October 2, 2025 • 58 mins
What happens when a comedy fan with zero stage time accidentally becomes a trusted curator in stand-up?
Meet Josiah Bourke — the low-key force behind Comedian Discovery and Comedian Discovery Live, two platforms that are quietly (but steadily) reshaping how comedy fans find their next favorite act. What started as a personal obsession with stand-up specials turned into something way bigger: a genuinely useful space where Netflix drops and DIY YouTube debuts are treated with the same care and attention.
Josiah somehow built what comics now call the “release radar” — a go-to schedule that helps comedians coordinate their releases and gives fans one central spot to stay in the loop. But here’s the twist: instead of turning it into a monetized circus or chasing clout, he’s focused on community. Think: less influencer energy, more “friend who sends you the good stuff before it goes viral.”
From designing promo graphics to producing indie shows in the Nashville suburbs, Josiah’s approach is refreshingly behind-the-scenes. Because he’s not a performer, he’s able to create space for others — building eclectic lineups, supporting comics at every level, and asking real questions about why even seasoned pros sometimes hesitate to promote their own work.
If you’re a fan of comedy, creativity, or just the idea of supporting artists in a way that actually matters, this episode is a thoughtful, unfiltered look at what it means to build something with purpose — without chasing followers or selling out.
Subscribe now and join this exploration of what it means to live a happy life in an increasingly complicated world.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
What's something crunchier then that you've done
lately?
SPEAKER_01 (00:02):
Um so I did a little thinking about this, and um we
went to my brother-in-law'swedding and we stayed with my
cousins.
Um I didn't realize we were thatcrunchy as far as like food.
But I have a six-year-olddaughter, and uh when we woke up
in the morning, her cousinsasked her what kind of cereal
she wanted for breakfast, andshe didn't know what that was.
SPEAKER_00 (00:21):
She didn't know what cereal was.
SPEAKER_01 (00:23):
Didn't know what cereal was, and we just said
list off a few options and theylisted like three or four of the
most famous brands of cereal,and she still didn't know what
that was.
So they had to hold out theboxes, and I just looked at my
wife and realized like oursix-year-old doesn't know like
what cereal is or what brandsthey are.
And I think it's we're both 90skids and we just grew up on a
lot of cereal, so we just likedon't do it.
SPEAKER_00 (00:43):
What what do you do now for her?
SPEAKER_01 (00:45):
Just like cook, like we cook breakfast.
Like a normal person.
Yeah, and like we're still we'restill, you know, fast-paced
parents.
Like she still eats junksometimes or breakfast bars, but
like we just don't buy cereal, Iguess.
Um I don't know if we're scarredfrom it as kids, or it's a very
like junk food, expensive aisle,and we just skip it.
SPEAKER_00 (01:04):
It is like eating um dessert.
SPEAKER_01 (01:07):
It's candy, yeah, for sure.
So like it was just veryeye-opening to us to be like,
oh, we don't our daughterdoesn't know what cereal is.
SPEAKER_00 (01:13):
I think half the time I'm like, I have no idea
what I have for breakfast.
And because people have askedme, I'm like, I I don't know, I
do something.
SPEAKER_03 (01:20):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (01:21):
But so being in Scotland, it was like these
amazing breakfasts.
Like, and I can I could eat theeggs there totally fine.
I cannot eat the eggs here.
Like I have to do local.
Interesting.
And I think it's because thechickens eat weird stuff.
SPEAKER_03 (01:34):
Ooh.
SPEAKER_00 (01:34):
Yes.
Oh, yeah.
So something to think about ifyou want to get crunchier.
SPEAKER_03 (01:38):
Yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_00 (01:39):
But I went I had all these great breakfasts and a lot
of like poached eggs and likesmoked salmon.
And so being back like all week,I've been getting up early and
like poaching eggs.
SPEAKER_01 (01:49):
And they're so I love eggs, Benedict, which and
then I also love seafood,especially like I'm incorporated
in brunch and stuff.
So like middle of the country istough.
SPEAKER_00 (01:58):
It is so tough.
I wonder where I ate so muchfrom so much seafood while I was
there.
Yeah.
I was like, oh, Scotland's anisland.
We have a lot of fish.
SPEAKER_01 (02:06):
Yeah, you like just kind of forget.
Um, I've always been in themiddle of the country, but like
the East Coast, like New York,and you know, I just like love
seafood and stuff.
And then when you get to themiddle of the country, you're
like, how long has it been sincethis was swimming?
SPEAKER_00 (02:19):
So welcome to my crunchy zen era.
Um, this is a weekly podcastfilled with a little fun, a
little humor, and a whole lot ofcuriosity.
I'm your host, Nicole Swisher,and today I have with me Josiah
(02:40):
Burke, the man behind thecurtain of Comedian Discovery
and Comedian Discovery Live.
How's it going?
SPEAKER_01 (02:50):
It's good.
Thanks for having me.
This is um this is fun.
Um I'm a big on being behind thescenes, but thanks for putting
me out of my comfort zone alittle bit.
SPEAKER_00 (02:57):
No problem.
And he's been helping me with mysocial media because, well, it's
not great.
So it's getting better.
SPEAKER_01 (03:05):
You and uh everybody else.
SPEAKER_00 (03:06):
Yes, so if you could relive any memory, what would it
be and why?
SPEAKER_01 (03:13):
Um, I think I would relive my daughter's birth.
Um, I remember it pretty well,but my wife's pregnancy and all
the way through the birth, weassumed we would have two or
three kids.
Um, she was diagnosed withbreast cancer at 29.
Oh wow.
So um we aren't able to have anymore kids, and that's okay.
We are perfectly happy.
(03:33):
We have a happy family, but wedidn't treat that pregnancy or
birth like it was our last andonly.
So that would be something thatlike I would like to go back and
relive knowing like this is it.
SPEAKER_00 (03:45):
Wow.
So did you find out after this?
Yes.
SPEAKER_01 (03:49):
Um, we found out when my daughter was one.
Um we actually moved toNashville in like March of 2020.
Like COVID had just kicked off.
Um I got a new job down here.
My wife didn't work yet, sowe're just like kind of hanging
out.
So we had like a crazy year ofmoving, and then my wife um
found out she had breast cancerin September of that year.
(04:09):
And we bought a house and livein it.
We just kind of like it wascrazy.
Just a few things.
Just a few things.
Um, it honestly worked out to beum really good that it was
during COVID because everybodywas being like very careful and
staying away, and my wife'simmune system with chemo was
awful.
So like it ended up being reallynice that everybody was taking
like health precautions forworld things when you know, you
(04:32):
know, for us it was good, andlike um people that weren't
seeing each other could comevisit us um and come help.
Like her parents um basicallycame for every treatment and
were very helpful.
We had moved from Ohio like awayfrom all of our family support.
So yeah, um it was pretty crazy.
But wow, my wife's a beast andshe's cancer free.
SPEAKER_00 (04:51):
Yeah, okay.
So like for years she um thishas been like four or five
years.
SPEAKER_01 (04:56):
Also, she's gonna yell at me because I'm sure I
missed all the math up on this.
But um something like that.
Yeah, so she's healthy.
Um, but it's kind of a forever.
Um I think like movies make itfeel like all right, you have
chemo, you beat it, yeah.
Back to normal life.
But it's like it's forever.
Um, like we're just adjusting tolife um post-cancer.
SPEAKER_00 (05:17):
Um is that partly why you guys are a little
crunchy with food, do you think?
Does it affect it?
SPEAKER_01 (05:24):
Maybe.
I think we always kind of werelike we just um, but yeah, I
think maybe it it amplifiedthings a little bit is just like
what are we putting in ourbodies?
My wife was always kind of likea natural where we can be thing
like that.
Um she's it's probably motivatedthat a little extra.
SPEAKER_00 (05:40):
Gotcha.
Wow.
Well, thank you for sharingthat.
I had no idea.
SPEAKER_01 (05:43):
I did not mean to drop that bomb on you, but it's
it's kind of a part of you know,living like it's also adjusted
my mindset on like how we live,on like just I was big on like
retirement and talking about our60s and 70s, and it's kind of
made me want to live harder now,especially with our one
daughter, and just like weplanned financially to have two
(06:05):
or three, and now we're justspoiling the one that we got.
SPEAKER_00 (06:07):
So yeah, I I mean I relate to that with different,
you know, with the brain injury.
It's something I've beenthinking about, you know, since
being able to be back at workand how easily I could slip into
just being all about work again.
Yeah.
And that's part of just planningtrips.
And like I made a list of likethese are the things I've always
(06:29):
wanted to do.
And so I'm really trying to beintentional about it because you
just don't know what time youhave.
Yeah.
Or even it doesn't even have tobe that like not to be morbid,
but we're you know, like itdoesn't have to be you have to
die early.
It's like your life can justchange in ways you never
expected.
SPEAKER_01 (06:46):
For sure.
We've been trying to be superintentional about like booking
trips, and uh, we went to DisneyWorld a couple times early.
I was not a Disney World kid,like I didn't experience that,
but it was magical for ourdaughter when she was like two
and three, and like we were justtalking, it was like poof, it's
over.
Like she will always enjoyDisney World, but those ages of
like believing it's real andmagic are so short, and like I'm
(07:11):
so glad we took those trips andlike maybe financially we
shouldn't have or whatever,right?
But like it's it's just um aconstant reminder of like do
things now, like yeah.
Um I think society, like we justtalk about retirement,
retirement, retirement, and thenlike we're you know, most people
aren't healthy enough to travelwhen they have the means to do
so.
And it's just like this weird,like put it off to a later
(07:32):
culture that we're trying to beintentional to do.
SPEAKER_00 (07:36):
Yeah.
So Josiah, tell me who you are.
SPEAKER_01 (07:41):
What do you mean by that?
SPEAKER_00 (07:43):
So you run the comedian discovery page.
Yes.
Tell me about how you got intothat, how you started it.
SPEAKER_01 (07:49):
Yeah, so I've always loved stand-up comedy.
I've always loved specials.
Um, and I started kind of likewatching them more intently, and
then like I would share themoccasionally on like my
Instagram page, and um I noticedvery quickly like how responsive
comics were.
Like, hey, thank you so much forwatching.
And I'm thinking, uh, it's onNetflix, like it's not that big
(08:11):
of a deal that I watched, butthey're so grateful.
They need in general thatvalidation so bad.
It was just like reallyeye-opening to me, like the
level of comics that wereresponding to me.
Really?
And then I kind of started toget into this rhythm of doing
that.
Then I was like, wait a second,my family just wants to see
pictures of my daughter onInstagram.
Maybe this isn't where thislittle fun hobby should hang
out.
So I created comedian discovery,kind of just like um on a whim,
(08:35):
and just said, like, maybethere's something here.
Um, and my wife jokes about likeuh what she didn't know what I
was up to because I didn't tellanybody about it, including her,
because I kind of thought it waslike this dumb idea that would
fail, and then I could justdelete it and pretend like
nothing happened and nobodywould ever have to know about
like this weird little thing Ithought might work.
Um, but then it kind of gainedsome traction.
(08:57):
Um, I quickly realized like,okay, Netflix has their promo,
Hulu has their promo, HBO hastheir promo, and then there's
big pages, right?
