Working Comic Podcast

I sat down with the very funny and talented Josh Lanzet. Josh is a fellow high tech comedian. He works at Google, does stand up, and creates his own content. In this conversation we chat about outsourcing work to virtual assistants when you're way too busy, Josh's personal organization system, a meticulous approach to maximizing effectiveness of open mics, balancing a high tech job with comedy, and overcoming creative resistance. P.S. Sorry it's been a long time for me. Lately I have been trying to focus more on the creative parts of comedy, so I will be posting less frequently for the time being.

I recently had a great conversation with Auggie Smith who is one of the producers of Montana's Big Sky Comedy Festival, a touring headliner, and the only person to win both the Seattle AND San Francisco International Comedy Festivals in the same year. In this episode, Auggie talks about what it's like being a headliner, gives some tips on getting into competitions, shares his perspective on comedy today, talks about how Big Sky works and much more! Enjoy!

In this episode we talk about traveling the world doing comedy, the power to make money, how opportunities domino, and much more!

Hi Everyone, In this interview, I sit down with Sarah Keller! Sarah is an actress, comedian and the producer of the "Roast Battle" live comedy show at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles. What started as a show hidden away in the Comedy Store's famous "Belly Room," Roast Battle has become a world-wide phenomenon. Since the inception of this show, roast battling now exists across the world and has informed the popular Comedy Central's Roast Battle show. We talk about what it takes to run Roast Battle, how to get into the comedy store, how to ASK for what you want and more

Hey everyone! I'm finally back in LA. While I was in New York, I had the opportunity to sit down with the very funny and charismatic Usama Siddiquee. Usama is a bit famous in NY for his incredible comedy hustle. At one point, he was hitting 28+ mics/shows PER week. That's four per night and more than anyone else in NY (and probably the country?). Usama was featured in Just For Laugh's and was recently passed at the Comedy Cellar. One thing I really admire about Usama is his incredible charisma. He has such a powerful, kind, magnetic presence and it's always something I look up to. In this interview, Usama and I talk about charisma, hustling, treating comics as PEOPLE first, being a good human, and just doing the comedy thing. Check out his podcast Mango Bae and follow him at @UsamaBinLaughin

Hi Working Comic Fans, I know I have been sparsely posting, but I am still at it. I am probably going to do less than one podcast per week, but I am definitely not dropping the ball here. I've been travelling a lot and prepping my tech roast show "Socially Inept." I had a really cool interview with TV Show Writer & Comedian Curtis Cook. We start out talking about how Curtis got into comedy and segue into an interesting tangent on comedy politics. We spend most of the episode talking about recovering from an offensive bit, being edgy on stage, using stereotypes, growing from mistakes, and much more. These are a lot of the questions that I ponder over with my close comedian friends, so it was a real treat discussing them with the very well spoken and accomplished Curtis Cook. Curtis' Bio: Curtis Cook is a writer and standup living in Los Angeles. He’s done a few things on television you may have seen, like puking after a keg stand on a show called Flophouse or traveling through an Ebola checkpoint for a segment on Vice News or awkwardly interacting with Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein during a sketch on Porlandia or doing a standup set on Comedy Central. Most recently, you may have caught his work as a writer and correspondent for The Jim Jefferies Show on Comedy Central.

In this episode, I interview Devin Field. Devin is like a comedy "jack of all trades" - he writes for Jimmy Kimmel Live, performs on a coveted UCB Main Stage Team in LA, and is great stand up comic with a 30 minute comedy central special. Most people (myself included) complain about the difficulty of excelling in multiple areas of comedy at once, yet Devin is a walking testament that IT IS POSSIBLE.

