How Comedian Matt Rife Pulled Off Stratospheric Rise From Pandemic-Era Pickup Truck Stand-Up To A Sold-Out Global Tour With Live Nation

Two months ago, when comedian Matt Rife announced his ProbleMATTic World Tour with Live Nation, he moved around 600,000 tickets over the span of just 48 hours, experiencing the culmination of 12 long years on the road.

Remarkably, this was just the artist presale, with Rife ultimately going on to sell 720,000+ tickets to 300 shows, including eight back-to-back at the Chicago Theatre, six at Radio City Music Hall, and four at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut.

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A 27-year-old from North Lewisburg, Ohio, Rife had as recently as the summer prior struggled to sell even a hundred tickets a show, though not for lack of hustle. Perhaps the best encapsulation of his determination to succeed came a few months following the emergence of Covid, when he and comedian friend Paul Elia launched Lowkey Outside. A semimonthly, socially distanced comedy show, spun off from one they’d done at The Comedy Store pre-pandemic, Lowkey saw the pair performing for small crowds from the bed of a pick-up truck, in the back of apartment complexes and event spaces across Los Angeles. The duo put their blood, sweat and tears into these shows, not to mention their own funds, and they never generated much money, even as they attracted a range of A-list comics suddenly in need of a place to perform. 

Still, the pair here found a creative outlet and managed to stay afloat in historically uncertain times, and this period only strengthened their resolve to bet on themselves. Rife would later double down by self-financing and distributing his first pair of specials, such that when one of his TikTok clips went viral and began getting his name into the zeitgeist, no one could say he hadn’t written his own ticket. Titled “The Lazy Hero,” Rife’s viral Tok led him down the path to 16.3M followers and more than 1B global views on just that one platform. And it’s with this following in his pocket that he prepares to tape his third special this fall at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., as Elia leverages learnings from his friend to shoot his first.

A third major player in this story, helping each up the next step of the career ladder, is someone with visions of her own — their manager Christina Shams, who recently set up her own company, Avesta Entertainment, following stints at companies like Authentic and the agency Innovative Artists. The idea that’s inspired her, she says, is to look at the manager-client relationship as a partnership that, with hustle on both sides, will open all the right doors. “I’ve noticed, for me, that that has created this business model that has flourished. Because, now we’re doing things in a different way,” Shams told Deadline. “We’re not just moving in a traditional sense. We’re using all of our skills together to really create opportunity, to create an empire.”

Here, in a brief break from touring, Rife joins Elia and Shams to reflect on the legwork that led up to his big break, and the road ahead of him now, with the trio also discussing Elia’s forthcoming special Detroit Player and more.

DEADLINE: How did it feel, Matt, when you first saw such a surge of interest in you and your work?

MATT RIFE: It still feels completely unreal, like half of a dream come true and half of a one-off. It all feels like we’re going to be back in the back of my apartment complex in like six months, trying to sell 70 tickets, and I think that’s just because of how inconsistent this business is. We all go through jumps in our career that we’re like, “Oh, this is going to be the thing. I’m going to be fine from here on out,” and then you have to start all over again. So, it’s so exciting, and I’m trying to remind myself to enjoy every moment. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that most people do not get. So enjoy it, but work on maintaining it. 

DEADLINE: How has this moment impacted you, Christina, as Matt’s longtime rep?

CHRISTINA SHAMS: I feel so lucky and blessed, honestly, because I got into this business for a reason. And to be able to honestly live in the purpose of being able to have a hand in helping people’s careers, this is, to me, the most magical part of it.

I’ve known these guys since the beginning. We were all kids. Matt was 17 when I met him; I was 23 years old, running The Laugh Factory. So when I got a chance to be an agent and represent them, I saw what was going on, and it was just hard work, being a good person. It was like, “We’re trying to help each other grow,” and I was like, “Hold on, hold on. I can do something here; this is my energy, too.”

When we all teamed up, there was no money on the table. It was during the pandemic, and I just knew, “There’s something here, and I’ve got to water this.” And it’s so rewarding to see now that people that have been working their asses off, this whole time, are now seeing the fruits of their labor. 

When this success started happening, it allowed us to be like, “Okay, are we going to grow together?” And Matt literally said to me, “Let’s go.” And not only was I able to grow with him, grow with Paul, grow with my whole team, I was able to start my own company, which is unreal, especially as a woman in this business. I had been working, myself, too, to grow, and for Matt to be loyal and to say, “Let’s go,” it means the world.

DEADLINE: The moment I knew you were hitting the zeitgeist, Matt, was when I began hearing you referenced on the podcasts of so many major comedians. Have you been cognizant of what people are saying?