Like 800 pound Gorilla or ComedyDynamics, but does anybody
compile all that?
And the answer was no, right?
And that was kind of during theage of like YouTube specials
really picking up steam, likeShane Gillis's was going crazy,
(09:18):
a couple of Joe Lists were goingcrazy.
And I just thought, like, um, ifI'm like a comic and I spend all
my money to produce a specialand I have 2,000 followers on
Instagram, like, where do I goto get the word out?
And I just kind of thought maybeI can create a space that will
someday be um valuable enoughthat it's a platform, I guess,
(09:39):
right?
Yeah.
Um and that's kind of the birthof it, and honestly, that's been
kind of what I've stuck with thewhole time.
Um I also found a bunch of pagesthat would basically um repost a
bunch of jokes, not tag thecomics, uh, and then um once
they get like a millionfollowers or 500,000 followers,
(10:00):
they start charging comics tocollab.
So small comics basicallysaying, Hey, I want to collab,
then MOS 10 bucks.
And I just felt very gross aboutthat culture of just like taking
advantage of like um most comicsthat don't have money.
I was gonna say broke comics.
Broke comics.
I mean, there's this culture oflike comedy is booming, but like
that's Nate Burgetsi, that's youknow, Mark Norman, Shane Gillis,
(10:24):
whatever, but like the averagecomic is still broke and has a
job and um trying to get thingsgoing.
So I just kind of wanted tocreate this really like
comic-friendly world where it'slike everybody's welcome.
Your special can be next to theNetflix special or the HBO
special, like if you put workinto it and it's quality, like
(10:45):
I'm putting it up.
Um and then I created theschedule, which kind of like
became like the release radar iskind of what people know now.
Um I just kind of wanted to stayorganized because every special
I will post their graphic andthen sometimes collab on a joke
or post a joke.
But I always wanted that likealmost like TV guide vibe.
And I thought it was really coolfor like cross-sharing.
(11:07):
Like if somebody who has aNetflix special shares that
graphic, then so is the somebodywith the YouTube special, right?
So it just kind of like createdthis world um of everybody's
kind of bumping shoulders witheach other regardless of their
success level.
Um and that's what it is today.
And like it's interestingbecause I've had a few comics
(11:28):
reach out to me like the monthbefore and say, Um, hey, I'm
dropping my special next month,I'm looking for a date.
Like, what's October look like,for example?
And I like realize, and somebodyhit me up and said, like, you're
kind of like save the date forspecials, like somebody doesn't
want to go after the sameaudience, like appear.
It's like, hey, I'm not gonna doit on that day because it looks
(11:48):
like Tuesday, there's a Netflixspecial, and everybody will be
watching that.
So I'm gonna wait till Thursdayand drop my special on YouTube
or whatever.
So it's just like kind ofcreated this world.
Um, so yeah, I think that's kindof where I'm at with it.
SPEAKER_00 (12:01):
So when did it start gaining traction actually?
SPEAKER_01 (12:05):
Um, I would say um, I don't remember exact timeline,
but like within a few months, Iwould say like the first
thousand followers were thehardest.
Um and then lately I've justkind of peeked at like 13.
It just feels like it is niche.
Like you have to kind of eitherbe a comic or an absolute comedy
nerd.
Like I don't think my page isfor like somebody that watches a
(12:28):
special or two a year, like thatjust like isn't what it is.
Um and that's okay.
Like I've kind of stuck withwhat I thought it would be the
whole time.
It grow grew way faster than Ithought it would, and like um
it's authentic, it's exactlywhat like I thought it would be.
I'm not like my next path isn'tto find a way to rip off comics
or anything like that.
(12:48):
So it's just kind of um yeah,I'd say maybe six months.
Um but I don't know, it's allkind of a blur because I people
ask me all the time, like,what's the goal with comedian
discovery?
And the answer is I'm beyond it.
Like I thought it was this dumblittle page that may never like
have any validity at all, butlike it's it's it is beyond what
(13:10):
I thought it would be.
SPEAKER_00 (13:11):
So how do you I mean how do you find all this
information?
SPEAKER_01 (13:14):
Like how much question um Brian Bates was
actually asking me that theother day.
And in the beginning, it was aton of research.
I was really looking for like Iwas searching YouTube all the
time, um like kind of creatingfilters on like in the last you
know, six months, well, youknow, whatever.
I just kind of wanted to getsome random specials that I
thought were good out there.
(13:36):
Um but now people come to me,which has been pretty cool.
It's been a shift.
I'm like, hey, I'm putting myspecial out October 13th, would
love to be a part of thegraphic.
And um, I just say like it's allvia DM.
Like, I don't really send peopleto email.
Um, and I just say like you'reon the list, and I always try to
make sure if it's beenannounced.
So like I don't want to announcepeople's specials for them.
(13:58):
I don't really want to take thatthunder, so I always just say,
like, is it public knowledge?
Yeah or nay, and they say, Yeah,go ahead.
I've already told my followers,so like would love to be on the
next time you post.
And I just plan on that, likebasically I have a working
graphic on my phone, kind oflike an iPhone note, yeah.
And anytime I find out aspecial, I add it, and then so
then the next time I post, it'sjust that.
So like I'd say I post it fouror five times a month, like in
(14:21):
the beginning of the month,especially like a long time ago.
The beginning of the month, Iwould know about like three or
four specials, and then it wouldjust grow as like people would
because like each time I post, Ialways say like the second I
post, it's obsolete because eachtime I post, somebody will
comment or DM and say like soand so's special comes out on
the 15th or whatever.
So it just kind of like is thisevolving thing.
SPEAKER_00 (14:43):
And I mean, do you take like if anybody DMs you?
SPEAKER_01 (14:47):
Great question.
Um, I don't want to be agatekeeper, so like I don't um
review specials or anything likethat.
And same with clips, my DMs arefull of clips, and I don't
really um I try to focus onspecials because that's like
really where people's effort is.
But if somebody collabs me on agood quality joke and I don't
have anything like planned forthat day, I'll accept it.
(15:09):
Um I like quality, like I getDM'd a ton of like Nokia from
the back of the club videos, andlike I just I don't even comment
on the joke, I just say like,hey, this is rough.
Like, love to collab sometime,but this isn't quite quality.
So I'm not reviewing the jokes,I'm not reviewing the specials.
Um my general rule is like20-ish minutes is a special
(15:30):
these days.
Like, I can't keep up with everydon't tell.
I think they do like two a week,which I love don't tell comedy,
they're awesome.
Um but like I don't quiteconsider that a special just
because how long are those?
Typically like eight to twelveminutes.
Okay.
But they've done a few halfhours and like those meet my
special criteria.
And it's just honestly, maybeit's just like I can't keep up,
(15:50):
or like their platform is so bigthey don't need me, so I just
feel a little less um you knowdemanded to like go add those.
And then like if you open thatup, now everybody who puts a
10-minute setup.
I had a 10-minute setup, andthat's a special, right?
So it's just like I've onlytried to create like criteria
where it's like this looks andsounds good, and it's 20-ish
(16:12):
minutes, and you worked reallyhard on it.
I think most people who havelike paid for a crew to come in
and take 20 minutes and filled aclub up and edited it, and like
I just kind of like who am I tosay that doesn't, you know, get
to be on the page.
And I'll get comments sometimes,like this special sucked, and
I'll just say like for a while Iused to respond, now I don't
(16:32):
even respond, but I used to justsay, like, I didn't say you had
to watch it, I just said it'sout.
You're really not recommending.
I'm just yeah, it's not arecommendation, it is purely
like my stories are morerecommendations.
I try to add like a little moreof like this is awesome, go
watch, great podcast.
But like because I post agraphic does not mean I watched
every minute of that special.
It means it's out.
SPEAKER_00 (16:51):
Yeah.
What um I mean, what kind ofstand-up do you like?
SPEAKER_01 (16:56):
I like all kinds of stand-up.
Um, I genuinely try to likesupport everybody, like clean,
filthy, whatever.
Like, I don't care.
I also um one of my like dumbmottos is like every comic is
somebody's favorite comedian.
And like maybe that's only theirparents, but they are somebody's
favorite comedian, right?
(17:17):
And it's just like that's kindof how I like to treat it.
It's just like they workedreally hard on this, this is
what they've dedicated theirlife to.
Like, who am I to say?
Um, it's not that, but like I Ilike all kinds of comedy.
Um big New York, like New Yorkcomedy kind of has like my
heart, but I try to you knowbranch out a little bit.
I've been like learning the LosAngeles scene a little bit
(17:39):
better.
Um, obviously they've got thecomedy store, but I've always
like idolized the cellar and thestand and all that.
I just love like kind of the NewYork grind of like watching a
comic have like eight spots inthe city in a night.
Like that's just very cool to meand like kind of you know,
comedy boom.
SPEAKER_00 (17:56):
Have you visited before?
SPEAKER_01 (17:57):
Yes, I've been a couple times.
Um, a couple times I was able tosneak up there like during like
a job trip, like a uh regularjob trip, and then um just for
fun a couple times I've been upthere and it's like
otherworldly.
I've had a couple like crazy umthe page has gotten me in like
rooms where like I shouldn't bethere.
(18:18):
I have big like impostersyndrome with comedy.
Um and they're like I've neveridolized like um actors and
actresses, like that just isn'tfor me.
But like I do kind of likeidolize some comics, but I also
think it's because they feellike regular people to me.
Like I just feel like they'reregular people, um, but like
hanging out in green rooms andlike sitting at places I
(18:39):
shouldn't be sitting at.
I'm just like, what am I doingin here?
But um it's just kind of one ofthose like pinch me.
It's like, hey, you've workedkind of hard on this thing, and
like people recognize that andthey're grateful for your help,
and it's okay to do you know whoI'm I'm really excited to watch
the special is Jordan Jensen.
SPEAKER_00 (18:56):
Okay.
Um, because I know she was herefor a bit, and then I saw her in
New York.
I don't I think it was thecellar, and I when I saw her
perform, I I was very, veryearly in stand-up, and I just
remember my mind just beingblown.
I was like how long ago thiswas?
Yeah, it was about two yearsalmost exactly.
SPEAKER_01 (19:15):
Okay.
I saw Jordan at the cellarmyself, and um, I was already a
fan of hers, but hadn't seen aton of her stand-up.
Like I felt like her I had seenlike clips and crowd work and
stuff like that, but I thoughtshe was brilliant on stage, and
I've watched the special, andI'm very curious what you think.
I think she is one of one, likeshe is so different than
(19:36):
everybody in the space.
Um, she's aggressive, she'sferocious, she's very um, I
don't know, she's just like herown um brand of stand-up.
And I thought the special wasgood.
SPEAKER_00 (19:49):
I just I mean, I I think that so I'd seen like
Paula Poundstone like years ago,and I remember just my cheeks
were hurting.
I was laughing so hard.
I don't know that name.
Oh, um You're gonna be shocked.
She's a very um, I don't want tosay old comic, but in the sense
of her age, but she like she waslike 80s.
Okay.
And I grew up listening to WaitWait, Don't Tell Me.
(20:11):
Okay.
Do you know Wait Wait, Don'tTell Me?
Okay.
Love it.
Um, and she's been a panelist onthere all the time.