Hi Working Comic Fans, Sorry for the craaaazy delay. I've been MIA for about a month now. For the last three weeks of May I was travelling Europe with my girlfriend because I'm a monogamous wealthy jew and THEN I had three Socially Inept roast shows in a row. We had one big show at Cobb's Comedy Club in San Francisco on June 6th followed by two great shows in Los Angeles on June 13th and 14th. Anyway - back to business - in this episode, I interviewed Tyler Smith, the producer of the "Dope Show." The Dope Show is a comedy show where comics do their sets, get high, and then do them again. Tyler's show is prolific in the Pacific Northwest and he is able to MAKE A LIVING on the money he makes selling tickets. In my opinion, this is pretty much the dream for a comedian, so there's definitely a lot of cool stuff to learn. We talk about how the show started, marketing tactics he uses, and how he sells thousands of tickets per year. ENJOY!

In this interview we learn how Biniam applies his social media marketing skills to his comedy career. He used to work for MakerStudios, a huge company that grew influencers and social media stars and connected them with corporate sponsors/brand deals. We also talk about his personal comedy career and how he got in with Comedy Central! I learned a lot and think this information is super practical to the modern comic. Bio: Ben Bizuneh's stand up was recently featured on Comedy Central. Ben Bizuneh is a writer, actor, and comedian who made his television stand-up debut on Viceland’s “Flophouse” and recently starred opposite Beth Behrs in the Lee Daniels FOX pilot, “Culture Clash.” Bizuneh has created several originals for Comedy Central Digital including Demitrinox’ “Antidepressant for Black Folk” and “How To Be Broke,” which recently wrapped its second season. Ben wrote on staff for “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and previously consulted on TruTV’s “Billy on the Street.”

I had a great interview with Caleb Synan last week. We chatted about his experience doing Conan, his philosophy regarding high pressure performing situations, his incredible 'Just for Laughs' experience, mastering social media and much more. Bio: Caleb Synan is one of the hottest young comics in the country. (Funny AND good looking!) His unique background as a preacher’s kid from a small southern town gives him the ability to relate to any and every crowd -- even though he’s a big old millennial who lives in LA. Want proof? He’s written and starred in two different Comedy Central web series: “Deadliest Chef” and “Wise Words” (That’s the internet!) And he’s performed on CONAN (twice!), Last Comic Standing (once!), and Fuse’s “Uproarious” (TV! That’s right!)

Awesome interview with comedian Paige Weldon! We chat about starting out at UCLA doing comedy, producing a comedy album, doing a late night set, a day in the life of a comic, performing at colleges, podcasting, balancing your life, and MORE. Paige Weldon is a writer, actor and comedian based in LA. You may know her stand-up from appearances on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Comedy Central Stand-Up Featuring, or her album Girlfriend at the Time from A Special Thing/Literally Figurative Records. She was also recently named one of Time Out LA’s top 10 comedians to watch, as well as a New York Comedy Festival Comic to Watch. As an actor, she can be seen recurring on the Paramount Network’s TV reboot of Heathers and Comedy Central’s Corporate. She also was very active in the stand up comedy club at UCLA right before I went there.

I had a great chat with Erik Escobar last week. Erik is a working comic based in LA who does a lot of road work in the Pacific Northwest. He has been seen in Last Comic Standing and a handful of Buzzfeed videos. In this interview, we talk about hetting into NACA and doing colleges, stand up comedy strategy, getting Road gigs and more!

This week I interviewed comedian, mathematician, and (unofficial) world record breaker for doing the most consecutive nights of comedy shows in a row. Sammy is incredibly talented and has a very unique set of skills. His math major background clearly influences his humor and the projects he chooses. I really love the amount of emphasis Sammy places on taking care of one's physical and mental health - two things often overlooked by busy comedians. We talk about a ton of great things during this interview including structuring your day, learning from 1001 nights of comedy, taking care of yourself, turning data into comedy, hosting a math show on a major TV network and MORE!.

