“ We put thought into it, developed a strategy, operationalized it and made it efficient—no different than what we did at KPMG for some of the largest companies in America.” – Felix Verdigets
Spotlight: C-Suite
HM: And then the last Nateland division, the fifth, is Products and Merchandise?
FV: Lessons learned are such a great teacher. Selling merchandise at a comedy show is very different than selling merchandise at a music show. Taylor Swift lines people up four hours before the concert to buy expensive sweatshirts. People generally don’t react the same way to a comedian. So, we’ve matured our processes to take advantage of these large arenas and Nate’s mass appeal. We put a catalog together. We have a merch manager that travels with the tour. The leader of this division knows Nate inside and out and understands our fans. We put thought into it, developed a strategy, operationalized it and made it efficient—no different than what we did at KPMG for some of the largest companies in America. HM: At one point, we talked about the entertainment world, that people don’t necessarily think about what it costs, and you said, that’s an unsustainable business model, you’ve got to be cautious of what it costs. FV: Cost is not a bad word as long as it’s synonymous with value. If you can show the value of anything, people stop talking about costs pretty quickly. If you’re going to go to a luxury resort, no one’s complaining about what it costs because the perceived value justifies that expense. Same with Walmart. If you’re going to do something on the value end of the retail spectrum and folks can get more for their dollar leaving money left over for other things, the argument still holds. The value is there. In the creative space we want to move the narrative. “How can we do this differently and still deliver a product that we are very proud of?” How can we use technology, economies of scale, value laden substitutions, human capital, brand capital—all of which are tools in our toolbox that will help us create in this era of entertainment. The process can remain creative and be more efficient at the same time. They don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
tickets that are more expensive than a movie ticket. Imagine putting the magic of Hollywood behind our production at a price point that is less expensive than a concert ticket … this is why we are so bullish on TV/Film. This is the value proposition. We think we have a formula to get people to go see “Breadwinner” on the big screen. Let’s bring comedies back to the big screen. We are social creatures who were meant to be in groups. We want big laughs in a big theater. Nate has a joke about how quickly you get to bowling because there’s nothing to go and do, especially for families and close- knit groups. And the funny part of the joke is he’s like; it’s 2025, bowling shouldn’t even exist anymore, but it’s thriving because everyone goes, well, I guess we’ll go bowling.
HM: When do you get to test your theory?
FV: “Breadwinner” comes out March 13, 2026. We think people will go see it. We’re going to find out soon enough.
HM: So Nate, because of his comedy and touring has a brand. It’s a very, popular brand How do you do you take advantage of that? FV: It’s a simple message to the entertainment industry and to corporate marketing departments … let the character, let the star, let Nate, carry some of the marketing load. If you already know what you are going to get from Nate and a Nateland movie, then a piece of the marketing component is already “paid” for. You don’t have to pay to convince your audience that this is going to be funny because the Nateland brand is funny. I don’t have to market that this is safe if your 12-year-old walks in the room or attends the show, because the Nateland brand is safe. People want to be entertained; they want to laugh. They can relate to our brand of entertainment. By tweaking the marketing message to be inclusive of the entire country, we are reaching out to millions of more folks for similar marketing dollars. It’s a value based volume play—it’s smart business.
HM: Basic business. What’s the value proposition.
FV: We think we can take some of the discipline from Touring and bring that to TV/Film. We’re not here to tell Hollywood their system’s broken. It’s a system with good parts and not so good parts, just like any system in any industry. But you must sell tickets, and we know how to sell tickets. Further, we’re able to accomplish selling tickets without Hollywood level production (it’s Nate on a stage by himself) and we’re selling
HM: Thanks Felix, this has been great!
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