Podcast appearances and mentions of Mitzi Shore

Bill Maher sits down with Tony Hinchcliffe, the ringmaster behind the hit live podcast Kill Tony. Tony reminisces about his early days answering phones at the Comedy Store, how Mitzi Shore ruled the club, how talent coordinators silently decide careers, the jelly fish ghost in the Belly room, Tony's Puerto Rico joke at the Trump rally and the social media blowback, doing stand-up in a parking lot during Covid, Austin's comedy boom, Kid Rock's ‘Southern White House”, why comics crave honesty, Bill's brief detour into the history of Genghis Khan, and so much more.    Go to https://www.zbiotics.com/RANDOM and use RANDOM at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics Get started at https://www.factormeals.com/random50off and use code random50off to get 50 percent off plus FREE shipping Go to https://www.ffrf.us/freedom or text "CLUB" to 511511 and become a member today Go to https://www.RadioactiveMedia.com or text RANDOM at 511511 to save up to 50%, today! Follow Club Random on IG: @ClubRandomPodcast Follow Bill on IG: @BillMaher Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast for free wherever you're listening or by using this link: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/ClubRandom⁠⁠⁠ Watch Club Random on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/ClubRandomYouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, talent manager Barry Katz sits with stand-up comedian and actor Paul Rodriguez to discuss Paul's path to success in the entertainment business, from his desire to get out of Compton, to working as a doorman at the Comedy Store and getting noticed by Mitzi Shore, to becoming one of The Original Latin Kings of Comedy, and appearing in major motion pictures. Paul talks about working with Clint Eastwood, Michael Mann, Will Smith and more. He also provides insight into his joke writing process, and drops advice for aspiring comedians.

Felipe Esparza joins The Steebee Weebee Show for the 2nd time!!! We talk about: party crews in Los Angeles in the 90's, how he got his start in comedy and meeting comedian-Paul Rodriquez, The British Invasion of ska music hitting the states with bands like-The English Beat, The Specials, and Madness, his experience with The Comedy Store and meeting Mitzi Shore, the brilliance of "Weird Al" Yankovic, the best tacos in Downtown LA, his story of meeting a Hermaphrodite and destroying a hotel room, his Netflix Special and his podcast-What's Up Fool?, and much much more. Go this week to: www.youtube.com/steebeeweebee to watch. More Felipe : https://www.instagram.com/felipeesparzacomedian ** Now on iTunes:  https://goo.gl/CdSwyV ** Subscribe: https://goo.gl/d239PO Little Ray promises a Karma Boost if you join our Patreon: https://goo.gl/aiOi7J Or, click here for a one time Karma Boost. https://www.paypal.me/steebeeweebeeshow/2 More Steven: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quangou Bandcamp: https://steebeeweebee.bandcamp.com/ Itunes: https://goo.gl/PSooa0 Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/steebeeweebee Send stuff to: 1425 N. Cherokee Ave P.O. Box 1391 Los Angeles, CA 90093 

Support Ben on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Benbankas Get tickets to see Ben: https://www.benbankas.com/live-shows Join the email list: https://www.benbankas.com/jointhelist Podcast: https://www.benbankas.com/podcast Ben sits down with Mark Breslin, one of Canada's most legendary comedy figures. Mark is now the the oldest living comedy club owner after the death of Mitzi Shore. Ben and Mark talk about comedy, Mark's experiences finding comedians like Norm Macdonald, Sam Kinison, Jim Carrey and more.