I had such an insightful interview this past Tuesday with Neel Nanda. After I made him an atrocious unsweetened coconut milk latte, we got to chatting. In this interview we cover headlining and selling out, finding your niche audience, getting on TV without an agent, transitioning out of open mics and into shows, and MUCH MORE. This interview is jam packed with incredibly helpful content. Bio: Starting comedy in Atlanta, GA and now based in Los Angeles, Neel Nanda has performed all over the country with some of comedies’ biggest acts. Neel has most recently performed stand up on ABC's JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE & has acted and performed on COMEDY CENTRAL's ADAM DEVINE'S HOUSE PARTY. In 2018 he was a featured comedian on AMAZON PRIME’S INSIDE JOKE with Asif Ali. Neel has also made notable appearances on MTV and on IFC's GARKUNKEL AND OATES SHOW. Other networks where you can catch his stand up comedy include HULU's COMING TO THE STAGE, & several episodes of the series FLOPHOUSE for VICELAND directed by Lance Bangs. Neel recently featured at Bridgetown Comedy Festival in Portland, the Laughing Skull Festival in Atlanta and was the runner up for the Westside Stand Up Showdown (2015) in Los Angeles. Aside from just performing standup, he currently produces a few shows in LA including "Unnecessary Evil" at the Westside Comedy Theater, which was recently named one of LA Weekly’s top 10 stand up shows. You can catch Neel every week at his show on the Westside where he has shared the stage with comedians like Hannibal Buress, Demetri Martin, Laura Kightlinger, and even Yakov Smirnoff.

I recently had a great interview with Sierra Katow! Taken from her bio: She first began performing standup at 16 and was the youngest comedian featured on season 9 of Last Comic Standing on NBC. Her standup was also featured on Last Call with Carson Daly, Laughs on Fox, and Acting Out on MTV. Her festival credits include the Seattle Int'l Comedy Competition, Boston Comedy Festival, the Women in Comedy Festival, the LA IO West Comedy Festival, the Comedy Comedy Festival, the Women In Comedy Festival, and the Funny Women Fest LA. She's currently writing for a new show on Eko and serves as producer of the podcast Queery with Cameron Esposito. In the past, she has worked as a writers' assistant for Drop the Mic on TBS and Take My Wife on Starz and served as VP of The Harvard Lampoon. In this interview we talk about Harvard computer science, the Harvard stand up club, being an Asian American woman in comedy, getting into coding, doing colleges, post college guilt, process of selling an animated short, getting into Laugh Factory, comedy end goals, festivals being over-hyped, morning rituals, and more.

Hi Working Comic Fans, In this episode, I interviewed the very funny and talented Mekki Leeper. He's only 24 and he's tearing up the comedy game. His standup has been featured on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Just For Laughs: New Faces, Comedy Central’s Up Next, and he was named a Comedian You Should Know by Vulture in 2018. He also wrote for the 2017 White House Correspondents Dinner. In this episode we talk about some really cool stuff such as dropping out of college to pursue comedy, touring different comedy scenes while in college, getting a life changing e-mail, being a stand up comic vs being a comedian, working on comedy central projects, and balancing projects and stand up.

Hello Working Comic Fans, In this episode, I had the pleasure to sit down with RnB Comedian Morgan Jay. Morgan has been doing comedy for 11 years and musical comedy for 5. He’s performed at the 2017 SF Sketchfest, 2017/2018 Big Fire Festival, 2010 Iowa Comedy Festival, 2010 LA Comedy Festival. He won 1st Prize at the 2012 Santa Monica Comedy Fest, 1st Prize in the 2018 Ventura Comedy Festival and was 1st Runner up at the 2018 Boston Comedy Festival. Morgan is a regularly featured artist for sofarsounds.com and was one of the top booking acts for the 2017 NACA. In this interview we talk about the song writing process, love/relationships, selling tickets, finding your niche in comedy, and more! Hope you all enjoy.

