It was a Dave Chappelle, uh, show and we were doing a focus group and this is when he was applying KKK and he was throwing out the N word and I'm around all these white people and it was funny, you know, but I thought, I didn't know it was uncomfortable for me. And so I did stand up and I explained to them that, you know, Dave Chappelle is a genius in this comedy. He's funny, but I said, I think what's happening is that you're missing the context of the joke. He's, he's telling you that racism is taught. It's a learned behavior. We'll discuss race and how it plays a factor, and how we didn't even talk about this topic because we were afraid. A black executive perspective. Welcome to a black executive perspective podcast, a safe space where we discuss all matters related to race, especially race in corporate America. I'm your host, Tony. And I'm your co host Chris Perry. So again, we are live at WNHU 88. 7 on the Richter dial, the university, new Haven podcast studio. We want to thank our partners for being so gracious and allowing the black executive perspective podcast to. Promote this important topic. So go chargers continue to have a good time over the summer Also, let's remember to check out our partners at code m magazine whose mission is saving the black family by first saving a black man That is code m magazine code m magazine two m's Thanks, Chris. Yeah, definitely check them out. So today we're going to have some fun. All right. Uh, in this episode, we're going to chat with Steve capers, CEO of knock, knock comedy productions about the rise of the Martha's vineyard comedy fest from a modest gathering to a global cultural phenomenon. Steve will share insights into the festival's beginnings. Its growth and its significant cultural impact. We will also explore key moments, how the festival supports emerging talent and the creativity and challenges behind making the Martha's Vineyard Comedy Fest a pivotal event in the comedy world. So I wanna set the stage by first giving a little bit about Steve and and his antics, right. So Steve Capers founded Knock Knock Comedy Productions, uh, and launched his career in comedy while at Martha's Vineyard in 2009. He envisioned a comedy festival spotlighting up and coming African American comedians leading to the first Martha's Vineyard Comedy Fest in 2010, which starred Damon Williams, Chicago's own, and A. J. Jamal. This event eventually evolved into the Black Comedy Month, that's trademarked by him, in 2017, a prestigious celebration of black comedy. Before founding this company, Steve worked for Comedy Central and BET, where he organized events with top comedians and promoted iconic shows. In 2003, he began producing comedy events for various organizations, significantly impacting Chicago's comedy scene alongside comedian Damon Williams with their monthly show, Funny First Saturdays, inspired from a young age by his Tony award winning aunt, uh, Virginia Capers, shout out, uh, Virginia. Um, Steve has been pivotal in promoting African American comics and talent, offering both laughter and cultural appreciation throughout his work. Steve Capers, welcome to a Black Executive Perspective Podcast, sir. Well, Chris and Tony, it is my pleasure. Thank you for the introduction. Uh, I want to really get at it and just talk all about comedy and how African American humor is something we need to celebrate. We need to continue laughing and just have fun. Sometimes we've got to make light of situations. Uh, just to kind of cope and, uh, it is a good medicine. It's a good remedy. And you know, the comics I deal with, they turn this whole comedy thing into a great art form. And for me to have a stage, a platform for them to showcase their talent, their originality, their uniqueness, uh, it's unbelievable what they do on Martha's Vineyard every August. So currently you and your family. Uh, where do you reside and, and, and give me a little bit more about your family connections to Martha Vineyard. So we're actually all over the map, you know, so we've lived in Chicago, New Orleans, um, currently live in DC or really outside of DC and Maryland. But, uh, we've been vacationing in Martha's Vineyard for the past 20 years. And so with that. The notion of doing comedy came up, you know, as an activity, and we wanted to start it kind of small at first, but it has grown into this, uh, awesome experience, this awesome comedy festival. And so, uh, You know, but we've been doing the show for now, this is our 13th year and we're excited about it. We got big names coming. We have everyone from D. L. Hughley, Sherry Shepard, Kemp Whitley. We have a comedy legend, Marshall Warfield and so many others. And it's always hosted by my best, one of my best friends, my dear friend, uh, comedian Damon Williams. Wow, buddy. I mean, I'm excited. Actually, I'm going to be there, Steve. Um, you know, we're heading out, uh, July 19th, so I'm going to be there, buddy. So you just got my mouth watering. Uh, I, I, I know I got a ticket waiting for me. I, I'm pretty sure I do. I hope so, right? Oh, I tell you, boy, it's real. Ain't all of a sudden nobody know you, right? Nobody know you right. But listen buddy, we got a ticket for you. It sounds so exciting, my man. So, real quick though, tell us a little bit of why did you want to come on a Black Executive perspective podcast to talk about this topic? Well, one of the things, this is a safe environment, you know, and I think, you know, the fellowship of, uh. Black men getting together, able