In this episode of The Big Dream, Smiley Dave provides a candid update on his journey toward selling out the O2 Arena, including a minor correction to his timeline that places him exactly 30 months away from his goal. He reflects on a busy week at the Brighton Fringe, sharing the highs and lows of the comedy circuit - from the frustration of "Frankensteining" a five-minute competition set to the financial realities that make festivals like Edinburgh a challenge for independent artists.

Dave also takes listeners behind the scenes of a unique comedy game called "Laughter to the Death," where he attempted a James Acaster impression and navigated the precision of hitting a three-minute set. He also sets a new objective for May: securing the podcast’s first advertisements to keep the dream moving forward.

Two years ago to the day, Dave bumped into NDL Niko Omilana on the streets of Brighton. What followed was one of the strangest, most chaotic days of his life and ana adventure that changed everything.

In this episode, Dave finally tells the full story. The parts that didn't make Niko's video. The parts that didn't make the stand-up show. What it was actually like driving Niko Omilana across the country in a corroded 2003 Ford Fiesta that probably shouldn't have been on the road. Piggybacking into a Nando's, Doing stand-up at midnight in a rock bar/prison half way house in Nottingham to a crowd that absolutely wanted none of it.

And the honest truth about what happened after. YouTube subscribers that came, the imposter syndrome grew and a missed opportunity. Using the next 2 years to make up for it.

This is the untold version of the Smiley Dave and Niko Omilana story, two years on.

Niko Omilana original video - https://youtu.be/QLwIrsG0E08?si=n0oNVr2gEhpq53S0

Smiley Dave - Stand up - https://youtu.be/aYRv0j636N0?si=hsrbBzcUsu_AMRx2

Smiley Dave and Niko - Trilogy - https://youtu.be/mfO5GNW1VcM?si=cyr58Z32ajp-e5tu

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In this episode, Smiley Dave shares massive updates on the road to selling out the 20,000-seater O2 Arena. With only 29 months left on the clock, the dream is getting real with professional milestones and new industry insights

In This Episode, We Cover:

• The "Special Agent": Dave reveals he has secured an agent to help pitch creative sketches and ideas to major brands.
• The Rock’s Business Lesson: Why a story about Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Vince McMahon changed Dave’s perspective on learning the "nitty-gritty" of the comedy business.
• The Solid Ten: The importance of finally capturing a high-quality 10-minute set for booking bigger theaters and comedy clubs.
• The Salisbury Escape: Dave discusses the struggle of staying productive while visiting his parents and the "danger" of getting sucked into daytime TV like The Tipping Point.
• Listener Feedback: Addressing the "loud ad breaks" and how Dave is tailoring his content based on your YouTube comments.

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Get exclusive access to "Joking Around with Dave," where he breaks down the "boring" but essential mechanics of writing comedy and perfecting new material.

• Join here: https://patreon.com/c/SmileyDaveUKPro-Tip: Sign up via the website instead of the app to avoid the 30% mobile tax!

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Dave catches you up on where the O2 mission actually stands right now. There's a scam attempt from a suspiciously friendly Instagram blue tick, technical difficulties that lead to unnecessary hatred, and a comedy competition in Kingston that went about as well as you'd expect when the person before you steps on all your premises.

But the real story this week is Beat the Blackout, one of the most brutal comedy competitions in London. Dave did it twice. The first time, barely two and a half minutes before the lights went out. The second time, he came back angry, survived the full five minutes, and still got buzzed by one woman who apparently does the same material. Andrew Mensah was not impressed with her either.

Oh, and someone told him he sounds like Matt Berry. After the week he'd had, he'll take it.

The doubt is real this week. But so is the process.

In this Episode - Dave gives an update on how much closer he is to selling out the O2 arena, A recent gig goes incredibly well off stage then derails moments after. And we go through the Dave's nightmare acting auditions that would make a great place to start in a therapy session.

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From finding Richard Pryor in a Poundland to making a fool of himself in front of Bill Bailey, this episode is packed with stories, legendary names and moments that shaped Dave into the dillusional man with an obssessive love of comedy you hear before you.

Dave talks about the comedians who changed everything for him growing up, the personal mission to make every teacher laugh before GCSEs were over, and what it actually feels like to accidentally become Bill Bailey's scape goat.

Dave talks about his near miss on Saturday Night Live UK and how SNL UK went with something very similar anyway! Plus, we find out if Dave has what it gets to be successful by going over an extremly popular 'Succussful checklist'.