November 7, 2023 • 51 mins
Broad City is BACK! Just kidding - but this weeks episode sees Ilana Glazer and Kevin dive deep into the delicacies of working with your best friend, the unexpected challenges that come with making a cultural hit and fighting for the future of democracy with Glazers organization Generator Collective. They are joined by her co-founder, Glennis Meagher to discuss how they are lowering the barrier to entry for Gen-Z and Millennials to engage in civic discourse.
*Note: this interview was recorded before the SAG-AFTRA strike took effect.
To learn more and get involved with the Generator Collective, head to www.TheGeneratorCollective.com. To support more initiatives like this program, text 'BACON' to 707070 or head to SixDegrees.Org to learn more.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The following episode was recorded before the WGA sag Aftra
strikes of twenty twenty three.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Hey folks, we're going to deal with politics today and voting,
which is something that is extremely extremely close to my heart.
My mother was an activist in Philadelphia where we grew up.
There was a kind of understanding in our family that
you had to vote and that you had to use
(00:29):
that power.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
That the day that.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
You went to get to the polls, to cast your
vote and to make your specific opinions known were very,
very integral to what it meant to not only be
an American or in our case of Philadelphia, but also
to be a human being. I think that there's more
and more young people these days who are a voting age,
(00:55):
and we need more and more young people not only,
i think, to vote, but also to hold office. It's
great that this episode today is airing on November seventh. Now,
this is an off year election. It's got gubernatorial and
state elections in a few states, but they are very
very important. There's a lot that you can do with
(01:16):
the polls. This is why today is the perfect day
to share my interview with a lot of Glazer and
her organization generator collective, fascinating discussion, and she's great and
a lot of fun and very very politically active, so leaning,
(01:45):
I'm very excited that we have a lot of Glazer
with us, who, as I'm sure all of you know,
was a co creator and star of broad City, which
was a giant, giant hit for so many years and
an awesome show and hilarious and great and uh, she's
(02:05):
also done a whole ton of other stuff. And we're
so excited that you're here today on this on this show.
It's so nice to meet you.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
You too, Kevin, thanks so much on that talk.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Yeah, Like, weirdly, I'm always I'm always surprised when I
actually meet somebody who's path I haven't actually crossed. As
far as I know, we haven't met this or worked
together or been in the same thing together even.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Right, Yeah, not yet. But life is long.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Life is long. Life is long. It's getting shorter for me,
but it is definitely still we still have some time,
I hope. Yeah, I'm I I'm so fascinated about your
specific journey because I feel like it was kind of
like a harbinger of things to come, and has us
(02:57):
had had a certain uh, you know, you were kind
of early to a lot of stuff, it seemed like
to me. So tell me about this this. Well, first off,
you grew up in New York.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
Yeah, I grew up on Long Island, in uh eastern
Long Island, in a real uh Jewish part of Long
Island of Jewish. But this was like more Italian sopranos
dial Long Island. That was really the culture there. And uh,
I always was looking toward the city. I kind of
always knew I was gonna come here and or just
(03:33):
always wanted to.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Did you visit when you were a little girl? Did
you come their parents take care?
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Yeah? Yeah. My brother and I were really into musicals
and plays and writing and acting and performing and my parents,
my parents were too. They are a lover of the arts,
so that was that was like our exciting thing.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
They weren't in the arts though, they were, They were
just fans.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Yeah. Yeah. They both are creative spirits, but never pursued
it in a professional capacity. My dad's an amazing piano player.
But yeah, so like their their creativity really stoked our
agency over our creativity.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
And what's the age between you and.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Your bro He's he's four years older than me. And
he's also a comedian and he played my brother in
Broad City. Yeah I know that, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
That's what do you feel about working with family? I
bring this up because, uh, my wife is an actress,
my daughter is an actress. My son's a musician, and
I also play music, so I I work with him
sometimes on music stuff. And I have worked with my daughter,
and I've worked with my wife. My wife's worked with
my daughter, my my wife, heires my son the score
of things. So what do you what's your feeling about
(04:45):
family and making creating together.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
You know, it's it makes it's it's easier in some
ways and harder in other ways. The sort of like
private culture of family makes the shortcut language really accessible.
But then I think for me, so far, I think
I'm like doing enough therapy that we're turning to doing
(05:09):
work with my brother. I would probably be a more
functional partner than I have been in the past. But
you know, you carry that history with you and you're
dynamics of being the first born or second born. It's
not it's so so deep in your spine. Can I
curse in this? It's so deep in your fucking spine
(05:32):
that it's like, you know, I think there's it's like
an interesting marker that you bring it up now where
I'm like, oh, I think if we returned, I would
be a little bit. I would be able to have
a little more fun. I think, like on Bread City
sometimes I was tense in certain ways.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Was on all five seasons, he was I.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Think we started introducing our families in the second season,
So four seasons, and he wrote on the fifth season, Kevin,
you know what I'm thinking of right now, your movie
The woods Men, which yeah, you and Kira and Karia
speaking of working with family, that was so intense to
work with your partner on Oh my god that I mean,
(06:12):
it's so dark. That movie is so dark, but it's
like one of my favorite movies of all time because
it was just so I don't know how. I don't
know how you did that, but working with family that's
like different than music and jamming.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
That was like, that was oh yeah, oh yeah. It
was also also just even if we weren't in it
together just to be parents. And you know, it's a
movie for people that don't know about a child molester
and and and Kira plays a woman that he has
a relationship with And what's interesting about it is that
she was if I can just digress with a little
(06:47):
story about me for a second, she she was she
was cast uh the director uh Nicole Cassell wanted here
from the beginning and had never even thought about me
for for for the other part.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
Wow, And the.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Script ended up weirdly in my lap, and so I said,
you know, well, let's do this together. And Kira was
really really resistant because she felt really strongly that it
was going to somehow take people out of the movie
if they saw that that, you know, because they have
a sort of like an idea about us as a
(07:23):
as a couple that wasn't you know, applicable to that relationship.
And she actually pulled out of the movie about two
weeks before we start shooting. And I was the producer
on the movie, and I said, sorry, pal, but you
can't leave now because we can't find anybody else in
two weeks. It's going to play this part.
Speaker 5 (07:40):
And I so get it because the material and the
way you were approaching it was so heavy, you know,
it was so heavy and diving into it. Yeah, like
I don't like just the way that movie stuck with
me and most depth performance or yesin Bay his name
is now was so deep.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
I'm not surprised. And of course, as parents, you're right,
that is ooh, that's heavy. So it makes me laugh
because it's not just oh, a comedy and you know,
my neurosis around doing a joke, with doing a joke
that way that was so deep and looked like it
must have been hard.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Thank you, Well you know it was, you know, but
it was worth it. And tell me the genesis. To me,
the genesis of broad City is really fascinated, So maybe
just explain to people how that kind of came together.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
Well, it's funny also that you say a harbinger of
things to come. I mean maybe our viewpoints were because
of I mean, well, yeah, maybe our viewpoints were. But
it feels to me now so old to have a
TV show that you would say it's on on Wednesdays
at ten thirty, like you know, like it's just like
the I feel like we were I mean, we were
(08:58):
in the last wave of TV kind of as TV
used to be as an event to gather around. So
it feels of an older world to me now.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
And I guess I meant that it came out of
YouTube that you you know, you kin'd that you kind
of there there's a real di I y quality to it,
which which I think a lot of people are kind
of moving towards these days, you know, shortened kind of contact,
you know, the stuff that goes down to like you know,
TikTok and you know, ye start that way. But the
(09:28):
fact that you found somebody and and correct me if
I'm wrong, made friends, and yeah, it started riffing and
then you know, went on YouTube. I mean it's like,
I think that I can't think of anything else really
that maybe there are, but what's really happening in that
way at that time, and it seems like that's what
(09:50):
I kind of meant by that.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Yeah, it kind of feels like just like a band
that got together. Now, like you know, like this like
sort of og classic genesis of of a of art
that I haven't seen in a while. So my brother
had like entered you know, from my point of view,
my brother had uh gotten to college four years ahead
(10:11):
of me in New York City and was scoping out
the scene and told me about you know, the scene
that was emerging that at the time was like all
comedy that you know, remember like mumblecore and like, you know,
just awkwardness or whatever. So he was like scoping out
the scene. And when I got to the city myself
(10:32):
for college, we got into the improv sketch and stand
up scene. Improv centered around the Upright Citizens were Daid
founded by Amy Poehler.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
An amazing amazing Yeah, just Kara did their one of
their courses. Oh yeah, yeah, I forget what it's called.
It's like a like an intensive, like a two week
intens or something like that. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Yeah, And it's like I never went to my like
my college experience was. I went to like this general
studies program at NYU. I wasn't like acting. I couldn't
get beyond that barrier.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
General studies, general study.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
It is literally like four kids who went to public school,
like everybody else had got better education. I literally was
like the classics, what do you mean the classics? You know,
I did not, I mean my schooling. I went to
high school with three thousand kids, So it was like,
you know, a gateway for public school kids, and for me,
college was this gateway to the comedy scene. And I
(11:34):
was like sort of planning it since because I was
like keeping my eye on it. From middle school. I
was just like, such an element.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
You're focused on comedy, you were right from middle school.
You were pretty clear that that's what that was going
to be, what you were going to do.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
Actually, like even earlier, my brother and I made sketch videos.
Just that was like our childhood making sketch videos and
then seeing like plays in the city think you were.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Funny when you when you and your brother would do
stuff did they were they were? They a good audience.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
They thought we were hysterical. They could not believe what
we were totally, totally. They were a very receptive audience.