to talk business, able to talk shop. I think that's very important. And so, you know, we all come from different backgrounds and, you know, and experiences. So I think what I have is really unique and what I like to do is provide, maybe inspire or whatever the case may be to other black men and women for that case. But, uh, you know, I've been doing this thing for 20 something years now. And so, uh, I feel that I have a lot to offer. Hey, this is a great platform to showcase this. Well, listen, buddy, I really appreciate that. So look, let's, let's, let's get to the nuts and bolts, man. Are you ready to talk about it? Let's talk about it. All right, buddy. Let's talk about it. So you know what? One of the things that stuck with me with you, uh, Steve was it amazed me how much of a historian you are, have become. And so when you think about the history of African American comedy and humor, what are some of the unique characteristics, some of the unique pioneering figures, you know, how do you see? How we are now and where we came from. Well, I mean, that's a huge title. You gave me a kind of a story on black comedy. Uh, you know, I looked at D militant. He was the one that was carrying the torch for us in terms of documenting. He has a book called how we laugh or what made us laugh. I can't remember the title of him, but it's a great book. It documents everything. And it goes way back to the Burt Williams. Uh, and even further than that, I mean, my role model, believe it or not, as a guy named Pat Chappelle. Pat Chappelle was in the early 1900s, who was a promoter, you know, did the whole vaudeville thing and just taking black entertainers and, uh, and traveling throughout the South, you know, segregated South. But yet he did such a great job where he was able to go into mainstream. So he was attracting the white audience as well. And so it's always impressive when you could see someone like a Kevin Hart who can cross over, but still be black, you know. Maintain his African American humor, but it can be on the main stage when you look at a Dave Chappelle, you know, those guys are huge, but, you know, it's only so many of those. And so what I like to do with my festival is actually provide that platform to showcase the variety originality. And, you know, and be a Dave, be a Pat Chappelle, you know, of the 2000s, if you will, but then there's other people like Mary Lindsay, uh, you know, with, with all jokes aside in Chicago, Raymond Lambert, you know, these, these some guys that, you know, basically built a road for the Bernie Macs of the world, um, George Wilborn. I mean, that list continues, you know, everybody kind of got their start. And this kind of small 200 seat club. So now that I have a theater, you know, I got the footprint and Martha's Vineyard is actually going to be the Mecca. That's what we're branding it as the Mecca of black comedy, you know? So now this time we kind of control the narrative, if you will, and don't have to wait for Hollywood. We're looking at different platforms, like with shares, though, where we could put. Uh, content on there and, and, and, and be worldwide. So there's so much we're trying to do and so much to do and, uh, and people like you give them, you know, BUP give me the opportunity to talk on this platform just helps us spread the word. So Steve, let me ask you this. I mean, number one, thank you for that, my friend, you, you, I mean, you there's, when we think about it, you know, the African American has been pivotal. In the history of comedy, right? And you just talked about it, you know, Vaudeville. You, you named a few individuals that I didn't, I'm not even aware of. But we can talk about Moms Mabley. We can talk about Red Fox. We can talk about, you know, Bill Cosby. We can, Richard Pryor. We can just keep going and on and on. And you just, you mentioned today, you know, Dave Chappelle. Yeah, Dave Chappelle and Kevin Hart and others, right? Talk to us real quickly, a little bit about how the styles have changed from the times when you, from vaudeville to where we are in 2024 when it comes to African American comedy. So back in the day, um, you probably were actually more talented because you sang, you dance and you told jokes. So you know, when the era of Dick Gregory came about, that's when you stood flat footed and that's when you, you know, you had to have some delivery. And so there's different styles in terms of. Like I could go to, um, you know, so if you look at Dick Gregory, his style is very political. Uh, he's intentional with trying to, you know, not only tip your funny bone, but actually hit your heart and hit your mind. So that's kind of more of that intellectual comedy. But then you got more slapstick, you know, or, um, you can have that, what they call that raw comedy. You know, it's just different styles. What we have at Martha's Vineyard is something we call cultivating comedy. You know, we're here to uplift, you know, uh, you know, I don't censor comics, but what I do tell them is that they can't use any derogatory terms, you know, so you're not calling women bees and you're not using N words and stuff like that, unless it's part of the joke. So we're not Christian comedy. We're not corporate comedy. We're just straight funny without having to be using derogatory terms. But now with the internet. You know, you got so many people who are doing skits. So it's almost like we're coming back to the vaudeville era, you know? But stand up comedy is where my heart is. And