Hi everyone, I've finally returned! This is a super fun interview. I met with Eric Moneypenny, a professional comedy writer who currently writes for AOK. You might remember him from Episode 2 with Gina Ippolito when she recommended that aspiring sketch writers take his class at the Pack Theater in LA. I took his class and got a chance to sit down with him.  We chatted about a ton of stuff including choosing your comedy focus, transitioning from stand up to writing, his Saturday Night Live audition experience, running a 10 Year Sold Out Comedy Show, touring with Drew Carey, working with Jordan Peele, and the death of cable TV. Bio: Eric Moneypenny is a writer for AOK, former writer for Eric Andre Show, and writer/performer for The Midnight Show (TMS),[1] a popular monthly sketch comedy showcase at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater.Eric has writes both short form comedy sketches and longer form television shows. He also teaches sketch writing classes at the Pack Theater in Hollywood.

I am going to be a bit slow over the holidays with releases. I've stepped down to one every other week for the time being as I am home on the east coast. In this interview, I chatted with Michael Longfellow! Michael is 24 and has already been on Conan, placed 2nd in Laughing Skull comedy festival, helps run Arizona's Big Pine Festival, was a TBS Comic to Watch, and can be seen on Hidden America with Jonah Ray. In this interview we touch on: getting into comedy, not joining a frat, college comedy at ASU, circumventing the gatekeepers, having a relationship and doing comedy, starting over in LA, running a festival, Laughing Skull Festival and his Conan Stand Up Set.

Hi Working Comics Fans, this interview is one of the most beneficial I've had in a while. I learned SO much about marketing, applying to festivals, and structuring my comedy life. This is definitely going to be one of the top listened to episodes. I interviewed Amy Miller. Amy is a fast-rising talent on the West Coast and national scene. Originally from Oakland, California Amy found her comedy chops in the Bay Area and is still a regular at the SF Punch Line and Cobb’s Comedy Club. After a move to Portland, Amy quickly rose to the top of the Pacific Northwest comedy scene, winning Portland’s Funniest Comedian in Helium Comedy Club’s contest, as well as being voted Portland’s Funniest 2013 and 2015 in the Willamette Week. Here are some the topics we chat about new opportunities for comedians in off seasons, marketing lessons to help comedy career, how to apply to festivals the smart way, how to make a comedy calendar, curating jokes for an album, developing the RIGHT relationships, messaging to get on shows, finding the right open mic rhythm and balancing clerical comedy work.

Hi Everyone! Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving Break. I've been out here freezing my ass off on the East coast and finally got around to posting the latest episode. This is a great one and is the FINAL installment of me interviewing members from the Dead Kevin sketch group. Jack Robichaud got Just For Laugh's in 2014, does stand up around Los Angeles, and has some cool experience in the industry. Here are some things we talk about: getting in just for laugh's, finding the perfect 7 minute set, getting the right manager, submitting to (and winning) Series Fest, balancing a job and stand up, making money in comedy, and making comedy shows in LA.

Hey Working Comic Fans, sorry for the delay! I've been super busy moving into my new place and balancing several shows that I'm producing. I really think that this episode was worth the wait as I had the opportunity to interview Nick Rutherford. Nick is one of the original members of Good Neighbor Stuff, a viral sketch comedy group with a cult following. This group featured Nick Rutherford, Kyle Mooney, and Beck Bennett who all went on to work for Saturday Night Live. I was really excited to do this interview because Good Neighbor Stuff honestly formed a lot of my humor in High School and College. All of my friends and I were obsessed with their videos. I DEFINITELY recommend checking them out. Here are some things we talk about: Pomodoro Technique for productivity, Taking a step back for appreciation, How 'Good Neighbor Stuff' formed, Cold Calling Colleges, How Good Neighbor Made Sketches, Growth Hacking, The 'Good Neighbor Stuff' cult following, Sketch writing to tv writing, Writing for SNL, Writing for Adult Swim and How writing HAPPENS!

In this fun interview, I talked with my good friend Salma Zaky. She is the head of Shenanigans's Stand Up Comedy division at UCLA and has produced tons of huge shows. She's performed all over LA and SF and is definitely up and coming! In this conversation, we talks about doing comedy in college, how and why we got into comedy, producing smart shows, approaching mics efficiently and much more!