So yeah, So we entered the scene and just were
trying everything, you know, and for us, I mean sketched
with kind of landing. And then when I met Abby
Jacobson in uh the improv scene, she and I like
(12:27):
got to this point where we just had a similar
work ethic and a similar hunger and a similar point
of view, and we both wanted to make something that's stuck,
something that could be shared with our parents. We always
we always say like we wanted to show our parents
(12:48):
what we were doing to say, I did an improv
show last night, and they're like, what, like last night
I actually did a stand up show and my parents
are visiting and helping out with my kiddo while my
husband's away, and my dad came to my stand up
show and I was just doing a set, just like
running material because I'm going on tour this week, and
I was like, this is so weird, Like he doesn't
(13:08):
see this and to see me working it out, or
he just doesn't see it that often. But I'm living
my life and assume that they understand. But you know,
that's what we wanted them to do. We were spending
five or six nights a week in the comedy scene.
Wanted them to understand. So we started filming little bits
and bobs, and the community at the time, everybody was
(13:29):
looking for experience, directing, editing, you know, producing, So there
were all hands on deck and we were all you know,
most of us were in our twenties and had this
energy to just try and go for it and fail
and try again. And we found ourselves with like almost
(13:52):
eighteen little webisodes in the beginning, and we this part
is like a little more.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
More nuanceda how did you finance them? How did you
shoot them and finance them? And how did you how
did you pull that together. It's it's it's it's so
like I said, it's just so d I y that
I I find that just like I'm so impressed by
that there was. It was when I was starting out.
There was almost nothing that you could do that would
be like.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
You know, babysitting and waitressing.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
And we worked at a bakery and you know what
I mean, I was a friendly waitress. Pretty good.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
Well that's a good start. That's a good start.
Speaker 3 (14:37):
Yeah, pretty good. I'm I'm a natural server. I still
feel like a waitress sometimes in TV and film I
was pretty good, pretty good, and uh yeah, that's how
we financed them, and you know, just hustling and it
was fun, you know, like paying rank and paying and
then running out to shows and getting drink tickets or whatever.
(14:59):
It was just it was like to remember that time
now so it feels like the eighties, but it wasn't.
You know, it feels like so long ago. For the
way the world is now, people doing like TikTok and
like corporate sponsorship. I don't even know how shit works.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
You know, Oh it is, That's what I'm saying. It's
it seems like it seems so like invention of the
wheel type type thing and not that long ago, you know,
that's what's so interesting about it. But but I do
think that you were really kind of like ahead of
the curve in that whole show and then to have it,
(15:36):
you know, blow up in the way that it did.
And obviously those two women and that friendship between them
and the stuff that you were dealing with and your
point of view you know, spoke to a lot of
young women and a lot of young people, I think, you.
Speaker 6 (15:54):
Know, yeah, yeah, for us, like this thing of like
we found ourselves with eighteen webisodes and we were like,
let's call that a season, and let's make a season two.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
And we had a party at the end of season
one of the nine to two hy and a party
at the end of season two, and that agency to
contain our work, name it and claim it. To me
actually saying this right now, it's something that I want
to like take with my day. Like, you know, there
was something in that agency and something in that selfhood,
(16:26):
that personhood that I don't know fueled us forward, that
pushed us forward. It wasn't just like something out here
and something out there. We learned from season one to
season two of our web series to make a release
schedule so people would anticipate it, and it really mimicked
the TV show where you know, then we always had that. Well,
(16:48):
we ended up thirty five short films in two years
we made for the web series, and we always had that,
and then we made fifty episodes of television and yeah,
five seasons, ten episodes each. We show around head wrote,
start and ship out of it. Yeah, yeah, we did.
(17:10):
It's now it's like it's so tender. It's like it's
it's painful actually, you know, to think about the pain
of all that creation and the strain on our relationship.
It was impossible to be all the things all at once,
you know, and at the time, I think it was
(17:31):
hard to admit, you know, impressed. It was like I
have friends, I have a friends, and it was like yeah,
and we were we were partners and married and business sisters, you.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
Know, like I mean, yeah, running a business is different
than running a friendship in a lot of ways.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
You know, definitely, definitely that.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
That can be confusing when you put that element in.
But I also think that, you know, the other thing
is being two young women and having complete agency over
what you were doing. Is is just you know, so
impressive and and and and even now when when we
feel like we're trying to you know, move forward. You know,
(18:14):
you look at the when you look at the numbers,
and it's just unusual that you're that you know that
that uh, you know, a woman is going to actually
write and produce and show run and you know, do
the whole thing. I mean, I think the the exceptions
to the rule become so uh it's kind of famous
for having done that, But but the numbers are still
(18:35):
not very strong, so I thought, so I yeah, claudiate,
I claudge you for both of you for being able
to do that and also being able to sustain you know,
any kind of friendship at all.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
Yeah, yeah, thanks, I appreciate that. And like the gain
in our friendship and this softness since Bread City ended,
it's it's been you know, it was like ten years
of our life from when we started the web series
until we ended the show. Show and I ended the show,
it was like I had been a third of my life.
And it's been such a it's been so interesting, so
(19:09):
much more of a feminine spirit. The softness, openness, and
nuance since Bread City ended, it was so it's a
natural unnecessary harshness to it. To create so much and
be in charge of so much, it was it was
really hard, but damn it was. It was a miraculous show,
you know, the way like content, the way so much
(19:31):
is becoming so divisive now and polarizing, like there's not
Broad City could only have been made when it was
made how it was made, And I'm so proud of
it and obvious too. It's we're so it's it's miraculous
to look to still be friends and to look back
and be like, damn, I am so proud of that.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
So I'm like, it's nice to find things in your
life that you're proud of. Sometimes I don't think I
know for myself, it's it's a that's not something that
you kind of like automatically lean into, you know, because
I think there's sometimes we get these messages where you
don't want to be too prideful, don't be too prideful,
(20:13):
you know. But yeah, and you can have that perspective
to look back and actually feel proud of something that
you should feel proud of. I think that's awesome. Tell
me about the the you said you're just going out
on a tour. Is that a version of your special
(20:37):
Your Planet is Burning?
Speaker 3 (20:40):
It's like my next hour. I was it was so funny.
I was out in I was out doing stand up.
My next tour after The Planets Burning came out, was
in twenty twenty in March. So I got a bunch
of dates, a bunch of dates up before it lockdown
happened and the tour was canceled and we stopped. So
(21:00):
and then I kept doing stand up for a couple
of years during COVID and so now and then I
had a baby, and so now my.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
Congratulations, I got a new hour.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
Thanks, I got a new hour. Then I'm bringing around
the country this year and early next year, and yeah,
it's my.
Speaker 7 (21:20):
Right.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Now I have maybe like fourteen or sixteen dates up,
and I'm going to get fall dates up soon, like another.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Sixteen because I play in a band and tour. I
have to ask you, how do you feel about the road.
It's a different kind of road than the than the
road of an actor.
Speaker 3 (21:36):
You know. Yeah, I actually like the road as a
comedian more than as an actor. I like control and
I love like knowing. I love controlling my time. So
for me, stand up is uh, I feel more in
(21:58):
control of my time and I get so excited. That's
a different thing too, Like as an actor, you like
explore a location through a project. But I really and honestly,
I have less experience on the road as an actor
as a stand up So maybe I prefer just because
I know it. But what I love about stand up
is that I get to see the people of the area,
Like it's so charged. It's so it's such a privilege
(22:25):
for me to like go and just get that like
sort of whiff and that energy and that sense of
a city is so cool. And you know, I guess
like type of people like, oh, go ahead.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
I was just going to say, it gives us a
kind of perspective too, and if we're if we're coastal elites,
you know, I mean to.
Speaker 3 (22:42):
I was just going to say, like the kind of
people I draw, like, you know, I have this and
I mean it's so funny like my we'll be talking
about Generator later, but.
Speaker 7 (22:51):
Like my.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
Advocacy organization like has been my sort of stage to
crystallize my own political views, which are and we touched
on this. I have a real gene ed general education,
Like I went to high school with three thousand kids
on Long Island, Like you know, to me, school is
(23:13):
about social education and learning because I went to public
school for me and like schools where I learned how
the system works, you know. And that's how I know
how the world works now because of you know, a
few people in power that you're like, are you sure
you know whatever? You got to speak up whatever. So
for me and the people that I draw, I'm always
(23:34):
blown away by how progressive but not necessarily partisan. You know.
I'm not like go democrats, you know what I mean. Like,
I'm just like I love when people are loving, open
hearted and believe that their neighbors deserve basic human rights.
And when I go out and meet people around the country,
(23:55):
that's the sense I get that most Americans want their
fellow Americans to have clean water and access to healthcare
and don't give a shit what they do in their bedrooms,
how they dress, you know what I mean, what their
expression is of their own body. And it's for me,
it's so hopeful to go out on the road and
see and connect with open hearted, open minded people who
(24:18):
just want to laugh together. It's fucking spiritual.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
And and are you going to bring you your baby.
Speaker 3 (24:28):
No, So this is another thing about my like like
why I love stand up traveling for stand up is
like I'm going to just go two nights mass at
a time and I can control that, and I don't
want to bring my baby. It's like I like splitting
my attention. I find it really hard. It's much easier
for me to work when I go away, go to
(24:49):
the office. I'm so I feel so like my heart
is like on the outside of my chest when I'm
around her. So it's it's better if I just go myself,
do my thing and come back.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
I totally respect that. That's that's that's cool. That's cool.
