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Comedian Dan ‘Hitman’ Rathmann will perform Saturday at the Smokehouse Bar and Grill in Milroy.

MILROY — Dan “Hitman” Rathmann will be the first to tell you his rise hasn’t been easy. “I’ve told my story about how I became a local and national touring comedian, but that didn’t come without risk,” the 39-year-old Troy, Kan., native said.

In comedy, “paying dues” isn’t a metaphor — it’s a lived reality. It means driving hours for a five-minute set, performing for crowds of five to 20 people, and sometimes losing money just for the chance to hold a microphone.

“Laughter is kind of a contagious thing,” he said. “The bigger the crowd, the more of a chance you have to hear it. I just try to keep grinding.”

That willingness to risk, to grind, to show up even when the room is half empty, is what has carried Rathmann from local open mics to a national touring schedule — including his Comedy Night performance at 8:30 p.m. Saturday at the Smokehouse Bar and Grill, located at 15 Commerce Drive, Milroy.

And while his calendar now stretches across multiple states, his journey began with something far smaller: a promise to himself, a tribute to a teacher, and a belief that effort — when met halfway by fate — can change everything.

A spark born from loss

Rathmann’s return to comedy began in February 2023, when he learned that his high school drama teacher and mentor, Martha Jean Rockey, had passed away unexpectedly. She had been the first person to recognize his talent, pushing him toward the stage long before he believed he belonged there. Years earlier, during a chance encounter while he was working a security job, she had looked at him and said, “I thought you would be in Hollywood by now.”

Those words became a promise — one he wasn’t ready to break.

“When I heard of her passing, a fire lit inside me,” he said. “From the pain came creation. I created the Effort Meets Fate philosophy and made it a way of life to honor my favorite teacher and to show my children that anything you want to do in life is possible through effort.”

That philosophy became the backbone of everything that followed.

Building a comedy scene from

the ground up

Rathmann didn’t set out to rebuild the St. Joseph, Mo., comedy scene. He simply made a social media post asking if anyone wanted to try stand up. The response was immediate. Within days, Rendezvous owner Keith Dudley reached out and said, “Hey. Let’s do it here!”

The shows blew up. Crowds packed in. Comics emerged from unexpected corners of the community. And suddenly, Rathmann wasn’t just performing — he was hosting open mics all over town.

“I’ve always kind of been an entertainer at heart,” Rathmann said. “In high school, it was my goal to be an actor. I choreographed fight scenes in plays. Then life sidetracked me.”

Then life sidetracked him — and not gently.

Much of his work now unfolds under stage lights, where he cracks jokes, reads crowds, and turns everyday chaos into punchlines. But the man behind the mic hasn’t forgotten the weight of a badge or the long nights that come with it.

Before comedy, he was a police officer and a sheriff’s deputy — jobs that leave marks you don’t shake off. And even now, when the laughter fades and the venue empties, he still puts in the kind of hours most people never see, working executive protection shifts that stretch deep into the night.

It’s a strange dual life: one moment he’s making a room roar, the next he’s scanning exits, watching hands, and keeping someone else safe. The stage may be fun, but the other work? That’s where the grit still lives.

A mentor as much as a headliner

Rathmann’s rise isn’t just about his own success. He has become a mentor, a connector, and a champion for new comics trying to find their footing.

He grew up inspired by comedic legends Richard Pryor, Dave Chappelle and, later, Daniel Tosh. “They all had edgier comedy; more than the early Bill Cosby stuff,” Rathmann said.

Comic Jonah Harring remembers meeting him at an open mic at Unplugged. “I thought maybe I should give this a shot,” Harring said. “He couldn’t have been more supportive. He’s like a big brother.”

Willis now hosts a show in Maryville, Mo., and will share the stage with Rathmann again when Rathmann and Matt Ferrell return for a show at The Pub on Feb. 28. Rathmann also shares the spotlight with comics Manic Mechanic and Jason Vassar, both of whom will join him for the Milroy show. Manic is from Pennsylvania, but the two became friends through the Comedy Cartel group on Facebook.

Rathmann beams when he talks about the comics who’ve come up through his shows. “I started this so I could make a pathway for others,” he said. “Jonah Harring, Brady Willis… those guys are pretty well regulars anymore.”

He’s quick to credit the venues that believed in him, too. “I’m grateful for Unplugged… They’ve been so good to us about doing open mic nights. The first three Thursdays of the month, you know we do them there.”

For Rathmann, comedy isn’t a ladder — it’s a table. And he’s determined to make room for everyone.

Risk, reward and the road ahead

Rathmann is candid about the sacrifices behind the spotlight. “Sometimes you perform just to get your name out and even lose money to get the opportunity,” Rathmann said. He has flown across the country on his own dime, performed for tiny crowds, and gambled on gigs that didn’t even cover the hotel.

But he sees every risk as part of the journey.

“A failed risk isn’t the end of the road,” he added. “It’s a lesson in the book of life.”

Raised in Troy, Kan., Rathmann grew up in a small town where opportunities were limited, and dreams often had to wait. He worked jobs, raised children and put his ambitions on hold for more than a decade. But when he returned to the stage, he returned with purpose.

“I’m doing this to build a better future for my children,” he said. “Hopefully something they can be proud to see when they are older and inspired to chase their dreams.”

He has since launched his own brand and production company, SleepCocken Productions, which books both local and national talent. He jokes that he became an “accidental booking agent,” but the truth is that he has built something rare: a creative ecosystem where everyone rises together.

Effort meets fate

For Rathmann, success isn’t measured in ticket sales or social media followers. It’s measured in impact.

“You can be famous and alone,” he said, “or you can make a difference along the way. I choose to make a difference.”

On Saturday, a Milroy audience will get to see that difference up close — the comic who built a scene from scratch, the mentor who lifts others as he climbs, and the performer who carries a teacher’s final words like a torch.

Rathmann is touring the country now — but he’s still driven by the same promise he made to himself, and to the teacher who believed in him first: Effort Meets Fate.