Hello Working Comic Fans! I am super excited to share with you one of my FAVORITE recent interviews. I had the chance to meet with Jon Rudnitsky, a former cast member of Saturday Night Live! Jon was a featured player in SNL's 41st season that aired 2015-16. I met Jon a couple of years ago outside the Hollywood Improv and I remembered him being such a cool guy. At the time, he was most notable for winning the 2012 UCLA vs USC Laugh Bowl and then going on to star in some hilarious viral videos. When he got onto SNL, I was absolutely mind blown and extremely impressed. It's not usual to see someone YOU KNOW get on the most coveted comedy TV show of all time. Here are some of the many things you can expect to hear about: going from a USC grad to SNL to movies, how Jon got an SNL audition, what the SNL Audition is like, what it's like to work as a performer for SNL, the Hulu mini series he worked on with George Clooney, and how to be resilient!

In this episode, I sat down with viral YouTuber Lucas Cruikshank, the guy who created FRED. He had the first channel to get 1 million+ subscribers on YouTube and starred in three Nickelodeon Fred movies (with John Cena playing his Dad). These days Lukas is able to completely design his daily schedule and live off of the royalties from his two YouTube channels and movies. In this episode we talk about: - The origin of Fred - How to make money on YouTube - Making a movie - Growing up as Fred - Where he's at now

Hey Working Comic Fans, this week I had the opportunity to meet with Richard Sarvate. Richard is a fantastic up and coming comic and former Yahoo Software Engineer who made a name for himself in San Francisco and Los Angeles for creating the extremely popular show "The Set Up." This is one of the BEST SELLING and most popular shows in all of San Francisco. He also produces a big show called Comedy Vs Nerds where comedians do jokes about the tech scene (he graciously gave me a spot!). In this interview we dive into the following topics: - Cryptocurrency - Near death experience - Taking breaks from comedy - Meditation (Power of Now) - Yahoo Engineer to Comedian - Making Money While Doing Comedy - Investing - Producing Successful Shows - Starting your own comedy club

This is a special interview with my good friend Jesse Warren. Jesse is a relatively new comic to the scene making ripples in the Seattle scene. He is a regular at Laugh's Comedy Club and the Comedy Underground. He also produces a popular show called "Off the Top." Formerly software engineer at Microsoft and SpaceX, Jesse now spends his time focusing on stand up comedy full time. In this interview we talk about our formative years, self help, and some impactful books that have positively influenced our lives.

Hello Working Comic Fans! I interviewed Brian Moses, the host of Comedy Central's hit show "Roast Battle." We talk about a TON of super cool stuff. In this episode, I learned that he essentially CREATED THE ROAST BATTLE FORM! Wow, that's huge. This interview is super informative and I attempted to break it up by topic below if you want to skip ahead to different parts. Hope you enjoy! Here's what we cover: - Pornhub Awards (0:50) - Formation of the Roast Battle (~10:00) - Selling a show to Comedy Central (~15:05) - Financial success from selling a show (~17:00) - Selling shows: Major Networks vs Cable (~17:30) - Getting Jeff Ross involved (~23:20) - Scene Hacking and maximizing stage time (~27:45) - Rising popularity of roast battling and roast structure (~31:00) - How to host effectively (~39:45) - General Advice for New Comics (~48:50) - Get involved with Roast Scene (~54:20)