that's where I look at it as a true art form to make people laugh. Got it, buddy. So look, we talk in art form. You just went through from slapstick to stand up, you know, to politico. So now let's talk about decades, my brother. Uh, Eighties and nineties, right? Where do you stand in terms of, you know, the best decade for comedy? Well, the best decade for me, I would say it was the late eighties and early nineties. Uh, that's when I kind of came into the comedy scene, you know, having the opportunity to be in Chicago at all jokes aside, that was just something you did. It was kind of a cultural thing, you know, cause you were able to see, and this is at the time, the height of the bull. So you can see Michael Jordan. You can see a Scottie Pippen, a Dennis Robin at these clubs. Uh, so it was kind of like, who can you see? While doing that I was able to see different comedians come, you know The label Crawford's of the world that Chris rocks of the world before they became big names. And so You know, it's just one of those things where wait, i'm almost kind of blanked out. What your question? No, no, no So look at that question. Yeah. Yeah, so 80s 90. So look, you know, I eddie murphy, you know, uh, um Robert Townsend, you know, I think of them more the 80s type, you know, stuff, right? And then you had 90s where you had DL Hughley You had a bunch of those individuals come up and and take it So I was just like from that time frame who what do you think was the best time from a comedy standpoint? This is kind of say who's the best ballplayer ever, you know, or, you know, or our team is at the Boston Celtics back in the day, or I mean, things have changed, but I tell you, I had an interview the other day with Marsha Warfield. Uh, and one of the things, one of the questions that we had for her was, if it wasn't for you, would there be a Tiffany Haddish? If it wasn't for you, would there be a Whoopi Goldberg? If it wasn't for you, would it be a Monique? And so, or some more, I mean, the names continue and, and they're humbling. And her response was, if it wasn't me, it was going to be somebody else. I was like, Whoa, that's, that's deep. But you know, we looking at you as a comedy legend and you had to, you know, she's gay, you know, so she had more obstacles, but yet she was still able to get on stage, stand flat footed and make people laugh. So, um, but just hearing her humble opinion, cause. It just depends on what generation you grew up in. I mean, because Eddie Murphy was funny. No, not was, but is funny. Uh, Martin Lawrence, funny. You know, so all of these guys have done movies, they've done sitcoms. So it's kind of hard, but I know I'm most familiar with the eighties and nineties. That was my era. Had a good time. And then in the early 2000s, stand up comedy for African Americans kind of took a drop because there were limited comedy clubs. So, you know, so now what's happening is comedians have to create their own space. So they were getting running out their own rooms and trying to promote. And. You know, what comedians, they just want to be artists. They don't really want to be out there promoting. They don't want to be organizing. They don't want to do any of that. So someone like me, that's where I come in. And so, my relationship with Damon Williams is that he's the face of my festival. I'm behind the scenes. You know, so we're not stepping on anybody's toes. You know, they come to see him. They're not necessarily coming to see me. So, you know, from an operational standpoint, you know, I do an excellent job. And as a comedian, artist, Damon, you know, has that front row. So, you know, I do have favorite comics. But I just don't have one, you know, so again, it's who, what's the best era. I mean, It's just hard to tell, but Dick Gregory back in the 60s was tough. Then you got Flip Wilson. You had Moms Mabley back then. Pig Meet Martin. Uh, I mean, it's just, it's hard. And then, and then I'm kind of giving you my political answer, basically. You know, I'm not trying to, you know, Let me ask you a different perspective on the same question. So, obviously, when I was young, young, you know, you had stand up specials, you know, you had Damon Williams and, and, uh, or Damon Wayans, excuse me, Damon Wayans and, and, uh, Eddie Murphy and folks like that. And they would do the hour long joints and you see it on HBO and everything like that. And then there was the evolution of deaf comedy jam and comedy, right? And now you have more comics top to bottom that you were able to see per capita. And that, you know, they went through the crucible and made their way onto the mainstream. And then that kind of dropped off was, in my opinion, or in my history, that seemed to be The heyday because you just every night you turned on Miss Laura was cooking in the kitchen and you had all these people whether it be D. O. Hughley, you had so many different people that hosted it. Uh, uh, even my man, Gary Owens, you know, you have folks that could get up there and you could see them on TV and you didn't have to go into the back rooms or the clubs and, and all this other stuff. Um, was that good for comedy or did that turn out to be bad for the black comedians? Because for whatever reason, you know, That didn't maintain itself like I thought it would. So when we started getting TV exposure like that, that kind of eliminated the black comedy club because what's happening now is that these, these guys got their visibility and so now they can sell out