SPEAKER_03 (20:18):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (20:18):
And so my mom and I wanted to go see Wait Wait,
Don't Tell Me, but it was alwayssold out.
And so I found that Paula wascoming.
And so we went.
And I would say it took me astand-up class before I realized
I was watching stand-up comedy.
Well, I I was like, she's justgiving a really funny speech.
(20:40):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (20:42):
Sometimes they're so natural with it.
SPEAKER_00 (20:43):
Yeah, she was so funny.
But like seeing her and thenseeing Jordan Jensen, I'd seen
like Taylor Tomlinson, but likeseeing these women up there just
being genuinely funny andseemingly themselves was very
powerful to me.
SPEAKER_01 (21:02):
Yeah, love Taylor.
And also, I forget what the showis.
I'm a wife, and she is gonnakill me.
But wait, wait, don't tell me itreminds me of O'Fira Eisenberg.
Do you know who that is?
No, I don't.
She had an NB NPR show, and I'mblanking on the name because I'm
well I recognize it a littlebit, but I don't know.
She performs at the cellar,she's been here to the lab and
she's done a couple shows withme.
Um, and that was one of thefirst relationships.
(21:23):
Like I picked her up to come toa show.
It was one of the first, like Itold my wife, she's like, Are
you picking up like an NPRpersonality to come to this show
at a grocery store in Lebanon?
I was like, uh yeah.
So and then like it's it's justcool, but I'll look up the show
and you'll recognize her, I'msure.
Yeah.
Um it is just kind of likethat's the regularness of it.
Like, yeah, I'd love to come.
(21:44):
Like, I'm I'm coming a dayearly, as long as you don't
promote me on the show, likeI'll come hang out.
SPEAKER_00 (21:49):
So I've been surprised by some of the
comedians that had agreed to domy show.
And yeah, like just super nice,and I'd seen them and I was
like, well, I'm just gonna see.
And they'll be like, Oh yeah, ifthe timing works out, and I
think they genuinely mean it.
Yeah, it has not worked out, butwe will work it out.
Yeah.
Um, but yeah, it is veryinteresting when you're in a
(22:09):
green room and it's just there'sjust people.
SPEAKER_01 (22:13):
That's the imposter syndrome, I think, of it too.
Like comics very rarely uh getto a point where they think
they're better than a show.
Yeah.
Because they've all like been apart of horrible shows, stepping
stones, and like um like MarkNorman's pretty famous for like
doing a theater in the town andthen like asking where the
nearest don't tell is becausehe's got like a new joke he
wants to work on.
I love that like brokenness oflike he still is grinding
(22:38):
regardless of selling out thetheater in that city.
Like he's just like yeah, andI've heard stories about him
coming to Zanies and be like, isthere any mics?
Like he's just like two sold-outshows and then wants to go up
somewhere.
It's just like that's the NewYork mentality.
I think of just like writing,writing, writing, try new, like
just go, go, go, which is sofun.
SPEAKER_00 (22:57):
So when did you start getting into stand-up?
SPEAKER_01 (23:00):
I don't know um like exactly, but like my parents, I
grew up very religious.
My parents loved like cleancomedy, like um they were big,
um, like Brian Regan fans, um,kind of like that era, and I
always like appreciated it.
I don't know if I fullyunderstood like how prepared and
(23:20):
written the material was andstuff.
Um, and then I always enjoyedlike going live, and I I enjoyed
like um I think the comediandiscovery brand is I love going
to see somebody and being like,I saw them when they were in a
club.
Yes.
I think I we used to have thesame mindset of like music.
Me and my wife went and saw likeEd Sheeran like right before
(23:42):
like the A-Team came out, andlike it was in this like tiny
room in Indianapolis, and thevery next shows he was like in
arenas with Taylor Swift.
It's just like cool to catchsomebody.
It's like they're about to blowup.
Like I've seen Tom Segura andlike a funny bone, and I was
just like, I think that guy'sgonna be big someday, right?
It just like kind of feels funto see people in those tiny
venues before like the worlddiscovers them.
SPEAKER_00 (24:04):
I think that's part of what's fun about Nashville
right now, is like we do have alot of up-and-coming comedians.
For sure.
And I have already seen some ofthem.
Like there's people who haveblown up that like I know.
Some have been on the show Iproduced or just seen them, and
they are still like I still knowthem.
SPEAKER_01 (24:26):
Yeah, they now have away from knowing you.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (24:29):
Yeah.
I like have friends, likefriends and family from
Minnesota like commenting aboutthem.
And I'm like, how do you knowthis person?
SPEAKER_01 (24:37):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (24:37):
And then I like look at their socials, I'm like, oh,
everybody knows this person.
SPEAKER_01 (24:41):
Amber Autry and Fiona came to mind, right?
Like both.
Exactly.
I think they've I know I've hadFiona booked on a couple shows
and then Amber a couple, and Iwas just like, there was
multiple people at shows, likeshe was so good.
And I think Amber hosted one ofmy shows.
Like, and it was just like thatopportunity is about to be gone.
Um, and I've made some graphicsand stuff for them, and just
like it's cool to see you knowpeople make it.
SPEAKER_00 (25:04):
It is, and I I'm big fans of both of them.
Yeah, like they're they're sogood too.
SPEAKER_01 (25:10):
It's like when you did see them, like you just knew
like these two are yeah, andlike um obviously both took like
very different paths, like theKiltoni path, but also um like
Amber, I could just tell howhard she was working, and I was
just like, there's no way likethe way she promotes, the way
she's goofy, the way she getspictures with every fan.
(25:31):
I just like kind of saw thatearly on and thought like, yeah,
it's gonna work.
SPEAKER_00 (25:35):
And she's a genuinely kind person.
For sure.
Which I I mean, I just like Ilike that I'm rooting for
somebody who I know is kind.
SPEAKER_01 (25:44):
Yeah, and I think there's like obviously there's
bad eggs, right?
But there is a lot of humility.
I think comedy makes peoplehumble.
I always like laugh about like,you know, one show's great and
the next one whatever.
Like I've heard a couple peopleum talk about like you could be
opening for Nate in an arena andthen getting a text from a
(26:06):
comedy club saying, like, hey,we've only sold five tickets for
your shows next weekend.
Like it just it brings you rightback down to earth, no matter
what level you make it to, um,which is I think what makes
people humble longer in comedyand not forget where they came
from and it's why they will doyour show, and you know, just
kind of like it's one big, youknow, kind of nucleus of com
(26:28):
comics, which is fun.
SPEAKER_00 (26:30):
Yeah, it is.
Um, so obviously social mediahas been I mean, it is what it
is for you with the comediandiscovery.
Is that something that you knewhow to handle ahead of time or
did you learn?
SPEAKER_01 (26:44):
It's all self-taught.
I don't know.
I think like the rhythm and ummarketing of it is easier for
me, right?
Because I'm not making anything,right?
It's yours, it's comicsgraphics, send it to me.
So like the main page is verymuch like I have a graphic, I
kind of understand a little bitof like tapping into people's
(27:07):
psyche on stories, but it'smainly like their product.
But I did I've I've been gettinginto making graphics for comics
for a while now, um, and justlike have an eye for hey, you
know, I know you're promotingyour show on stories, but you're
just using create mode and ablack screen and white text.
(27:28):
Maybe we throw a picture of youin it.
Um there's a lot of psychologyin like okay, you have a hundred
thousand followers and you're inNew York City, but you're doing
a show in Iowa.
You need to get yourself on theIowa Comedy Club's story, right?
So there's a lot of likepsychology of like I always tell
comics like bully your way ontotheir stories, bully your way
(27:48):
onto their followers.
Like they have 50,000 followers,theoretically, those are ticket
buyers, but yours are sprinkledall around the country.
So, like, yes, you're tellingyour followers all the time
where your shows are, but areyour followers anywhere near
that show?
Is like, yeah, how do you tapinto that city you're going to?
You'll see a lot of people like,what do you recommend in Austin,
(28:10):
Texas?
Blah blah blah.
And that's like a little bit ofa trick.
You'll see some people that'slike, hey, I'll be in whatever
this weekend.
And I just imagine theirresponses come to the show when
people respond to that story,and it almost like transcends
their story and puts them inthat city, hopefully finding
some people interested.
And it's like, oh, I didn't evenrealize um you were gonna be
here.
And like that's the big thing onemail lists right now.
(28:32):
Like algorithms not showingeverybody in the right places
that you're coming.
Um, so that's kind of like Idon't know how I got on this
tangent, but like buildinggraphics and like teaching
people how to self-promote.
And specials are the same way,like huge people with huge
followings put a special out andit's like nowhere to be found on
their Instagram.
I've DM'd people in the pastwith like a million followers
and say, like, post yourgraphic, and they're like, Oh,
(28:54):
yeah, thanks.
SPEAKER_00 (28:55):
Wait, they it like their specials coming out and
they just like aren't promotingit on their socials.
SPEAKER_01 (29:00):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (29:01):
Fascinating.
SPEAKER_01 (29:01):
I don't know if it's like the broken mentality of
like, I don't know if this isgood, watch if you want, or if
it's just like this likedisconnect of like, hey, a
million people have decided theylike your comedy and want to
follow you.
Go ahead and tell them about thespecial you're putting out.
And it's just like this I justbroken brain on self-promotion.
It's just this likepsychological, like, I'm not
(29:24):
good enough, don't come see me.
Oh yeah, I'll be in this city,blah, blah, blah.
It just kind of seems like acycle I've seen, which is
interesting.
And then in the beginning, Inoticed me sharing made them
share it.
It was like almost like, use meas an excuse to share your
special.
I'll share it.
And then you reshare the story,and it's almost like I didn't
(29:45):
tell you my special out.
Mm hmm.
Comedian Discovery did.
I'm just sharing that.
It's like this weird littlepsychology of freaking them into
self promotion.
SPEAKER_00 (29:53):
I can see that though.
Like it is really hard topromote yourself.
I think, especially with whatcomedians do.
go through to get to that point.
Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (30:02):
They've been dragging people to shows for
decades.
SPEAKER_00 (30:06):
Yeah.
I mean I found when I was doingstand up that even to my last
show, I was still questioning,am I even funny?
SPEAKER_01 (30:15):
Oh for sure.
I think that goes all the way upto every level.
And then when you make it yougotta be funnier for the next
one.
Right.
And you hear all the time, I seea lot like when people put a
special up and then they talk ona podcast, they're like, I gotta
go write some new jokes becauseI have nothing.
And it's like it's interestingbecause um this is kind of
(30:35):
really in the weeds but likepeople will put their hour out
and like most comics wrote thathour over the course of like
five, ten, maybe fifteen years,right?
But then when these touringcomics like okay I put my first
special out now I need to go onthe tour with a new hour.
And then it's kind of like anevery year or two pace.
(30:57):
So like you get a long time forthe first special and if it
kills and it's great, theexpectation is now that you can
do that every couple years.
SPEAKER_00 (31:05):
I heard I think it was Nate Burgetzi actually on
Nateland talking about and maybeit was Dusty too, but they were
talking about how every timethey put out a special they're
like I can't write another joke.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (31:19):
Yeah they all all feel that way like uh oh that
might be it that might have beenit for my material.
Yeah they all are prolificwriters and figure it out.
But it is like this weird likeum back to the beginning start
over every time they put one outwhich is interesting.
