Steve Gadlin's piece of the Internet

Today, at about noon, I drew the 5,000th cat for I Want To Draw a Cat For You. It hasn’t posted to the site yet… they release to the site and to Twitter on an automated timer… but if you click the thumb to the right you can have a sneak peek!

Every thousandth cat is a gift I draw to myself… a little check-in with me to mark my mental and emotional state as this project continues.

When I drew cat #1,000, I was congratulating myself on what I thought was the tail end of a project. At that point, that I had even reached 1,000 cat drawings was blowing my mind. The ridiculous influx of orders I received from my Groupon deal had taken quite a toll on me – late nights rushing through as many orders as I could had left me sleepless and anxious. So that thousandth cat was my way of patting myself on the back, and also a reminder that I should strongly consider all possible outcomes before rapping publicly about what I want to do for people.

My Shark Tank appearance happened right around cat #1,450, so by cat #2,000 the crush I felt from the Groupon surge looked like a walk in the park. I had at least another 1,000 cats in my backlog. I was back full time at my day job, and putting in late and exhausting nights after work every day. I was a complete mental and emotional wreck. I think the drawing captures that pretty well.

Cat #3,000 posted just 3 weeks later, on my 36th birthday. I was sick, I was tired… but cool and promising things were happening with the project. I was working with a toy designer and a literary agent on concepts to grow the brand, and all of my hard work seemed to be serving some greater purpose. So I mustered up a Happy Birthday, and kept plodding along through my queue.

I’m not sure what I was thinking when I drew cat #4,000. I’m sure there’s a cry for help encoded in there somewhere, as the thousand cats immediately following were pretty rough. More than once I cursed myself for having started this silly project, and strongly lamented the time I was spending away from my family. The hardest part was seeing the effect of my absence manifest in my kids.

Which brings me to the cat I drew today, the 5,000th in the series. It came up in the queue as I was hitting my low. The weight and stress of adding this work to my life, and how it has eaten away at my day job and parenthood, was absolutely crushing me. But sometimes when you’re at the bottom, you can touch the roots. As I put pen to paper, I was struck with the reason for this, and all of my other silly projects… and remembered why it’s all worth it.

I draw stick figure cats for people to combat loneliness in myself and others.

In times when I have been down, finding a kindred spirit out there in the universe has always made a big difference. Weird people need to be noisy some times so that other weird people can find them. So while I can’t sustain this pace forever, I have to have a little faith that I can push through this rough spot and turn this project into something that eats a little less of my time. And while I do that, I take comfort knowing that each cat drawing is a personal note between me and a customer – and every once in a while that tiny gesture of connection will put a smile on my face, or on theirs. And that is pretty important. So important, in fact, that I drew myself a bonus pig to boot.

Only time can tell us if the sacrifices we make in the name of silly dreams are worth it in the end.

Cheers, weirdos. There are still a few of us kicking around in this crowded, empty universe.

I’m usually super cool when it comes to customer service. Even in the face of severe complaints and harsh feedback, I try to respond calmly, coolly, and with the demeanor of a saint. It may have been my ornery mood today, but responding with snark bit me in the butt today… in a way I think you may enjoy. So here’s the unedited conversation I had with a very special customer this afternoon.

From Rachel, in response to my latest Blewt! newsletter:

steve i dont like you leve me olone

My response:

You are now unsubscribed from my mailing list. Take care!

Rachel’s response:

thanks i never liked you and you suck at drawing btw

My response (and here’s where I get a little ornery):

Rachel -

Thanks for your comments. I hope you go on to create wonderful things in life.

I am also very sorry that you couldn’t find the very simple “unsubscribe” button at the bottom of my mailing list emails. If you had, you could have solved your problem yourself. And I bet that would have felt real great – doing something all by yourself like that.

Stay in school,
Steve

Rachel’s response:

dont tell me what to do u booger

My response:

I would never tell you what to do.

I would suggest that you attend some sort of class in spelling or grammar, so that your emails come across more professionally. It’s hard to take someone seriously who writes like a 9-year old.