Like how old? How old is the baby?
Speaker 3 (25:10):
She's too?
Speaker 7 (25:12):
Now?
Speaker 2 (25:12):
Having heard that, did that? I mean I know that. Uh,
I didn't really think that. Let's see, how can I
put this. I mean when I was when I was
real young, I was a little bit interested in things
of a political nature when I was like twelve and thirteen.
But once I really started my own career, I got
(25:35):
I got very interesting things in a Kevin Bacon nature,
you know what I mean. I was like so focused
on making it and you know, being a star and
you know the you know, like acquiring stuff and all
those things. But after oh no, it's totally true. After
(25:57):
my son was born, I think. And also I got
married and had a kid, like within about a year,
and oh wow. And Kira was already, you know, really
focused when we met on climate which in those days
was called global warming, and also having the child, I
(26:18):
think both of us. She was already there. But I
sort of had to say, Okay, I'm gonna step out
of my own self a little bit and start, you know,
reading the fucking paper, you know, at least aside from
the Hollywood Reporter and and and so that was a
(26:38):
pretty profound thing. But it sounds to me like you
were already pretty politically and societally motivated before the birth
of your child.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
You know. It's like I used to like put like
reasons on it outside of my just the person that
I am. Oh you know, I was. I was a
minority growing up white, a white minority, and there and
you know, there were brown and black and Asian people
in my town who were a minority and had a
(27:13):
much more challenging minority experience. But because I was a
minority growing up, I have this you know point of view,
or because I'm a woman, or because Long Island is
really conservative, but it is just who I am to
have that. I've always uh been drawn to basic human
rights basically just like fairness for people to be treated
(27:37):
appropriately and respectfully. But I did not I did not
know that it was like political really until Broad City
when the web series. When we were doing the web
series and we were starting to get press as a
web series, there was this one article by a writer
named Megan Angelo who were with the Wall Street Journal,
(28:00):
and she said broad City is meek attack feminism. And
I've used that phrase one thousand times ever since. But
it's it was the feminist part that was arresting to
Abby and I. We genuinely didn't know it was feminist, genuinely.
(28:20):
It was just we were just being we were fish
swimming in the water.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
And the big the more visible that the project got
and the more reflection, I mean, it's it's it is
such a privilege to me to be reflected in this way.
People are like her characters by and I'm like, oh, really,
I thought I was just queer and into different kinds
(28:45):
of people and just into sex, sex positivity. You know,
these phrases that are like these labels. Like so it's
like so funny, you know, to be reflected in this
way as part of a category or a thought leader
what you know, Like I'm just like doing my thing
(29:06):
and comedy in the old days, my god, Like really
the old days when there were no smartphones to capture
anything and people were being super fucking naughty on stage.
A lot of it was shitty. A lot of it
was misogyny. That's not that's not a joke. That's racist,
that's not a joke, that's just sexist. But also like
funny shit that was trans that was that was women
(29:30):
doing naughty shit, that was men making fun of misogyny,
you know. Like so like it was just this different
time where there was less uh literally less looking at
ourselves all day, looking at her own pictures all day.
It is that is not natural for the brain, you know.
So I feel like my coming to this consciousness is
(29:54):
analogue at this point. But yeah, I've been told it's political.
I've come to the understanding of how it's political come
to harness that political charged, that political charge for activation.
But in my personal life and even actually in my
advocacy work, I'm now like coming back to a place
(30:16):
where I'm like, it's not fucking political. It's not political
to not hate.
Speaker 5 (30:21):
You know, we've actually used hate as a political tool.
Speaker 3 (30:25):
Like, I don't buy it. If you want to talk
about the way that.
Speaker 5 (30:29):
We approach inflation, okay, that's politics.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
I don't want to do that paperwork. I'm actually that's
what that's above my pay grade. But hate, you know,
you're uncomfortable with your own with your own gender inside
of you, so you want to take that out as
violence on children who are expressing their gender freely. No,
that's not politics, that's violence. That's cool, that's you know.
(30:55):
And climate, the climate crisis. You want to deny the
climate crisis. This isn't even reality, you know, Like I'm
very like to me, it's like kind of about, uh,
who on this planet is still operating within reality? That
honestly is the majority? To me, that's the majority because
such a small minority are actually benefiting from this twisted
(31:18):
lie version of the world that I really I I do.
I do have this like natural hope that most people,
the majority of people are living in reality and want
to Well, you.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
Mentioned that that's what you're kind of seeing out on
the road, and so that's that that I think is
is is one of the great benefits of being on
the road. And you know, you you can really get
get wound up in this idea that that that they're
that the that the majority of people and the majority
of what you're reading it really is hate based. And
(31:53):
I agree with you that I just don't think.
Speaker 3 (31:55):
And that's part of the oppressive tool. That's the minority
saying no, no, no will say you like, no, you won't.
You're taking healthcare away from women, away from children, away
from teenagers, the most vulnerable, Like that's part of the
tool to make us scared, to make us paranoid and
look at our neighbors fearfully. And it's not true, it's
(32:15):
not true. That's a privilege. Also, I think of living
in a place with a lot of people, that energy
of you know, whether it's going on the road and
speaking a lot of people or naturally stepping out onto
the street and walking by a lot of people, like
human nature. While hate is a part of human nature,
that primal instinct of fear or wariness of people not
(32:38):
like you, that's a human thing. It's not like that
was made up and separate from our humanity. But this disproportionate,
sort of like you know, costco amazoning of hate, the
math produced cookie cutter version of hate. It's just it's unnatural.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
If you are inspired by today's episode, please join us
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(33:25):
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Speaker 2 (33:32):
Well, I think this is a good segue to bring
Glennis out. Glennis Bahar, who you start a generator collective with? Well,
before we speak about the organization and what you do,
how did the two of you meet and how did
you come up with this idea?
Speaker 3 (33:51):
Okay, so Glennis and I have a mutual best friend,
our friend Matt, and when the election happened in twenty sixteen,
we found ourselves saying how did this happen? How did
this happen? Glennis had worked in DC and because of
that I assumed she understood how she works in politics,
and she was like, no, I have no fucking idea.
And we found in our in We found that in
(34:15):
talking our mutual indignance at how the system is made
purposely elusive to make us feel like we are too
dumb to be able to access it and make use
of it. So we started the Generator Collective and it
was it was a s faith to gather and talk
(34:38):
about politics without shame for not knowing how shit works.
You know, as a comedian, I have I am down
for people to laugh at me, so I bite the
bullet for the audience and say, I actually don't know
how that simple thing works. I've heard about it a
million times and I just don't know. And we started
as like an online community, but moved in to a
(35:00):
live event form where I interviewed activists and politicians and
elected officials to ask them simple fucking questions. And also
like ideally one hinges from one to the other. You know,
Shirley Chisholm, the first Laft congresswoman, she was a community
(35:20):
organizer first and then became a congress person. And that's
the ideal politician to me. And then we uh in
twenty two, then we started these dance parties where we
host just like fifth dance parties, but we take breaks
every thirty minutes to have an elected official come on
stage and tell the audience about the next election, and
(35:42):
to create a cheat sheet for the people who came
so that you know, it's fucking hard. You have to
like do research to find who to vote for, and
sometimes you vote for you know, Okay, I'm voting along
party lines, but actually this person might be a Democrat
but they're whack. So to vote for the right people
and to create a cheat sheet for the voting booth.
Speaker 8 (36:08):
So in twenty twenty, we had a hybrid tour where
I was going on stand up and I was like,
let's take Jenny socials on the road too, And when
that got lockdown, we pivoted our Jenny social messaging to
digital and created an online series called cheat Sheet for.
Speaker 3 (36:21):
The Voting Booth. We've been making digital messaging for to
create cheat sheets in key states for elections from twenty
twenty to twenty twenty two. That's my spiel, Glennis, Did
I miss anything? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (36:34):
I think there's just there's two kind of core tenants
of Generator. I think Alana and I, you know, Alana
assumed because I worked in DC. I worked for the
Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, where I learned a
lot very quickly. I was a fundraiser. I think I
was twenty three or twenty four. I was working for
Priorities USA Option, which was one of the first Democratic
super PACs, and Democrats had created super PACs in response
(36:57):
to Republicans creating super PACs. And I remember I think
I had like one million dollars on my person walking
back from the po box and I thought, this is
disgusting corporate finance. Everything's awful. I'm going to go into
the private sector. That was its own world right of
six years and Alana and I were at the Cinner Party,
and we woke up in a country that we felt
(37:19):
like we didn't understand. And there's a reason for that,
because politics government was made purposely elusive, and we wanted
to create something that we felt there was a real
need for, which was a space to feel that you
could learn and not feel shame around learning, with the
hopes of ultimately engaging more as a citizen. Because we're
seeing how polarizing this hyperpartisan world is that we operate in,
(37:43):
and that's not good for anyone. It's not good for
how you feel, it's not good for human rights, it's
not good for democracy. So, you know, post COVID and
pivoting to digital media, we have really tried to use
our social media platform to help more people engage with
politics and in government in a way that does not polarizing.
Speaker 2 (38:05):
It's awesome. It's awesome. I loved in the materials when
you talked about, you know, feeling kind of politically dumb.
I could really kind of relate to that because I
can tell you that, you know, I read the paper,
and I have strong views about a lot of different things.