RIFE: No, I don’t listen to or watch any podcasts at all, except for maybe Joe Rogan occasionally. What’s funny is, I do get a lot of texts or DMs from other comics or friends being like, “Hey, so-and-so’s talking about you on this thing. Did you hear?” And I’m like, “No.” I don’t really care if it’s positive or negative. I’m sure it’s a strong mix of both, and I get a lot of really cool, random calls. Like, Amy Schumer called me yesterday just to say that she thinks I’m amazing and that she’s in my corner if I ever need advice or anything, which is so kind. And then I’ll hear somebody’s talking sh*t on their podcast about how I don’t deserve it, and everything’s because of my looks. It’s nothing I haven’t heard for the past 10 years living in L.A.

DEADLINE: Comedians often seem to be tough on those coming up, making you prove yourself before being invited into their club. But it seems like you’ve now been embraced as much by them as by fans, having been invited, most notably, to perform alongside Dave Chappelle…

RIFE: It’s a dream come true. You work so long in this industry for the respect of your peers. You want to be allowed into that elite group of comedian peers, so Chappelle Camp was kind of the first experience of that, where he is my idol. There’s nobody I look up to in stand-up more than Dave Chappelle. So for somebody like that to offer me to come not just perform with him, but enter his home, for him to be so hospitable and take care of my friends and my family and my girlfriend, and be genuinely excited when I walk into a room. Like, we would walk into the after-party, me and my girlfriend, and he would get on a microphone and be like, “Oh sh*t, Matt Rife’s here. What up, Matt?” He treated me like an equal, rather than somebody he was mentoring, rather than somebody who he was put onto by somebody else and he was just being cordial. He treated me like a real friend and colleague, and gave me advice that I can only imagine was intended for me to someday reach his level, and to help navigate those trenches. So I’ve just been so grateful, and it’s exciting to be respected. 

PAUL ELIA: It’s the reason why Matt and I started these outdoor shows: We were on a mission to get to where we wanted to get. We wanted to be comedians in the game. We wanted be respected, to tell unique stories, and when the pandemic happened and everything stopped, we were like, “We’ve got to just keep going with our dream.” And for a while, even when we were setting up the shows, we would lose money doing shows. Matt and I weren’t working as comedians, and then we’d each put in a thousand dollars to set up a $2,000 show. Then, we would make $1,400 in ticket sales, and then we’d go eat burritos and talk about what we can do better. And then it’s like, bad things would happen. We would drive home, I would get a flat tire. Matt, remember when you changed my tire? [Laughs]

RIFE: Yeah. That was the first time I had a chance to remind Paul to his face. I was like, “In case you were wondering how much I love you…” I passed Paul pulling over to change his tire at like three o’clock in the morning, and everything inside me said, “Just go home.” [Laughs] And I went, “I can’t do that because Paul is the nicest person I know, and he wouldn’t leave me stranded.”

ELIA: You know what’s crazy? After all the shows we’ve done on cars, that he would leave me in mine. [Laughs] But it’s so symbolic, in a way, because for so long, we felt like we were being gaslit. Because we were always told, “If you work hard and you’re funny, good things will happen.” We would work hard, we would be funny, and then at the end of the show, people would walk by like, “Hey, man. Thanks,” and just walk by. So to see Matt excel at this level…Matt’s my brother, one of my dearest friends. When I look at this, I’m like, “Man, justice is served. It all makes sense now.” For the amount of work that he’s put in, the amount of chairs that he’s stacked, and all the things that we were doing. Literally, I sent Matt a video of both of us hauling dumpsters so we could make space to put in a truck. It was disgusting; I think I have a disease now.

SHAMS: This just speaks to their ability to create opportunity for themselves. Why I resonate with them so hard is…when the doors were shut, they were like, “Oh, well then we’re going go make it for ourselves.” And I think there’s something to be learned here from the way that they move, [for] other comedians in the business.

RIFE: The success, at least on my end, I just look at it as a catalyst for myself and my friends. I’ve been able to hire one of my best friends and roommates for the last eight years as my tour manager. I’m able to take my best friends on the road. I’m able to help executive produce Paul’s upcoming special. The way I look at it is like if one of us succeeds from us all pushing each other, then we all win. We all reap that reward in one way or another. So that’s kind of the best part about it, is getting to share it with people that you love and respect and have been doing it since the beginning with.

DEADLINE: You really did pull off something impressively entrepreneurial with Lowkey Outside, surviving the pandemic with these outdoors shows. Are there any other memories that stick with you that illustrate the challenges of pulling those off, or the lows that you’ve navigated through to get to where you are now?

RIFE: There’s a lot of them. There’s pushing dumpsters with your bare hands, no gloves or sanitizer. There was a show that was not even sold out, outside. There was 32 tickets sold maybe, out of 120 we could have fit in this new space, but Paul and I’d already paid the deposit on the space. We already booked the comedians. We had set up the equipment, and we got news that it was going to rain like an hour before the show was supposed to start. And we’re like, “Well, we’re already out money, so we can’t be out more money and cancel the show. We at least have to preserve what we’re going to have left.” So we took the money out of what we were already going to lose and went to Home Depot or Lowe’s, and just bought like 10 pop-up, job fair kind of tents that we just taped amongst each other to create a roofed room that we could all perform in outside. 