This week on the blog, a podcast interview with Director/Editor Roger Nygard on his new book, “The Documentarian.”LINKSA Free Film Book for You: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/cq23xyyt12Another Free Film Book: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/x3jn3emga6Fast, Cheap Film Website: https://www.fastcheapfilm.com/Buy “The Documentarian” Here: http://applausebooks.com/books/9781493086221Roger Nygard Website: http://rogernygard.com/Eli Marks Website: https://www.elimarksmysteries.com/Albert's Bridge Books Website: https://www.albertsbridgebooks.com/YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/BehindthePageTheEliMarksPodcastTRANSCRIPTWhere did you first get the documentary bug?Roger Nygard: It was a big mistake. I didn't plan for it. It is sort of like, “Oh, I'll try one bump of heroin. What could hurt, right? Just once.” I made a documentary called Trekkies because an actress I met named Denise Crosby (who was in my first feature film), we had lunch a few years later and she pitched the idea to me. “Hey, someone should make a documentary about these Star Trek fans.” Because she'd been going to conventions as an actor and said these people are entertaining and we couldn't believe no one had done it yet. It seems so obvious and “Yes, of course.” So, we brainstormed a little bit. We'd never done this before. How do you, uh, we have no idea how to make a documentary. But, you know, as the naive often say, how hard can it be? And then you dive in and it's really hard, especially if you don't know what you're doing.And we just stumbled into it, watched a bunch of documentaries, absorbed what we could, made a lot of mistakes, which I learned from, and then put in a book about how to make documentaries, I made the mistakes, so you don't have to. So, I just kind of stumbled into it. What was the biggest challenge you faced on that one, looking back on it? Roger Nygard: It's always, the biggest challenge is always finding the money to pay for it. Every time. Even for Ken Burns, he said it was a challenge raising money. You'd think a guy like, in, in his career at this point, with dozens of films, they'd be writing him checks, but he says he still has to go searching for the finishing funds on every project. One of the things when I saw Trekkies for the first time I was really impressed with--well, first the humanity that you treated every subject in it with. But also, your balance of the humorous and the serious elements within it. I imagine you found that in the editing, am I right? Roger Nygard: I guess so. I mean, it's something innate. I don't really consciously set out to be, “I'm going to be balanced,” or “I'm going to be funny.” It's what I look for in my own viewing. I look for films where the filmmaker is not lying to me. I want a genuine take on something. They can take a position. In fact, it's better when you take a position with a documentary. You should have a point of view. If you are just presenting both sides equally, you're much less likely to have an audience than if you take a stand, make a position and lay out the evidence and let the audience decide.But I look for that in a film, and so my films, I guess, are an embodiment of me. I'm the filmmaker. You're getting my perspective on the world. Any piece of art is the artist's perspective on the world. They're saying, “here's how I see the world.” And my documentary is me looking at people. I'm amused and I'm obsessed and I'm interested in human behavior.I find it fascinating and really funny. And so that's what happens when I process what I'm making. And then, of course, then in the editing, that's where I'm refining that point of view. So, when you sit down with someone, what techniques do you use to make your interview subjects comfortable and willing to open up to get the sort of responses you need?Roger Nygard: First, you want to start off with some flattery. Obviously. “Thank you for being here. I loved your book. It's such a good book. I loved your movie. I loved your acting. I loved whatever. I love that broach.” You, find something to compliment.And people love it. You bond with someone who likes you. We like people who like us. And so that interview is going to be a connection between two people and it's nice when it's like a friendly connection where they're not hiding their true selves. So, you want someone to feel comfortable enough so that they'll open up and give you the real stuff and not try to present, to pre edit their image. Those interviews don't work so well when someone's trying to make sure that they're going to come off a certain way. They need to be open and you're gonna take what they give you and edit it and make them look good, ideally, or at least give them a genuine, honest portrayal. But you want them to feel comfortable.Another way to do that is to share something about yourself, before you start. Maybe a tragedy you experienced, if you're talking about their tragedy. Or a funny event that happened to you. But keep it short, because they are there to talk, you're there to listen.So, mainly, you ask a question and then just shut up and let them fill the space. How long did it take you to learn to shut up? Because I'm not sure I've learned that yet. Roger Nygard: It's so hard. Especially for men. Men are the worst. I mean, I made a documentary about relationships, and that's almost the number one thing I learned from marriage therapists is that your partner needs to be heard. And men typically try to fix things, because that's what we do, right? But your partner doesn't need you to fix them usually when they're telling you something. Let's say you've got a wife, she's complaining about her boss, she doesn't want you to, to say, “Oh, why don't you quit? Why don't you do this? Why don't you do that?” That's going to make her feel worse. She wants you to just, just show empathy. And so in an interview, you want to do the same thing—show empathy—but don't intrude, just nod, “hmm, hmm, yeah, oh that's, that must have been awful, tell me more about how that felt.”Instead of interrupting and trying to guide them, just ask the question, leave the space, provide silent empathy, because you don't want your voice all over their soundtrack. How much pre-interviewing do you do and do you like that or not? Roger Nygard: I used to do a lot of pre interviewing. On Trekkies, we did a lot because it was expensive to shoot film. We made that in 16mm film. Oftentimes, we would rehearse what they're going to say and get the soundbite we needed kind of ready. And then say “action,” have them say it, and then cut, and then move on. Or maybe say it in a couple different ways. But now, it's much more typical to just let the camera roll, because we're shooting video, with maybe multiple cameras.And I think that's a better way generally, because you might get things you didn't expect. I'd rather have a lot of extra footage that I can't use and yet get that moment that I wouldn't have had otherwise, than if I'm trying to save video. But that said, you want to know what you're going there to get. You don't want to shoot a bunch of things that are useless, because you've got to sit in the editing room, or your poor editor has to go through all of this stuff. So, you do need to plan it out, and there's nothing wrong with preparing the person, pre interviewing them. You know, early in my career, I was a PA on a documentary that HBO was doing here in the Twin Cities. It was about hockey goalies, I think, and suicide. And I'd never been on a documentary set like that. And the director of it literally would say, “when we talked on the phone, you said the following sentence, would you say that again?” Which appalled me at the time, because I thought, “let him really talk.” But then like you say, he was shooting 16 and he had to get what he had to get. But now, a million years later, having done hundreds of corporate interviews, while I'm absolutely on your side of let the camera run, you also need to know what it is you want to get. But also, I remember, we were wrapping up an interview with a father of someone who, I think she had become ill, but she was fine now. And I said, “OK, well, that's just been great, Dave. Thank you for talking to me.” And the sound man—I was about to say cut—and the sound man said, “John, um, I just feel like Dave wants to say something else.” And I said, “well, yeah, we're still rolling. Go ahead, Dave.” And then he said the sentence that we needed for the whole video. And the sound man had seen that because he was paying attention to the person that I was interviewing. I had not seen it. And I got better later on at seeing that, but it's finding that balance between we're done and we're almost done, but you're about to do something brilliant that I guess you can only get from having done it.Roger Nygard: I agree. Yes, I've oftentimes said to someone, “That was a great story or a great thing you just said. Could you say it again? Because it's so important, I want to have you try again. And maybe we'll get it a little more concise this time?” Or if in your mind, you're thinking they didn't quite deliver it the way you wanted.I might even suggest, “Why don't you start by saying ‘That time I was riding my bike …' and finished the sentence.” I'll guide them, because I'm editing, I'm pre editing in my head. How am I going to use this soundbite? Can I use it? Is it usable? Or should we try again? That's very common and they like that, because they want to come off well and they want a second chance to say the thing better. So, everybody wins. And by the way, did you meet Gump Worsley? I did not. This was a high school hockey thing, it wasn't a professional hockey video. But I was surprised that at the end of the day they gave me all the film to take over to the lab. I'm just a PA. You're giving me everything to take to the place? It seemed like they were giving an awful lot of trust to this kid who didn't know what he was doing. But you raise an interesting point, because as you're interviewing, you are both directing and editing at the same time. I think if you're good at it, you're figuring out, yes, no, yeah, I can use, no, I can't. And that's a weird dichotomy. How do you balance both those things? Be in the moment, but also be in the editing suite at the same time in your head?Roger Nygard: That's the hardest thing, especially if you're a one-man band, or a one-person band, or maybe it's you and a sound person. But often, it's been just me with the person that I'm interviewing. And so I've got to make sure it's in focus, I have to remember to turn off the autofocus, I've got to ride the levels, ride the volume, I've got to remember to ask the question, and I have to listen to what they're saying, in case I want to go with a follow up. Doing all these things at once. I've got to remember that—if the lighting changes during the shot—I've got to fix the lighting because the sun moved. So many things are happening. And so, you just practice. You get better every time you do another one, and it starts to become second nature. But the most important thing, after making sure it's in focus and the sound is good quality, is to listen to what they say, exactly like your sound person. What a great advantage to have someone who is paying attention like that and a good team member to remind you.Every interview should end with, “Is there anything else you'd like to add? Is there anything that we missed or is there anything else you'd like to say?” Many of the best soundbites I've collected came in those moments when it was unprompted by me. They gave me what they needed to give me. I remember being on one shoot for an NCAA athlete. She was a basketball point guard, I think. And we're about halfway through the interview and I asked a question and her response was this. She said, “Well as I said before, oh wait, I shouldn't say ‘as I said before,' because I bet you're going to cut this up. Let me redo that and I won't say ‘as I said before.'” And then she said the statement. She finished the statement, and I turned to the crew and said, “You guys do this much more than I do. Has a subject ever said that? And they said, “No, no subject has ever been that aware of the process that they were in that they fixed on the fly what they're saying, because they knew you couldn't use it.”Roger Nygard: Those interview subjects are rare. One technique you talk about in the book is something that started with Errol Morris and ended up being used in corporate America, corporate videos quite a bit. We called it The Interrogator, but that's not quite the word that he used. What did he call it? Roger Nygard: Oh, the Interitron. We call it just the Interrogator, and it's where you've set up a system wherein they're not looking at the camera, they're looking basically at a screen, which is in front of the camera, and they see your face, and so it is a conversation. And with many subjects, I found that that really helped break down any sort of barrier, because it's really hard to talk to a camera, it's much easier to talk to someone sitting next to the camera, and the closer they are to the camera, the better your shot's going to be. But having them look right at your face was hugely helpful. Roger Nygard: There is a connection that happens, according to Errol Morris, that brings unexpected, well, I don't know, what do you want to call it, electricity between you and your subject. Maybe that you might not have when the camera's intruding on the relationship. Have you ever run into situations where there wasn't a pre-interview and it becomes very apparent very quickly that this isn't going to go anywhere? If you have, what's your response to that and how do you handle that? Roger Nygard: Oh, yeah, there are many times. Especially when I was shooting The Nature of Existence. I had 450 hours of footage. I interviewed 170 people. Something like that. Because I was fishing, I don't know what I'm going to get. And everyone is qualified to have an opinion on why do we exist. So, it's worth casting my lure into that part of the lake, even though I'm not sure that there's fish there, I didn't pre fish it. And when that happens, I just do the interview, and then I thank them and tell them it was great. And then I just don't use it, because there's nothing usable in there and it's part of fishing, right? Not every cast brings in a fish. Your Minnesota viewers are going to understand this metaphor. Well, I think fishing's internationally understood. I've never seen anyone do it outside of Minnesota, but I've seen pictures. So, you mentioned, The Nature of Existence. We've talked about Trekkies, you've talked about the relationship documentary. Where do you get your ideas for what to follow? What's going to be your next project? Where does that come from? And how do you know when you, when you have a good fish on the line? Roger Nygard: When you become obsessed with an idea, you have a message that is bursting to get out of you, and so you are compelled to see this through to the bitter end. Because it might take two years, or four years, or seven years.The Truth About Marriage took seven years. Trekkies took one year. Trekkies 2 took 18 months. The Nature of Existence took four years. The idea has to captivate me enough, and obsess me enough, get me there. And then I'm hoping the audience will be just as interested in what I'm obsessed with as I present it to them. That's probably the most important ingredient to the success of a documentary, is your choice of subject matter. What do you mean? Roger Nygard: Because otherwise you might be making a whole movie that's something no one else is gonna be interested in. Or you're doing it for some reason other than you are captivated by it. Because you're the filmmaker, you're the artist. It's your enthusiasm, your excitement that's going to come through and be felt by the audience. But while you're doing that, in your case, you are producing, directing, and editing your projects. When do you know that it's done? I mean, on The Nature of Existence, you said you interviewed, what, 170? How do you know, “Well, that's it, I've got all the pieces?” How do you make that decision? Roger Nygard: Yeah, it's hard sometimes because I had no idea where I was going to end up in with some of these films. I'm sort of like an investigator setting out to solve a crime, and so once I solved the crime, then I know where my ending is and I know how to get there, where to get to. I just have to answer the question. For example, The Truth About Marriage. My question was, Why are relationships so hard for people? That's the mystery I solved. And once I had solved it for myself, by talking to enough marriage therapists, and couples, and married people, and divorced people, a divorce attorney, etc. I had settled in on an answer. And so that's what I present at the end of the film, is what I learned while seeking out that question. That's a concept documentary. With a narrative documentary, it is easier to know your ending because it's a story of someone's life, probably, or a slice of someone's life. Or a trial with a verdict. Okay, the verdict is the ending. Or, maybe it's basketball. And so, do they win or do they lose at the end? That's your ending, and you're working backward from that. If it's a biography, if they've lived a good three act structure in their lives, you've probably got a good documentary there.If they haven't, you either have to manufacture it or find a way to present it. And many documentaries have succeeded despite a lack of a story structure and despite a lack of a solid core question. It's better to have the insurance of a solid story structure, but if you don't have it, you might yet still succeed.Like, I think Trekkies is an example of this. It's a flawed documentary, which does not have a narrative structure. And there's no solid core question asked at the beginning. But it was a grand slam as a documentary because it was so funny. And it had a core group of people that were going to automatically be interested in the film. So, we had those two high cards despite the fact that we didn't have what typically a great documentary has, which is a narrative structure just the same as a screenplay has.It feels like sometimes you're just rolling the dice, not you, but a documentary filmmaker, that you're gonna go into something and something's gonna happen and you're gonna end up with either The Jinx, where he confesses on tape at the end of your documentary, which you certainly could not have put in your pitch if you're that director. Or the folks who were working on the Alec Baldwin documentary about his trial, where the judge threw it out on the first or second day. At that point, you no