# My First Skit: Gotta Sell BBQ!!

**Source:** Cary Hardy  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2024-05-02  
**Duration:** 4m 5s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mevrQl7bXBA

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## Analysis

Cary Hardy creates a comedic skit mocking American Pinball's distributor outreach for the Barbecue game, dramatizing an awkward cold call to a struggling BBQ restaurant owner. The skit highlights the tension between American Pinball's aggressive summer sales push for the sub-$7,000 game and the practical resistance from location owners facing economic pressures, maintenance costs, and skepticism about pinball ROI.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] American Pinball Barbecue game costs $7,000 — _Skit dialogue: 'they seven grand a pop' when discussing machine price_
- [HIGH] Barbecue game has been on market for less than two months at time of skit — _American Pinball memo quoted: 'With barbecue still less than two months on the market'_
- [HIGH] American Pinball is actively targeting barbecue restaurants as location placement venues — _Distributor memo requesting 'information regarding barbecue restaurants in your area that possibly could house a barbecue pinball game'_
- [HIGH] Barbecue game is themed after/named after legendary pinball designer Barry Oursler — _Skit dialogue identifying the game as 'themed after a very well-known pinball designer, Barry Owsler' / 'Barry O'_

### Notable Quotes

> "With barbecue still less than two months on the market, we want to push and drive the sales for this game to the highest level they can be."
> — **American Pinball (memo)**, opening memo segment
> _Reveals aggressive sales push timeline and American Pinball's commercial urgency with the Barbecue title_

> "The economy is down. I can't even hold on to employees because they're going to McDonald's so they can make an hour. I've had to increase pricing on all my menu items, which has in turn caused more of my customers to eat elsewhere."
> — **Restaurant owner (character)**, mid-skit dialogue
> _Captures real economic pressures facing location venue operators, contextualizing skepticism toward pinball placement as business investment_

> "You're gonna want to maintain them also because it's pinball—they tend to break. So maintenance on them and I would also try to keep an eye on the customers whenever they got barbecue sauce all over their fingers and everything."
> — **Cary Hardy (distributor character)**, late skit dialogue
> _Satirizes the hidden operational costs and maintenance burden that distributors downplay when pitching machines to locations_

> "These things are never going to sell."
> — **Cary Hardy (closing)**, end of skit
> _Closing joke expressing skepticism about American Pinball Barbecue game's commercial viability at location venues_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| American Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer with new Barbecue game title; actively distributing sales memo to push machine placement at barbecue restaurant locations |
| Barry Oursler | person | Legendary pinball designer after whom American Pinball's Barbecue game is themed/named; referenced as 'Barry O' in skit |
| Cary Hardy | person | Content creator producing comedic skit satirizing American Pinball's Barbecue sales pitch and distributor strategy |
| Barbecue (American Pinball) | game | New American Pinball machine themed after Barry Oursler; priced at ~$7,000; less than two months on market at time of video; target placement: barbecue restaurants |

### Topics

- **Primary:** American Pinball marketing and sales strategy, Location operator economics and resistance to pinball placement, Barbecue game commercial viability
- **Secondary:** Pinball machine maintenance and operational costs, Theme licensing and game naming (Barry Oursler tribute)

### Sentiment

**Negative** (-0.7) — Cary Hardy's skit is satirical and comedic, but the underlying tone is skeptical and critical of American Pinball's sales approach. The closing line 'These things are never going to sell' and the restaurant owner's consistent resistance frame the Barbecue game and distributor strategy negatively. Hardy appears to be mocking both American Pinball's aggressive push and the impracticality of the pitch to struggling location operators.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Implied concern that American Pinball's Barbecue game may struggle with location placement adoption despite aggressive distributor outreach, given economic pressures on venue operators (confidence: medium) — Skit satirizes the mismatch between manufacturer sales push and real-world location operator skepticism and budget constraints
- **[business_signal]** American Pinball executing aggressive summer sales push for Barbecue game within weeks of release, distributing distributor outreach memo targeting location placements (confidence: high) — Memo explicitly states 'With summer quickly approaching, we want to take advantage' and 'With barbecue still less than two months on the market, we want to push and drive the sales'
- **[sentiment_shift]** Content creator Cary Hardy expresses serious skepticism about Barbecue game's commercial viability at location venues, framing sales pitch as impractical given operator economics (confidence: high) — Skit structure shows restaurant owner repeatedly rejecting pitch; closing line 'These things are never going to sell' expresses lack of confidence
- **[market_signal]** Barbecue game priced at approximately $7,000, positioning it in lower-mid tier of American Pinball's pricing structure (confidence: high) — Skit dialogue: 'they seven grand a pop'

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## Transcript

So American Pinball sent out this to their distributors. With summer quickly approaching, we want to take advantage of the time of the year to promote and sell American Pinball's new game, Barbecue. We should have some new assets to post on your website soon, as we are constantly looking for new material. What we would like you to do is forward us any information regarding barbecue restaurants in your area that possibly could house a barbecue pinball game. Our marketing and sales team can help reach out to these establishments to help add sales to your business. With barbecue still less than two months on the market, we want to push and drive the sales for this game to the highest level they can be. So, send me your local barbecue joints information and let's get these barbecue pinball games all over your town As always if you have any questions please don hesitate to ask have a wonderful day i would like to see how that conversation goes down all right let's try this place Thanks for calling Meats R Us where you can't beat our meat. Yes, what if I told you that I have a way that you could bring in customers, entertain your guests, and of course, make money doing it. Well, when something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. But with the way things are right now I entertain what you have to offer Well what do you mean by the way things are Do you not watch the news The economy is down I can even hold on to employees because they going to McDonald so they can make an hour I've had to increase pricing on all my menu items, which has in turn caused more of my customers to eat elsewhere. I'm having to do all kinds of things right now to stay afloat, so if you've got an idea, I'm all ears. Awesome. So look, there's a pinball machine that is themed after a very well-known pinball designer, Barry Owsler. Who? I'm sorry, just call him Barry O. A lot of people have trouble with that last name. Okay, so look, the game is all about barbecue. So you're saying that if I put this Barry Orr Cellar pinball machine in my restaurant, that it will bring in more customers? it might a mod is on a pig ass boy well it could help so how does this work are you gonna like bring the machine over and get it all set up oh no you need to buy one so look i selling them they seven grand a pop okay and uh you're gonna want to maintain them also because it's pinball they tend to break so maintenance on them and i would also try to keep an eye on the customers whenever they got you know the barbecue sauce all over their fingers and everything you might want to have them wash their hands before they touch it that's just gonna you know help keep the machine nice and clean and just help with maintenance and everything god damn kids hello hmm all right well I guess I'll try the next one Shit. These things are never going to sell.

_(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: ddb81b37-9a80-4fbb-a609-700cb677b5b9*