(38:25):
But I really find myself terrified to enter into any
kind of actual political discussions with anybody that I think
is not in line with my way of thinking. And
part of the reason is is because these days it
seems like people will throw facts at you, and unless
(38:48):
you've had the the unless you're someone that can hold
on the facts, which I am not, I can't hold
onto it. I can't hold on to anything factual. I
can hold on the feelings. I can hold on to
experiences or or or you know, I can drive to
the store today, see that the sun is covered with
(39:10):
smoke from Canada. But but to actually get into an
argument about whether or not that's just a natural occurrence
or is actually, uh, you know, a result of human
climate change is like something that I find really kind
of terrifying, I think, And I don't think I'm alone
(39:32):
in that, and I certainly don't think I'm alone in
that in terms of like young people in the country.
And so I think that that's you know, when you
when you when you focus on that, I find that
really really interesting and.
Speaker 3 (39:48):
The exact thing feeling that's what like generator is. I
think that's like the space that we're entering, like feeling politics.
You shouldn't have to know facts to argue whether something
is scientifically real or not. You know, Like I think
that that the like news cycle and the divisive algorithms
(40:15):
have made it such that we feel like we have.
Speaker 7 (40:17):
To have a book report to argue our our views,
and it's it's just you're exactly dead on about the feeling,
like yeah.
Speaker 4 (40:28):
Yeah, And just to add to that, Alana and I
talk a lot about these, you know, the political system
being physically disenfranchising, like literally I think this year alone,
one hundred and fifty voter suppression laws have been you know,
put out in state legislature, so you know that's physically happening,
and then culturally, so many young people feel wildly disenfranchised
(40:49):
because the system makes it impossible, to your point, Kevin,
to engage with it. Because if you don't know one
talking point, or someone else knows ten more talking points
than you, why are you going to go into that conversation.
You're gonna feel demoralized put down when really you just
want to stand up for what's right. So a generator,
we try and embrace that that energy of I want
to vote for my neighbor in a way that is
(41:11):
going to be centered in human rights and just doing
more good for this country. And you know we do
that mainly through digital media and just creating a culture
by what you feel like you can share on your
social media. Everyone has influence. Everyone has a platform, whether
you have thirty followers or three point formula and like
you have on TikTok I follow it's great. You know
(41:31):
you have a voice and you should feel confident in
using it to stand up for what you believe is right.
Speaker 2 (41:38):
On a personal noteletus, how did you sort of come
to you know, want to do this with your life.
Speaker 4 (41:47):
You know, a great question. I got to bed every
night wondering. Not really now, I don't know. I think
just growing up, I've always this is going to sound
so maybe immature, but you know, I love animals, I
love people, and I've always, even at a young age,
like standing up for what was right in a way
(42:07):
that I was capable of doing was something that was
important to me. When I first graduated, I went to
school at EVM University of Vermont, where there's a very
liberal leaning, you know, community based ideology, very you know, hippie.
I went and I worked in DC and I thought,
this is how I'm going to manifest that in my
life by working in public policy and raising money for
(42:28):
people that I think should be elected, and then kind
of flifting the hood on that and seeing how the
sausage is made. I said, no, not for me. But then,
you know, being friends with Ilana, we had a real
opportunity to use our strengths and create this thing that
now I hope makes people feel more engaged and welcome into,
(42:49):
like the democratic system.
Speaker 2 (42:52):
And am I wrong that you grew up on one
of the stops on the Paoli Local.
Speaker 4 (42:57):
What's it Paoli local.
Speaker 2 (42:59):
Did you grow up on the main line?
Speaker 3 (43:01):
No, I don't.
Speaker 2 (43:04):
Yeah, oh Abby, oh, Abby, Oh my god.
Speaker 3 (43:08):
I have to ask her if it's mine. Is so funny.
Speaker 4 (43:13):
I have friends you have, But I'm from Upstate New York.
Speaker 2 (43:15):
I'm from there, from upstate Yeah, oh that's okay, which
which you know, it's interesting because Upstate New York correct
me if I'm wrong is a pretty red area generally, right.
Speaker 4 (43:29):
Yeah, I'm from a town called Niskoona, which, strangely enough, G. E,
R and D is headquartered in So we had a
very diverse high school in terms of a lot of
different nationalities, et cetera. But you know, living I live
in New York City. In New York City is very much
a coastal elye blue bubble, although we have a very
(43:50):
very low voter turnout. I think in our last election
made to seventeen percent voter turnout. And I always say,
if you're in New Yorker and you have an opinion
but you don't vote, you can't have the opinion because
that's the only way you can show up to I know.
It's truly truly insane.
Speaker 2 (44:05):
I think everybody just assumes it's gonna it's gonna go
one way, and so they don't really you know, make
their voice heard. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (44:11):
But then you go on Twitter and everyone's saying something
about their elected official when there is a primary. There's
actually a primary June twenty sixth or twenty seventh, I.
Speaker 2 (44:20):
Know, but I've sent my ballove is on the way.
Speaker 4 (44:25):
I love it. We love to see it, yes, but yeah,
I mean the state itself. My family has a farm
in Cambridge, New York, which is the New York Vermont border.
And you know, there's different wants and needs of a
voter in overall county than there is in you know,
(44:48):
a city. So and I think you spit in a
lot of states across the country that the cities are
these hubs for more progressive ideologies for whatever reason, and
then you go on to the states and there's different realities.
Speaker 2 (45:02):
Well, I'm always I always think it's admirable when and
you know, the strange thing about that I always think
about politics is that, you know, in its best incarnation,
you get into it because you want to affect some
kind of positive change, and time and time again we
(45:25):
see that that doesn't always end up being the case.
You know, you people get into it that once they're there,
it really becomes more about holding onto a gig than
than about actually, you know, staying talking about something that
you believe in. So I think that working in a
way on the fringes of it not being an elected official,
(45:50):
not that I wouldn't vote for you, a Glennis, but
that both of you are starting doing this thing, which
is you know, outside of the actual uh elected position,
I think is a really positive, positive thing and you know,
can be very powerful. What's what's up next for for
what is what is the future for for Generator Collective?
(46:13):
But what's the what's the what's the game plan?
Speaker 4 (46:15):
Well, we're always fundraising. That's the one thing about running
a nonprofit is you're always fundraising by how.
Speaker 2 (46:20):
Do you find how do you find that piece of it?
Let me just ask you that is it?
Speaker 4 (46:24):
How do I find that piece? I flip a lot
of mattresses. Now you ask a lot of high net
worth individuals who are committed to the cause for contributions,
family foundations, different foundations. It's a lot of meetings, a
lot of phone calls, a lot of cold calls, cold emails,
and just selling the dream right, you know, what you say,
(46:44):
being on the fringes is uh refreshing, and it's sometimes
I think Alana Night, we laugh and we we think
we're delusional because we just keep pushing and pushing and pushing,
because we believe in what we're doing and what we're building,
even after so many no's. I imagine it's not on
like being in the entertainment space where you're consistently auditioning
or you know, trying to get roles or projects launched
(47:06):
and you get no, no, no. But you know, we
believe in it, and we also think that for our
audience it's important that we hold no. We don't know.
We don't want to run for office. We were not academics,
but we're not policy wonks or experts. We're here to
help you learn alongside with us. Not we're going to
talk at you about a certain thing, but and that
(47:30):
to that end, we're currently working on a new web
series called microdos Democracy, which, if funded and produced, would
be a policy focused digital web series. I will live
on social media, so on TikTok, on Instagram in short
size bits, you know, true to the name microdosing these
(47:50):
different things that we can all do as citizens to
help strengthen our democracy, looking at how our democracy functions,
some issues there may be. So that's ideally what's next.
Speaker 3 (48:01):
We kind of want a microdose for gen Z and
millennials the election coming up, rather than have being screened
at last minute before the election and such a volatile
experience as an American every four years to be screamed at.
And yeah, just kind of prepare everyone to do some
minimals of a engagement to activate. You don't have to
(48:22):
sign up and become some full time volunteer, but yeah,
education and minimal activation.
Speaker 2 (48:29):
I love that. I love that. That sounds absolutely great.
I think it's amazing what you've done in this partnership.
I'm very, very in awe of it. Is there a
call to action, a website, a spot where people can
can can get the information or get involved or donate
(48:49):
or whatever.
Speaker 4 (48:52):
Yeah, people can follow us on social media. Instagram is
our main and communication tool. We are at Generator Collective
so that people can find us there. We have a
sign up for emails. We never email people because everyone
gets twenty thousand emails a day, but you can see
any news or information on our Instagram.
Speaker 2 (49:13):
What else is there on the Instagram? What else are
we going to see news information?
Speaker 4 (49:20):
Are there bits news information? You'll see our past web series.
So we did cheat sheet for the midterms for twenty
twenty two, cheat sheet for the voting booth to see
the type of content that we create. A lot of memes,
a lot of memes, a lot of TikTok voiceovers.
Speaker 3 (49:37):
Yeah, but we really feel like, you know, the the
side that is like using fear and hate as a
tool is actually like winning these culture wars. And what
we'd like to see is, you know, human rights politics
start to use media and culture more effective, playing to
(50:00):
point people to actually organizing around electoral work. So you know,
that's what we're is, that's what we're focused on, is
changing the culture.
Speaker 2 (50:11):
I love it changing the culture. Well, Elana Glazer, Glennis Mahart,
thank you, thank you so much for joining me today.
This has been both extremely fascinating, educational and entertaining and.
Speaker 3 (50:29):
I really appreciate it such a pleasure talking. Thanks for
having us.
Speaker 2 (50:36):
Hey, guys, thanks for listening to another episode of six
Degrees with Kevin Bacon. If you want to learn more
about Generator Collective and all the good work that they
are up to, head to their website at generator Collective
dot com. You can find all the links in our
show notes and remember.