longer have a documentary.What would you recommend someone do when they're going out to pitch a documentary to investors or the network or whatever on the idea of something? How do you sell something that doesn't exist yet, even in anything more than like a one page document? Roger Nygard: The best way to sell it is to make them feel the story in the room. You act it out and you bring the excitement because you're excited by it. And maybe you've done one interview already as a test. That's often where I get the feel when I'm interviewing that person. I feel it. I feel like I've got something here or I feel like it's not going anywhere. I started a documentary about Scott Hanson, local Minneapolis comedian, and we did one interview, and I just didn't feel it, because I think he was trying to present an image of himself. He wasn't willing to be open. And so I didn't get excited, and we didn't really keep going. The first interview, the first footage we shot of Trekkies, we felt it. We knew we had something. The first interview I did about this existentialist question, Why do we exist? I loved talking to people about this the way you do in a dorm room in college when you're talking about the big questions Why are we here? And what's our purpose? And what am I supposed to do with my life? That gets me excited. It gets people excited in life and death talking about death. What happens when you die? Does the soul exist? If so, where is it lodged inside your brain? Is there a compartment? You know, just fun, fun questions So, I knew, I had a sense that that was going to turn out okay, even though I didn't know my ending when I started because the idea was so gripping.I mean, it's gripped people, existentialist philosophers, for centuries. I'm not the first person to ask this question or try to figure it. I'm just one of thousands or millions, who knows? So, I was tapping into something I thought, it felt like to me. I felt it. But when you're in a pitch meeting, as you're asking, you have to make them feel the excitement either through your core question or the character description. If it's a character piece, then you are going to tell a story about this person. Who is this documentary about? I asked Ken Burns about that. How do you make a documentary about things like a bridge? His first film was about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. And he said, “You can't. You cannot make documentaries about things. It has to be about people.” And so that documentary is about the family, the Roebling family, that built that bridge and their struggle to complete the job through difficulties and challenges and near death experiences. That makes it interesting and exciting.If you love the film— like a film about an octopus, right? It's not as exciting unless you learn about the person who gets infatuated with a particular octopus, and it's his life. Or a documentary about a TV show. It's going to have a limited interest to fans of the TV show. But if you want a wider audience, you do a film about the fans themselves, about the people.The stories are about the people involved. Someone who collects owl figurines like my aunt did. She would have been a great subject. The owl figurines, who cares? You know, it's a five-minute short. Look, a bunch of owl figurines. But the person, the mindset behind someone who thinks they have to fill their house with owls. That's interesting.And it gives you lots of cutaway shots, too, which is nice. Roger Nygard: Always get your cutaways. Yes. For your documentaries, you're directing and editing, but in the case of the Comedy Store series, you were just, I don't mean to say just an editor on it, but you weren't directing it. What is that process like? I dealt with in corporate all the time. I would go out and interview the subjects and I'd bring it back to my editor and say, “Hey, here's my notes, here's the best stuff, have at it.” And he would create something great that wasn't what I had necessarily intended, but he found the best stuff in the footage and turned it into a five minute story.In the case of The Comedy Store, you're probably handed hundreds of hours of interviews with very interesting people and very funny people. What was your process for creating all those segments and deciding, this goes this stays? Because I'm guessing you could probably have done a couple more hours of just stuff that's funny. Roger Nygard: Sure, we could have done more episodes. There was plenty of footage. I was hired by Mike Binder, who I had worked with before. I had edited his feature films in the past. And he had never made a documentary.So, when he first asked me, I was busy. I was cutting Curb Your Enthusiasm. And I said, “I can't do it. But if, you know, if you can wait 11 months, I'll be free.” So, he hired another editor and started on the footage. And when that eleven months was over, they had crap. They had nothing. They had the beginnings of an episode, but he was flailing around trying to figure out what to do.So, I said, “I'm available now, let's do it.” So, I jumped in, and the first thing I showed Mike was my rules for doing interviews. I said, “Mike, you gotta just shut up. Ask the question and shut up. Let them fill the space. Especially when it's awkward. That's great. They'll come up with things they wouldn't have said if you had just been quiet.” That's number one. Number two, each episode needs a theme. And this is the biggest problem that I've seen, the biggest mistake that documentary filmmakers will make, is they don't know what their theme is. What is a theme? It's the idea or the premise behind the moral of the story. It's the idea you're trying to express.And each of the five episodes has a different theme. One is called The Wild Bunch. And it was about the wildest comedians who ever performed at The Comedy Store. And we used some footage from the movie The Wild Bunch. Once it had a theme, then I knew what to cut, and how to link things together.And once Mike started revising his outlines with that in mind, they started to take shape. And cutting the episodes made sense. You need to know your theme. I would write it down on a piece of paper, put it on the wall, because that's your roadmap. That's where you're going, and every scene should be connected to that theme in some way. Or if it doesn't, it probably doesn't belong in that episode or in the movie.And it actually probably made it a whole lot easier to edit, because you could just immediately go, nope, nope, yep, nope, nope, nope, nope, yep. Roger Nygard: It's your road map. Otherwise, you're just surrounded by a forest of footage and what do you do? I mean, there are tricks, like you start putting like with like and grouping them in your bins. And eventually you might start connecting like segments with like segments as you're building scenes. But when there's a narrative, it's easiest. There's an episode that's about the comedy strike, which happened. And so that gave us a very specific timeline of what's happening and who caused the strike and what they were asking for. Now we've got protagonists and antagonists. The antagonist is the owner of the store, Mitzi Shore, who doesn't want to pay them what they want as comedians. And that makes it easier from a narrative perspective, because what is a narrative, right? You have a protagonist, or a small group of protagonists, and an antagonist, or a small group, and a goal.The protagonists have a goal, and there's obstacles to that goal. Now we watch to see how they succeed or fail. That made that episode much clearer. One part of the book that I found just fascinating and I'm wondering if the publisher gave you any pushback on it, because it is sort of its own mini book right in the book. Which is the whole process of coming up with a distribution deal for Trekkies. It's a long segment, but it disabuses you of any glamour of Hollywood of, “Oh, we went to Sundance and they loved the film, and we signed it, and two months later it was in theaters. This is pages and pages and pages of the process of taking what you know to be a valuable asset and getting it to the right people and getting it out. So, first question is, did the publisher push back on that at all? Roger Nygard: No, they were remarkably compliant, helpful. Because I'd done one book with them already, and they felt pretty happy about me doing a second one in a similar vein, and I had case studies in that book also.But not like this, this is four chapters.Roger Nygard: You're right, the four chapters after, I say at one point, at the end of chapter 10 or whatever it was, “Okay, the how to make a documentary part of the book is over. The next four chapters are, once you have finished, here's a case study in trying to sell your documentary.” Because it took us nine months. From our first distributor screening to sign a contract. There is no immediate, you know. I mean, Sundance turned us down. And so, you have to persevere despite these problems toward a sale. The Sundance mega sale is like winning the lottery. And you're not likely to win the lottery. So you need backup strategies and backup plans. And we had tried lots of things, and it took us a long time and a lot of difficulties in fighting amongst ourselves to finally get to a point where we succeeded and got such a successful sale. Those chapters—I mean, the whole book is great for anyone who wants to make a documentary—but it's also really good for anyone who wants to make a thing. Particularly a film or a TV show or something.You're trying to make a pilot, you're trying to do something. It's unvarnished as to what it takes to do these things, and then you get to those four chapters, you realize this is for anybody who's got a film under their arm, whether it's a short or a feature, here's what you need to be prepared to face.I've always said that the problem with independent filmmaking is that we only see the successes. It's like having a cancer study where they don't tell you about the ones who died. We only tell you about the ones who lived. And this is a great, because look at this: this is what they did and they all lived, but there's so many that died because people don't understand the process. And that's what I love about that section of the book: it really just says this is not easy and you need good people on your side.Roger Nygard: And persistence. It's a marathon. You need to make sure your film sells. No one else is going to have the motivation to push your film over the finish line more than you. You gotta be in training to be that strong. You gotta make your short films, you gotta suffer a little bit, and that just makes you stronger.We were motivated to succeed. Despite being turned down by Sundance and Telluride and Toronto and the New York Film Festival—all the big ones at the beginning of the season turned us down. We finally got some success with the Hamptons Film Festival and the AFI Los Angeles Film Festival, and we were able to use those to help us get where we wanted to go. But boy, it would have been so much nicer if we got into Sundance, and it was the rave of Sundance, and it was easy.But here's a plan for those where that doesn't happen: There's a film agent I interview in the book, Glenn Reynolds, who said, “I don't need film festivals to sell your movie. Filmmakers like to go to film festivals, but there's just buyers, and it comes down to the product.Is it good? Who's in it? What's their social media reach now? And, oh, okay, you did a film festival. That's great. That doesn't hurt necessarily, but these first three, and the poster. What's the hook? What's the marketing going to do? Those are more important than how many film festivals.” We did 50 film festivals. The buyers don't really care. But if you picked up some rave reviews, and won some awards, that shows that someone else has validated your work. And so that's what you're hoping for. And you're not doing that in a vacuum. If I remember the timeline, you're working on your feature Suckers in there somewhere as well, that's happening at the same time.You once said to me something like, “It's good to have a lot of irons in the fire, you just don't want to have too many because you'll put the fire out.” You don't remember saying that? Roger Nygard: I do, yes. That sounds like me. Yeah, it is you. It was you. And I've remembered that ever since. And have tried to have a number of irons in the fire, but not too many. I think you sort of just say it in passing, in that section, that you're also working on Suckers, and that's happening. But you've always had sort of multi paths happening at the same time. How has that helped your career as both a documentary filmmaker, and a TV director, and a TV editor, and now an author?Roger Nygard: Yeah, you need to continually reinvent yourself and be trying new things and have multiple projects and have the stamina to, to work on them all and push them forward. Because that's who you're competing with. You're competing with people who are like that. They're working just as hard as you are.I mean, a workaholic is just someone who works harder than you do, right? If you accuse someone of being a workaholic, that means you're probably a little lazier than they are. Okay, that's fine. Maybe you can make what you need out of life, not working as hard, and my hat goes off to you. But that doesn't work for me. What works for me is—maybe it's that Scandinavian work ethic I picked up growing up in Minnesota—I feel like a complete loser if I haven't put in my work during the day. By the end of the day, I better have pushed that ball down the field some more, or I'll feel, you know, guilty. And so that helps motivate me. So, I work every day on something. Whether it's writing the book, or making a documentary, or editing a feature, or editing—right now I'm editing a Netflix series. Doing all those things. And my delayed gratification carrot is hanging there for me: Once I finish, I'm gonna go to Bali. So, I go to Bali every year once I've earned it.And now you might say, “Oh, you're crazy! No one should work that hard. I'm tired.” Well, it's a very competitive world, and so you need to work just a little bit harder than the one you're competing against. Yes. I believe it was William Goldman who quoted a basketball coach saying to their player, “Anytime you're not practicing, the guy you're going to go up against is, so you need to get out there and practice.”Roger Nygard: It's no different in the film business. Film business is the same, if not even more cutthroat. Okay, two last questions on this, and then I'm going to let you go. So, what's the biggest mistake that you think someone starting out as a documentary filmmaker is likely to make?Roger Nygard: One of them is to give up your ownership. You should always keep, if you can, own your projects. Own your product. Because it's a property. And if you own it, then you can continually relicense it over your lifetime. I know a filmmaker who made the biggest mistake you can make, which is he sold his movie in perpetuity to a distributor. Now it's gone. He'll never get it back again. So you want to license whatever you've made to a distributor for two years, four years, five years, seven years. With Trekkies, we had a 20 year license, 25 if unrecouped. But that's because they paid us so much money, they bought that many years, but it was still a license.And so Trekies came back to us a few years ago and so we restored it to HD. It had never been released in HD yet, and we've licensed it to a new company for another period of time. You did the same thing with Suckers, didn't you? Roger Nygard: I did it, I bought it, yes. The company, the same company that I made Trekkies with made Suckers with me. And they set up a corporation to own the film, which is typically what they do, every film has a corporation that owns that film. And that's where the money from the investor goes. And that's where the profits, if any, come out of. And in that case, Sucker's never reached profit while they owned it. It cost about a half a million to make, and it probably made back $250,000 from an HBO sale and an IFC sale and home video. And we had a distributor that went bankrupt who, so we had to chase them.But at the end, probably like 15 years after we made the film, the company that I worked with, Neomotion Pictures, they were going to close their doors. They were retiring or going off to do different things, and they were shutting down the company they had made that owned the film. So, if they just shut down the company, then suddenly it goes into the public domain, because there's no ownership. The entity that owned it no longer exists. Nothing owns it. Meaning everybody, anyone can own it. So, I said, Wait, guys, sell it to me,” which they did, “And I will restore the film,” which I did. I paid for the restoration. I collected what elements remained, some had been thrown away, but enough of the key elements still existed, so I was able to re-scan it and remix it and marry it together and find a distributor. And actually I put it on, it's on Amazon Prime. I put it there myself. So, I collect the money directly now, after putting my money into it. So, be an owner. Own your films. And if you can't, be a co owner. So at least you're part of where the money goes first. I mean, ideally you want the money to go to you and have all your profit participants chase you for the money, instead of you chasing them for the royalties. Okay, one last question. Someone has read your book, they've properly packed all their gear, they're going off to begin shooting. What's the one last piece of advice you'd give them before the door on the airplane shuts?Roger Nygard: Buy a copy of The Documentarian for everyone on your crew. That's the first part of the advice. And have them all read it. Be prepared for your interview, practice at home before you get there, set up your camera and your audio and do a practice interview so that it's second nature by the time you get there. Maybe do a test interview on, on someone who's not your main interviewee so that you have done a dry run and you've tested all the equipment, you've tested your questions, you've refined your approach. And so you're ready for the big day. Well, this has been great. Roger, is there anything I've forgotten to ask you? Roger Nygard: Yes, the names of all my projects. The last book was Cut to the Monkey, about editing and comedy. And this book is called The Documentarian. And I am working on another book, and I will probably, until the day I keel over. Hopefully I'll die fishing up in Canada. And they won't find you for days and days and days.Roger Nygard: It would be only fair if I fell in the water and the fish ate me after I've been eating them for years.