I interviewed Fahim Anwar! He is really cool and shares a ton of wisdom from his experience starting stand up in college (at UW) to becoming a Mechanical Engineer at Boeing in Long Beach to making it big in LA and getting an hour stand up special and, as of recently, an hour sketch comedy special! From his bio: "Fahim Anwar is a Los Angeles-based standup comedian, actor and writer. Formerly an aerospace engineer at Boeing, Fahim traded the cubicle for the stage and has never looked back. His parents however plead with him to look back nearly every day. "Is comedy worth throwing your life away for?" Fahim says, yes! Off the momentum of his one hour special THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS, The New York Times listed Fahim as a "Most Promising Future Star." He's appeared on CONAN, LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS and performed at the prestigious Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal. His recent FILM/TV credits include WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT, NEIGHBORS, DRUNK HISTORY, CARMICHAEL SHOW and SUPERIOR DONUTS to name a few. Currently, Fahim is serving as head writer and starring on a sketch show for Comedy Central with his comedy group (GOATFACE) which includes Hasan Minhaj from THE DAILY SHOW. It is slated to air sometime in 2018." In this conversation we talk about: - Engineer to comedian - Sketch group "Goat Face" from YouTube to Comedy Central - Starting out in Seattle and getting a ton of stage time - Establishing yourself in a bigger scene - Editing and becoming great - Changing comedy landscape - Getting yourself to write

In this episode, I interview the very talented character comic, actor, and comedian Brent Pella. His comedy sketches and music videos have gained millions of views around the world and have been featured on Funny or Die, College Humor, BroBible, The Chive, and Worldstar HipHop. In this episode we talk about: - NACA College Shows - Doing his first hour - Comedy and Health - WHERE to put characters in comedy? - UCB and Groundlings Improv - Making a stand up cartoon (Dane Cook style)

In this episode of Working Comic Podcast, I interview Chad Kroeger from "Chad Goes Deep" on YouTube. Chad rose to fame when a video of him asking San Clemente City Hall to erect a statue of Paul Walker went viral. He made a name for himself by making similar viral videos. Chad is an activist and budding comic that you can catch on his web series "Get Sent" on Facebook. This interview is honestly very weird and pretty different from the previous ones. Half way through, my buddy Derek 2000 fills in for me as host. Enjoy whatever the hell this is :)

Bo Johnson is a good friend of mine and an up and coming comic in the Pacific Northwest! He's been featured in Seattle's Bumbershoot music festival and Kevin Hart's "Hart of the City" show on Comedy Central. He was also just featured in Montreal's "Just for Laugh's" for Kevin Hart's stand up comedy app "LOL." We talk about a ton of cool things in this episode including: - Getting TV Credits - Producing shows to get stage time - Early stand up success - Competition Set vs Normal Set Disclaimer: the audio is pretty bad in this episode... I accidentally recorded the wrong audio out of the my Zoom H4N.

Sorry for the delay in posts recently! I am in the middle of moving to Los Angeles and have been on a pretty hectic schedule. Last week, I had the opportunity to interview the very funny, talented, and entrepreneurial Andrew Rivers. Andrew has several stand up comedy videos with millions of views online and has toured both nationally and internationally. In this episode, we cover the following topics: - Viral internet stand up comedy - Effectively promoting shows and 4-walling - What comedy should you be posting online? - How to do comedy and have a social life - How Andrew got started WORLD touring

In this short episode, I talk with Rob Schneider after I drive him home from Laugh's Comedy Club in Seattle! He gives me some great comedy advice. Full blog post on www.workingcomicpodcast.com

In this episode, I interview Alex Hooper. He has multiple TV credits, made a best selling comedy album on iTunes and Amazon, released a Pug Yoga calendar that was featured on Ellen, and is an all around loving and cool guy! We talk about resilience, following through with things, making cool shows, and much more.

In this episode I interview my old friend Nicole Becannon and we talk about her rise to becoming the best roast battler in the west coast for a period of time. In this interview we also talk about grinding in the LA open mic scene and strategies for improving.