I’d say maybe 18 people of the 32 tickets sold actually showed up, but we still put on a show. It was one of our most fun shows because everyone there was so aware of what a sh*tshow it was, but that’s kind of what brought together the camaraderie and the humor of it. Nobody could really believe we were doing this, ourselves included, and that moment of pure rock bottom, in the sense of the production of a comedy show, was still one of the highs in those low moments. We were able to find gratitude and positivity in that time.

What’s another good one? The cops showing up on our first day of doing it, five minutes before show was supposed to start. I was in the shower and Paul kicked in my shower [door]…[Laughs] It was cracked open so he didn’t have to kick it, but he did it for dramatic effect. I’m like butt-ass naked behind my glass shower door and Paul’s like, “Cops are here.” And I just threw on a towel really quick, I threw on some shorts. I’m shirtless, running out there, and the cops are inspecting our apartment unit. We’re like, “Oh, we’re going to get shut down.” Somebody had to have complained about the noise or the fact that something was going on during Covid, but nobody’s supposed to be putting on any events. I remember stopping with the cops, [being] like, “Is there anything I can help you with? Because obviously you’re here for us.” He goes, “We’ll let you know,” and makes his way to the back area, goes upstairs, talks to one of the people living upstairs, and then comes down and leaves… It turns out it was just domestic violence. That’s all. Nothing crazy. Nothing to do with us at all.

We were scared sh*tless. We were like, “We put so much energy and effort and thought into this first show, and so much money and time. I can’t believe it’s going to get shut down the first time we tried to attempt it.” And sure enough, nothing happened and we were able to do that show for the rest of the pandemic. 

ELIA: Also, when we started doing the show from Matt’s apartment building, we essentially moved to Eagle Rock. We found this venue, and the owner of this property was the meanest, angriest dude, and he would constantly bully Matt and I.

RIFE: He threatened to shut us down all the time because we wouldn’t want to set up something the way he wanted to set it up. It was really weird. 

ELIA: This guy low-key bullied us, and then the whole time after shows, we’d have this amazing show, and then this guy would just keep demeaning us and we’re like, “Bro, we can’t just keep letting him do this to us.” But the thing is, we knew this space was perfect. It was removed just enough to where cops aren’t really trying to police us. We can do shows here. And then I remember eventually, me and Matt just had it. We were like, “We’re done.” So we were like, “You know what, man? We quit. We’re out. We’re not going to do shows here anymore with you.” So we actually called the chair people, the guy drove from Riverside to pick up the chairs…

RIFE: By “chair people” we mean a guy who happens to own chairs in his garage…

ELIA: Yeah, and he would put them in a Camry. [Laughs] I don’t know how he fit a hundred chairs.

SHAMS: I feel like the Lowkey show was the first step in their biggest entrepreneurial next move, which was Matt self-producing his first special. I remember him coming to me and being like, “So, should we just pitch my material around town the traditional way?” I was like, “Well, we could do that.” But then he’s like, “You know what? I’m tired of this. I’m just going to go do it myself.” He created his own ecosystem. Paul was a producer on this. I remember going to this taping during the pandemic, watching [comedian] Erik Griffin seat people. It was a labor of love [like] I’ve never seen in my life, and that special ended up propelling, I think, a lot of the things that he has now.

DEADLINE: What have these experiences shown you, Matt, about what is required to succeed in this business?

RIFE: In order for something to come to fruition, you have to be able to take on all the tasks. And luckily, I’m so blessed with so many good friends who did take time out of their personal schedule to literally load chairs, mop up floors, do the nitty gritty stuff that nobody really wants to do.

Comedy, it used to be you’d just write jokes, learn how to tell jokes, and then you’d go to open mics and that leads to more stage time. That is all you really had to do besides learn how to promote a little bit, get the word out. But that came from TV credits, late night shows, all that kind of stuff. That used to be all it is.

Now, that’s the most basic part of it. That’s learning how to read and write in school. But in order to succeed, you’ve got to do science class, you’ve got to hit social studies, gym class, math class, all of it. To be a well-rounded person, you’ve got to learn how to market in social media. You have to learn how to edit videos, how to shoot videos. You have to learn how to book your own travel. I had no idea that was such a big thing. For years, until I got a tour manager, I was booking all my own flights, my own hotels, Greyhound buses, all that kind of stuff. I would get to these clubs at 18 years old and they’d be like, “Hey, so who sets up your travel?” I’d be like, “Well, I do that,” and they would be amazed that an 18-year-old could get himself there when there’s 40-year-old comics who, for decades, can’t book their own travel. I didn’t know that that’s a skill, or just a thing that people didn’t know how to do for themselves.