What happens when you try cooking in an airplane bathroom? Find out in Episode #58 of The PMS Podcast Show, where Pauly Shore and his co-host Nicole Tran take on this hilarious and cramped cooking challenge. Joined by rock legend Jesse Hughes from Eagles of Death Metal, comedian Lara Beitz, and the colorful Barfly, this episode dives into the wildest and most unpredictable conversations you'll ever hear! Experience the chaos of cooking at 30,000 feet as Pauly Shore—iconic comedian and son of Mitzi Shore, the legendary owner of The Comedy Store—guides you through this unique culinary adventure. Jesse Hughes shares outrageous stories from his rock ‘n' roll lifestyle, while Lara Beitz and Barfly add their own comedic flair to the mix. With resident bartender Ryan Mirvis serving up laughs and Graig Agop, the lovable producer, keeping the show rolling, it's a nonstop rollercoaster of humor and hijinks. Presented by Jam in the Van, The PMS Podcast Show combines comedy, music, and spontaneity, where each episode offers a fresh, unexpected twist. From offbeat interviews and wild conversations to live music by The Busters and the lively moves of Pauly's Dollys, there's never a dull moment. If you've ever wondered what it's like to cook in an airplane bathroom or are just here for the laughs, this is the episode for you!

You might have seen Boston native Roz Browne in numerous commercials, including a Diet Pepsi commercial shown during the Oscars. Roz is undeniably one of the most talented comics and performers of this generation. With an earthy passion and tenacity, she draws from current and past relationships and observations to bravely weave humorous tales that makes you rethink everything you thought you knew about comedy. Audience members tell her that she reminds them of the late Robin Harris. What drives Roz? She thinks it was being the middle child with six brothers and sisters. How else was she going to get attention? The sassy performer, whose credits include Judd Apatow's critically acclaimed comedy series “Baskets” on the FX network, national commercial spots for Geico Insurance Company and Xfinity, has assembled an extensive body of work. A career that began as a Certified Public Accountant for various companies including Segal, Goldman and Macnow where she handled the finances for Lou Rawls, Natalie Coles and Earth, Wind & Fire, proved confining for this dynamic performer. While studying with Gary Austin, Founder of the Groundlings, she honed her writing and creativity to pursue her dream of being actor and standup comedian. A decade later, Browne was selected by Mitzi Shore, owner of the World Famous Comedy Store to become a regular at the club where her name is on the wall along with some of the greats like Richard Pryor and George Carlin. She perfected her persona and delivery and has performed on top-rated comedy shows including BET's “Comic View” and “Bryon Allen's Comics Unleashed and twice on ABC's “The View” as one of the Hilarious Housewives. In her role as Trish in “Baskets,” she made an impact with her deadpan expressions and laugh out loud one-liners. She even became president of “Baskets College”, much to the dismay of Zack Galifianikis' character. Today, she exemplifies creativity at its best with gut-busting humor, bold drama and good old fashion storytelling wrapped in a courageously authentic package. Whether she is performing in honor of the incomparable Robin Williams or acting in films such as “How High” with Danny Devito, Roz exudes skill and discipline. At home, she spends quality time with her dog Tipp who has his own Twitter account. For more information about Roz or to book the actress and comedian for a show or speaking engagement, please click here. https://roz-browne.ck.page/d994eee9db https://rozbrowne.com/ #rozbrowne comedian #actress #writer #host #livewithcdp #talkshow #WQEE #chrispomay #barrycullenchevrolet #sponsorship #youtube #applepodcasts #spotify#iheartradio Want to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/54200596...