Best,
Steve

Rachel’s response:

i am 9 stupid

Point Rachel.

The lesson here? When you’re performing customer service, just grin and bear it. The customer is always right. Or nine.

It’s All About Execution and Stick Figure Cat Drawings

2/7/12, Forbes, by Dan Reich

Read this on Forbes.com

What would you say if I told you I was going to make stick figure cat drawings?

Your first response may be to highlight the fact that I’m above the age of 4. Now what if I told you that this was not a child’s arts and crafts project, but my business idea. Not only is this my business idea, but my sales pitch includes a song and dance called, “I want to draw a cat for you.” What would you say then?

I think many of you would ask me if I’ve lost my mind and that would be a fair question. However, the truth is that absurd business concepts, even dramatically idiotic ones like stick figure cat drawings, can be brilliant, revenue generating businesses so long as they are properly executed.

On ABC’s Shark Tank, a show where investors get pitched and invest their own money, a guy named Steve Gadlin walked into a room, stood before five prominent investors and proved that execution is all that matters. He danced, he sang, he pitched a business predicated on cat drawings, and secured an investment from Mark Cuban, a billionaire investor and owner of the Dallas Mavericks. This is something worth seeing for yourself.

The lesson to be learned here is that there is so much more to a successful business than just the idea. The trick to taking a business idea and turning it into a successful reality is all in the execution of that idea. It’s about taking your concept, regardless of how “out there” it may be, and making it work even if those around you liken your idea to the works of a 4 year old. It takes inventiveness, creativity, and lots of hard work.

Many of todays greatest inventions, if turned into a sales pitch, would be as television worthy as stick figure cat drawings. Just imagine what a Wright brother’s sales pitch may have sounded like. “So you see what those birds are doing? Yeah, its basically like that but with lots of wood and metal. Wanna invest?”

We encounter people every day who come up with crazy ideas, but the people that succeed are the ones that can execute. They are the people whose convictions and beliefs outweigh the objections and negativity of the naysayers.

So as I look out of the window and watch the planes fly overhead, I’m constantly reminded that no idea is too small or too stupid. Ideas don’t mean anything without good execution. And if the planes aren’t enough of a reminder, I suggest you order a picture of a stick figured cat and hang it above your desk.

Mark Cuban His ‘Shark Tank’ Investment Is The Cat’s Meow!

2/1/12, TMZ, by Karly Steinberg

Read this on TMZ.com

Mark Cuban really does have the Midas touch — his $25,000 investment into an online business that produces stick figure drawings of cats (yes, really) is actually proving to be a moneymaker … and the guy behind it can’t keep up with the demand!

Steve Gadlin‘s appearance on the ABC show “Shark Tank” aired just this Friday. For the uninitiated … entrepreneurs go on the show seeking investments from a team of business “sharks,” such as Cuban.

The Dallas Mavericks owner pledged $25k to Gadlin in return for 33% of his business. Within 30 seconds of receiving Cuban’s blessing, Gadlin tells TMZ, his site crashed.

Gadlin tells us, he’s gotten over a thousand orders in the past few days, where before he averaged between 10-40 a week. Gadlin charges $9.95 for his customized cat drawings … and they only cost him about $0.63 in materials.

He says he’s going to take a week off from his real job as a web developer to catch up with the demand.

We talked to Mark Cuban, who said “[Steve] is the master of the bizarre, which means we will be great partners.  He comes up with ideas that sound crazy but make perfect business sense,” adding, “I’m fired up to work him with.”

A preview of my Shark Tank appearance… posted to YouTube by ABC!

Laughs by the gallon at Mette’s Don’t Spit the Water

1/25/12, The Wilmette Beacon, by April Dahlquist

Read this on WilmetteBeacon.com

With comedians shouting over her shoulder, Chrissy Kress was laughing so hard she couldn’t hold in the water stored in her cheeks.

A dribble of water leaking from her clenched lips turned into a geyser splashing onto the stage.

Kress, of Aurora, was a contestant on Don’t Spit the Water, a game show brought to The Wilmette Theatre on Thursday, Jan. 19.