SPEAKER_00 (31:34):
Aaron Ross Powell would you ever do like
consulting or anything forcomedians or like uh I don't
know agents or something for Idon't know I've had a few people
um Dave Neal told me I would bea good manager and I said thank
you but no thank you.
I think well I've thoughtsomeone a manager would be they
could be a little bit of ababysitter.
(31:55):
Yeah I could be wrong.
SPEAKER_01 (31:56):
Yeah I don't know also all of the terminology and
like who's responsible for whatum I think it's interesting
because a lot of people like Itold you earlier like what's the
goal for comedian discovery andI'm like beyond it I've been
really really careful to stillmake it a hobby.
Like I have a real job.
I have a family so I can't letit become stressful.
(32:17):
And even with building graphicsI basically have created like a
pay what you can afford system.
I've built some graphics forsome huge comics and they're
like what do you charge?
And I'm like I don't know like Idon't know what this stuff
costs.
I don't consider myself like aprofessional at it but I've also
heard some of the numbers thatpeople pay for like a tour
poster and I think it's absurdbecause as soon as you add a
(32:40):
show it's obsolete.
Like it's just a really sillything to invest in.
So I've always kind of said likeespecially in like mid-level
comics where it's like I'llbuild it for you you know pay
what you want and I've alsopromised that like if you pay me
it goes back into all of this.
Like it's this hobby is selffunding if that makes sense.
(33:00):
Like I don't put my own money init but also I haven't taken a
penny out of it.
I'm sure you're gonna ask meabout shows in a little bit
which is another headache.
But um yeah so that also when Isay pay what you want I don't
feel like like I don't want adeadline from anybody because
then it becomes like a job rightnow I'm on the clock.
(33:22):
I try to get ahead like if Ibuild stuff for somebody like I
am like months ahead to whatthey need.
I started recently I'll ask ifshe wants me to say this or not
but um I started recentlybuilding graphics for the comedy
catch in Chattanooga.
Cool um I just I like thatlittle club and um it's kind of
like small family owned it'sreally fun and then also it's
(33:44):
just very like um probably smallbudget, right?
Like they don't have the bigpower of like a funny bone
behind them and um I can be veryaffordable for her and um that's
kind of the goal like I likesupporting a small business like
that.
I don't have enough time to takeon like a huge client um so I'd
rather like kind of onesietwosie see what comics need and
(34:06):
and find a way to help them.
And then that leads torelationships of like who are
you and why you know whateverand I've always kind of built
the page to be I want it to feellike it's too good to be true.
Like a lot of people DM mewhat's it cost to be on the
release radar?
Like how do I get on it?
And it's like nothing.
Like if you got a qualityspecial a quality clip you want
(34:27):
to send me like I it's not aboutripping people off.
Yeah so like I've had a fewpeople joke saying like where's
the catch and at what point doyou send me an invoice for these
things you've made and it's likehey thanks for liking my stuff
you know I mainly do things forfree until somebody's like can
you help me consistently andthen we kind of have a
(34:49):
conversation what that lookslike.
What is your daydrax I work incorporate America so bag.
So not this nothing I work incompliance banking anti-money
laundering specifically behindthe scenes um and nothing to do
with like building graphicsnothing to do with social media
(35:10):
um this is just a total step outof like what my day-to-day is
but I do work from home so I gotthat advantage yeah all my
screens are where I need them todo both things so where did
comedian Discovery live comefrom and maybe what is it?
Okay so comedian Discovery Liveis you know basically live
(35:31):
stand-up comedy shows um and Ithink it came from I was always
big on like when people wouldsay like where should I perform
they share their stories andlike when I started seeing a lot
of comics that I really likednot coming to Nashville I kind
of scratched my head and I I I'ma huge Zanies fan.
I I'm a regular I'm there allthe time um but I realized that
(35:53):
they are so big that noteverybody has a chance to hit
Nashville.
Yeah um so originally I kind ofthought like well maybe I'll
catch some comics on their waythrough if they're in Atlanta,
Chattanooga and they're justlike not quite big enough for a
Zanies night um maybe I'll add anight on for them.
But then also I I justrecognized that there were so
many comics in Nashville and wewere getting this like buzz of
(36:16):
um the next big comedy scene didyou feel that way?
SPEAKER_00 (36:20):
Yeah I definitely heard people even say that.
SPEAKER_01 (36:22):
Yeah and I think that kind of came from like okay
we have an awesome club we havehuge names here like Theo was
here um Nate's here Dusty's hereLeanne Morgan here like there
was just a lot of like maybe nothere Angela Johnson but like um
and some of that stuff mighthave been state income tax tax
based but that's nee maybe maybea small thing.
(36:43):
But um I just kept hearing thatand I was like yeah but we're
not there's not that manystages.
Because when you think aboutlike New York LA and even Austin
now it's just like there arestages everywhere and it's just
like that is not the structurehere.
There's like Third Coast,there's a couple little shows
but like in general for how manyvenues we have for music there
is very little comedy stagetime.
(37:06):
And then also the other passionwas like I live in the suburbs
and like I would mention zanysand people were like what's that
and people in the suburbs justdon't come downtown.
So I kind of thought like okay Iknow all of these Nashville
comics it would be really easyto pull them out to the suburbs
and like hopefully create smalllittle indie type shows um and
(37:27):
that's kind of where it startedand it just like I guess it went
from there and like I'm big onbeing super transparent to the
comics like hey I'm not makingany money you guys will get all
the money it makes um help mepromote it and I'll try to build
some shows um some have workedbetter than others it's very
stressful and um that's been thereminder of like um I know
(37:50):
comics always say like the upsand downs like you might kill in
one show and then whoopsie thatdidn't go well you bomb but um
I've felt that way producingshows where it's like have two
or three low turnouts in a rowand then we pack a coffee shop
and I'm like here we go.
Like it just like gets me rightback in the adrenal of like
that's why I'm doing this.
And I always say like I'm kindof broken like a comic in that
(38:13):
way of just like looking forthat next um good show.
And the other thing that's crazyis like my standards are really
high because I want to producelike good shows, high turnouts,
shows where like out of townerscan actually headline versus
just a showcase and do like 15minutes.
Like I want to build shows whereit's like if somebody hits me up
(38:35):
that is out of my league forbooking, I want to be like yep
you're on Friday night in MountJuliet like you know whatever.
That's kind of the goal ofhaving like these kind of shows
rolling to where I can plug outof towners in.
That's the vision at least butit takes time.
SPEAKER_00 (38:50):
And that's I mean that's how we met is I did I
think I did the Billy Goat.
Yep.
And then I did the umMockingbird theater.
Yeah Franklin Theater.
Franklin Theater um and that wasI enjoy going I enjoyed going to
the suburbs because it was a lotof the same shows here in
Nashville and it there'sdifferent people.
(39:13):
Your audience is different.
You get to try something new ina way.
SPEAKER_01 (39:18):
I've been told a few times I build crazy lineups
which um I believe is becauseI'm able to be totally out of
like the clicks of it.
And also I don't owe anybody.
SPEAKER_00 (39:31):
So like crazy lineups as in like good lineups
and just like different normalbecause it's less of like hey
I'll do your show you do myshow.
SPEAKER_01 (39:40):
Right.
Whereas me it's like I don'twant your stage time so I can
book whoever I want and itwasn't intentional but I just
kind of put funny peopletogether that I felt like made
sense and complimented eachother.
But I think it just likenaturally created some lineups
that were unique because I keptnoticing I would go to showcases
and I'm just like it's the samefive or six people and I've seen
their 10 minutes.
SPEAKER_00 (40:00):
And um you know and just to clarify like for our
audience because I don't thinkactually think most of them are
not in stand-up the way we are alot of the way that local shows
are run, not just in Nashville,is that comics are producing
them oftentimes so they can getstand up they can get what is
(40:20):
the word stage stage time thankyou.
And it's not a bad thing.
It's just like that is whathappens a lot.
And so to have a producer Ithink who is not a comic is a
little bit more unusual.
And so I feel like that sets youapart too.
SPEAKER_01 (40:35):
Yeah like New York's the same way.
It's like a lot of you know itis it's creating your own stage
time like guaranteed stage time.
My show once a month I can getit's important.
It is super important.
But it does kind of becometradesy which is very natural
and I don't I don't blameanybody for that but I I think
I've allowed to understand thecomedy scene but also be outside
(40:55):
of it enough to um you knowbuild some unique lineups and
just bring variety to theaudiences.
I'm very careful on like you didthat show two months ago you're
not coming back yet.
SPEAKER_00 (41:09):
That's how I feel about cheaper than therapy.
Um I get I I have like a wholespreadsheet and I literally look
back and I'm like when was thisperson on?
Because I I definitely havefavorites but I try not to let
that affect what the actuallineup is because who I love the
audience might love somebodyelse.
(41:29):
For sure.
SPEAKER_01 (41:30):
So it's like it's so hard to be intentional about
that and like I try to do thesame where it's just like all
right that person's been theretoo often they gotta go to a
different suburb this next showand it's just it's you do have
to be intentional about it.
Because it's easy to also I'velove certain comics more but I
like working with certaincertain comics more.
(41:51):
So like when you're professionalit's very easy to just keep keep
booking certain people.
SPEAKER_00 (41:56):
I'm gonna do some rapid fire questions.
Okay.
What's your favorite comedyspecial right now?
SPEAKER_01 (42:04):
Um I think Chappelle Lacy his half hour with Don't
Tell um can I give you somecontext with that?
Even though it's rapid fire ummy wife told me she said you
really enjoy comedy once youlike start working with somebody
so I started working withChappelle and like building him
graphics.
He kind of seemed overwhelmedwith like promoting shows um and
(42:29):
like his special was coming andI just kind of wanted to teach
him like some very basic rhythmand like a friend of his
connected me with him and thenhis don't tell came out and he
it exploded kind of and it wentreally well and like he kind of
went from touring occasionallyto like he's very smart about
like the shows he picks and thenlike he had a few weekends where
(42:49):
he was just like selling showsout and we were in like a really
good rhythm of like texting likeyo you should do this we kind of
like he does like good goofypromo like he's good at like
being self-deprecating and likehe's allowed me to like have
some really dumb ideas and usethem on graphics.
So like it's been really cool.
I'm not taking any credit forChappelle's blowout but it was
(43:10):
cool to see like okay yourspecial came out and now you
have momentum and you're rollingand he's very good about only
posting like good clips like hedoesn't force junk out and he's
just like my my clips are reallyperforming right now it's like
that's because you don't likejust put garbage out just
because so he's I'm a littlebiased.
He's awesome he's LA based he'sat the comedy store and fan nice
(43:33):
um let's see favorite comedyspecial of all time um probably
Joe List I hate myself.
I think it's one of the bestspecials ever.
Favorite comedian Joe Listunfortunately back to back.
He's great I just love the wayhe writes material he writes
(43:53):
fast he delivers in a way thatfeels like he might be trying
this joke for the first timeeven on a special like he is
nailed every comic tries to makeit feel like oh on the way here
I was thinking about this butyeah he actually nails it in my
opinion of like making a setthat is so tight somehow feel
loose like he just thought of itin the green room and like
(44:16):
that's very cool.