Speaker 9 (50:53):
Get out there, participate in democracy by voting today, get
that little stick, and if you like what you hear,
make sure you subscribe to the show and tune into
the rest of our episodes.
Speaker 2 (51:05):
You can find six Degrees with Kevin Bagan on the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
See you next time.
The following episode was recorded before the WGA sag Aftra
strikes of twenty twenty three.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Hey folks, we're going to deal with politics today and voting,
which is something that is extremely extremely close to my heart.
My mother was an activist in Philadelphia where we grew up.
There was a kind of understanding in our family that
you had to vote and that you had to use
(00:29):
that power.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
That the day that.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
You went to get to the polls, to cast your
vote and to make your specific opinions known were very,
very integral to what it meant to not only be
an American or in our case of Philadelphia, but also
to be a human being. I think that there's more
and more young people these days who are a voting age,
(00:55):
and we need more and more young people not only,
i think, to vote, but also to hold office. It's
great that this episode today is airing on November seventh. Now,
this is an off year election. It's got gubernatorial and
state elections in a few states, but they are very
very important. There's a lot that you can do with
(01:16):
the polls. This is why today is the perfect day
to share my interview with a lot of Glazer and
her organization generator collective, fascinating discussion, and she's great and
a lot of fun and very very politically active, so leaning,
(01:45):
I'm very excited that we have a lot of Glazer
with us, who, as I'm sure all of you know,
was a co creator and star of broad City, which
was a giant, giant hit for so many years and
an awesome show and hilarious and great and uh, she's
(02:05):
also done a whole ton of other stuff. And we're
so excited that you're here today on this on this show.
It's so nice to meet you.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
You too, Kevin, thanks so much on that talk.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Yeah, Like, weirdly, I'm always I'm always surprised when I
actually meet somebody who's path I haven't actually crossed. As
far as I know, we haven't met this or worked
together or been in the same thing together even.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Right, Yeah, not yet. But life is long.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Life is long. Life is long. It's getting shorter for me,
but it is definitely still we still have some time,
I hope. Yeah, I'm I I'm so fascinated about your
specific journey because I feel like it was kind of
like a harbinger of things to come, and has us
(02:57):
had had a certain uh, you know, you were kind
of early to a lot of stuff, it seemed like
to me. So tell me about this this. Well, first off,
you grew up in New York.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
Yeah, I grew up on Long Island, in uh eastern
Long Island, in a real uh Jewish part of Long
Island of Jewish. But this was like more Italian sopranos
dial Long Island. That was really the culture there. And uh,
I always was looking toward the city. I kind of
always knew I was gonna come here and or just
(03:33):
always wanted to.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Did you visit when you were a little girl? Did
you come their parents take care?
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Yeah? Yeah. My brother and I were really into musicals
and plays and writing and acting and performing and my parents,
my parents were too. They are a lover of the arts,
so that was that was like our exciting thing.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
They weren't in the arts though, they were, They were
just fans.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Yeah. Yeah. They both are creative spirits, but never pursued
it in a professional capacity. My dad's an amazing piano player.
But yeah, so like their their creativity really stoked our
agency over our creativity.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
And what's the age between you and.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Your bro He's he's four years older than me. And
he's also a comedian and he played my brother in
Broad City. Yeah I know that, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
That's what do you feel about working with family? I
bring this up because, uh, my wife is an actress,
my daughter is an actress. My son's a musician, and
I also play music, so I I work with him
sometimes on music stuff. And I have worked with my daughter,
and I've worked with my wife. My wife's worked with
my daughter, my my wife, heires my son the score
of things. So what do you what's your feeling about
(04:45):
family and making creating together.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
You know, it's it makes it's it's easier in some
ways and harder in other ways. The sort of like
private culture of family makes the shortcut language really accessible.
But then I think for me, so far, I think
I'm like doing enough therapy that we're turning to doing
(05:09):
work with my brother. I would probably be a more
functional partner than I have been in the past. But
you know, you carry that history with you and you're
dynamics of being the first born or second born. It's
not it's so so deep in your spine. Can I
curse in this? It's so deep in your fucking spine
(05:32):
that it's like, you know, I think there's it's like
an interesting marker that you bring it up now where
I'm like, oh, I think if we returned, I would
be a little bit. I would be able to have
a little more fun. I think, like on Bread City
sometimes I was tense in certain ways.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Was on all five seasons, he was I.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Think we started introducing our families in the second season,
So four seasons, and he wrote on the fifth season, Kevin,
you know what I'm thinking of right now, your movie
The woods Men, which yeah, you and Kira and Karia
speaking of working with family, that was so intense to
work with your partner on Oh my god that I mean,
(06:12):
it's so dark. That movie is so dark, but it's
like one of my favorite movies of all time because
it was just so I don't know how. I don't
know how you did that, but working with family that's
like different than music and jamming.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
That was like, that was oh yeah, oh yeah. It
was also also just even if we weren't in it
together just to be parents. And you know, it's a
movie for people that don't know about a child molester
and and and Kira plays a woman that he has
a relationship with And what's interesting about it is that
she was if I can just digress with a little
(06:47):
story about me for a second, she she was she
was cast uh the director uh Nicole Cassell wanted here
from the beginning and had never even thought about me
for for for the other part.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
Wow, And the.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Script ended up weirdly in my lap, and so I said,
you know, well, let's do this together. And Kira was
really really resistant because she felt really strongly that it
was going to somehow take people out of the movie
if they saw that that, you know, because they have
a sort of like an idea about us as a
(07:23):
as a couple that wasn't you know, applicable to that relationship.
And she actually pulled out of the movie about two
weeks before we start shooting. And I was the producer
on the movie, and I said, sorry, pal, but you
can't leave now because we can't find anybody else in
two weeks. It's going to play this part.
Speaker 5 (07:40):
And I so get it because the material and the
way you were approaching it was so heavy, you know,
it was so heavy and diving into it. Yeah, like
I don't like just the way that movie stuck with
me and most depth performance or yesin Bay his name
is now was so deep.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
I'm not surprised. And of course, as parents, you're right,
that is ooh, that's heavy. So it makes me laugh
because it's not just oh, a comedy and you know,
my neurosis around doing a joke, with doing a joke
that way that was so deep and looked like it
must have been hard.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Thank you, Well you know it was, you know, but
it was worth it. And tell me the genesis. To me,
the genesis of broad City is really fascinated, So maybe
just explain to people how that kind of came together.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
Well, it's funny also that you say a harbinger of
things to come. I mean maybe our viewpoints were because
of I mean, well, yeah, maybe our viewpoints were. But
it feels to me now so old to have a
TV show that you would say it's on on Wednesdays
at ten thirty, like you know, like it's just like
the I feel like we were I mean, we were
(08:58):
in the last wave of TV kind of as TV
used to be as an event to gather around. So
it feels of an older world to me now.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
And I guess I meant that it came out of
YouTube that you you know, you kin'd that you kind
of there there's a real di I y quality to it,
which which I think a lot of people are kind
of moving towards these days, you know, shortened kind of contact,
you know, the stuff that goes down to like you know,
TikTok and you know, ye start that way. But the
(09:28):
fact that you found somebody and and correct me if
I'm wrong, made friends, and yeah, it started riffing and
then you know, went on YouTube. I mean it's like,
I think that I can't think of anything else really
that maybe there are, but what's really happening in that
way at that time, and it seems like that's what
(09:50):
I kind of meant by that.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Yeah, it kind of feels like just like a band
that got together. Now, like you know, like this like
sort of og classic genesis of of a of art
that I haven't seen in a while. So my brother
had like entered you know, from my point of view,
my brother had uh gotten to college four years ahead
(10:11):
of me in New York City and was scoping out
the scene and told me about you know, the scene
that was emerging that at the time was like all
comedy that you know, remember like mumblecore and like, you know,
just awkwardness or whatever. So he was like scoping out
the scene. And when I got to the city myself
(10:32):
for college, we got into the improv sketch and stand
up scene. Improv centered around the Upright Citizens were Daid
founded by Amy Poehler.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
An amazing amazing Yeah, just Kara did their one of
their courses. Oh yeah, yeah, I forget what it's called.
It's like a like an intensive, like a two week
intens or something like that. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Yeah, And it's like I never went to my like
my college experience was. I went to like this general
studies program at NYU. I wasn't like acting. I couldn't
get beyond that barrier.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
General studies, general study.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
It is literally like four kids who went to public school,
like everybody else had got better education. I literally was
like the classics, what do you mean the classics? You know,
I did not, I mean my schooling. I went to
high school with three thousand kids, So it was like,
you know, a gateway for public school kids, and for me,
college was this gateway to the comedy scene. And I
(11:34):
was like sort of planning it since because I was
like keeping my eye on it. From middle school. I
was just like, such an element.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
You're focused on comedy, you were right from middle school.
You were pretty clear that that's what that was going
to be, what you were going to do.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
Actually, like even earlier, my brother and I made sketch videos.
Just that was like our childhood making sketch videos and
then seeing like plays in the city think you were.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Funny when you when you and your brother would do
stuff did they were they were? They a good audience.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
They thought we were hysterical. They could not believe what
we were totally, totally. They were a very receptive audience.
