Wade Cardwell has nothing but praise for Michael and Cheryl Alfano, co-owners of The Comedy Catch. In the five years that Cardwell has worked at the Brainerd club, he has found his bosses to be honest, fair and caring.
“I don’t think there is anyone in show business that I respect more,” Cardwell said.
FACT FILEName: Wade CardwellAge: 46Hometown: ChattanoogaEducation: Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.Job title: Promotions manager, The Comedy Catch.FavoritesMovie: “Con Air”Book: “Anything by John Grisham.”Comic: Ron White.Music act: Oak Ridge Boys.
He also said they can be pessimistic, or at least pragmatic, about trying new things. For example, it took him several months to convince Michael that a local talent search would bring in customers and build a base of new comics and entertainers. Today, the Southeastern Funny People Search is a large and growing part of the club’s business.
“I had to convince him,” Cardwell said.
Q: Describe what you do at The Comedy Catch.
A: I try to take what they have already done for 20 years and add to it by finding
and developing new acts. I’m the director of the farm team. I get paid a bonus if Michael signs somebody to the main room that I found and helped develop. In addition to the [Southeastern] Funny People Search, we have comedians and acoustic musicians and some bands in the [Giggles] grille. That’s the main thing I do. That way both rooms are being used.
Q: How have things changed since you’ve been there?
A: We’ve gotten a lot better at what we do. The challenge, especially with spoken word acts, is that it gets loud when we are flipping the crowd between shows in the main room. We’ve learned when to have a band playing and when to have a comic on stage.
Q: For people who have been to see a featured act in the main room, what is different about a show in Giggles.
A: You are going to get some comedy and some live music for three hours. It’s not free form, but we make it appear to be free form. You can see the [featured] act and if there are tables open in the grille, you can grab one and stay with us for the rest of the night.
Q: What is something about you that people might not know?
A: I’m pretty out there, but one thing that surprises some people is that I play music. For a long time I was the youngest musician in the Cadek Conservancy. I was a percussionist under Les Heard. If he had to play with the [Chattanooga] symphony, or had to be out of town, I played. I was 14.