Most underrated comedian mostunderrated comedian I might need
a second on this one how aboutfavorite comedian to see live
comedian favorite comedian tosee live is probably Dusty Slay
right now.
I love everything he does hewrites his new hour so quickly I
(44:38):
think lately he's been doinglike 70 to 75 minutes at the
shows on his I listen to his umpodcast.
Yeah he said he did an hour anda half yeah he's I'm like oh my
gosh he's a machine and like Ilove on his newest special I
loved it he just talked abouthow like some of these jokes are
over before I stop talking andit's just like his way of like
(44:59):
his comfort with the audiencelike I think he's the perfect
theater comic.
Like I don't want to see Dustybigger than a theater maybe he
will get there but like Iselfishly like just really enjoy
seeing him in that setting whereit's like he always joked like I
thought I would hate theatersbut I love it like everybody's
in there's no servers they'resitting down and like he's
talked about like needing lessand less of an opener and like
(45:22):
maybe if you're grabbing openersfrom like local cities and just
like they're there to see methey're about to see it for 90
minutes which I love.
Like it's just like you have tocome away from that feeling like
you got your ticket price worthI would think.
SPEAKER_00 (45:35):
Yeah I saw him like I feel like he's someone like I
don't know him but he's localand I saw him at his grand old
comedy show earlier.
Which he hosts right which hehosts I love that yeah and I
love I love that show.
And then I saw him in Minnesotawhen I went home and he was in
the theater and it was sofascinating like the ability to
(45:57):
go see him at Zany's and he'slike working his jokes or
whatever and then go see him ina theater with people who never
get to see him there's such adifferent feeling and a vibe
that I felt like very privilegedto be like here and just see him
work on that.
SPEAKER_01 (46:15):
I love seeing people work out material like I've seen
Nate a couple times at Zany's onlike unannounced I think he was
on one of Dusty's shows and itwas just like no matter what
level you get to you have towork on the joke.
You have to go he had notes andthere was a couple jokes that
like started the hit and youcould just tell he didn't have
an ending yet and I just lovedthat just knowing like that's
(46:35):
going to be perfect on a specialin a year.
SPEAKER_00 (46:37):
And I just love that rhythm of stand up and his um
DoorDash joke for a while I sawhim coming to Zanies over and
over again and it was so cool tosee it progress and then to see
the final product.
SPEAKER_01 (46:49):
Yeah I love that I love um comics always say like
come see me on the road I justput my special out like I don't
have that much new material.
That's my favorite time to see acomic because they're just like
grabbing for anything they cangrab right now.
Like they've they're trying todump the old hour and they don't
have it yet and I like seeinglike a joke that over the next
(47:10):
two years is going to becomeperfect but like I like it when
they're just kind of giving it awhirl.
SPEAKER_00 (47:15):
Yeah.
Any thoughts on your underratedcomic before I move us on it's
hard to call her underrated umand it's what I'll be looking
forward to this week.
SPEAKER_01 (47:26):
But Chloe Radcliffe is very good.
She is in all kinds of worldsshe's like um you know
podcasting she does a littleacting she does all this stuff
but I think her stand up is verygood I've got a sneak peek at a
couple things and um I justthink she's very good.
I think she was on like a bigjust for laughs thing and like
(47:49):
kind of like on a few deadlinearticles she's in the Bradley
Cooper movie.
Have you seen the advertisementfor that?
No it's Will Arnett and it'sabout um uh like stand up and
they shoot at the comedy cellarand then some comics are in it.
Actually I believe JordanJensen's in it too and I'll make
sure that's public knowledgebefore you post this but I
believe it is um so like she'sbeen in those worlds and like
(48:12):
yeah I've been saying she's duefor like a pop for like the last
couple years.
SPEAKER_00 (48:16):
I've been helping her with some stuff and like I
just think um like globallyshe'll she'll pop here soon I
might have to check her out thenokay um I think we could talk
about this all day so I need tomove as long as yeah sure what
are you obsessing over lately?
SPEAKER_01 (48:33):
Trying to find a balance with all of this is my
obsession.
So um I have a six year old Ihave a wife I have a job that
pays the bills and then I havewhatever in the world this is
that I've created.
So um it just kind of goes backto like making sure this stays
fun, making sure it doesn'tbecome a stressor um and doesn't
(48:55):
take me away from family.
So like producing shows has beenthis like this really fun thing
but when they're stressful andit's a struggle and then it's a
show I feel like I physicallyneed to be at I try to build my
shows to where like I can reallyjust kind of like give the keys
to somebody.
Yeah.
And there's plenty of awesomehosts in Nashville that I can
trust to do that.
(49:16):
But like how many nights out ofthe house do I get for comedy?
And then also sometimes I justwant to go to Zany's and be like
a comedy fan.
So uh finding the balance thatthis is still fun and um you
know I guess that's that's theI'm working on right now is just
like make sure my family staysfirst and the job that pays the
(49:37):
bills is still rolling.
SPEAKER_00 (49:40):
Like I still have to do that.
Yeah yeah yeah um I've beenobsessing over learning to edit
videos.
Oh okay which is new becauselike I I've done it before in
the past like are you talkingabout long form or like clips?
Um like 10 minutes.
Okay.
So like I'm learning Final CutPro um because I did a vlog for
(50:02):
my Scotland travel with my mom.
Very cool.
And I really like got suckedinto it and I was like oh I
actually like this.
Yeah I thought I would hate itbecause I I had some things I
was working on perhaps the clipsfor this that I was just like oh
God I hate this.
SPEAKER_01 (50:19):
Yeah yeah I hate everybody assumes I would be
good at making clips and I hateit.
It's just I don't find enjoymentin it.
It's a necessary evil like it'swhat you gotta do.
You're making a podcast you haveto do through figure out
whatever but it is it'sexhausting.
SPEAKER_00 (50:34):
Yeah but something about this other type of like
putting in the music and like Ialready have everything kind of
just drag and drop and maybe cutoff the ends.
And I've just found I'm I don'tknow it's very relaxing to me.
This is a very new thing thatI'm learning which I'm glad
little Zen?
Little Zen.
SPEAKER_01 (50:53):
That's um it's also like we're living in a world of
like the most DIY of ever rightlike these are things that like
regular people with regular jobswould never dream of doing in
the past and now all of a suddenit's like let me go figure this
out.
SPEAKER_00 (51:06):
Yeah.
So do you have a recommendationfor our audience?
SPEAKER_01 (51:10):
I do I almost used him as my underrated comic but
it took me a while to get uminto him because I didn't really
like like the character worldbut have you heard of Right Now
with John Gobla Kong?
SPEAKER_00 (51:22):
No.
SPEAKER_01 (51:23):
He's like a green goblin guy he has like a band
that's how it started and now hedoes like a comedy podcast and
when I first saw it I was like Idon't need another like gimmick
thing.
Yeah he might get mad at me forsaying this but we'll deal with
that later.
Um but he is truly an incredibleinterviewer.
I think he has like an actuallike red carpet interview
(51:45):
background or something.
Oh interesting and he asksincredible questions he does
great research and then he'sjust like an improv machine as
the character.
And like once you buy into thatworld it's hilarious.
He has really good interviews umI've enjoyed like every at first
I just like watched one becauseI liked the comic he was
interviewing and I was like ohthis is good.
(52:05):
And um he's also just a verynice dude and like um he's a dad
he's just like a regular guy.
I'll make sure that's publicknowledge.
But um he's um super fun.
I've helped him with somegraphics and just like had a lot
of fun with that.
SPEAKER_00 (52:18):
Okay.
I'm gonna have to look at this.
SPEAKER_01 (52:20):
Yeah I I need your feedback to know I'm not just
crazy.
And I also I told you I becomebiased once I start like helping
and working with people.
SPEAKER_00 (52:27):
Yeah yeah my recommendation is totally
different um which is totallyfine.
I have a planner that I've beenusing.
This is the anecdote so like Ihave three calendars like
electronic calendars and I havea really hard time keeping track
of all of them and then I takenotes handwritten notes all over
(52:49):
and I was losing my notebooksand then everything.
So I found this planner it haslike and it's not like specific
dates.
You just like write it in andthen it has like priorities and
like to do and notes ideas andthen just like blank pages.
And I it's transformational.
SPEAKER_01 (53:06):
I love that but I'll never get back to it.
So I actually think I would useit and then never go back and
review.
So like my desk is full ofsticky notes.
Yeah.
And I do like a quarterlycleanup of like this all has to
be trash, right?
And I write things down becauseI I've heard it's good for our
brain and I think it works.
Yeah.
And sometimes it's like a dailylittle checklist but most of the
(53:27):
time I write it down and nevergo back and look at it.
So I think I would be good onthe front end of that and then
it just wouldn't be a tool.
SPEAKER_00 (53:32):
Yeah.
I think I wasn't looking back atmy notes because I couldn't find
they were they weren't in onespot and this has like calmed my
brain down a bit.
Like I still keep my calendarsup to date but then I also like
write it in here and so allthree calendars are also in
here.
Okay.
Too many calendars.
SPEAKER_01 (53:50):
That sounds like very time consuming.
SPEAKER_00 (53:52):
But whatever you're extremely organized so whatever.
Too organized.
Uh what are you most lookingforward to this week?
SPEAKER_01 (53:59):
So on Thursday I've got a bit of a pinch me show um
Chloe Radcliffe is coming totown she's going to Louisville
and I just thought like hey doyou want to try to set up a
Nashville show and um she's waybigger than a comic that I
should be able to book.
That's amazing.
Helping her over the last coupleyears we've talked a lot about
like podcasts and um she doestandem bicycle podcast she rides
(54:21):
a bicycle somebody's behind herand it's an interview and it's a
comic and it's really good.
I kind of helped her looselylike brainstorm some of the
ideas and stuff and she's justbeen really fun to like work
with over the years.
Her and her boyfriend which isStuart Law's he's from the UK he
directed James A.
Castor's special I don't know ifyou know who that is but more
(54:41):
homework for you.
He had the Hecklers Welcome tourhe got heckled a lot and then he
built like an hour where he justlet the hecklers say whatever
they wanted and he couldn't getmad about it.
Oh interesting yeah we can gointo all day about that.
But anyway they will be herethey're gonna do a show with me
and um honestly I'm more excitedfor the hang than I am the show.
But it's it's pretty cool tolike meet, you know, talk to
(55:03):
somebody for a couple years andthen finally have like the human
interaction.
SPEAKER_00 (55:06):
Well I'm looking forward to my infrared sauna so
I'm excited about that.
SPEAKER_01 (55:12):
How have they been?
Have you done it before?
SPEAKER_00 (55:14):
Oh yeah I've gone for like a year and a half now.
SPEAKER_01 (55:16):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (55:16):
Um it's to help my brain injury okay because the
infrared light is shown to likestart to heal your brain in a
way that like nothing else can.
SPEAKER_03 (55:24):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (55:25):
And so plus the sauna is very like detoxing.
So I go I'm currently um in themiddle of the season uh Love is
Blind UK season two.
Okay.
Love the UK edition.
Okay.
Love it.
That's another recommendation.
SPEAKER_01 (55:39):
I love we love garbage TV.
So love it.
SPEAKER_00 (55:42):
But I don't have Netflix right now so I just like
go and I'm just like watching.