So yeah, So we entered the scene and just were
trying everything, you know, and for us, I mean sketched
with kind of landing. And then when I met Abby
Jacobson in uh the improv scene, she and I like
(12:27):
got to this point where we just had a similar
work ethic and a similar hunger and a similar point
of view, and we both wanted to make something that's stuck,
something that could be shared with our parents. We always
we always say like we wanted to show our parents
(12:48):
what we were doing to say, I did an improv
show last night, and they're like, what, like last night
I actually did a stand up show and my parents
are visiting and helping out with my kiddo while my
husband's away, and my dad came to my stand up
show and I was just doing a set, just like
running material because I'm going on tour this week, and
I was like, this is so weird, Like he doesn't
(13:08):
see this and to see me working it out, or
he just doesn't see it that often. But I'm living
my life and assume that they understand. But you know,
that's what we wanted them to do. We were spending
five or six nights a week in the comedy scene.
Wanted them to understand. So we started filming little bits
and bobs, and the community at the time, everybody was
(13:29):
looking for experience, directing, editing, you know, producing, So there
were all hands on deck and we were all you know,
most of us were in our twenties and had this
energy to just try and go for it and fail
and try again. And we found ourselves with like almost
(13:52):
eighteen little webisodes in the beginning, and we this part
is like a little more.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
More nuanceda how did you finance them? How did you
shoot them and finance them? And how did you how
did you pull that together. It's it's it's it's so
like I said, it's just so d I y that
I I find that just like I'm so impressed by
that there was. It was when I was starting out.
There was almost nothing that you could do that would
be like.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
You know, babysitting and waitressing.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
And we worked at a bakery and you know what
I mean, I was a friendly waitress. Pretty good.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
Well that's a good start. That's a good start.
Speaker 3 (14:37):
Yeah, pretty good. I'm I'm a natural server. I still
feel like a waitress sometimes in TV and film I
was pretty good, pretty good, and uh yeah, that's how
we financed them, and you know, just hustling and it
was fun, you know, like paying rank and paying and
then running out to shows and getting drink tickets or whatever.
(14:59):
It was just it was like to remember that time
now so it feels like the eighties, but it wasn't.
You know, it feels like so long ago. For the
way the world is now, people doing like TikTok and
like corporate sponsorship. I don't even know how shit works.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
You know, Oh it is, That's what I'm saying. It's
it seems like it seems so like invention of the
wheel type type thing and not that long ago, you know,
that's what's so interesting about it. But but I do
think that you were really kind of like ahead of
the curve in that whole show and then to have it,
(15:36):
you know, blow up in the way that it did.
And obviously those two women and that friendship between them
and the stuff that you were dealing with and your
point of view you know, spoke to a lot of
young women and a lot of young people, I think, you.
Speaker 6 (15:54):
Know, yeah, yeah, for us, like this thing of like
we found ourselves with eighteen webisodes and we were like,
let's call that a season, and let's make a season two.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
And we had a party at the end of season
one of the nine to two hy and a party
at the end of season two, and that agency to
contain our work, name it and claim it. To me
actually saying this right now, it's something that I want
to like take with my day. Like, you know, there
was something in that agency and something in that selfhood,
(16:26):
that personhood that I don't know fueled us forward, that
pushed us forward. It wasn't just like something out here
and something out there. We learned from season one to
season two of our web series to make a release
schedule so people would anticipate it, and it really mimicked
the TV show where you know, then we always had that. Well,
(16:48):
we ended up thirty five short films in two years
we made for the web series, and we always had that,
and then we made fifty episodes of television and yeah,
five seasons, ten episodes each. We show around head wrote,
start and ship out of it. Yeah, yeah, we did.
(17:10):
It's now it's like it's so tender. It's like it's
it's painful actually, you know, to think about the pain
of all that creation and the strain on our relationship.
It was impossible to be all the things all at once,
you know, and at the time, I think it was
(17:31):
hard to admit, you know, impressed. It was like I
have friends, I have a friends, and it was like yeah,
and we were we were partners and married and business sisters, you.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
Know, like I mean, yeah, running a business is different
than running a friendship in a lot of ways.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
You know, definitely, definitely that.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
That can be confusing when you put that element in.
But I also think that, you know, the other thing
is being two young women and having complete agency over
what you were doing. Is is just you know, so
impressive and and and and even now when when we
feel like we're trying to you know, move forward. You know,
(18:14):
you look at the when you look at the numbers,
and it's just unusual that you're that you know that
that uh, you know, a woman is going to actually
write and produce and show run and you know, do
the whole thing. I mean, I think the the exceptions
to the rule become so uh it's kind of famous
for having done that, But but the numbers are still
(18:35):
not very strong, so I thought, so I yeah, claudiate,
I claudge you for both of you for being able
to do that and also being able to sustain you know,
any kind of friendship at all.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
Yeah, yeah, thanks, I appreciate that. And like the gain
in our friendship and this softness since Bread City ended,
it's it's been you know, it was like ten years
of our life from when we started the web series
until we ended the show. Show and I ended the show,
it was like I had been a third of my life.
And it's been such a it's been so interesting, so
(19:09):
much more of a feminine spirit. The softness, openness, and
nuance since Bread City ended, it was so it's a
natural unnecessary harshness to it. To create so much and
be in charge of so much, it was it was
really hard, but damn it was. It was a miraculous show,
you know, the way like content, the way so much
(19:31):
is becoming so divisive now and polarizing, like there's not
Broad City could only have been made when it was
made how it was made, And I'm so proud of
it and obvious too. It's we're so it's it's miraculous
to look to still be friends and to look back
and be like, damn, I am so proud of that.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
So I'm like, it's nice to find things in your
life that you're proud of. Sometimes I don't think I
know for myself, it's it's a that's not something that
you kind of like automatically lean into, you know, because
I think there's sometimes we get these messages where you
don't want to be too prideful, don't be too prideful,
(20:13):
you know. But yeah, and you can have that perspective
to look back and actually feel proud of something that
you should feel proud of. I think that's awesome. Tell
me about the the you said you're just going out
on a tour. Is that a version of your special
(20:37):
Your Planet is Burning?
Speaker 3 (20:40):
It's like my next hour. I was it was so funny.
I was out in I was out doing stand up.
My next tour after The Planets Burning came out, was
in twenty twenty in March. So I got a bunch
of dates, a bunch of dates up before it lockdown
happened and the tour was canceled and we stopped. So
(21:00):
and then I kept doing stand up for a couple
of years during COVID and so now and then I
had a baby, and so now my.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
Congratulations, I got a new hour.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
Thanks, I got a new hour. Then I'm bringing around
the country this year and early next year, and yeah,
it's my.
Speaker 7 (21:20):
Right.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Now I have maybe like fourteen or sixteen dates up,
and I'm going to get fall dates up soon, like another.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Sixteen because I play in a band and tour. I
have to ask you, how do you feel about the road.
It's a different kind of road than the than the
road of an actor.
Speaker 3 (21:36):
You know. Yeah, I actually like the road as a
comedian more than as an actor. I like control and
I love like knowing. I love controlling my time. So
for me, stand up is uh, I feel more in
(21:58):
control of my time and I get so excited. That's
a different thing too, Like as an actor, you like
explore a location through a project. But I really and honestly,
I have less experience on the road as an actor
as a stand up So maybe I prefer just because
I know it. But what I love about stand up
is that I get to see the people of the area,
Like it's so charged. It's so it's such a privilege
(22:25):
for me to like go and just get that like
sort of whiff and that energy and that sense of
a city is so cool. And you know, I guess
like type of people like, oh, go ahead.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
I was just going to say, it gives us a
kind of perspective too, and if we're if we're coastal elites,
you know, I mean to.
Speaker 3 (22:42):
I was just going to say, like the kind of
people I draw, like, you know, I have this and
I mean it's so funny like my we'll be talking
about Generator later, but.
Speaker 7 (22:51):
Like my.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
Advocacy organization like has been my sort of stage to
crystallize my own political views, which are and we touched
on this. I have a real gene ed general education,
Like I went to high school with three thousand kids
on Long Island, Like you know, to me, school is
(23:13):
about social education and learning because I went to public
school for me and like schools where I learned how
the system works, you know. And that's how I know
how the world works now because of you know, a
few people in power that you're like, are you sure
you know whatever? You got to speak up whatever. So
for me and the people that I draw, I'm always
(23:34):
blown away by how progressive but not necessarily partisan. You know.
I'm not like go democrats, you know what I mean. Like,
I'm just like I love when people are loving, open
hearted and believe that their neighbors deserve basic human rights.
And when I go out and meet people around the country,
(23:55):
that's the sense I get that most Americans want their
fellow Americans to have clean water and access to healthcare
and don't give a shit what they do in their bedrooms,
how they dress, you know what I mean, what their
expression is of their own body. And it's for me,
it's so hopeful to go out on the road and
see and connect with open hearted, open minded people who
(24:18):
just want to laugh together. It's fucking spiritual.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
And and are you going to bring you your baby.
Speaker 3 (24:28):
No, So this is another thing about my like like
why I love stand up traveling for stand up is
like I'm going to just go two nights mass at
a time and I can control that, and I don't
want to bring my baby. It's like I like splitting
my attention. I find it really hard. It's much easier
for me to work when I go away, go to
(24:49):
the office. I'm so I feel so like my heart
is like on the outside of my chest when I'm
around her. So it's it's better if I just go myself,
do my thing and come back.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
I totally respect that. That's that's that's cool. That's cool.
Like how old? How old is the baby?
Speaker 3 (25:10):
She's too?
Speaker 7 (25:12):
Now?
Speaker 2 (25:12):
Having heard that, did that? I mean I know that. Uh,
I didn't really think that. Let's see, how can I
put this. I mean when I was when I was
real young, I was a little bit interested in things
of a political nature when I was like twelve and thirteen.