While the game show title may be, “Don’t Spit the Water,” the comedic team was trying desperately, and hilariously, to get the contestants to do exactly that.

“We just love having it here,” said Chad Byers, Wilmette Theatre’s general manager about the game show. “We think it’s a great show. It’s hilarious, so much fun and the audience loves it.”

The hour-long game show was led by Sasha and The Noob, who kept the audience entertained with riddles, stand-up jokes and sing-a-longs between the rounds. Wearing neon, argyle pants, and red and gold sequin vests, the comedic-duo left no color out of their outfits, or their performance.

During the rounds three contestants, who volunteered out of the audience, filled their cheeks with water while different comedic characters bombarded them with jokes.

The contestants earned points for the amount of time they could hold the water in their mouths before the humor was too much and caused them to spit it out laughing.

“Anything interactive is fun,” contestant Marc Bermann said. “Some of the humor had a vaudeville flavor to it, so that was fun.”

Comedic character Mr. Glitter-fairy-disco-baby, wearing a green, shimmering dress and rainbow tube socks, used surprise and cheap humor to get contestants to laugh.

Alice “from human resources” talked to the contestants about their failings at work while character Couch Cootersmith tried to get contestants revved up for the big game.

“They were really funny,” Kress said. “It was the hardest when the HR girl came out with the bag of flour and said it was my drugs.”

While Kress didn’t last long before spitting the water, other contestants were more tight-lipped.

“There’s always some guys that are trying to be tough guys and don’t want to spit the water to impress their dates,” performer Bryan Bowden said. “It’s just part of the game, and we have to be more creative.”

Bermann was able to hold in his giggles when he was focused during the rounds, but when Sasha was chatting with him between rounds, Bermann made a mess of spit-up water on the stage.

“If he had gone eye-to-eye with that Sasha, he would have spit the water in 15 seconds,” said Janice Igra, who accompanied Bermann to the show.

The contestants also could wager their points against the other contestant, betting if he or she would spit the water or not.

While some jokes flopped, overall the comedic troupe was able to keep the audience laughing and the contestants spitting.

This was the fourth time Don’t Spit the Water has come to The Wilmette Theatre. Theater managers said they try to book the show twice a year.

“We try to bring in the best shows from the city to the Wilmette audience, North Shore audience, so this fills that need,” Byers said.

From Soap Opera Weekly:

The Players: The Fifty People Who Really Perform in Chicago

1/19/12, New City, by Zach Freeman, Brian Hieggelke, Sharon Hoyer and Dennis Polkow

Read this on NewCityStage.com

With our criteria shifted back to artistic accomplishment in theater, dance, comedy and opera this year, our task got infinitely tougher. Because while the number of performing venues grows at a steady rate, the increase in the number of noteworthy artists seems to grow exponentially. For everyone we name on the list below, we had to leave off five, an embarrassment of riches for Chicago. We made a conscious effort to introduce a meaningful number of new faces to the list this year; the necessary absences should not be construed as a loss of worthiness as a consequence. We often find trends when we do the research these lists require; this year we’re starting to see a more meaningful effort to redefine performance itself in the internet age, from the runaway success of StarKids, to the more calculated endeavors of Silk Road. So what defines a “player”? Consider it some complex stew of career achievement, recent “heat” and, in some cases, rising stardom.

…

#41 – Steve Gadlin, Actor

Steve Gadlin and his Blewt! cohorts create some of the funniest, most imaginative projects anywhere, from the “Impress These Apes” show that first brought them to our attention, to his more recent “Nairobi Project” wherein he commissioned an email spammer to create plays for him which he produced. But he’s on the verge of going big-time now: his “Don’t Spit the Water” game show pilot recently aired on television and, later this month on January 27, he’s really breaking out when he appears on ABC Television’s “Shark Tank” to pitch rich investors on his project “I Want to Draw A Cat for You.” Sounds Trump-worthy to us.