Um but yeah you it's at um puresweat and float in Bell Mead and
you have like a little you haveyour own room you go in get
naked get into the sauna andthere's like an iPad that you
can like watch or like listen towhat's the frequency you do
that.
That is a great question Icannot answer.
SPEAKER_01 (56:04):
You're not sure like what like which what should you
how often should you go?
SPEAKER_00 (56:08):
Oh okay I thought you meant like what's the light
like holding it was not like anengineering question.
SPEAKER_01 (56:13):
I'm like how often are you supposed to go do that
or um I will I do it like once aweek.
SPEAKER_00 (56:18):
Okay.
I don't do it as much in thesummer because I find it to be a
little overwhelming with theheat here in Nashville.
Um but when I was really notwell I was going like three
times a week.
Wow.
Yeah.
If not more sometimes it waspart of so I found that when I
really had symptoms flaring upthat like I would go in and it
was one of the things that couldcalm it all down real quick.
(56:40):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (56:41):
I like that you think I work in corporate
America, run this page anddefinitely had a question about
the frequency of the lights.
I have no idea that's I don'teven know if that's the right
word.
I just wasn't the rightterminology at all.
You're a renaissance fan nearlyas deep as you think how often
are you going Nicole?
SPEAKER_00 (56:58):
Once a week.
SPEAKER_01 (56:59):
Okay got it.
SPEAKER_00 (57:00):
But I haven't gone for like three because I was in
Scotland.
So I'm excited.
Where can people find you?
SPEAKER_01 (57:07):
They can find me uh my passion's all on Instagram I
have a Facebook and I hateFacebook I feel uh like a boomer
every time I log in there um butat comedian discovery and then
at comedian discovery for liveshows and then at comedian
discovery underscore graphicsI've started to like kind of put
some of the stuff I've made onthere almost like a catalog um
(57:29):
and then other comics will likesee it like can you make me
something that looks like thatso it's kind of like whatever
and it's kind of cool to likekind of like put the thing I
made somewhere.
SPEAKER_00 (57:38):
Yeah that's awesome.
Well thank you so much for beinghere.
Thanks for having me.
Um and thank you guys forlistening or watching please
subscribe so you don't miss anyepisodes um I'll be back with
another guest next week The End.
Thanks for listening to mycrunchy zen era please subscribe
and leave a review wherever youlisten to your podcasts.
This podcast is produced by me,Nicole Swisher and my good
(58:01):
friends Summer Harcup and LizColder.
Editing is by Drew HarrisonMedia and recording is done by
Logos Creative in Nashville,Tennessee.
Thanks for hanging out we'll beback next week sweet
What's something crunchier then that you've done
lately?
SPEAKER_01 (00:02):
Um so I did a little thinking about this, and um we
went to my brother-in-law'swedding and we stayed with my
cousins.
Um I didn't realize we were thatcrunchy as far as like food.
But I have a six-year-olddaughter, and uh when we woke up
in the morning, her cousinsasked her what kind of cereal
she wanted for breakfast, andshe didn't know what that was.
SPEAKER_00 (00:21):
She didn't know what cereal was.
SPEAKER_01 (00:23):
Didn't know what cereal was, and we just said
list off a few options and theylisted like three or four of the
most famous brands of cereal,and she still didn't know what
that was.
So they had to hold out theboxes, and I just looked at my
wife and realized like oursix-year-old doesn't know like
what cereal is or what brandsthey are.
And I think it's we're both 90skids and we just grew up on a
lot of cereal, so we just likedon't do it.
SPEAKER_00 (00:43):
What what do you do now for her?
SPEAKER_01 (00:45):
Just like cook, like we cook breakfast.
Like a normal person.
Yeah, and like we're still we'restill, you know, fast-paced
parents.
Like she still eats junksometimes or breakfast bars, but
like we just don't buy cereal, Iguess.
Um I don't know if we're scarredfrom it as kids, or it's a very
like junk food, expensive aisle,and we just skip it.
SPEAKER_00 (01:04):
It is like eating um dessert.
SPEAKER_01 (01:07):
It's candy, yeah, for sure.
So like it was just veryeye-opening to us to be like,
oh, we don't our daughterdoesn't know what cereal is.
SPEAKER_00 (01:13):
I think half the time I'm like, I have no idea
what I have for breakfast.
And because people have askedme, I'm like, I I don't know, I
do something.
SPEAKER_03 (01:20):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (01:21):
But so being in Scotland, it was like these
amazing breakfasts.
Like, and I can I could eat theeggs there totally fine.
I cannot eat the eggs here.
Like I have to do local.
Interesting.
And I think it's because thechickens eat weird stuff.
SPEAKER_03 (01:34):
Ooh.
SPEAKER_00 (01:34):
Yes.
Oh, yeah.
So something to think about ifyou want to get crunchier.
SPEAKER_03 (01:38):
Yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_00 (01:39):
But I went I had all these great breakfasts and a lot
of like poached eggs and likesmoked salmon.
And so being back like all week,I've been getting up early and
like poaching eggs.
SPEAKER_01 (01:49):
And they're so I love eggs, Benedict, which and
then I also love seafood,especially like I'm incorporated
in brunch and stuff.
So like middle of the country istough.
SPEAKER_00 (01:58):
It is so tough.
I wonder where I ate so muchfrom so much seafood while I was
there.
Yeah.
I was like, oh, Scotland's anisland.
We have a lot of fish.
SPEAKER_01 (02:06):
Yeah, you like just kind of forget.
Um, I've always been in themiddle of the country, but like
the East Coast, like New York,and you know, I just like love
seafood and stuff.
And then when you get to themiddle of the country, you're
like, how long has it been sincethis was swimming?
SPEAKER_00 (02:19):
So welcome to my crunchy zen era.
Um, this is a weekly podcastfilled with a little fun, a
little humor, and a whole lot ofcuriosity.
I'm your host, Nicole Swisher,and today I have with me Josiah
(02:40):
Burke, the man behind thecurtain of Comedian Discovery
and Comedian Discovery Live.
How's it going?
SPEAKER_01 (02:50):
It's good.
Thanks for having me.
This is um this is fun.
Um I'm a big on being behind thescenes, but thanks for putting
me out of my comfort zone alittle bit.
SPEAKER_00 (02:57):
No problem.
And he's been helping me with mysocial media because, well, it's
not great.
So it's getting better.
SPEAKER_01 (03:05):
You and uh everybody else.
SPEAKER_00 (03:06):
Yes, so if you could relive any memory, what would it
be and why?
SPEAKER_01 (03:13):
Um, I think I would relive my daughter's birth.
Um, I remember it pretty well,but my wife's pregnancy and all
the way through the birth, weassumed we would have two or
three kids.
Um, she was diagnosed withbreast cancer at 29.
Oh wow.
So um we aren't able to have anymore kids, and that's okay.
We are perfectly happy.
(03:33):
We have a happy family, but wedidn't treat that pregnancy or
birth like it was our last andonly.
So that would be something thatlike I would like to go back and
relive knowing like this is it.
SPEAKER_00 (03:45):
Wow.
So did you find out after this?
Yes.
SPEAKER_01 (03:49):
Um, we found out when my daughter was one.
Um we actually moved toNashville in like March of 2020.
Like COVID had just kicked off.
Um I got a new job down here.
My wife didn't work yet, sowe're just like kind of hanging
out.
So we had like a crazy year ofmoving, and then my wife um
found out she had breast cancerin September of that year.
(04:09):
And we bought a house and livein it.
We just kind of like it wascrazy.
Just a few things.
Just a few things.
Um, it honestly worked out to beum really good that it was
during COVID because everybodywas being like very careful and
staying away, and my wife'simmune system with chemo was
awful.
So like it ended up being reallynice that everybody was taking
like health precautions forworld things when you know, you
(04:32):
know, for us it was good, andlike um people that weren't
seeing each other could comevisit us um and come help.
Like her parents um basicallycame for every treatment and
were very helpful.
We had moved from Ohio like awayfrom all of our family support.
So yeah, um it was pretty crazy.
But wow, my wife's a beast andshe's cancer free.
SPEAKER_00 (04:51):
Yeah, okay.
So like for years she um thishas been like four or five
years.
SPEAKER_01 (04:56):
Also, she's gonna yell at me because I'm sure I
missed all the math up on this.
But um something like that.
Yeah, so she's healthy.
Um, but it's kind of a forever.
Um I think like movies make itfeel like all right, you have
chemo, you beat it, yeah.
Back to normal life.
But it's like it's forever.
Um, like we're just adjusting tolife um post-cancer.
SPEAKER_00 (05:17):
Um is that partly why you guys are a little
crunchy with food, do you think?
Does it affect it?
SPEAKER_01 (05:24):
Maybe.
I think we always kind of werelike we just um, but yeah, I
think maybe it it amplifiedthings a little bit is just like
what are we putting in ourbodies?
My wife was always kind of likea natural where we can be thing
like that.
Um she's it's probably motivatedthat a little extra.
SPEAKER_00 (05:40):
Gotcha.
Wow.
Well, thank you for sharingthat.
I had no idea.
SPEAKER_01 (05:43):
I did not mean to drop that bomb on you, but it's
it's kind of a part of you know,living like it's also adjusted
my mindset on like how we live,on like just I was big on like
retirement and talking about our60s and 70s, and it's kind of
made me want to live harder now,especially with our one
daughter, and just like weplanned financially to have two
(06:05):
or three, and now we're justspoiling the one that we got.
SPEAKER_00 (06:07):
So yeah, I I mean I relate to that with different,
you know, with the brain injury.
It's something I've beenthinking about, you know, since
being able to be back at workand how easily I could slip into
just being all about work again.
Yeah.
And that's part of just planningtrips.
And like I made a list of likethese are the things I've always
(06:29):
wanted to do.
And so I'm really trying to beintentional about it because you
just don't know what time youhave.
Yeah.
Or even it doesn't even have tobe that like not to be morbid,
but we're you know, like itdoesn't have to be you have to
die early.
It's like your life can justchange in ways you never
expected.
SPEAKER_01 (06:46):
For sure.
We've been trying to be superintentional about like booking
trips, and uh, we went to DisneyWorld a couple times early.
I was not a Disney World kid,like I didn't experience that,
but it was magical for ourdaughter when she was like two
and three, and like we were justtalking, it was like poof, it's
over.
Like she will always enjoyDisney World, but those ages of
like believing it's real andmagic are so short, and like I'm
(07:11):
so glad we took those trips andlike maybe financially we
shouldn't have or whatever,right?
But like it's it's just um aconstant reminder of like do
things now, like yeah.
Um I think society, like we justtalk about retirement,
retirement, retirement, and thenlike we're you know, most people
aren't healthy enough to travelwhen they have the means to do
so.
And it's just like this weird,like put it off to a later
(07:32):
culture that we're trying to beintentional to do.
SPEAKER_00 (07:36):
Yeah.
So Josiah, tell me who you are.
SPEAKER_01 (07:41):
What do you mean by that?
SPEAKER_00 (07:43):
So you run the comedian discovery page.
Yes.
Tell me about how you got intothat, how you started it.
SPEAKER_01 (07:49):
Yeah, so I've always loved stand-up comedy.
I've always loved specials.
