Kevin Smith is supposed to be here today.

Three decades after his scruffy feature film debut, Clerks, made him a literal poster child for Generation X slackers, the born-and-bred Jersey boy oversees a vibrant direct-to-consumer business that encompasses merchandise, live events, CBD (cannabidiol) products, comic books, podcasts, vodcasts, and … oh yeah, even the occasional movie.

The former convenience store register jockey’s 16th film, The 4:30 Movie, opens in theaters Sept. 13—a mere month removed from the 30th anniversary of Clerks’ Oct. 19, 1994, theatrical premiere.

These days, “Kevin Smith” is a fan-facing, DTC brand, and business that spans both coasts and keeps upwards of 100 longtime staffers gainfully employed.

“We’ve had folks who have sent their kids to college based on enough people wanting to buy a plastic Jay and Silent Bob tchotchke,” Smith marvels, referring to his (mostly) mute onscreen alter ego and the character’s hyperactive heterosexual life partner, played by real-life friend Jason Mewes.

Nurturing that kind of enterprise for 30 weeks—let alone 30 years—requires a business acumen that’s not necessarily associated with the stoners, schemers, and superhero stans that inhabit Smith’s sprawling cinematic universe, affectionately known as the “View Askewniverse” after his View Askew production company.

But during the course of a typically ribald and revealing interview, the filmmaker allows ADWEEK a closer look at “Business Kev,” the side of his personality that keeps all of those various balls in the air. (Die-hard Smith fans can insert their own dick jokes here.)

Business Kev rarely makes his presence known in public, and, in fact, even some of Smith’s closest friends and family members have only had chance encounters with him over the years.

“I was with my mom recently, and I told her I had to take a quick call,” Smith recalls. “When I got off the phone, she was like, ‘You are completely different when you’re on the phone talking about your business. It’s the first time that you’ve ever sounded like a grown-up to me.’”

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