Hey Working Comic fans! Sorry for the delay again. I was on vacation with my girlfriend this past week at my family Lake House in New York. I tried desperately to post earlier, but there was negative internet out there... In this interview, I had the opportunity to speak with comedic actor and producer Jared Popkin. Jared has produced dozens of BuzzFeed videos with millions of views and is actively selling and pitching various comedy series'. Most importantly, he was my old college improv team coach! Jared knows what it means to be on both sides of the camera, how to produce impressive comedic content while on a tight budget and how to hussle in the fast paced world of Show Biz. Throughout the interview we explore the following: - What goes into producing? - Should you re-brand your channel? - How does one assemble an effective team? - How does one take her YouTube channel to the next level? - Arguing while working towards a common goal - Division of creative control

In this episode, I had the chance to speak with Erin Ingle. Erin is one of the first people I met in the Seattle Comedy Scene when I moved out here. My friend Nathan Mosher told me to message her when I came to Seattle because she is so friendly and well known within the scene. Erin is the Head Producer at Jai Thai's Punchline Comedy Shows - these guys put on some of the most happen' shows in Seattle. They're basically at the heart of the Seattle DIY Indie comedy scene. She also just recently left a popular multi-city show and sheds some light on what it's like to run something like that. In this interview we talk about a ton of cool things including: - Comedy and Depression - Erin's Jump Into Comedy - Different "levels" of comedian - Producing a Multi-City Show - Getting Sponsors

In this episode, I interviewed Ryan O'Flanagan. You may know him from his viral sketch comedy group Dead Kevin or maybe you've seen him in American Vandal, Corporate, or New Girl. In this enlightening episode we talk about: - Getting on Funny Or Die - Sketch comedy - Joining American Vandal - NACA and College Comedy - His Comedy Central Special - The pilot pitching process - Croissant Party 2k18 Enjoy this episode!

This is part II of my interview with Seattle's Favorite Comedian, Emmett Montgomery! Emmett is a stand up comedian, storyteller, puppeteer, character comic, curator of talent, and just a quirky cool guy. You might’ve seen him at Bumbershoot or on Last Comic Standing! Emmett talks about a ton of cool stuff in this interview including: - Coming up with new characters - Why watching drag and professional wrestling will make you funnier - How to do comedy professionally against all odds - Having a beloved elderly chiuahua - Being on last comic standing!

Hi Working Comic Fans, this is a very epic episode! I interviewed Seattle's favorite comedian, Emmett Montgomery. Emmett is a stand up comedian, storyteller, puppeteer, character comic, curator of talent, and just a quirky cool guy. You might've seen him at Bumbershoot or on Last Comic Standing! I really enjoy this interview because it gives Emmett a chance to showcase his incredible storytelling skills. He is absolutely captivating and runs some really cool unique shows in Seattle that will make you laugh and sometimes cry. Emmett watched the Seattle scene grow up and helped incubate it into the breeding ground for indie shows that it is today. Here are some topics that we cover: - Working at Hollywood Video - Early 2000's Seattle Comedy Scene - Comedy Boom in Seattle (1970's and 80's) - Vehicles driving into his store - Escaping the 9-9 Grind and quitting the day job - Rise of the Seattle Indie Scene - Live Comedy competing with Online Comedy - Running successful shows and curating talent - How to say 'no' to people that want to be on your show - Saying 'yes' to puppet shows and entering OTHER scenes - Opening for and learning from Dave Chappelle - Dealing with severe health issues

Hey Working Comic Podcast fans, I had a very interesting episode with Sarah Martin. In this episode we cover the joke editing process and talk about the following: - What bits to do at open mics - Which bits to develop - How to allocate stage time at mics - Recording sets - Reviewing your recording - The New England Comedy Scene

In this interview, I speak with Bill Conway and we discuss his experience creating The Hard Times, an online satirical newspaper with over 1,000,000 unique visitors every month. In this episode we talk about: - Creating viral content - The nature of the internet landscape for comedy - Leveraging social media for your comedy career And more! Hope you all enjoy this one.