Comedian, host of Just Sayin', and excuse us HOMECOMING KING Justin Martindale joins us on the official first day of Kamala Is Brat Summer to talk about The Boys, Hollywood Squares, the ‘90s magic of A&F, EW, and TGIF, life as a high school social floater, being the last person picked to be a paid regular at the Comedy Store by Mitzi Shore herself, the hazards of being Bebe Rexha and/or Rita Rudner, the significance of Robin Williams, Jim Carrey and Joan Rivers, and meeting a life partner in real life. Catch Just Sayin' on the Comedy Store's YouTube channel or wherever you get your podcasts!

Jury Duty was one of the last gasps in the fading stardom of Pauly Shore. Son of the legendary Mitzi Shore, Pauly was briefly—and inexplicably—a Hollywood thing in the 90s. With his dopey, laissez-faire  chic, he headlined a string of movies, most of which weren't very good. Jury Duty falls into the unfortunate section of his filmography. A riff on 12 Angry Men, the movie centers on one dipshit juror, who refuses to render a verdict because the $5 they're making per day is too sweet a deal. As one could imagine, flat jokes, racist impressions, a romantic subplot, and our moronic lead actually doing the right thing all follow. It's obnoxious, unfunny, off putting, and seems far longer than 87 minutes. Hence why critics and audiences found Jury Duty guilty on all charges, sentencing it to 0% on Rotten Tomatoes and purchasing far less tickets than the movie cost to make. Now, sit back drown out the annoyance of Pauly Shore's voice with a Harpoon IPA, and never bet against Peanut's Jeopardy skills! I, the Thunderous Wizard (@WriterTLK), Bling Blake, and Chumpzilla are sharing a burrito with Judge Ito! This Week's Segments: Introduction/Plot Breakdown – For truth. For justice. For five bucks a day! (0:00) Lingering Questions – Why was Pauly Shore a thing? (32:52) The "The Fast Food Killer" Trivia Challenge – Bling Blake challenges the field to trivia about the movie. (52:00) Recommendations – We offer our picks for the week and next up: We kick off Dystopian Flops with a sci-fi masterpiece, Blade Runner! (1:03:18) And, as always, hit us up on Threads, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to check out all the interesting factoids from this week's episode! You can find this episode of Hops and Box Office Flops on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean, Spotify, Acast, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, Vurbl, Amazon Music, and more!

Cary Odes has been a standup comic for 45 years, coming up through the ranks at the legendary Comedy Store in Los Angeles, sharing the stage with David Letterman, Richard Pryor and Robin Williams, under the tutelage of Mitzi Shore, where he was the very first paid regular. More importantly to Ojai, he's been teaching standup comedy here in Ojai for more than 20 years, turning a bunch of boring schlubs into comic dynamos, presenting their "tight fives" to adoring crowds. On Sunday, April 14th, his latest batch of comics will perform to a sold-out audience at Kim Maxwell Studios, with another show planned for Friday, April 18th. We talked about how Cary got into comedy as an extension of him and a friend entertaining themselves, then realizing in college that he had a special talent for making people laugh. After studying in Chicago with the improvisational great Del Close, Cary nearly got his big break on the show "Bosom Buddies," and had his role snatched by a then-unknown Tom Hanks, and has steadily worked every since, touring the country, and now teaching his eight-week master classes in which students learn the components and craft of a joke (the premise, the setup, the act out, the turn) and perform the alchemy in which they take their pain and vulnerabilities and turn into the healing balm of laughter. We talked about how his style has evolved over the years, the joys of teaching, anecdotes from the trenches of the standup circuit, how to bomb on stage gracefully, and how comedy might be the Next Big Thing in the healing arts. We did not talk about kitchen knife-sharpening techniques, wolverine-trimmed parkas or the voyages of the HMS Beagle. Check out more about Cary at his website, thestandupworkshop.com where you can sign up for a class, or private lessons, or enter a joke contest. And here for some of his vintage work and fashion stylings ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41jjW4KPUWc

Mitzi Shore (1930-2018) is known for opening the Comedy Store, a famous workshop and performance space for up and coming comics. She was the ultimate curator of young talent, and a  mentor for many comedians over the years. Mitzi offered talented performers a chance to make it big. Further Reading: Mitzi Shore: Still Minding the Store Mitzi Shore, Whose Comedy Store Fostered Rising Stars, Dies at 87 The Queen of Comedy This month, we're talking about comediennes — women throughout history who have made us laugh. They transgressed societal norms through comedy and often spoke out against injustice using their sharp wit. History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn't help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should. Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we'll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more.  Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.  Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Sara Schleede, Paloma Moreno Jimenez, and Abbey Delk. Special thanks to Shira Atkins. Original theme music composed by Miles Moran. Follow Wonder Media Network: Website Instagram Twitter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's time to munch on some grindage, buddies, and celebrate this delicious turkey holiday by looking back at when Carla Gugino brought home Pauly Shore for Thanksgiving in the 1993 comedy classic 'Son-in-Law!''Son-in-Law' is Pauly Shore's highest rated movie on the Tomatometer at 32%, but our panel fervently disagrees with its abysmal rating as they can't get enough of Shore's 'Crawl.'Special guest and comedian Justine Marino joins Mark and Jacqueline to discuss whether Rotten Tomatoes is Wrong about the cultural phenomenon that was Pauly Shore in 'Son-in-Law.'What is your favorite Pauly Shore movie? Do you think 'Son-in-Law' deserves such a low rating? Or do you side more with the audience and its 59% rating?If you'd like to give your thoughts on this movie or have another movie you feel like Rotten Tomatoes got wrong, email us at RTisWrong@RottenTomatoes.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Well I finally did it, I was able to interview the comic that most influenced me as a professional MC.  Ron Kenney, as he now goes by, was one of my favorite club comics for decades....BEST MC/Crowd Management comic ever. He started as an MC for Mitzi Shore at the Comedy Store and ended up opening for huge acts in Vegas and rock'n the Corporate World....Ron had an amazing career in standup comedy. Full interview, and an early comedy set, by Ron you are sure to enjoy!Hosted by: R. Scott EdwardsShort promo to let everyone know about New FREE APP...Standup Comedy Podcast NetworkSupport the showStandup Comedy Podcast Network.co www.StandupComedyPodcastNetwork.comWrite a Review: in-depth walkthrough for leaving a review.Subscribe and get Bonus Shows and entire inventory of Shows: https://www.buzzsprout.com/838567/subscribe