Um, and I started kind of likewatching them more intently, and
then like I would share themoccasionally on like my
Instagram page, and um I noticedvery quickly like how responsive
comics were.
Like, hey, thank you so much forwatching.
And I'm thinking, uh, it's onNetflix, like it's not that big
(08:11):
of a deal that I watched, butthey're so grateful.
They need in general thatvalidation so bad.
It was just like reallyeye-opening to me, like the
level of comics that wereresponding to me.
Really?
And then I kind of started toget into this rhythm of doing
that.
Then I was like, wait a second,my family just wants to see
pictures of my daughter onInstagram.
Maybe this isn't where thislittle fun hobby should hang
out.
So I created comedian discovery,kind of just like um on a whim,
(08:35):
and just said, like, maybethere's something here.
Um, and my wife jokes about likeuh what she didn't know what I
was up to because I didn't tellanybody about it, including her,
because I kind of thought it waslike this dumb idea that would
fail, and then I could justdelete it and pretend like
nothing happened and nobodywould ever have to know about
like this weird little thing Ithought might work.
Um, but then it kind of gainedsome traction.
(08:57):
Um, I quickly realized like,okay, Netflix has their promo,
Hulu has their promo, HBO hastheir promo, and then there's
big pages, right?
Like 800 pound Gorilla or ComedyDynamics, but does anybody
compile all that?
And the answer was no, right?
And that was kind of during theage of like YouTube specials
really picking up steam, likeShane Gillis's was going crazy,
(09:18):
a couple of Joe Lists were goingcrazy.
And I just thought, like, um, ifI'm like a comic and I spend all
my money to produce a specialand I have 2,000 followers on
Instagram, like, where do I goto get the word out?
And I just kind of thought maybeI can create a space that will
someday be um valuable enoughthat it's a platform, I guess,
(09:39):
right?
Yeah.
Um and that's kind of the birthof it, and honestly, that's been
kind of what I've stuck with thewhole time.
Um I also found a bunch of pagesthat would basically um repost a
bunch of jokes, not tag thecomics, uh, and then um once
they get like a millionfollowers or 500,000 followers,
(10:00):
they start charging comics tocollab.
So small comics basicallysaying, Hey, I want to collab,
then MOS 10 bucks.
And I just felt very gross aboutthat culture of just like taking
advantage of like um most comicsthat don't have money.
I was gonna say broke comics.
Broke comics.
I mean, there's this culture oflike comedy is booming, but like
that's Nate Burgetsi, that's youknow, Mark Norman, Shane Gillis,
(10:24):
whatever, but like the averagecomic is still broke and has a
job and um trying to get thingsgoing.
So I just kind of wanted tocreate this really like
comic-friendly world where it'slike everybody's welcome.
Your special can be next to theNetflix special or the HBO
special, like if you put workinto it and it's quality, like
(10:45):
I'm putting it up.
Um and then I created theschedule, which kind of like
became like the release radar iskind of what people know now.
Um I just kind of wanted to stayorganized because every special
I will post their graphic andthen sometimes collab on a joke
or post a joke.
But I always wanted that likealmost like TV guide vibe.
And I thought it was really coolfor like cross-sharing.
(11:07):
Like if somebody who has aNetflix special shares that
graphic, then so is the somebodywith the YouTube special, right?
So it just kind of like createdthis world um of everybody's
kind of bumping shoulders witheach other regardless of their
success level.
Um and that's what it is today.
And like it's interestingbecause I've had a few comics
(11:28):
reach out to me like the monthbefore and say, Um, hey, I'm
dropping my special next month,I'm looking for a date.
Like, what's October look like,for example?
And I like realize, and somebodyhit me up and said, like, you're
kind of like save the date forspecials, like somebody doesn't
want to go after the sameaudience, like appear.
It's like, hey, I'm not gonna doit on that day because it looks
(11:48):
like Tuesday, there's a Netflixspecial, and everybody will be
watching that.
So I'm gonna wait till Thursdayand drop my special on YouTube
or whatever.
So it's just like kind ofcreated this world.
Um, so yeah, I think that's kindof where I'm at with it.
SPEAKER_00 (12:01):
So when did it start gaining traction actually?
SPEAKER_01 (12:05):
Um, I would say um, I don't remember exact timeline,
but like within a few months, Iwould say like the first
thousand followers were thehardest.
Um and then lately I've justkind of peeked at like 13.
It just feels like it is niche.
Like you have to kind of eitherbe a comic or an absolute comedy
nerd.
Like I don't think my page isfor like somebody that watches a
(12:28):
special or two a year, like thatjust like isn't what it is.
Um and that's okay.
Like I've kind of stuck withwhat I thought it would be the
whole time.
It grow grew way faster than Ithought it would, and like um
it's authentic, it's exactlywhat like I thought it would be.
I'm not like my next path isn'tto find a way to rip off comics
or anything like that.
(12:48):
So it's just kind of um yeah,I'd say maybe six months.
Um but I don't know, it's allkind of a blur because I people
ask me all the time, like,what's the goal with comedian
discovery?
And the answer is I'm beyond it.
Like I thought it was this dumblittle page that may never like
have any validity at all, butlike it's it's it is beyond what
(13:10):
I thought it would be.
SPEAKER_00 (13:11):
So how do you I mean how do you find all this
information?
SPEAKER_01 (13:14):
Like how much question um Brian Bates was
actually asking me that theother day.
And in the beginning, it was aton of research.
I was really looking for like Iwas searching YouTube all the
time, um like kind of creatingfilters on like in the last you
know, six months, well, youknow, whatever.
I just kind of wanted to getsome random specials that I
thought were good out there.
(13:36):
Um but now people come to me,which has been pretty cool.
It's been a shift.
I'm like, hey, I'm putting myspecial out October 13th, would
love to be a part of thegraphic.
And um, I just say like it's allvia DM.
Like, I don't really send peopleto email.
Um, and I just say like you'reon the list, and I always try to
make sure if it's beenannounced.
So like I don't want to announcepeople's specials for them.
(13:58):
I don't really want to take thatthunder, so I always just say,
like, is it public knowledge?
Yeah or nay, and they say, Yeah,go ahead.
I've already told my followers,so like would love to be on the
next time you post.
And I just plan on that, likebasically I have a working
graphic on my phone, kind oflike an iPhone note, yeah.
And anytime I find out aspecial, I add it, and then so
then the next time I post, it'sjust that.
So like I'd say I post it fouror five times a month, like in
(14:21):
the beginning of the month,especially like a long time ago.
The beginning of the month, Iwould know about like three or
four specials, and then it wouldjust grow as like people would
because like each time I post, Ialways say like the second I
post, it's obsolete because eachtime I post, somebody will
comment or DM and say like soand so's special comes out on
the 15th or whatever.
So it just kind of like is thisevolving thing.
SPEAKER_00 (14:43):
And I mean, do you take like if anybody DMs you?
SPEAKER_01 (14:47):
Great question.
Um, I don't want to be agatekeeper, so like I don't um
review specials or anything likethat.
And same with clips, my DMs arefull of clips, and I don't
really um I try to focus onspecials because that's like
really where people's effort is.
But if somebody collabs me on agood quality joke and I don't
have anything like planned forthat day, I'll accept it.
(15:09):
Um I like quality, like I getDM'd a ton of like Nokia from
the back of the club videos, andlike I just I don't even comment
on the joke, I just say like,hey, this is rough.
Like, love to collab sometime,but this isn't quite quality.
So I'm not reviewing the jokes,I'm not reviewing the specials.
Um my general rule is like20-ish minutes is a special
(15:30):
these days.
Like, I can't keep up with everydon't tell.
I think they do like two a week,which I love don't tell comedy,
they're awesome.
Um but like I don't quiteconsider that a special just
because how long are those?
Typically like eight to twelveminutes.
Okay.
But they've done a few halfhours and like those meet my
special criteria.
And it's just honestly, maybeit's just like I can't keep up,
(15:50):
or like their platform is so bigthey don't need me, so I just
feel a little less um you knowdemanded to like go add those.
And then like if you open thatup, now everybody who puts a
10-minute setup.
I had a 10-minute setup, andthat's a special, right?
So it's just like I've onlytried to create like criteria
where it's like this looks andsounds good, and it's 20-ish
(16:12):
minutes, and you worked reallyhard on it.
I think most people who havelike paid for a crew to come in
and take 20 minutes and filled aclub up and edited it, and like
I just kind of like who am I tosay that doesn't, you know, get
to be on the page.
And I'll get comments sometimes,like this special sucked, and
I'll just say like for a while Iused to respond, now I don't
(16:32):
even respond, but I used to justsay, like, I didn't say you had
to watch it, I just said it'sout.
You're really not recommending.
I'm just yeah, it's not arecommendation, it is purely
like my stories are morerecommendations.
I try to add like a little moreof like this is awesome, go
watch, great podcast.
But like because I post agraphic does not mean I watched
every minute of that special.
It means it's out.
SPEAKER_00 (16:51):
Yeah.
What um I mean, what kind ofstand-up do you like?
SPEAKER_01 (16:56):
I like all kinds of stand-up.
Um, I genuinely try to likesupport everybody, like clean,
filthy, whatever.
Like, I don't care.
I also um one of my like dumbmottos is like every comic is
somebody's favorite comedian.
And like maybe that's only theirparents, but they are somebody's
favorite comedian, right?
(17:17):
And it's just like that's kindof how I like to treat it.
It's just like they workedreally hard on this, this is
what they've dedicated theirlife to.
Like, who am I to say?
Um, it's not that, but like I Ilike all kinds of comedy.
Um big New York, like New Yorkcomedy kind of has like my
heart, but I try to you knowbranch out a little bit.
I've been like learning the LosAngeles scene a little bit
(17:39):
better.
Um, obviously they've got thecomedy store, but I've always
like idolized the cellar and thestand and all that.
I just love like kind of the NewYork grind of like watching a
comic have like eight spots inthe city in a night.
Like that's just very cool to meand like kind of you know,
comedy boom.
SPEAKER_00 (17:56):
Have you visited before?
SPEAKER_01 (17:57):
Yes, I've been a couple times.
Um, a couple times I was able tosneak up there like during like
a job trip, like a uh regularjob trip, and then um just for
fun a couple times I've been upthere and it's like
otherworldly.
I've had a couple like crazy umthe page has gotten me in like
rooms where like I shouldn't bethere.
(18:18):
I have big like impostersyndrome with comedy.
Um and they're like I've neveridolized like um actors and
actresses, like that just isn'tfor me.
But like I do kind of likeidolize some comics, but I also
think it's because they feellike regular people to me.
Like I just feel like they'reregular people, um, but like
hanging out in green rooms andlike sitting at places I
(18:39):
shouldn't be sitting at.
I'm just like, what am I doingin here?
But um it's just kind of one ofthose like pinch me.
It's like, hey, you've workedkind of hard on this thing, and
like people recognize that andthey're grateful for your help,
and it's okay to do you know whoI'm I'm really excited to watch
the special is Jordan Jensen.
SPEAKER_00 (18:56):
Okay.
Um, because I know she was herefor a bit, and then I saw her in
New York.
I don't I think it was thecellar, and I when I saw her
perform, I I was very, veryearly in stand-up, and I just
remember my mind just beingblown.
I was like how long ago thiswas?
