — a place near and dear to Cash and his brother, Wiley, a New York Times Bestselling author, who also teaches fiction writing at UNCA. Wiley is moderating the panel at Sunday’s event.
“One of the members of the Lighthouse crew, is born and raised in Swannanoa,” Cash said, which remains closed to the public due to enduring landslides and mudslides from Helene. “All his friends and family are there, and he’s been running supplies back and forth in a van, and so we’re gonna put all the money towards his efforts.”
Cash was hoping “The Long Road” would catch the eye of streamers when he and Lighthouse first began planning it more than a year ago, with the help of funding from local restaurateur Billy Mellon. However, he said the market keeps changing on how streamers pick up specials. While before many would bet on lesser-known comedians, Cash said lately it seems like the model has switched.
“We weren’t able to make it happen — but, man, we tried,” he said, adding people he knows with connections to Netflix attempted to pitch it to people they knew at the global company many times over. “That’s just the industry: self-important gatekeepers who just get to decide whether you make it or not.”
Cash said he did get an offer from Comedy Dynamics but after weighing the benefit, he thought controlling the special on his own terms was better suited. It means having full authority over his material, narrative and release rights, a move many comedians are making.
Cash referenced Andrew Shulz as an example. It’s believed Amazon Prime purchased Shulz’s special “Infamous” two years ago but tried to censor it over abortion jokes. So Shulz bought it back with his life-savings, self-released it with Moment House and reached 10 million views.
Cash added there are “really good people … some of the biggest people in the industry” who have offered to represent him, should the special take off. This includes consultation with Barry Katz — TV and film producer and talent manager, who also founded the Boston Comedy Club in New York City.
“Barry’s whole strategy is: ‘You’re a really great comic and you got to bet on yourself. And YouTube is the internet democratized,’” Cash said, adding Katz told him: “‘If this special is as good as you think it is, and as good as I think it is, the world’s gonna agree — and you just have to trust that.’”
The goal after its Sunday debut is to break up 60 or so edited clips to continuously re-share on social media platforms, in hopes it triggers an algorithm for greater reach.
The downside is Cash said he has neglected “going viral” for a good part of his career. Mainly, he was focused on traveling, playing the circuit, trying to vie for the attention of people in the industry who would recognize his talent. Had he garnered millions of followers sooner, chances that Netflix or another streamer picking up “The Long Road” could have increased; in this day and age, it’s also about what businesses get in return, particularly subscribers.
In the last year, Cash said he has been more in tune with the current landscape and business side of comedy. He has garnered more than 100,000 followers on his culmination of social media accounts, sans X (“I don’t do Twitter because [Elon Musk is] a fascist,” he said).
He also has not been traveling as much, since being in a long-term relationship and helping rear two kids while also caring for an ailing parent.
“It’s harder to be gone when you know people are counting on you to be a stepdad and caretaker and all those things,” Cash said. “But if every clip we share gets 5,000 views, that’s 300,000.”
Though there is no magic number for reach, Cash said the goal is to try everything possible to “bombard the algorithm” with content and “hope something catches fire.”
If it goes off, Cash said it means playing larger venues, which he had been doing some of recently, by booking shows on cruises, for instance. He did spend all of June on the road, traveling to California and back, picking up another 8,000 miles in the van while performing at clubs.
“I did the Diana Wortham theater in Asheville in June for 500 seats,” he said. “I have a pretty good following in Asheville. My focus now is on more lucrative shows — bigger, better gigs.”
Cash has opened for multiple up-and-comers and veterans alike, such as Kevin Nealon, Nate Bargatze, Bert Kreischer, Dave Attell, and “The Daily Show” comics Ronny Chieng and Wyatt Cenac.
Tickets to his BAC premiere are available here, with a VIP cocktail hour and meet-and-greet with the comedian also an option. “The Long Road” will be live on his YouTube channel and then released as an album on Nov. 3 on all audio platforms from comedian-owned comedy label Ghost Runner Records. It will be Cash’s second album; his first, “Half Way There,” reached the number one spot on iTunes in 2021.
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