Howie Mandel is the A-list guest celebrating 1000 episode of TIJ this week! The stand-up comic, “Deal or No Deal” host, AI proponent, and judge of “America's Got Talent” shares some pretty incredible stories from his days guesting on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. He made 22 appearances with Johnny and details his first-ever spot to the last stint that resulted in his ban from the popular late night talk show. Howie discusses the role that both Joan Rivers and The Comedy Store's Mitzi Shore played in his career, why he left the country when “Deal or No Deal” premiered on NBC, and what he hopes artificial intelligence will do for his legacy after he's gone.**This was recorded pre WGA / SAG-Aftra strikeThank you for supporting our sponsors!Bosch Tools: Learn more at https://www.boschtools.com/us/en/Progressive: Quote today at https://progressive.comeBay Motors: Get the right parts, the right fit, and the right prices. https://ebaymotors.comSlingTV: Check out https://www.sling.com/ for special offers  STAY CONNECTED:TikTok: @ChrisJerichoInstagram: @talkisjericho @chrisjerichofozzy Twitter: @TalkIsJericho @IAmJerichoYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChrisJerichoFozzyWebsite: https://www.webisjericho.com/

All of my upcoming shows and past episodes of The Ian Ira Rousso Show can be found at www.ianirarousso.com Karen Haber is a New York-born stand-up comedian who found her way into the business in the early 1980's. Once upon a time ago, she got up in the Original Room at the World Famous Comedy Store and was passed by the late godmother of the club, Mitzi Shore. SInce then, she recollects her years making a decent living working The Comedy Store and the Laugh Factory, getting to do the road, and seeing some of her contemoraries find success, most notably, her old friend the late Louie Anderson, who's late night debut on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson she recollects fondly of, having gotten to see it in person herself. In the mind-nineties, she moved on to a bigger roll, the roll of being a loving mother of two and in the past year, she has returned to comedy. Audio here:  Video here: Stay up to speed with all of Karen's ongoings, maybe see go see some of her comedy live: www.instagram.com/karenhabercomic  And follow my shit too!www.instagram.com/ianirarousso www.twitter.com//ianirarousso www.tiktok.com/$ianirarousso www.facebook.com/ianirarousso #TheIanIraRoussoShow #TIIRS #ComedyStore #LaughFactory #Comedy #ComedyPodcasts

We come right out with our lone email for the week with Travis who wants to know how we would spend the day with Werner Herzog. The tragic loss of a billionaire and some other peeps in the Titanic OceanGate sub is absolutely the fault of the OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush. Ricky Wood is a funny guy who was in Confess, Fletch which Mike enjoyed, but Luke loathed. Anthony Fauci has a complicated past beyond just Covid stuff. Jim Breuer has changed a great deal since the days of Goat Boy. The PGA Tour accepted the Saudis into their tour as investors. Does it matter? Is the Saudi Arabian government any worse in their actions over history than the government of the United States? Nobody seems to care if Saudi money infiltrates every avenue of the economy. Jason Alexander has issues apparently. It all starts with the McDLT in 1985 but he also has derogatory things to say about the game of Cricket. Jerry Seinfeld loathed Mitzi Shore who owned the Comedy Store stand-up until she died in 2018. Seinfeld may be a very petty dude. Govier is excited because the NBA Draft was Thursday night (fast forward Dave & Eric) and Victor Wembanyama is the future of humankind. Black Mirror is so good that Luke and Mike had to turn it off before. Luke compared it to watching Brawl In Cell Block 99 & Dragged Over Concrete back to back. Mike has some Central Michigan University memories of his long lost roommate Ron. Thanks to him the Xzihibit classic Paparazzi was introduced to Govier's world. Then there is plenty of Papa Roach & Magic Man. We love you all! Really! We are very pleased with our little world that together we have formed thanks to this show. This show has no substance to it without you listening and emailing. We close the show with The Guillotine by The Coup. If any of our nonsense provokes your thoughts, please share them with us at isitsafepod@gmail.com

Your Vacation isn't just calling—it's begging for you to take it to Branson! On today's show Byron Tyler and Lynn Berry from ExploreBranson.com welcome, Comedian Yakov Smirnoff, after escaping communist Soviet Union in the 1977, Yakov came to the United States with nothing but a dream. As his English improved, he made a daring move to Hollywood where the owner of The Comedy Store, Mitzi Shore, spotted him and advised him to stay. His lovable view of life through the eyes of a poor immigrant captured the hearts of America. He soared to the top of the comedy world, performing on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” and countless other television programs. Pink Jeep Tours Operations Manager, Sheila Baeten. They take you off-road and behind the scenes of some of the most extraordinary landscapes in Branson, Award-winning Producer, Creator of "ALL HANDS ON DECK! Show", Jody Madaras. Jody has worked on stage on the Broadway production, Drowsey Chaperone and he's creating and directing a new work this fall, “ALL ABOUT RAY CHARLES”. Discover more about vacationing in Branson at explorebranson.com

Pauly Shore shares untold stories of his mom Mitzi Shore, the comedy store and being the weeeeeeeaaaasel. Howie Mandel Does Stuff Available on Every Podcast Platform Visit https://www.paulyshore.com/ for more! Visit https://www.howiemandel.com/ for more! Get Exclusive Howie Mandel Does Stuff Merchandise Here: https://store.roosterteeth.com/collections/howie-mandel Thanks to Our Sponsors Go to http://rocketmoney.com/howie to cancel your unwanted subscriptions. Get 20% OFF with our code HOWIE at http://calderalab.com/HOWIE to unlock your youthful glow and be ready for summer with Caldera + Lab! #ad #calderalabpod Pauly Shore's Most Revealing Interview Ever | Howie Mandel Does Stuff #123 #PaulyShore #HowieMandel #TheComedyStore

For many years comedy fans have pondered the Jerry Seinfeld vs Mitzi Shore beef and what could of caused a legendary comedian like Seinfeld to be banned from the world famous comedy store. This video breaks down a few of the possible theories behind their feud. Watch This Full Episode Here: https://youtu.be/KRaxlkqXSfQPlease Subscribe & Follow Joke WRLD On:IG - https://www.instagram.com/joke.wrld/Tik Tok - https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMdMus6EG/Second Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEiY5-3y6y7Dx1VKNPm2KsgSupport- https://www.patreon.com/jokewrld

Standup comedian and podcaster (Soccer Comic Rant) Ian Edwards chats with Trey Elling, ahead of his headlining shows at Joe Rogan's Comedy Mothership club. Topics include: Austin's standup transformation (0:25) The ebbs and flows of LA's standup scene since covid (1:32) How Ian crafts jokes from scratch (4:13) Getting passed by Mitzi Shore at The Comedy Store (7:08) The toughest act he's had to follow (10:32) The importance of failure (13:11) Weirdest place he performed standup (14:41) His current soccer passion (18:56) The MLS improving in quality (24:06) US Men's Soccer taking steps forward (26:47) Whether soccer should change the offsides rule (29:40)

Standup comedian, tv personality, and actor Howie Mandel chats with Trey Elling, ahead of his April 19th show at Moontower Just For Laughs comedy festival in Austin. Topics include: Performing in Austin (0:51) Serving as a punchline at the start of covid (1:37) The value of discomfort (2:28) Getting passed by Mitzi Shore at the Comedy Store (4:03) His swift ascent in entertainment (7:57) Austin's rise as a standup mecca (10:44) Howie's memories of Bill Hicks (11:56) Why standup seems so healthy in 2023 (13:19) Howie taking chances on stage, in contrast to his network persona (15:51) People not washing their hands after using the restroom (17:36) Howie's limits with Stanley Cup (19:07) A fantastic Stanley Cup joke (20:39) The joy of getting to host the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast with hist daughter (21:13)