But once I really started my own career, I got
(25:35):
I got very interesting things in a Kevin Bacon nature,
you know what I mean. I was like so focused
on making it and you know, being a star and
you know the you know, like acquiring stuff and all
those things. But after oh no, it's totally true. After
(25:57):
my son was born, I think. And also I got
married and had a kid, like within about a year,
and oh wow. And Kira was already, you know, really
focused when we met on climate which in those days
was called global warming, and also having the child, I
(26:18):
think both of us. She was already there. But I
sort of had to say, Okay, I'm gonna step out
of my own self a little bit and start, you know,
reading the fucking paper, you know, at least aside from
the Hollywood Reporter and and and so that was a
(26:38):
pretty profound thing. But it sounds to me like you
were already pretty politically and societally motivated before the birth
of your child.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
You know. It's like I used to like put like
reasons on it outside of my just the person that
I am. Oh you know, I was. I was a
minority growing up white, a white minority, and there and
you know, there were brown and black and Asian people
in my town who were a minority and had a
(27:13):
much more challenging minority experience. But because I was a
minority growing up, I have this you know point of view,
or because I'm a woman, or because Long Island is
really conservative, but it is just who I am to
have that. I've always uh been drawn to basic human
rights basically just like fairness for people to be treated
(27:37):
appropriately and respectfully. But I did not I did not
know that it was like political really until Broad City
when the web series. When we were doing the web
series and we were starting to get press as a
web series, there was this one article by a writer
named Megan Angelo who were with the Wall Street Journal,
(28:00):
and she said broad City is meek attack feminism. And
I've used that phrase one thousand times ever since. But
it's it was the feminist part that was arresting to
Abby and I. We genuinely didn't know it was feminist, genuinely.
(28:20):
It was just we were just being we were fish
swimming in the water.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
And the big the more visible that the project got
and the more reflection, I mean, it's it's it is
such a privilege to me to be reflected in this way.
People are like her characters by and I'm like, oh, really,
I thought I was just queer and into different kinds
(28:45):
of people and just into sex, sex positivity. You know,
these phrases that are like these labels. Like so it's
like so funny, you know, to be reflected in this
way as part of a category or a thought leader
what you know, Like I'm just like doing my thing
(29:06):
and comedy in the old days, my god, Like really
the old days when there were no smartphones to capture
anything and people were being super fucking naughty on stage.
A lot of it was shitty. A lot of it
was misogyny. That's not that's not a joke. That's racist,
that's not a joke, that's just sexist. But also like
funny shit that was trans that was that was women
(29:30):
doing naughty shit, that was men making fun of misogyny,
you know. Like so like it was just this different
time where there was less uh literally less looking at
ourselves all day, looking at her own pictures all day.
It is that is not natural for the brain, you know.
So I feel like my coming to this consciousness is
(29:54):
analogue at this point. But yeah, I've been told it's political.
I've come to the understanding of how it's political come
to harness that political charged, that political charge for activation.
But in my personal life and even actually in my
advocacy work, I'm now like coming back to a place
(30:16):
where I'm like, it's not fucking political. It's not political
to not hate.
Speaker 5 (30:21):
You know, we've actually used hate as a political tool.
Speaker 3 (30:25):
Like, I don't buy it. If you want to talk
about the way that.
Speaker 5 (30:29):
We approach inflation, okay, that's politics.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
I don't want to do that paperwork. I'm actually that's
what that's above my pay grade. But hate, you know,
you're uncomfortable with your own with your own gender inside
of you, so you want to take that out as
violence on children who are expressing their gender freely. No,
that's not politics, that's violence. That's cool, that's you know.
(30:55):
And climate, the climate crisis. You want to deny the
climate crisis. This isn't even reality, you know, Like I'm
very like to me, it's like kind of about, uh,
who on this planet is still operating within reality? That
honestly is the majority? To me, that's the majority because
such a small minority are actually benefiting from this twisted
(31:18):
lie version of the world that I really I I do.
I do have this like natural hope that most people,
the majority of people are living in reality and want
to Well, you.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
Mentioned that that's what you're kind of seeing out on
the road, and so that's that that I think is
is is one of the great benefits of being on
the road. And you know, you you can really get
get wound up in this idea that that that they're
that the that the majority of people and the majority
of what you're reading it really is hate based. And
(31:53):
I agree with you that I just don't think.
Speaker 3 (31:55):
And that's part of the oppressive tool. That's the minority
saying no, no, no will say you like, no, you won't.
You're taking healthcare away from women, away from children, away
from teenagers, the most vulnerable, Like that's part of the
tool to make us scared, to make us paranoid and
look at our neighbors fearfully. And it's not true, it's
(32:15):
not true. That's a privilege. Also, I think of living
in a place with a lot of people, that energy
of you know, whether it's going on the road and
speaking a lot of people or naturally stepping out onto
the street and walking by a lot of people, like
human nature. While hate is a part of human nature,
that primal instinct of fear or wariness of people not
(32:38):
like you, that's a human thing. It's not like that
was made up and separate from our humanity. But this disproportionate,
sort of like you know, costco amazoning of hate, the
math produced cookie cutter version of hate. It's just it's unnatural.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
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Speaker 2 (33:32):
Well, I think this is a good segue to bring
Glennis out. Glennis Bahar, who you start a generator collective with? Well,
before we speak about the organization and what you do,
how did the two of you meet and how did
you come up with this idea?
Speaker 3 (33:51):
Okay, so Glennis and I have a mutual best friend,
our friend Matt, and when the election happened in twenty sixteen,
we found ourselves saying how did this happen? How did
this happen? Glennis had worked in DC and because of
that I assumed she understood how she works in politics,
and she was like, no, I have no fucking idea.
And we found in our in We found that in
(34:15):
talking our mutual indignance at how the system is made
purposely elusive to make us feel like we are too
dumb to be able to access it and make use
of it. So we started the Generator Collective and it
was it was a s faith to gather and talk
(34:38):
about politics without shame for not knowing how shit works.
You know, as a comedian, I have I am down
for people to laugh at me, so I bite the
bullet for the audience and say, I actually don't know
how that simple thing works. I've heard about it a
million times and I just don't know. And we started
as like an online community, but moved in to a
(35:00):
live event form where I interviewed activists and politicians and
elected officials to ask them simple fucking questions. And also
like ideally one hinges from one to the other. You know,
Shirley Chisholm, the first Laft congresswoman, she was a community
(35:20):
organizer first and then became a congress person. And that's
the ideal politician to me. And then we uh in
twenty two, then we started these dance parties where we
host just like fifth dance parties, but we take breaks
every thirty minutes to have an elected official come on
stage and tell the audience about the next election, and
(35:42):
to create a cheat sheet for the people who came
so that you know, it's fucking hard. You have to
like do research to find who to vote for, and
sometimes you vote for you know, Okay, I'm voting along
party lines, but actually this person might be a Democrat
but they're whack. So to vote for the right people
and to create a cheat sheet for the voting booth.
Speaker 8 (36:08):
So in twenty twenty, we had a hybrid tour where
I was going on stand up and I was like,
let's take Jenny socials on the road too, And when
that got lockdown, we pivoted our Jenny social messaging to
digital and created an online series called cheat Sheet for.
Speaker 3 (36:21):
The Voting Booth. We've been making digital messaging for to
create cheat sheets in key states for elections from twenty
twenty to twenty twenty two. That's my spiel, Glennis, Did
I miss anything? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (36:34):
I think there's just there's two kind of core tenants
of Generator. I think Alana and I, you know, Alana
assumed because I worked in DC. I worked for the
Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, where I learned a
lot very quickly. I was a fundraiser. I think I
was twenty three or twenty four. I was working for
Priorities USA Option, which was one of the first Democratic
super PACs, and Democrats had created super PACs in response
(36:57):
to Republicans creating super PACs. And I remember I think
I had like one million dollars on my person walking
back from the po box and I thought, this is
disgusting corporate finance. Everything's awful. I'm going to go into
the private sector. That was its own world right of
six years and Alana and I were at the Cinner Party,
and we woke up in a country that we felt
(37:19):
like we didn't understand. And there's a reason for that,
because politics government was made purposely elusive, and we wanted
to create something that we felt there was a real
need for, which was a space to feel that you
could learn and not feel shame around learning, with the
hopes of ultimately engaging more as a citizen. Because we're
seeing how polarizing this hyperpartisan world is that we operate in,
(37:43):
and that's not good for anyone. It's not good for
how you feel, it's not good for human rights, it's
not good for democracy. So, you know, post COVID and
pivoting to digital media, we have really tried to use
our social media platform to help more people engage with
politics and in government in a way that does not polarizing.
Speaker 2 (38:05):
It's awesome. It's awesome. I loved in the materials when
you talked about, you know, feeling kind of politically dumb.
I could really kind of relate to that because I
can tell you that, you know, I read the paper,
and I have strong views about a lot of different things.
(38:25):
But I really find myself terrified to enter into any
kind of actual political discussions with anybody that I think
is not in line with my way of thinking. And
part of the reason is is because these days it
seems like people will throw facts at you, and unless
(38:48):
you've had the the unless you're someone that can hold
on the facts, which I am not, I can't hold
onto it. I can't hold on to anything factual. I
can hold on the feelings. I can hold on to
experiences or or or you know, I can drive to
the store today, see that the sun is covered with
(39:10):
smoke from Canada. But but to actually get into an
argument about whether or not that's just a natural occurrence
or is actually, uh, you know, a result of human
climate change is like something that I find really kind
of terrifying, I think, And I don't think I'm alone
(39:32):
in that, and I certainly don't think I'm alone in
that in terms of like young people in the country.