In this epsiode, I was lucky enough nto meet up with Natalie Holt. Natalie is a leader in the Pacific Northwest Comedy scene. She produces several shows and runs the famous Comedy Undergroud Open Mic, the longest running comedy open mic in Seattle. Natalie has appeared at Seattle's large Bumbershoot festival, the 208 Comedy Festival, Asheville Comedy Festival, and 10,000 Laughs. In this interview we talk about some of the following: - Natalie's first stand up comedy experience - The state of the Seattle comedy scene - Being a woman in comedy - How to run a great open mic - Mentorship in comedy - Tips to succeed in the PNW comedy scene I hope you all enjoy!

In this interview, I had the privilege of meeting with Chris Reinacher. Chris is a former Buzzfeed celebrity and current writer, actor, improvisor, filmmaker, and editor to name a few. He has over 800k followers across his social media platforms and has mastered the craft of making viral content that is ALSO funny and doesn't sacrifice comedic integrity. In this interview we talk about a lot of cool things including: - Being in a popular sketch group - Learnings from BuzzFeed - Dealing with "the industry" - Making of a good team - Treading the fine line of virality and actually being funny - How to get good production quality - Being a better writer/story teller "The hard part is that I'm constantly working on side projects and thinking of new things. And the really hard part is going like, 'what actually deserves my attention'?" - Chris

In this episode of Working Comic Podcast, I co-host with one of my best friends, Nathan Mosher. Nathan Mosher is a stand up comic based out of Los Angeles. He helped me start and run Shenanigans Comedy Club which has grown to be one of the biggest comedy groups at UCLA. In this more free-formy episode, we share our experiences producing shows and developing a comedy scene from the ground up. We recorded this out of my girlfriend's car in Westwood right before performing at Boyband at The Improv Space.

I had a great phone interview with Kortney Shane Williams - one of the TOP comedians of the Pacific Northwest Comedy Scene. We talk about what his experience was like getting into comedy, how to produce a comedy album, how to open for Dave Chappelle and Hannibal Buress, what moving to New York TWICE is like (and back), and some tips for up and coming comics! Enjoy!

Hey guys, welcome to Episode 7 of Working Comic Podcast. In this episode, I had the privilege of interviewing the great Susan "Cupcake" Jones. Susan is a nationally touring comedian that has toured with Dana Carvey and Rob Schneider. She's been featured on several networks and just dropped her 30 minute album on Ride TV. In this conversation, we cover the following topics: - Handling crowd work - Preparing for different types of shows (i.e. bar show, club show, theater show) - Building a 30 minute set - HOW to WORK as a COMIC - Booking from Colleges to Cruises - The Comedy House

This past Sunday, I had a fantastic interview with Ahmed Bharoocha. He was generous enough to have Marlina (my girlfriend) over his house on a Sunday evening even though his little baby was sleeping. Ahmed is a stand up comic featured on Conan O'Brian and Comedy Central (30 minute special), was featured in Montreal's Just for Laugh's, has a viral sketch comedy channel called Dead Kevin, and is on Adult Swim's Dream Corp LLC.  In this conversation we cover a variety very interesting topics including: - Starting in a small comedy scene and moving to LA - Differences between smaller and larger scenes - Leveraging existing material in a new scene - Building a 'tight 5' for a Late Night Set - Being a part of a popular weekly sketch channel

I had the amazing opportunity to interview the Michael Rousselet. Michael is one of the original members of the viral success YouTube channel '5 Second Films' which has featured Patton Oswalt and Weird Al Yankovic, he wrote the comedy movie 'Dude Bro Party Massacre III', is currently a writer for the popular online cartoon site 'Cyanide and Happiness', and STARTED the cult following for the movie "The Room." He is a very cool guy and I gained a lot of valuable insight about writing and collaborating. Enjoy!

I had the privilege of interviewing the owners of Laugh's Comedy Club, Dave and Angela Dennison, last night! Laugh's Comedy Club is located in the U-District of Seattle and is near and dear to my heart because it is the location of the first open mic I did when I moved to Seattle in August. This interview is very insightful and covers what it's like being club owners, how national headliners are booked, how shows are marketed and produced, what costs go into operating a comedy club, the route for fledgling comics to "break in" to the club, and much more.