So, you have to be able to do everything. Those are the most basic concepts of being a stand-up these days. But then when you get into the entrepreneurial side of things, I had no idea how to shoot a special, I had no idea how to produce a comedy show outside with my friend. Paul and I had never done that before, but it’s just trial and error. It’s [being] willing to eat sh*t. You have to be willing to fail, but the silver lining in that is, [you] already have nothing to lose. Already, nobody’s handing me anything. I’m already not doing, apparently, what I need to be doing to succeed. So let’s try this thing. Let’s figure it out. Let’s fail a couple of times so we can figure out how to do it correctly, and just do everything.

DEADLINE: Your success with social media and self-produced specials seems to highlight what’s so exciting about the world of stand-up today, in comparison to film and television, for example. Even if you’ve had to hone skills you never thought you’d need, there’s no longer a need to go through traditional gatekeepers to build a huge career, with many building a lasting fan base via platforms like YouTube and TikTok.

RIFE: That idea and route of traditional success in comedy doesn’t really exist anymore. It’s so much fewer and far further between now. You’d get a late night show for five minutes, and then you’d do Montreal, and then you’d get a TV series, and then Netflix or Comedy Central picks you up for a full special. That really doesn’t happen now. The entertainment industry has gotten so lazy via social media, and social media does provide everybody kind of an opportunity to get seen and build an audience.

Now, a lot of it is luck. I can’t tell you what I did the first time to get my first couple TikToks to pop off. I couldn’t tell you what that is.

SHAMS: Matt used to hate social media, by the way.

RIFE: I’m a 55 year old man. [Laughs] Like, I grew up around 40, 45, 50-year-old comedians who taught me that route to success. That’s how I saw their careers blossom, so I’ve built my entire career and life thinking that’s how things are going to work. But now that social media does give you the opportunity to get in front of people, the entertainment industry has kind of screwed itself over in that they’ve lost the power of accessibility. That now is in your phone. 

DEADLINE: Is mainstream Hollywood something you’re interested in being a part of? I know you’ve both acted before, but is that something you’re hoping to pursue seriously?

RIFE: Absolutely. I love acting just as much, if not more than standup. I just haven’t been doing it as long and I haven’t been able to get my foot in the door as well as I have been with stand-up. But now that I have the freedom in success via stand-up, it opens up avenues in other areas that I am passionate about, like film and television, that I’m hoping I can make that transition over to, because it can only feed itself. I’ve done a lot of independent work. I’ve done a lot of MTV, Disney-style stuff. So I’m really looking forward to the next project that I work on in acting to be something I’m really proud of and enjoy doing. 

ELIA: I was acting before I did stand-up comedy, and then I did stand-up to help parlay my acting. Sort of like the spirit of Lowkey is like, I’ve probably auditioned for 500 different TV shows and movies. I’ve auditioned a lot and was always getting close but not getting the part. There was always a thing. It’s like, “Oh, he’s too young. Oh, he’s too old. Oh, he’s too Middle Eastern.” I’m losing roles like, “They went with Idris Elba.” [Laughs] Which is why I created my own opportunity.

Even me and [comedian] Ian Edwards, we decided to create the [web series] Roommates. So I was like, dude, I’ve just got to make the thing to get people to be like, “Oh, okay, cool.” Doing it on your own is really the spirit and the way to go.

DEADLINE: Paul, what lessons have you taken from Matt’s experience as you look to make your own self-financed special? And what can you tell us about it?

ELIA: I’m just not going to wait. The spirit of Only Fans, Matt’s first special, was inspired by, “I don’t need to wait for nobody.” I’m ready to tell a story, and I just felt very ready to put this out. This is going to be my College Dropout. It’s called Detroit Player. We’re shooting it in Detroit. I told Matt that I wanted to do it and Matt immediately was like, “How can I help?” Christina is so instrumental in this project, and it’s just cool to make something meaningful. All the things that we learned from Lowkey, all the things we learned from producing, all the stuff that I learned from working with Matt on Only Fans and Matthew Steven Rife, are things that I’m applying to Detroit Player. And I would say what people can expect is, this is going to be a banger.

DEADLINE: Matt, what can you tell us about the material you’re working with, as you prepare to shoot your third special?

RIFE: The material for this new hour is so fun for me because the first half of it is so silly and ridiculous and fun, and the second half is some stuff I actually got to pour some thought into, which, if you’ve watched either of my previous specials, I kind of like to end the last of it with something people can think about, and put some thought behind, and give some real perspective on something I genuinely am passionate about, as well as making it funny with a fun story. So I’d say it’s my most fun hour yet. I think people are really going to like it. There’s something in there for everybody. 

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