And so I think that that's you know, when you
when you when you focus on that, I find that
really really interesting and.
Speaker 3 (39:48):
The exact thing feeling that's what like generator is. I
think that's like the space that we're entering, like feeling politics.
You shouldn't have to know facts to argue whether something
is scientifically real or not. You know, Like I think
that that the like news cycle and the divisive algorithms
(40:15):
have made it such that we feel like we have.
Speaker 7 (40:17):
To have a book report to argue our our views,
and it's it's just you're exactly dead on about the feeling,
like yeah.
Speaker 4 (40:28):
Yeah, And just to add to that, Alana and I
talk a lot about these, you know, the political system
being physically disenfranchising, like literally I think this year alone,
one hundred and fifty voter suppression laws have been you know,
put out in state legislature, so you know that's physically happening,
and then culturally, so many young people feel wildly disenfranchised
(40:49):
because the system makes it impossible, to your point, Kevin,
to engage with it. Because if you don't know one
talking point, or someone else knows ten more talking points
than you, why are you going to go into that conversation.
You're gonna feel demoralized put down when really you just
want to stand up for what's right. So a generator,
we try and embrace that that energy of I want
to vote for my neighbor in a way that is
(41:11):
going to be centered in human rights and just doing
more good for this country. And you know we do
that mainly through digital media and just creating a culture
by what you feel like you can share on your
social media. Everyone has influence. Everyone has a platform, whether
you have thirty followers or three point formula and like
you have on TikTok I follow it's great. You know
(41:31):
you have a voice and you should feel confident in
using it to stand up for what you believe is right.
Speaker 2 (41:38):
On a personal noteletus, how did you sort of come
to you know, want to do this with your life.
Speaker 4 (41:47):
You know, a great question. I got to bed every
night wondering. Not really now, I don't know. I think
just growing up, I've always this is going to sound
so maybe immature, but you know, I love animals, I
love people, and I've always, even at a young age,
like standing up for what was right in a way
(42:07):
that I was capable of doing was something that was
important to me. When I first graduated, I went to
school at EVM University of Vermont, where there's a very
liberal leaning, you know, community based ideology, very you know, hippie.
I went and I worked in DC and I thought,
this is how I'm going to manifest that in my
life by working in public policy and raising money for
(42:28):
people that I think should be elected, and then kind
of flifting the hood on that and seeing how the
sausage is made. I said, no, not for me. But then,
you know, being friends with Ilana, we had a real
opportunity to use our strengths and create this thing that
now I hope makes people feel more engaged and welcome into,
(42:49):
like the democratic system.
Speaker 2 (42:52):
And am I wrong that you grew up on one
of the stops on the Paoli Local.
Speaker 4 (42:57):
What's it Paoli local.
Speaker 2 (42:59):
Did you grow up on the main line?
Speaker 3 (43:01):
No, I don't.
Speaker 2 (43:04):
Yeah, oh Abby, oh, Abby, Oh my god.
Speaker 3 (43:08):
I have to ask her if it's mine. Is so funny.
Speaker 4 (43:13):
I have friends you have, But I'm from Upstate New York.
Speaker 2 (43:15):
I'm from there, from upstate Yeah, oh that's okay, which
which you know, it's interesting because Upstate New York correct
me if I'm wrong is a pretty red area generally, right.
Speaker 4 (43:29):
Yeah, I'm from a town called Niskoona, which, strangely enough, G. E,
R and D is headquartered in So we had a
very diverse high school in terms of a lot of
different nationalities, et cetera. But you know, living I live
in New York City. In New York City is very much
a coastal elye blue bubble, although we have a very
(43:50):
very low voter turnout. I think in our last election
made to seventeen percent voter turnout. And I always say,
if you're in New Yorker and you have an opinion
but you don't vote, you can't have the opinion because
that's the only way you can show up to I know.
It's truly truly insane.
Speaker 2 (44:05):
I think everybody just assumes it's gonna it's gonna go
one way, and so they don't really you know, make
their voice heard. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (44:11):
But then you go on Twitter and everyone's saying something
about their elected official when there is a primary. There's
actually a primary June twenty sixth or twenty seventh, I.
Speaker 2 (44:20):
Know, but I've sent my ballove is on the way.
Speaker 4 (44:25):
I love it. We love to see it, yes, but yeah,
I mean the state itself. My family has a farm
in Cambridge, New York, which is the New York Vermont border.
And you know, there's different wants and needs of a
voter in overall county than there is in you know,
(44:48):
a city. So and I think you spit in a
lot of states across the country that the cities are
these hubs for more progressive ideologies for whatever reason, and
then you go on to the states and there's different realities.
Speaker 2 (45:02):
Well, I'm always I always think it's admirable when and
you know, the strange thing about that I always think
about politics is that, you know, in its best incarnation,
you get into it because you want to affect some
kind of positive change, and time and time again we
(45:25):
see that that doesn't always end up being the case.
You know, you people get into it that once they're there,
it really becomes more about holding onto a gig than
than about actually, you know, staying talking about something that
you believe in. So I think that working in a
way on the fringes of it not being an elected official,
(45:50):
not that I wouldn't vote for you, a Glennis, but
that both of you are starting doing this thing, which
is you know, outside of the actual uh elected position,
I think is a really positive, positive thing and you know,
can be very powerful. What's what's up next for for
what is what is the future for for Generator Collective?
(46:13):
But what's the what's the what's the game plan?
Speaker 4 (46:15):
Well, we're always fundraising. That's the one thing about running
a nonprofit is you're always fundraising by how.
Speaker 2 (46:20):
Do you find how do you find that piece of it?
Let me just ask you that is it?
Speaker 4 (46:24):
How do I find that piece? I flip a lot
of mattresses. Now you ask a lot of high net
worth individuals who are committed to the cause for contributions,
family foundations, different foundations. It's a lot of meetings, a
lot of phone calls, a lot of cold calls, cold emails,
and just selling the dream right, you know, what you say,
(46:44):
being on the fringes is uh refreshing, and it's sometimes
I think Alana Night, we laugh and we we think
we're delusional because we just keep pushing and pushing and pushing,
because we believe in what we're doing and what we're building,
even after so many no's. I imagine it's not on
like being in the entertainment space where you're consistently auditioning
or you know, trying to get roles or projects launched
(47:06):
and you get no, no, no. But you know, we
believe in it, and we also think that for our
audience it's important that we hold no. We don't know.
We don't want to run for office. We were not academics,
but we're not policy wonks or experts. We're here to
help you learn alongside with us. Not we're going to
talk at you about a certain thing, but and that
(47:30):
to that end, we're currently working on a new web
series called microdos Democracy, which, if funded and produced, would
be a policy focused digital web series. I will live
on social media, so on TikTok, on Instagram in short
size bits, you know, true to the name microdosing these
(47:50):
different things that we can all do as citizens to
help strengthen our democracy, looking at how our democracy functions,
some issues there may be. So that's ideally what's next.
Speaker 3 (48:01):
We kind of want a microdose for gen Z and
millennials the election coming up, rather than have being screened
at last minute before the election and such a volatile
experience as an American every four years to be screamed at.
And yeah, just kind of prepare everyone to do some
minimals of a engagement to activate. You don't have to
(48:22):
sign up and become some full time volunteer, but yeah,
education and minimal activation.
Speaker 2 (48:29):
I love that. I love that. That sounds absolutely great.
I think it's amazing what you've done in this partnership.
I'm very, very in awe of it. Is there a
call to action, a website, a spot where people can
can can get the information or get involved or donate
(48:49):
or whatever.
Speaker 4 (48:52):
Yeah, people can follow us on social media. Instagram is
our main and communication tool. We are at Generator Collective
so that people can find us there. We have a
sign up for emails. We never email people because everyone
gets twenty thousand emails a day, but you can see
any news or information on our Instagram.
Speaker 2 (49:13):
What else is there on the Instagram? What else are
we going to see news information?
Speaker 4 (49:20):
Are there bits news information? You'll see our past web series.
So we did cheat sheet for the midterms for twenty
twenty two, cheat sheet for the voting booth to see
the type of content that we create. A lot of memes,
a lot of memes, a lot of TikTok voiceovers.
Speaker 3 (49:37):
Yeah, but we really feel like, you know, the the
side that is like using fear and hate as a
tool is actually like winning these culture wars. And what
we'd like to see is, you know, human rights politics
start to use media and culture more effective, playing to
(50:00):
point people to actually organizing around electoral work. So you know,
that's what we're is, that's what we're focused on, is
changing the culture.
Speaker 2 (50:11):
I love it changing the culture. Well, Elana Glazer, Glennis Mahart,
thank you, thank you so much for joining me today.
This has been both extremely fascinating, educational and entertaining and.
Speaker 3 (50:29):
I really appreciate it such a pleasure talking. Thanks for
having us.
Speaker 2 (50:36):
Hey, guys, thanks for listening to another episode of six
Degrees with Kevin Bacon. If you want to learn more
about Generator Collective and all the good work that they
are up to, head to their website at generator Collective
dot com. You can find all the links in our
show notes and remember.
Speaker 9 (50:53):
Get out there, participate in democracy by voting today, get
that little stick, and if you like what you hear,
make sure you subscribe to the show and tune into
the rest of our episodes.
Speaker 2 (51:05):
You can find six Degrees with Kevin Bagan on the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
See you next time.
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