Vicki Barbolak is one of America's funniest and most authentic comedians. She was a fan favorite and top 10 finalist on Season 13 of America's Got Talent in 2018 on NBC. Howie Mandel told Vicki and America, “I think you just came up with your own sitcom, you're wonderful I love you.” And Simon said, “I think you're the best comedian we've had on this show.” Vicki was also featured on the 2019 AGT Champions show and Britain's Got Talent Champions. When Vicki was 38 years young, she saw an ad for a stand-up comedy class. That class changed her life. Vicki quickly realized that making people laugh gave her more happiness than she ever dreamed possible. After a few years of open mic nights, Vicki was taken under the wing of Mitzi Shore, owner of The Comedy Store where Vicki developed as a Comedian. E! Entertainment, in its True Hollywood Story of the Comedy Store and its owner, Mitzi Shore, predicted Vicki would be the next “breakout star” to come out of that famed institution. Drawing on her roller-coaster life of working in a family carpet business owned by her dad, a former Pittsburgh Steeler, dueling with ex-husbands who think alimony is an Italian ice-cream flavor and raising two great kids all while living in the ultra posh Vista Manor Trailer Park near San Diego. Vicki has created a comic persona that has earned her well-deserved praise. She is considered unique both in the character she has created as well as the fresh material she consistently delivers. In 2007 Vicki won Nickelodeon's “America's Funniest Mom” show hosted by Roseanne Barr. Roseanne was so impressed that she hired Vicki as one of her writers and requested that Vicki open for her at the New York New York Casino in Las Vegas. In addition to being crowned as America's Funniest Mom, Mark Ross and Bob Reid, Talent Coordinators for the Jay Leno Show selected Vicki for the 2010 Jay Leno Laugh Squad. Family Circle Magazine's September 2011 Issue profiles Vicki as an Expert in Joke Telling for their feature article, “How to Do Anything Better”. Vicki's true story about performing Stand up at a funeral was included in Mark Schiff and Rich Snyder's Best Selling Book, “I Killed, Road Stories from America's Top Comics”. Vicki was one of six comediennes winning a nationwide search for “Jenny's Comedy Diva's” on the Jenny Jones Show. Vicki also was the first winner of “California's Funniest Female” Contest. Vicki is also the proud winner of the “Russian River Gay Comedy Festival.” JONES.SHOW is a weekly podcast featuring host Randall Kenneth Jones (author, speaker & creative communications consultant) and Susan C. Bennett (the original voice of Siri). JONES.SHOW is produced and edited by Kevin Randall Jones. VICKI BARBOLAK: Twitter: https://twitter.com/VickiBarbolak Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VickiBarbolakComedy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vickibarbolak/ LinkedIn: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgm1LGiuMM_7E6c6Qin2pLQ JONES.SHOW Online: Join us in the Jones.Show Lounge on Facebook. Twitter (Randy): https://twitter.com/randallkjones Instagram (Randy): https://www.instagram.com/randallkennethjones/ Facebook (Randy): https://www.facebook.com/mindzoo/ Web: RandallKennethJones.com Follow Randy on Clubhouse Twitter (Susan): https://twitter.com/SiriouslySusan Instagram (Susan): https://www.instagram.com/siriouslysusan/ Facebook (Susan): https://www.facebook.com/siriouslysusan/ Web: SusanCBennett.com Follow Susan on Clubhouse LinkedIn (Kevin): https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-randall-jones/ Web: KevinRandallJones.com www.Jones.Show

Kevin is joined by comedian and actor Eddie Griffin this week on Comedy Gold Minds. From being homeless in Los Angeles to being taken in by the legendary owner of The Comedy Store, Mitzi Shore, Kevin and Eddie discuss it all and more. They also talk comedy beginnings, the UPN Network, and trying sushi for the first time with Eddie Murphy.Like Comedy Gold Minds? SiriusXM subscribers get it a day early, plus Kevin Hart's Laugh Out Loud Radio, his 24/7 comedy channel, with great talk shows and stand-up. Learn more / check it out for 3 months at siriusxm.com/comedygoldminds.

Growing up one of 18 children in a loving family in Honduras. The difficulties living in East LA after moving to the US. Carlos tells a couple stories when he realized what kid of childhood he had. These stories are the bedrock of him becoming a comedian. His mother saw he would want to say things that leads at a story on how he got into comedy. Mitzi Shore the Comedy Store owner suggested he change his name from Ned to Carlos which he explains that includes the attack on his name which many others have done. The escape from Mexico story behind taking the stage in Acapulco and performing in Spanish. Does he enjoy acting? The best part of the Super Bowl 2007 Commercial for Bud Light that made his Dad proud. Carlos has been accused of stealing jokes but have comedians stole his jokes? He gives a detailed answer on this entire topic which a discussion about how he has been treated where other celebrities have done far worse things develops. The current tour-Laughin' & Livin' is coming to Las Vegas from November 18-20 at the South Point Casino. Carlos Mencia Links:2007 Super Bowl Commercial:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=670X2MCWzK0Official Website: https://carlosmencia.com/Laughin & Livin Tour: https://carlosmencia.com/tour.php THE LIGHT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_cBUd3MLwoejlVpn5Vt9JABefore the Lights Links:Hire Tommy to Speak: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/public-speakingBecome a BTL Member: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/supportBefore the Lights Website: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/A Heartbeat & A Guitar Docuseries: https://www.beforethelightspod.com/docuseries/bitter-tearsSupport the showFollow the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beforethelightspodcast/Follow the show on Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/beforethelightspodcast/Follow the show on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@beforethelightspodcast?lang=enFollow Tommy on Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/tcanale3Rate & Review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/before-the-lights/id1501245041Email the host: beforethelightspod@gmail.com

BRAND NEW EPISODE!!

Rebecca Trent is the owner and founder of the world famous comedy club, The Creek and the Cave, which began in Queens, New York, and migrated to Texas during the pandemic. After many failed attempts, Bill finally gets to sit down with Rebecca in her home in Austin, Texas, to discuss the quick rise of "The Creek" in the New York comedy scene, and why she ultimately made the tough decision to move to Austin. Considered by many to be the "Mitzi Shore of the East Coast," Rebecca knows comedy inside and out (also being a co-owner of the hugely successful SKANKFEST) and shares some of her insights on what keeps her going in this crazed, dog-eat-dog industry. Rebecca is an amazing person and so is her club, so please support what she's trying to do in Austin and the rest of the country. Goto www.creekandcave.com to help support her and live comedy. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-after-laugh/support

Jesus Trejo knows he put in the work to become a paid regular at The Comedy Store, spending years doing open mic spots and performing at 1am for a handful of people. Not to mention paying his dues unclogging toilets at the club and putting up Mitzi Shore's Christmas tree. But even with all of that behind him, Jesus still breaks out in a sweat when he tells Marc about those times he completely bombed as he was trying to learn the ropes. Jesus also tells Marc about being a caregiver for both his parents and what gave him the courage to work that real life scenario into his act. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on When Wife Gives You Lemons we talk about having to put our bassett hound Delilah down. We talk about spotify playlists and more #spotify #euthanize #animallover

Join us as we discuss this album, Mitch Hedberg, So I Married An Axe Murderer, Hudson Hawk, Silence, The Unbookables (Not Deplorables!), Bill Burr, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Hacks, I'm Dying Up Here, Mitzi Shore, Honey Boo-Boo, Mountain Dew, Bill Hicks vs. Denis Leary and speaking French. He's Patrick and I'm Brady and it's going to be fun.

This week my guest is the Incomparable Andy Huggins. Andy has been doing comedy since he was around 28 years old. We talk about how he started Stand Up Comedy, His experience in moving to California and performing for Mitzi Shore at The World Famous Comedy Store, and his feelings around of recording his first Comedy Special. If you want to follow Andy you can find him on Facebook at Andy Huggins. Don't Forget to like and follow this page. Enjoy! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/joe-navarro1/support

This week on When Wife Gives You Lemons we talk about Joy massaging in the Green Room at the Comedy Store, going into her idols office, and more #tgdcj#idol #dreams

All New! Kevin is joined by comedian and actor Eddie Griffin this week on Comedy Gold Minds. From being homeless in Los Angeles to being taken in by the legendary owner of The Comedy Store, Mitzi Shore, Kevin and Eddie discuss it all and more. They also talk comedy beginnings, the UPN Network, and trying sushi for the first time with Eddie Murphy.Like Comedy Gold Minds? SiriusXM subscribers get it a day early, plus Kevin Hart's Laugh Out Loud Radio, his 24/7 comedy channel, with great talk shows and stand-up. Learn more / check it out for 3 months at siriusxm.com/comedygoldminds.