…

Funny Business: Talking with Steve Gadlin

1/12/12, TribLocal, by Teme Ring

Read this on TribLocal.com

Pssst. C’mere. Want some insider tips? Fill your mouth with water (coffee works if you’re reading this over breakfast) and hold it until the end of this interview. This training will give you an advantage over the competition when “Don’t Spit the Water” returns to the Wilmette Theatre on Thursday, January 19th.

Tip two: buy your cat drawings now! On January 27th, demand may grow faster than a kitten when Steve Gadlin, creator and host of “Don’t Spit the Water,” appears on ABC’s “Shark Tank,” where a panel of millionaires awards sizable investments to deserving entrepreneurs. Gadlin will pitch www.iwanttodrawacatforyou.com where he “draws the cat that your describe.” The business has already been a Groupon sensation. Unfortunately, there’s no “insider tip three” because Gadlin wouldn’t tell us who won the purrrse on his episode of “Shark Tank.”

But you don’t have to wait until the 27th to see one of Chicago’s most innovative comedy impresarios. Next Thursday, Gadlin brings Chicago’s craziest live game show back to Wilmette. Contestants fill their cheeks with water as comedians engage in outrageous shtick to make them laugh, spit the water and lose. Gadlin achieved a long-held dream this past September when the “Don’t Spit the Water” television pilot aired on WCIU.

Gadlin is also the creator of “Impress These Apes”, a comedian talent competition, “The Nairobi Project”, a play returning for its three-quel this spring penned as always by a Kenyan e-mail spammer, and most recently, for two new ventures, “I Want to Write a Song for You” and “Two Film T-Shirts.” (“The only shirt that lets you show your appreciation for two films, not just one!”)

When it comes to show business, some are better at the “show”, some better at the “business”. TribLocal spoke with Gadlin to learn what it takes to succeed at both.

Q: What was it like to film “Don’t Spit the Water” for television?

A: It was a blast. It had been so long in the making for so many people.

Q: Did it feel like a dream come true?

A: Not so much as we were taping because it was a really long and slow day, but definitely when it aired a couple of months later. It was very surreal to watch.

Q: Will it be back on the air?

A: I hope so. We’ve talked about doing more and I’ve put together some budgets to show what that would cost. Right now, it’s not on the top of anybody’s to-do list. But I’m giving it a little time before I get too pushy about it.

What always happens with me is I’ll let something sit, then something will trigger in me and I’ll get really persistent and try to make something happen. It’s definitely an experience I want to repeat, so hopefully in 2012 we’ll start talking about doing more.

Q: What sort of challenges should contestants expect when “Don’t Spit the Water” returns to Wilmette?

A: We’re bringing in new comics and people who were a part of the show a long time ago and prepping for the possibility that we might get to do a bunch more of these. So there will be some interesting comics to go up against.

Q: How can audience members improve the odds of becoming a contestant?

A: We walk around before the show and sign people up. Some people take coaxing to put their name on the list and those are people we generally won’t bring on stage, but we fast-track the people who seem really enthusiastic. We want people who want to be up there and who look like they’re having fun.

Q: What’s the craziest thing a comedian has done to defeat a contestant?

A: When Ken Barnard did the show, I would always tell the contestants, “you have a safe word and that’s spitting the water” because I was scared of what he would do to get them to spit the water. He’d climb all over people. I would get really nervous any time I’d call him up because I was afraid of a lawsuit.

Q: How did you think of “Two Film T-Shirts”?

A: I thought it was a really dumb idea and those are the ones I like to follow through on. I decided the timing was right to put it together, so I talked to [filmmaker] Steve Delahoyde and he agreed to help out with the commercial. Everything kind of clicked.

It was an interesting experience because I had to learn about drop shipment and how to work with t-shirt providers. It hasn’t been very successful at all, but that’s been kind of the fun of it, too.

Q: A lot of people have ideas and dreams, but don’t take them any further. What advice do you have for figuring out those next steps?

A: Years ago, I was frustrated that I had all these ideas and never did anything about it. Not just me, but the people around me. The improv community was all about thinking up stuff, but your shows were always show-up-ten-minutes-before-and-make-stuff-up-onstage as you go along.