theaters, you know, now they can sell out arenas. So the small guy kind of got pushed aside, but now you have the internet. So, Now you got so many different platforms, digital platforms for people to showcase, I mean, whether it's YouTube and then if you look at someone like Netflix, they've done a great job of, uh, doing a lot of standup comedy, you know, special, um, then you got Peacock, I mean, there's Hulu. I mean, it's just so many different avenues. But now, again, you know, what's the pinnacle? Is Netflix the pinnacle with streaming services? You know, everybody wants a Netflix special. So, you know, when I came in, or when I started thinking about being cognizant of Black comics, we talk about the Eddie Murphy delirious, we talk about the Damon Wayans, uh, The Last Stand, and, and these type of specials that were hour long specials, even the Chris Rock, From a long time ago to me, and I know you had your own perspective of the heyday. It was when Def Comedy Jam and comic view, when you had the Gary Owens and, and, uh, DL Hughley roasting people on the stage and that kind of stuff. That seemed to be when it really picked up and started to move where every day I could turn in and see somebody beyond the Apollo. Um, what did you think that translated to? What you guys do and how that affected the ecosystem of black comics. Yeah. So when you look at the comic views of the world, the deaf comedy jams, you know, they were getting all this exposure. Uh, it was almost kind of like a marketing tool for these comics. So then what happened, they kind of got too big for the small comedy club, you know, cause they could sell out the aiders, they could sell out arenas. And so It was a good thing, but it was also a bad thing. But now you have the Internet, so now you have different platforms. So that's the beauty of it. So you do have the Netflix. You do have the Hulu. You do have something like Scherzo, which is a black owned streaming service, which is everything comedy. So, Uh, it's just interesting how things change, but they kind of stay the same, but the thing you're, you're, you're, you're pretty much your materials is exploited because once you put it out there, somebody can look at it and try to do a variation of your joke. And so now it's tougher on stand up comedian. They have to be original. They have to be the first to come out with something so they can claim it as their joke. But I mean, there's, Everybody pretty much kind of tells the same joke. It's just your delivery. It's your style and you know, it's your, your comfort level. So, um, but yeah, but. You know, it's still amazing. It's still exciting. And so I look forward to whatever comes, you know, our way through the digital technology. And you know, my friend, you, you know, you'd spoke about it earlier. You have, uh, you've built up the Martha's Vineyard comedy fest from nothing, right. Uh, a place where, you know, the upper class go and vacation and, and play golf and, and, and the whole nine yards. And now it's a cultural phenomenon. Yeah. Okay, where now people go and while they're on vacation, they can laugh, they can have fun, but they can also meet new comics or they can meet some of the people that been around for a long time that they may have had a hard time being able to go to a club to see now they can see him here in Martha's Vineyard. So tell us a little bit, you know, we're going to, we're going to play a clip of one of your, your comedians, but tell us a little bit how you got this off the ground. And what was the vision in terms of where it started to where it is today? Well, the thing is, I wanted to be, this festival to be embedded into the culture of Martha's Vineyard. I mean, I wasn't there to make any kind of transaction to get rich fast kind of thing. I, I had a purpose. And so, uh, When I was at Comedy Central, I'll tell you this quick little story. Uh, it was a Dave Chappelle, uh, show, and we were doing a focus group. And this is when he was a blind KKK, and he was throwing out the N word, and I'm around all these white people. And it was funny, you know, but I thought, I didn't know, it was uncomfortable for me. And so I did stand up and I explained to them that You know, Dave Chappelle is a genius in his comedy, he's funny, but I said, I think what's happening is that you're missing the context of the joke. He's telling you that racism is taught, it's a learned behavior, but you guys are laughing at his throwing, you know, the N word, and why does he have to do that? So if he was doing a skit where he's using derogatory terms about your race, your sexuality, or something like that, how would you feel? And so You know, weeks later, we all got laid off from Comedy Central. And so I hope that story, I hope that, that, that it's a little quick, you got somebody. So you got everybody got laid off. No, we, we had done our job and we exceeded our goals. Uh, it was no more growth for us for Comedy Central. But so one of the things I did was like, well, shoot, I mean, I know all these comedians, let me start my own company. And. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't being a hypocrite. So that's why I came up with this cultivating comedy. Again, just no derogatory terms, but you know, we're not, we could be edgy. We could be. a little corporate here and there, but it's all about the culture. And so that's where we are. And so when you show clips of, uh, Alonzo Bolden, whoever, uh, you'll see that he gets into the culture. So we're embedded in the culture of Martha's Vineyard, and we're not there for any kind of transactional type of scenery, and right now we celebrate 13 years and I look forward to another 20, 30, 40 years of this. Well, yeah, well, let's play that clip. Let's play that clip that we have. And then we'll explore kind of, uh, how you are able to incorporate that into the next evolution of where black comics are going. We did, we've come up with a vaccine. We are going to open up the world. And they're like, no, what the hell do you mean? No. They're not taking the vaccine. What? Why aren't they taking the vaccine? Well, they said it'll make them magnetic. What the? How do you argue with someone who says, I ain't taking the vaccine, you know it'll make me magnetic? What do you say to that? I tell you what I say, I say, you're right. You shouldn't take the vaccine for the rest of us. We tried to thin the herd and we can get rid of the anti magnetic first world to be a better place. You know, so it's interesting because, uh, you know, obviously we, we a little bit of ways from the pandemic, but hot button topics, you know, the whole. Essence of some of the greatest comedic, uh, was, uh, comedians. Was, uh, taking the pain and reshaping it to find a bit of, you know, light in it at some point, right. Because it's always gonna be struggle, it's always gonna be pain, and we gotta find ways to kind of forge through it in that regard. Do you feel like that is still as, uh, prevalent on the internet and some of these services and platforms and things? Because, uh, a lot of it is more, in my opinion, not as much of that social commentary, but it's just. a bit of buffoonery at times. So you need variety. Uh, so because, because comedy is very subjective. So you like people who like it raw and dirty. You got someone like a Christian, somebody like it clean. So, you know, we embrace everything. And that's when the reason why I trade black comedy month, because, you know, we celebrating African American humor and pain can come in any kind of any way. And so how an artist Projects it, you know, you got to give them the creativity to do so. Uh, but you know, Alonzo Bolden, the clip we just heard, I mean, he's more intellectual, you know, he talks about politics, he talked about something that happened worldwide, nationwide, you know, and everybody can identify with what, you know, whether you're on this side of the vaccine or that side, you know, he was, he's still able to throw it out there and make, uh, Someone who wasn't back vaccinated, laugh at themselves, you know, but whatever their reason is. So sometimes you throw it in their face, their faces and see how they react. But he's such a pro that he's been doing it for 20, 30 years. So he's nothing but, but, but laughs. You know, it was, uh, I was dying laughing when I saw it, um, because it was realistic too, right? To your point, there was people that was like, it was gonna make me magnetic. Okay. So, so he was just speaking the truth, right? But you just got to be saying something about, you know, national, you know, You know, August being black comedy month, right? And it's a campaign that you're pushing out. Talk to us a little bit about that. What, what's the essence of pushing or making August black national black comedy month. And then also what are some of the key events and, and, and. Things that's going on in Martha's vineyard that highlight. You know, August is black comedy month. So basically how we came about it is, uh, we were sitting in the kitchen, a bunch of comedians that were performing, uh, at our festival and we just happened to talk and we just, I said, what a black comedy month, you know, you got pride month, you have a Hispanic month, you got this, you got that. So let's do, you have black music month. And I was surprised no one had trademark black comedy month. So basically I did my little search and what have you and saw it was available and went through the process and here we are. But the thing was, I needed some fuel for the festival and you know, some sort of marketing tactic that can help push and drive. But I wanted to be inclusive with the festival. Promoters, you know, black comedy clubs, you know, comedians, you know, the whole nine. So it wasn't just for me. Mm. I wanted to extend it and open it up, you know, worldwide and, and black comedy month can extend to shoot Africa. I mean, it could extend to Europe. Right. So basically what I was trying to do is like, you know, let's take this whole month of August, which is when the festival is, and really celebrate African, African American humor. And just promote the, the, the, the variety of talent that's out there and, and make a little bit of change off of it. You know, I just did some research recently. Uh, what was it? Uh, Hispanic month, you know, they generated like 20 million. So, you know, we could spread that across United States with black comedy month, you know, so, uh, you know, so that's, so that's, that's, that was my effort. And, and, and any, so talk a little bit about some of the key programs and events that happened that you're going to put together for black comedy month. Well, basically it's the, the Marjory Comedy Fest, you know, that's the fuel that we use black comedy month for, but we're also using it to share with a streaming service called Sharezo. Which is considered everything comedy. So we're helping them promote and, you know, get comedians and content creators to put on their platform. Um, but you know, it was, uh, Kevin Hart and Heartbeat, they were actually interested in using the campaign too, to launch a particular movie they're trying to, trying to, uh, push, uh, in late August, so it's just, it's just. You know, everyone can use it basically, you know, but they gotta come through through me to make sure everything's cool. you got the train brother, right? Man? Absolutely. You the switchboard operator. Right, right, right. Just switching it off. That's right. Lemme ask you a question. 