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Origin Story w/ David McIntosh JrOrigin Story w/ David McIntosh Jr

The Comedian Who Got 1,000 People to Watch Him Fold a Sheet - Dan Boerman

Dan Boerman is a Comedian and TV Personality on Jimmy Carr's Am I The A**hole. He is also a good friend. I’ve wanted to record this conversation for a long time. Dan Boerman is a New Zealand comedian who left a steady job, moved to the other side of the world, and has been relentlessly chasing stand-up ever since – from sleeping in a kid’s dinosaur bed outside Edinburgh to getting a thousand people to watch him fold a fitted sheet on a hill. In this episode, we get into: Growing up in small-town rural New Zealand and dropping out of school Years on benefits, smoking tiny “Russian doll” cigarettes in the kitchen Barbering as accidental crowd work – and the now infamous Jimmy Carr Am I the A**hole? story Leaving security behind to move to Edinburgh for comedy Why London feels like kindling for opportunity The viral sheet stunt that turned into awards, brand deals and a new life “Don’t die wondering” and what it really means to bet on yourself Why some people live and die never hearing the sound of their own voice This is an episode about chasing the weird, specific thing you can’t stop thinking about – and refusing to let your life pass in quiet comfort. If you enjoyed this one, send it to someone who’s been talking about “one day” for too long. Follow Dan: @danboermancomedy Follow me / Origin Story: @davidmcnintoshjr

David McIntosh JrhostDan Boermanguest
Dec 12, 202551mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

How Dan Boerman turns hustle, stunts, and comedy into momentum

  1. Dan traces his path from rural New Zealand and early false-start “comedy epiphanies” to finally committing and rapidly increasing gig volume year over year.
  2. He explains how barbering trained him for stand-up through constant conversation, improvised “crowd work,” and reading people, including a controversial story he told on Jimmy Carr’s ‘Am I The A**hole?’.
  3. Dan describes moving to the UK after Edinburgh Fringe success, embracing discomfort and risk (precarious housing, long travel for spots) as part of accelerating learning and opportunity.
  4. A guerrilla marketing stunt—posters teasing ‘Come watch me fold a fitted sheet’—went viral twice (New Zealand, then Edinburgh), generating massive attention, ticket sales, media coverage, and a brand deal.
  5. The conversation lands on a broader philosophy: most people crave different kinds of “stage moments,” and Dan’s next show aims to inspire audiences to pursue their own long-held ambitions (‘Don’t die wondering’).

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Memorability is a career advantage you can manufacture.

From bringing chocolates to comedy clubs to a public sheet-folding spectacle, Dan repeatedly uses distinctive, low-cost signals that make bookers and audiences remember him.

High volume increases your surface area for luck—up to a point.

Dan frames gigs, applications, and side-projects as ‘lighting fires’ or ‘buying lottery tickets’; more attempts raise odds, though he notes extreme volume can dilute quality.

Adjacent jobs can be covert training for performance.

Barbering gave Dan thousands of reps at quick rapport, steering conversation, and ‘playing dumb’ for comedic effect—skills that translate directly to crowd work.

Anticipation often delivers more dopamine than achievement—plan for that.

He noticed the ‘what if I get it’ high around TV casting exceeded the feeling of actually being on set, which can distort motivation unless you keep acting, not just fantasizing.

London’s value is coincidence density, not just prestige.

Both host and guest argue smaller scenes require you to manufacture opportunities, while London offers more random collisions with decision-makers, gigs, and media.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

I said the joke and there was just silence and I'm like, "Oh no. Six minutes of this." And it was only 11 seconds in.

— Dan Boerman

And so I panicked and like the amygdala took over, the lizard brain took over, and I flipped off the crowd. And I just stood there with my middle fingers raised at the crowd just looking at them.

— Dan Boerman

Turn off the lights. Bro, I turn off the lights and the ceiling starts glowing in the dark, and I'm laying there looking up at the ceiling and I was like, "I think I've fucked up."

— Dan Boerman

And then, uh, did the same thing in Edinburgh. Got these, legally I'll say that it wasn't me, put these stickers around town, "Come watch me fold a fitted sheet up Calton Hill." And yeah, it was like 1,000 people, dude.

— Dan Boerman

Someone had just tagged that on a rubbish bin, "Don't die wondering," and it was my phone wallpaper for a long time.

— Dan Boerman

Rural New Zealand upbringing and early creative identityFirst open mic: panic, recovery, and learning performanceBarbering as training ground for crowd work and storytellingQuantity vs quality: doing more spots as “lottery tickets”Edinburgh Fringe -> UK relocation and the London opportunity densityJimmy Carr TV appearance and application/audition processViral/FOMO marketing: fitted-sheet stunt, media cycle, brand dealsMeaning, ambition, and ‘Don’t die wondering’ theme

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