So I started with this project called “Silly Faces” thinking, if I’m going to think of something dumb, I’m just going to have to follow through with it and learn what I’m doing. I’ve had a lot more things flop than work. But it’s been fun and eventually, you look back and you’ve done all these crazy things and that’s kind of cool.

I’d say just get yourself underwater on it. Make it so you have to do something. If it’s a good idea, things will click into place. And also, for me, it’s been really easy because I’ve worked with a lot of great people who have skills that I don’t have.

Q: So you have to figure out who your team could be.

A: Yes. And you make your network as you do your stuff and find like-minded people. That’s the first step in making any of these things work.

Q: Which movies are on your “Two Film T-Shirt”?

A: Mine is “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” and “The Big Lebowski.” If it were a three film t-shirt, I’d probably throw “Waiting For Guffman” on there, but no one’s invented that yet.

Q: Has anyone ordered an unexpected combination like, “The Little Mermaid” and “The Exorcist”?

A: Yeah, that’s been kind of the game of it, too, people coming up with weird combos. Here’s one: “Troll 2” and “Showgirls”.

Q: When did you tape “Shark Tank”?

A: Two days after the “Don’t Spit the Water” pilot aired, I flew out to L.A. for a week. It was a whirlwind week because the pilot aired, we were working on “Apes” at the time, too, and then two days later, I’m out there.

Q: Wow. Do you ever take any down time or vacation?

A: Actually, that was my down time. I got out there and I didn’t have a wife and kids to worry about, so it was more vacation than work. I don’t know if I’ll ever have an experience like that again where somebody’s taking care of my food and housing and I don’t have to take care of anyone or put anyone to bed.

Q: I read that out of nine thousand applicants, only one hundred were chosen for the show. What is the secret to making it through?

A: I’m not sure. I’d sent them literally a two-sentence e-mail saying, “Hey, I draw these stick figure cats. Let me at ‘em.” I didn’t expect any response to it, but about a week later, they called me right before I was about to go on for an “Apes” show. They had me make a video and send it to them. I threw that together pretty quickly and then it was a month or two until I heard anything else. My assumption was, okay, this isn’t going to happen.

Then suddenly, these two producers were on the phone with me twice a week working through what the pitch was going to be. They kept telling me every step of the way, “Look, you could never hear from us again”. Then a week before the shoot, they sent me plane tickets. Then you get there and they tell you, “By the way, you might not even get to tape”. And then you tape and they tell you, “By the way, you might not ever get to air”. And then a couple of Fridays ago, they called me and said, “You have an air date and here it is”.

Q: What were your impressions of the “Shark” panel?

A: While you’re backstage you see them coming in. You’re waiting to do hair and make-up and they’re kind of walking around, so you try to avoid eye contact. But they were very friendly. I didn’t have much interaction with them other than the pitching. Then it gets combative, but that’s their job. They had me singing and dancing. It was crazy. I walked out of it thinking they were pretty cool and nice.

Q: What are the contestants doing right before they go on – are you talking with each other?

A: No, it’s very closed. You meet a few of them in the hotel, but they keep everybody separate and warn you not to talk about much. When you’re waiting to go on you’re in this tiny room that’s very dark and cold. You know other people are giving their pitches that day, but you can’t see them. Then as soon as you’re done, they hustle you out of there into this second hotel so that you’re not talking to people who haven’t gone yet. There’s really no interaction other than casual hellos between the contestants.

Q: What are you doing to prepare for after the show airs?

A: I’ve got extra server space ready to handle the traffic if it comes and I’m taking the week off from work after it airs. If it’s vacation, that’s great, but I’m taking it just in case I’ve got a thousand cats to draw. In all likelihood, it will fizzle pretty quickly and maybe I’ll see a handful of new orders. But I also have read stories of people who have two thousand orders of their product while their episode is airing. So I have to brace myself for that possibility. But I don’t want to seem too foolish about it and assume that’s going to happen.

Q: Any time management tips for juggling so many projects? Do you ever procrastinate?

A: Oh, yeah.