'cause we, we, we both, we all met Midwest boys. I'm sorry. I was gonna say we both, but I forgot about Tony Detroit all day, every day. So. How did, how did man listen when I hear Martha's Vineyard, I, you know, I have a different thought in my head. I think of orchards and whatnot, but or grapes or something different than what y'all, uh, you know, I'm not to do. I'm not to do. So how did the Martha's Vineyard become so embedded from a cultural perspective? Give me a little game, a little history of people like myself. They just don't know no better. Educate us a little bit on Martha's Vineyard, how it attracted you, why, and what made you put your stake in the ground there and say this is where black folks will come and get you. Well, I was sort of like you, Chris. I was kind of familiar with Martha's Vineyard, but I really wasn't. And so it was my brother and my sister in law who were vacationing. One year out there, they liked it so much, they purchased a house. So then what they did, they invited us, and then we invited friends, and our friends invited friends, and the friends friends invited friends, so it just kind of grew. So I already had a built in audience before I really started this whole comedy festival. And so, you know, as I continued to vacation there, you know, the family would go there every year, I started learning a little bit more about the history of Martha's Vineyard in terms of African Americans. And there was, there's so many African American, um, homeowners there, and then there was African American businesses. So, uh, then you got the whole Inkwell Beach where that was the beach that was, you know, segmented to us, you know, back in the day. So it has a lot of historical significance. And then, you know, just good people, man, you know, just started popping there. And you start to see this like upper middle class, upper class African Americans who are proud, everyone from entertainers, to doctors, to lawyers, and you know, and whoever else. And You know, they come to have a good time. So we're there to provide entertainment for them. And there it is. And like you, my friend and Chris, no different. Um, I've been going for 20 years. I was, what is Martha's Vineyard? So a friend of mine dragged me out. I stayed on his, uh, they had a house in Chappaquiddick. I slept on the couch for the weekend. And I remember taking the ferry back. And I text my girlfriend, who's now my wife. And I said, she said, how was it? I said, from now on, we're going to come to Martha's Vineyard. And we've been coming to Martha's Vineyard for 20 years. The kids grew up there as the vacation spot. We go there for two weeks. And I think one of the things that Steve and Steve, you can tell Steve, um, definitely knows his history. When you go there, you learn the African American history. There's an African American heritage trail that you can take, and it'll show you how African Americans came there. It was, it started off more of as a religious retreat, right? Where people would come to be able. To, to, to, you know, uh, celebrate Christ and they would have these different religious retreats and then black people started buying up houses and buddy, you know, next thing, you know, that's one of the old fears. Like we let one come in and they going to bring everybody in reverse gentrification. And it just, but Martin Luther King was there. I mean, you, you know, You get a sense of the history, um, at Mart in Martha's Vineyard, right? And it's, it's, uh, and it's upper middle class, but it doesn't even matter. People come from all over the country and people also come from England and stuff to that nature. They have a map in one of these stores. I Steve, I'm pretty sure you saw it. I don't know if it's in the, uh, I forget what store it is, but they have a map. And they put these little dots in the map of where people come to Martha's Vineyard. And obviously it's a lot of people come from the East coast, but you'll see all throughout the 50 States people come, um, for the summertime. Yeah. If you look at our database, you know, from people who come to our show, UCLA, San Francisco, uh, I've had Toronto, I've had, uh, France and England, South Africa. So, you know, we, we, we attract people. We're, we're, I consider ourselves a global comic festival. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. It's, it's, it seems to be based on just the energy that y'all brothers has giving off and you could just tell by the smiles and things like that. In my mind, in the recess of my mind, it's a hoity toity. Freaknik, right. So, uh, I appreciate just getting this game from y'all and I'm gonna have to make my way out. I'm gonna have to make it happen now. So y'all done got me excited. Hey, Steve, I brother. I invited them. I even, you know, look, you, I'm gonna pay homage. Just like how I came on. I said, you can come sleep on the couch. You got to break them in slow. Let them taste it a little bit. Want to stay. Then you kick them out and say, bro, next year you get your own house. All right. That's right. That's right. Each one teach one. Each one teach one. I'll tell you an interesting story too. I remember one, one year, my festival, I think it was year three or four. And, you know, there's the ferry issue. You gotta have, bring your car on, you know, if you're gonna bring your car, you got You got to make your reservation early. So I may find a little later than normal. So I couldn't get in. I had to come in the day before just so I can, you know, have my car and I didn't have a place to stay. I was just going to sleep in my car, but the good, you know, you start talking to people and before you know it, they said, man, where are you going? I was like, well, I'm just going to chill for a little bit. They're like, man, come on, stay at our house. I mean, that's how good the people are. So friendly people are. You meet people from around the country. Everybody, and it's one of my pet peeves, you know, the easiest thing to say to somebody first thing in the morning is good morning, right? And when you walk around Martha's Vineyard, there's not a person that doesn't say good morning. I mean, but it's just very relaxed and very friendly, but more importantly, you can have a lot of fun and you can laugh too. So Steve, we're going to wrap up my man. So look, I mean, buddy, you sharing your story here telling us, you know, the epiphany you got when you use that comedy central, you know. You wanted to create something you wanted to, you know, live by your code and making it clean and making it fun, but also letting people, uh, be be themselves and be let them do whatever type of comedy they want to do as long as it felt within your expectations and you built a powerhouse, my brother. Talk, talk, somebody right now who's watching this or listening to this, who may be in their closet practicing to be a comedian or who may want to, you know, have the aspirations of owning a production company and being able to build out something that you've built out and invite, have comedians come from all over the world. What type of advice would you give them, my brother? First thing I would say is that, you know, you got to be patient. Uh, you have to build a business. Um, you know, Rome wasn't built in a day. You got to be patient. You're going to make mistakes. You got to be okay with making mistakes, but how fast can you rebound? You know, when I first started, I mean, I was my own website designer. I was my own accountant. I was on my own lawyer. Uh, you know, I was, I was. I'm trying to do everything, you know, where, where, yeah, where many hats, you know, I was trying to do PR, you know, so, and I still wear many hats, you know, now I'm cleaning bathrooms and I'm sweeping floors at the theater and making popcorn, but, uh, you know, but that's part of the, part of the, the role, I mean, you, you gotta get down and dirty with it, but you gotta be patient, uh, associate with positive people like, you know, with BEP, you know, uh, because you need the encouragement. Right. And, you know, there's going to be times where you're going to be down, but, you know, as long as you're around. positive people and people who have resources, that kind of thing, you know, you, you, you'll be fine, but it is, it is a journey. It's not a marathon. I mean, not a, not a sprint. And so that's one thing I would say to, you got to live your dream. You don't ever want to live in regret saying, man, I wish I would have done that, you know? Uh, and if one door closes, another one opens, you know, like you said, the epiphany with comedy central, we got laid off. And I said, well, maybe I can do, you know, what comedy central is doing. I was. Doing events, um, with them, let me do it on my own. And so it was a mind shift that I experienced. And so, um, again, associating yourself with positive people and people who are like minded. Uh, you know, another thing is just do your best. And be honest with yourself. Did you do your best today? If the answer is no, you know, just know that it's always room for growth. Oh, and then maybe one day, you know, you can, you can start being the next uh, big thing next to the Mars is being a comedy fest. There you go. Right. Absolutely. One of the things we pride ourselves on is making sure we shout out the misses and, and uh, their influence. Can you give us something that, that, that Joe, uh, A young lady, uh, inspired you to, to keep on keeping on with this and, you know, anything that helped you get to this point? Yeah. So, um, at this particular time, I thought I was the expert in comedy, you know, cause I had been doing shows across the country and it was her ideal to do a show here. And I was like, no, it's not going to work. It's going to be too expensive. Uh, you know, you don't know comedy. Like I know comedy, you know, I had the whole male ego kind of thing going on. Yeah. And it just kind of clicked. So let me, let me see what this can happen. And so long story short, you know, here we are 13 years later, you know, what's her idea, but it was my initiative. Yeah. Right. Right. That's make, that's makes a great every good man. Right. Right. That's awesome. That's awesome. So listen, my friend. Tell us how BEP can repay you. How can we help? How can a Black Executive Perspective podcast help Steve Capers? Well, I can always say, you know, continue to promote, uh, the festival and all the social outlets, social media outlets. Um, but, you know, more important, you know, let's