Brian and Drew talk with comedian, writer, and actor Nick Youssef about his journey starting out in LA and working his way up the Comedy Store ladder to being the last comedian to be passed by the iconic Mitzi Shore. He shares experiences like how taking an acting class lead to a connection to get […]

On this episode of "I did this instead of killing myself", I interview Dan Danner. Dan is one of a kind…currently living in Columbia, SC, Dan is a Dutch American, or American Dutchman, whichever you prefer. He tells jokes, and occasionally sings songs and plays the guitar. Dan is always wildly entertaining and unpredictable. Dan has lived and performed standup in Los Angeles, Miami, Savannah, and Amsterdam. He also was once a paid regular at the famous Comedy Store in Los Angeles, and passed by Mitzi Shore herself. On today's episode, we talked about Dan's experience at the Comedy Store, his family background, professional aspects of comedy, and lot more. Please follow Dan at the links below, and I hope you enjoy our interview! https://www.dannerland.com/ https://www.instagram.com/dannerland/?hl=en https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLW5X2PnGxWH9pICR18SciA https://www.facebook.com/DannerLand-100629725515495 https://dannerland-3.creator-spring.com/

This week's guest is Bob Wheeler, founder of “The Money Nerve” and the host of the podcast “Money You Should Ask”. The financial expert and motivator is also the author of a book (The Money Nerve: Navigating the Emotions of Money) and he offers a course “Mastering the Emotions of Money”. On his podcast, Bob seeks to remove stigma of shame around financial literacy. He also addresses money and emotions in his chats with guests. The book “The Money Nerve” is about how to get healthy about money and conscious of issues around money. Bob and I chat about his work as a comedian both in the time that he was starting out and then making it at The Comedy Store where he is currently the CFO. He was already a CPA when he started doing comedy and when Mitzi Shore called him to help with the finances at The Store he said yes. Bob's approach to his work is practical but he also brings compassion to his clients. He can demonstrate empathy for others in a constructive way because he has been “there” where many of them are. Note from Rabiah (Host): It was a lot of fun to talk to Bob. I always remember the feeling I had during recording when I edit and this was a nice and easy edit! I think what struck me most about Bob was that he is able to be funny but also take people's issues around money seriously. He felt like a kindred spirit in a way. Brené Brown is an influence on him. When taking to someone who has read her and done “the work” on themselves it is almost obvious because of how they communicate and what they communicate. There is a common language. Brené has a new book out this week too so this episode is fitting. +++++ Find Bob Website: https://www.TheMoneyNerve.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-wheeler-88029512/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMoneyNerve/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/themoneynerve Book: https://www.amazon.com/Money-Nerve-Navigating-Emotions/dp/1452569401 +++++ Mentioned in this episode: The Comedy Store: https://thecomedystore.com/ Brené Brown: https://brenebrown.com/ +++++ More than Work Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @morethanworkpod Please review and follow anywhere you get podcasts. Thank you for listening. Have feedback? Email morethanworkpod@gmail.com

YEEHAW!!! Steers n Queers, Nuts n Fruits. This Texas made Writer, Actor and Comedian has left LA to come back to his roots and get in on the ground level of the Austin comedy scene that's about to explode. Dylan Ray Sullivan was born in San Antonio and now he's returned to life off the Southbound 35 enjoying cheaper rent, in home washer/dryers and never-ending restaurants named with puns. "I love moving, I've always been a person who likes fresh starts, I go to one city and get my bad reputation, then move on to the next". The only reputation I've ever known of Dylan is to be off the charts hilarious. Funny is funny, no matter what color, size, shape, or gender you are. Humor is a love language and Dylan exemplifies this exceptionally. You feel it the second he steps on stage. His talents and dedication have landed him appearances on Lights Out with David Spade and most recently in Showtime's Original Series, The Comedy Store, that beautifully chronicles the evolution of comedy within the walls of the mecca called Mitzi Shore's Sunset. Dylan was a staple in the culture at The Store as one of the Door Guys or as he and I coin in this episode, a "Door Y'all", where one minute he's in the Main Room doing five in front of 300 people, but then post set is unclogging a toilet or exercising bargaining power with chicken fingers. It's an absolute must watch for anyone. Former stand-up comedian, Mike Binder, highlights one of pop culture's greatest practices of comedy with never-before-seen, archived footage and incisive, emotional interviews with some of the greatest and biggest names in comedy. I have no doubt Dylan is on his way to being one of them. Follow Dilly Ray's Laugh Path here! IG: dylanraysull With Love and Grat, XO, LJ AKA Kosher Barbie --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wakeandcakepod/support

Melissa Leo's acting style is a combination of gut instincts and a compulsive need to ask questions. It's a style that already earned her an Oscar and continual employment, but also keeps her from falling into the trap of business-as-usual. Melissa and Marc talk about her performances in movies like Frozen River The Fighter and the new film Body Brokers, how she played a character not unlike Mitzi Shore for the series I'm Dying Up Here, and what is the one type of part she refuses to play, even though she gets offers to play it over and over again. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast.

Comedian Maz Jabroni is in studio and the guys talk their favorite fight films, Ben Askren vs Jake Paul, Ryan Garcia vs Manny Pacquiao, Malik's behind the scenes story of watching Devin Haney box Gervonta Davis, Maz getting passed by Mitzi Shore at The Comedy Store and then helping Sam Tripoli and other to get passed. Behind the scenes stories of Eddie Murphy, Joey Diaz, Andrew Dice Clay and much more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In part two of our interview with comedian and TV producer Sue Kolinsky, she reveals some inside tidbits about performking at The Comedy Store and working with Mitzi Shore, Ellen DeGeneres, The Osbournes, actor Corey Haim, comedian Robert Schimmel, writing for Sex and the City, and what it's like to produce reality television shows.

Argus Hamilton is the human embodiment of The Comedy Store, with the distinction of being one of the original Comedy Store comics and the only person of his generation who still works there today. In other words, he's the perfect guest for WTF, as Marc continues building a comprehensive oral history of the infamous club. Argus tells some stories and dispels some myths about The Store's origins, about the comics who really put the place on the map, about the big names like Pryor, Williams and Kinison who made the place their playground, and about his unique relationship with Mitzi Shore, the woman behind it all. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast.

Long time pal Gary Owen joins Jo in the studio to reminisce about making flyers for stage time, Gary's first TV appearance, Def Jam & Comic View,  Fat Tuesdays, and impressing Mitzi Shore. Follow @TheKoyPond on all social media platforms Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chelsea chats with Jeff Scott, the Comedy Store piano player and professional Pee-Wee Herman impersonator. Jeff tells tales of Comedy Store legends such as Mitzi Shore, Robin Williams and Richard Pryor, ghost stories of the Comedy Store, and performance tips for the Original Room. http://jeffscottentertainer.com

Comedian Eleanor Kerrigan knows a lot about The Comedy Store. Not only did she become the club's head waitress, she also became a confidant and sometime-assistant to the owner, Mitzi Shore. After a stint as a professional wrestler and an opener for Andrew Dice Clay, Eleanor finally found herself on stage at The Store and she hasn't left since. She tells Marc what it was like to get to know Mitzi, why she can't escape her South Philly roots, and how she's trying to pass along the history of The Store to new audiences. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast.

@ConwayShow (4.11) Remembering Mitzi Shore

@ConwayShow (4.11) Remembering Mitzi Shore

@ConwayShow (4.11) Remembering Mitzi Shore

Chris's piece in the New York Times, "Good Riddance, Mr. Speaker." Americans' affinity for fairness. Mark Robinson's speech to the Greensboro City Council. The legacy of Mitzi Shore. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Local comedian Joe Bartnick stops in studio to recap the Pens Game 1 victory over the Flyers with Dan Potash and Stan Savran. Also, Jimmy Shubert reflects on the life of Comedy Store owner Mitzi Shore, and John Dick Winters and Shane Torres love Starbucks.

PLUS: Tristan Thompson caught cheating on Khloe, Carrie Underwood debuts her new song, "Cry Pretty" and the BLUE'S CLUE reboot wants NO Steve Burns look-alikes!

  Comic Pauly Shore talks about going on stage the first time at seventeen years old, his new podcast "Interested" and his documentary "Pauly Shore Stands Alone," right now on Story Worthy!