Q: How do you do so much?

A: I think there’s more time in a day than people realize and a lot of things that seem daunting, especially in terms of these projects I do, don’t take as long as they might seem. I’ve been practicing a lot of this stuff for a long time. So to turn around a web site to sell some ridiculous product isn’t like a month-long project. I can sit down and in six hours on a Saturday have something up and running. So it’s just kind of go with your strengths and stuff won’t take too long. And again, don’t do things by yourself.

Like for “Two Film T-Shirts”, I did a lot of the set-up and writing ahead of time and then when it came down to shooting and editing the commercial, that’s pretty much someone else doing all of that. The more projects I take on, the easier it gets to execute them. It’s pretty much a matter of practice.

Q: What can we expect next?

A: A whole bunch of crazy things. Once this thing airs at the end of January, there will be very little coming out from Blewt! [Gadlin’s production company] for a while as I deal with the aftermath or lack of it. Then we’ve got “The Nairobi Project” again and we’ve got “Apes” again. There are another couple of web sites coming out, too, with some goofy things. Or maybe there aren’t. There are little projects I’m trying that may or may not go anywhere.

So hopefully, in 2012 we get to revisit “Don’t Spit” and getting it on TV. Or again, we might not. We might not have any success there, either. I think 2012 will be about trying to close the deal on a lot of this stuff and doing some cool things. But we’ll see. I’m as curious as you are.

“Don’t Spit The Water” returns to Wilmette at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 19th at the Wilmette Theatre,1122 Central Ave. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door. For more information or for tickets, call 847-251-7424 or go to http://www.wilmettetheatre.com/events/.

Cat-drawing Evanston resident to appear on ABC

1/12/12, The Daily Northwestern, by Chelsea Corbin

Read this on DailyNorthwestern.com

Evanston resident Steve Gadlin didn’t pack away his high school hobby when he graduated from Niles North High School in 1994.

The 35-year-old revived his passion for drawing stick-figure cat cartoons over a year ago when he launched www.IWantToDrawACatForYou.com as a pet project. More than 1,400 cats later, Gadlin is slated to appear Jan. 27 on ABC’s Shark Tank,  a show during which investors evaluate businesses pitched by entrepreneurs.

“I thought, ‘OK, well this will be a funny story and nothing will come of it,’” Gadlin said, referring to his July application to appear on Shark Tank. “Then I heard from the show’s casting department.”

In early September, ABC flew Gadlin to the reality TV show set in Los Angeles to film his pitch. He said he approached the “sharks” with financial figures, but they asked more about his comedic dance and rap featured in a video on his website.

“I just wanted to have a good time and confuse these ‘sharks,’”  Gadlin said.

The judges on Shark Tank referred to a promotional video Gadlin made with colleague Erica Griffiths, co-owner of NVRVR production company in Boulder, Col.

“He told me his silly, crazy idea, and I was like ‘let’s make a video!’” Griffiths said. “It turned out really well.”

Gadlin also connected with Groupon, “pretending to be a very legitimate business,” he said. The next day, a sales representative expressed interest in Gadlin’s work.

He sold his typically-$10 cartoons for $3 on Groupon and charged $5 per drawing in two subsequent deals. One of the special offers generated 1,000 orders in three days, Gadlin said.

Morgan Morgan, a Portland, Oreg., resident, purchased two drawings, discovering the website after a friend ‘liked’ Gadlin’s Facebook page.

“It’s a very clever idea,” Morgan said. “My friends and I started buying them and sending them to each other.”

Though drawing cat cartoons constitutes several hours of Gadlin’s weeknights, he also is a web development manager for Weigel Broadcasting Co. in Chicago, hoping his projects will eventually become his main job.

Gadlin said he draws cats because they require basic illustration skills.

“I’m allergic to cats, and I really don’t like cats at all,” he said.

Most of Gadlin’s orders come from the Chicago area, but he said he also receives commissions from across the U.S., Australia, Japan and Europe.

The future of Gadlin’s cat cartoons depends on the reaction to his Shark Tank appearance, he said.