There's a bit of overhead in this price due to him trying to bandage fix an old model with some features of a new one. Instead of trying to reinvent it.
If you think about it, you can do a stand up comedy with a cheap at home or at a bar with friends. And upload it to YouTube as a private video and/or use existing platforms to sell video.
They could save a lot. They're only not doing this because they just started taking baby steps away from the existing model. Plus they don't know any better, Louis spent a fortune just to setup that simple website. He could have used existing platforms. If he doesn't know how to use those, then here's a startup opportunity.
The deal is "professionally shot/produced/edited video shot at in a venue with good lighting and sound, in front of a live audience". You're not replicating that for $500.