create a partnership where we help each other out. You know, it's not just a single sided thing where BEP is going to do everything for me. I want to be able to, you know, support you as well. And so, you You know, continued with podcasting, come to the festival, you know, uh, meet some more people. We, we, we, we can do it all. So, but I appreciate just again, have been on this platform, have an opportunity to present and hopefully I'm able to inspire a future promoter. You know, or entrepreneur. Well, buddy, you know what? You inspired us. I'm really happy that you came and shared your story today. It's fabulous. And you epitomize, you talked about it. One door closes, an idea came, you, you ran to that idea. You had to do everything, wear all the different hats, but you built something, you know, slowly, but surely. So you can count on the partnership here from BEP. We'll go, I'm going to be there this, this summer. You know, we definitely gonna get Chris, you know, over eventually, right? Yes. We'll get him over eventually Yeah. Yeah, we'll get him over. Absolutely. We'll get him over. Right. But more importantly, my man, we are looking to cement this partnership and we wish you nothing but match. It says we're gonna promote, you know, August being Black Comedy Month, we're gonna promote about the festival that you have in Martha's Vineyard. And when I come, I'm gonna definitely bring some peeps with me to come and, you know. Fulfill and sit back and laugh and enjoy. And at least to get to hang out with you and see everything that you put together, my brother. So we want to thank you for attending or excuse me, participating and being a guest on a black executive perspective podcast. Well, it's been my pleasure. And just one more thing. I just want to send a shout out to code magazines, you know, but allow. So he's exactly, he's, he's a part, he's a partner of ours too. And we're going to see, he's going to be there too. See, everybody's going to be there except Chris. We gotta get Chris there. Blah is going to be there. And, and look, Bilal is the one that set us up, right? So it just shows how all of us, you know, work together and meet and, and that's the beauty of family. And that's how the African American community started in Martha's Vineyard, right? It was just that same type of homage. So again, my brother, we Love you a lot. And I'll see you in a few weeks. So, so I think it's now it's time for Tony's tidbit. So the tidbit is always, we always have a tidbit, an inspirational quote based on what we talked about today. So the tidbit today is black comedy. Isn't just about making people laugh. It's about telling stories that resonate. educate and liberate. Okay. And you can, my brother here, he's built up a promotion of a business of comedians that's coming in and making people laugh, but they're also doing those other things as well. So again, we want to thank our brother, Steve Capers from Knock Knock Productions. So Hey, Hey, everyone, you don't want to miss need to know what Nasinga this Thursday, Dr. Nasinga Burton on the Black Executive Perspective podcast, where Dr. Burton delves into timely, crucial topics that shape our community and world. You're going to tune in. You're going to gain unique insights and deepen your understanding of issues that matter. You don't want to miss it this Thursday. Check it out. Need to Know by Dr. Nasinga. So again, I hope you enjoyed another episode of a Black Executive Perspective podcast. The Rise to Cultural Prominence. Martha Vineyard's Comedy Fest Story. With the CEO, Knock Knock, uh, CEO Stephen Capers of Knock Knock Productions. So I think it's now time for what, Chris? It's the call to action, Tony. We gotta always remember to incorporate less. Less is our call to action. It means learn, empathize, share, and stop. Learn. Educate yourself on racial and cultural nuances to help others get there with you. Exactly. And then after you learn, you should be at E stands for empathy, right? Now you should be able to empathize from what your fellow colleagues and friends go through because you've learned more about them. And the S is for share, share your insights. Don't hide it, divide it, right? Share your insights and enlighten others. To what you've just become enlightened to. And the other S stands for stop. You, you want to stop discrimination as it goes into your, as it walks into your path. So if you hear grandma at the Thanksgiving table, say something inappropriate, you say, grandma, we don't talk like that. And you let grandma know not to say that. So if everyone incorporates less. L E S S will have a little bit more understanding world and everyone will be able to see the change that they want to see. And guess what? We saw some change today, some loose change from a man, Steve Capers here. All right. I'm going to pick some of that up. Right? So again, We really appreciate you joining another episode of a black executive perspective podcast. You can watch our next episode wherever you get your podcast and follow us on our socials of LinkedIn X, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook at a black exec for our fabulous guest, the CEO of knock knock, uh, production, Steve capers for the co host with the most. Thanks for keeping it real and funny. My boy, the woman behind the glass that makes all this happen. Our producer, Noel Miller. I'm Tony tidbit. We talked about it. We laughed about it today and we love you. And we're out a black executive perspective.