Yeah, it was about two yearsalmost exactly.
SPEAKER_01 (19:15):
Okay.
I saw Jordan at the cellarmyself, and um, I was already a
fan of hers, but hadn't seen aton of her stand-up.
Like I felt like her I had seenlike clips and crowd work and
stuff like that, but I thoughtshe was brilliant on stage, and
I've watched the special, andI'm very curious what you think.
I think she is one of one, likeshe is so different than
(19:36):
everybody in the space.
Um, she's aggressive, she'sferocious, she's very um, I
don't know, she's just like herown um brand of stand-up.
And I thought the special wasgood.
SPEAKER_00 (19:49):
I just I mean, I I think that so I'd seen like
Paula Poundstone like years ago,and I remember just my cheeks
were hurting.
I was laughing so hard.
I don't know that name.
Oh, um You're gonna be shocked.
She's a very um, I don't want tosay old comic, but in the sense
of her age, but she like she waslike 80s.
Okay.
And I grew up listening to WaitWait, Don't Tell Me.
(20:11):
Okay.
Do you know Wait Wait, Don'tTell Me?
Okay.
Love it.
Um, and she's been a panelist onthere all the time.
SPEAKER_03 (20:18):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (20:18):
And so my mom and I wanted to go see Wait Wait,
Don't Tell Me, but it was alwayssold out.
And so I found that Paula wascoming.
And so we went.
And I would say it took me astand-up class before I realized
I was watching stand-up comedy.
Well, I I was like, she's justgiving a really funny speech.
(20:40):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (20:42):
Sometimes they're so natural with it.
SPEAKER_00 (20:43):
Yeah, she was so funny.
But like seeing her and thenseeing Jordan Jensen, I'd seen
like Taylor Tomlinson, but likeseeing these women up there just
being genuinely funny andseemingly themselves was very
powerful to me.
SPEAKER_01 (21:02):
Yeah, love Taylor.
And also, I forget what the showis.
I'm a wife, and she is gonnakill me.
But wait, wait, don't tell me itreminds me of O'Fira Eisenberg.
Do you know who that is?
No, I don't.
She had an NB NPR show, and I'mblanking on the name because I'm
well I recognize it a littlebit, but I don't know.
She performs at the cellar,she's been here to the lab and
she's done a couple shows withme.
Um, and that was one of thefirst relationships.
(21:23):
Like I picked her up to come toa show.
It was one of the first, like Itold my wife, she's like, Are
you picking up like an NPRpersonality to come to this show
at a grocery store in Lebanon?
I was like, uh yeah.
So and then like it's it's justcool, but I'll look up the show
and you'll recognize her, I'msure.
Yeah.
Um it is just kind of likethat's the regularness of it.
Like, yeah, I'd love to come.
(21:44):
Like, I'm I'm coming a dayearly, as long as you don't
promote me on the show, likeI'll come hang out.
SPEAKER_00 (21:49):
So I've been surprised by some of the
comedians that had agreed to domy show.
And yeah, like just super nice,and I'd seen them and I was
like, well, I'm just gonna see.
And they'll be like, Oh yeah, ifthe timing works out, and I
think they genuinely mean it.
Yeah, it has not worked out, butwe will work it out.
Yeah.
Um, but yeah, it is veryinteresting when you're in a
(22:09):
green room and it's just there'sjust people.
SPEAKER_01 (22:13):
That's the imposter syndrome, I think, of it too.
Like comics very rarely uh getto a point where they think
they're better than a show.
Yeah.
Because they've all like been apart of horrible shows, stepping
stones, and like um like MarkNorman's pretty famous for like
doing a theater in the town andthen like asking where the
nearest don't tell is becausehe's got like a new joke he
wants to work on.
I love that like brokenness oflike he still is grinding
(22:38):
regardless of selling out thetheater in that city.
Like he's just like yeah, andI've heard stories about him
coming to Zanies and be like, isthere any mics?
Like he's just like two sold-outshows and then wants to go up
somewhere.
It's just like that's the NewYork mentality.
I think of just like writing,writing, writing, try new, like
just go, go, go, which is sofun.
SPEAKER_00 (22:57):
So when did you start getting into stand-up?
SPEAKER_01 (23:00):
I don't know um like exactly, but like my parents, I
grew up very religious.
My parents loved like cleancomedy, like um they were big,
um, like Brian Regan fans, um,kind of like that era, and I
always like appreciated it.
I don't know if I fullyunderstood like how prepared and
(23:20):
written the material was andstuff.
Um, and then I always enjoyedlike going live, and I I enjoyed
like um I think the comediandiscovery brand is I love going
to see somebody and being like,I saw them when they were in a
club.
Yes.
I think I we used to have thesame mindset of like music.
Me and my wife went and saw likeEd Sheeran like right before
(23:42):
like the A-Team came out, andlike it was in this like tiny
room in Indianapolis, and thevery next shows he was like in
arenas with Taylor Swift.
It's just like cool to catchsomebody.
It's like they're about to blowup.
Like I've seen Tom Segura andlike a funny bone, and I was
just like, I think that guy'sgonna be big someday, right?
It just like kind of feels funto see people in those tiny
venues before like the worlddiscovers them.
SPEAKER_00 (24:04):
I think that's part of what's fun about Nashville
right now, is like we do have alot of up-and-coming comedians.
For sure.
And I have already seen some ofthem.
Like there's people who haveblown up that like I know.
Some have been on the show Iproduced or just seen them, and
they are still like I still knowthem.
SPEAKER_01 (24:26):
Yeah, they now have away from knowing you.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (24:29):
Yeah.
I like have friends, likefriends and family from
Minnesota like commenting aboutthem.
And I'm like, how do you knowthis person?
SPEAKER_01 (24:37):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (24:37):
And then I like look at their socials, I'm like, oh,
everybody knows this person.
SPEAKER_01 (24:41):
Amber Autry and Fiona came to mind, right?
Like both.
Exactly.
I think they've I know I've hadFiona booked on a couple shows
and then Amber a couple, and Iwas just like, there was
multiple people at shows, likeshe was so good.
And I think Amber hosted one ofmy shows.
Like, and it was just like thatopportunity is about to be gone.
Um, and I've made some graphicsand stuff for them, and just
like it's cool to see you knowpeople make it.
SPEAKER_00 (25:04):
It is, and I I'm big fans of both of them.
Yeah, like they're they're sogood too.
SPEAKER_01 (25:10):
It's like when you did see them, like you just knew
like these two are yeah, andlike um obviously both took like
very different paths, like theKiltoni path, but also um like
Amber, I could just tell howhard she was working, and I was
just like, there's no way likethe way she promotes, the way
she's goofy, the way she getspictures with every fan.
(25:31):
I just like kind of saw thatearly on and thought like, yeah,
it's gonna work.
SPEAKER_00 (25:35):
And she's a genuinely kind person.
For sure.
Which I I mean, I just like Ilike that I'm rooting for
somebody who I know is kind.
SPEAKER_01 (25:44):
Yeah, and I think there's like obviously there's
bad eggs, right?
But there is a lot of humility.
I think comedy makes peoplehumble.
I always like laugh about like,you know, one show's great and
the next one whatever.
Like I've heard a couple peopleum talk about like you could be
opening for Nate in an arena andthen getting a text from a
(26:06):
comedy club saying, like, hey,we've only sold five tickets for
your shows next weekend.
Like it just it brings you rightback down to earth, no matter
what level you make it to, um,which is I think what makes
people humble longer in comedyand not forget where they came
from and it's why they will doyour show, and you know, just
kind of like it's one big, youknow, kind of nucleus of com
(26:28):
comics, which is fun.
SPEAKER_00 (26:30):
Yeah, it is.
Um, so obviously social mediahas been I mean, it is what it
is for you with the comediandiscovery.
Is that something that you knewhow to handle ahead of time or
did you learn?
SPEAKER_01 (26:44):
It's all self-taught.
I don't know.
I think like the rhythm and ummarketing of it is easier for
me, right?
Because I'm not making anything,right?
It's yours, it's comicsgraphics, send it to me.
So like the main page is verymuch like I have a graphic, I
kind of understand a little bitof like tapping into people's
(27:07):
psyche on stories, but it'smainly like their product.
But I did I've I've been gettinginto making graphics for comics
for a while now, um, and justlike have an eye for hey, you
know, I know you're promotingyour show on stories, but you're
just using create mode and ablack screen and white text.
(27:28):
Maybe we throw a picture of youin it.
Um there's a lot of psychologyin like okay, you have a hundred
thousand followers and you're inNew York City, but you're doing
a show in Iowa.
You need to get yourself on theIowa Comedy Club's story, right?
So there's a lot of likepsychology of like I always tell
comics like bully your way ontotheir stories, bully your way
(27:48):
onto their followers.
Like they have 50,000 followers,theoretically, those are ticket
buyers, but yours are sprinkledall around the country.
So, like, yes, you're tellingyour followers all the time
where your shows are, but areyour followers anywhere near
that show?
Is like, yeah, how do you tapinto that city you're going to?
You'll see a lot of people like,what do you recommend in Austin,
(28:10):
Texas?
Blah blah blah.
And that's like a little bit ofa trick.
You'll see some people that'slike, hey, I'll be in whatever
this weekend.
And I just imagine theirresponses come to the show when
people respond to that story,and it almost like transcends
their story and puts them inthat city, hopefully finding
some people interested.
And it's like, oh, I didn't evenrealize um you were gonna be
here.
And like that's the big thing onemail lists right now.
(28:32):
Like algorithms not showingeverybody in the right places
that you're coming.
Um, so that's kind of like Idon't know how I got on this
tangent, but like buildinggraphics and like teaching
people how to self-promote.
And specials are the same way,like huge people with huge
followings put a special out andit's like nowhere to be found on
their Instagram.
I've DM'd people in the pastwith like a million followers
and say, like, post yourgraphic, and they're like, Oh,
(28:54):
yeah, thanks.
SPEAKER_00 (28:55):
Wait, they it like their specials coming out and
they just like aren't promotingit on their socials.
SPEAKER_01 (29:00):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (29:01):
Fascinating.
SPEAKER_01 (29:01):
I don't know if it's like the broken mentality of
like, I don't know if this isgood, watch if you want, or if
it's just like this likedisconnect of like, hey, a
million people have decided theylike your comedy and want to
follow you.
Go ahead and tell them about thespecial you're putting out.
And it's just like this I justbroken brain on self-promotion.
It's just this likepsychological, like, I'm not
(29:24):
good enough, don't come see me.
Oh yeah, I'll be in this city,blah, blah, blah.
It just kind of seems like acycle I've seen, which is
interesting.
And then in the beginning, Inoticed me sharing made them
share it.
It was like almost like, use meas an excuse to share your
special.
I'll share it.
And then you reshare the story,and it's almost like I didn't
(29:45):
tell you my special out.
Mm hmm.
Comedian Discovery did.
I'm just sharing that.
It's like this weird littlepsychology of freaking them into
self promotion.
SPEAKER_00 (29:53):
I can see that though.
Like it is really hard topromote yourself.
I think, especially with whatcomedians do.
go through to get to that point.
Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (30:02):
They've been dragging people to shows for
decades.
SPEAKER_00 (30:06):
Yeah.
I mean I found when I was doingstand up that even to my last
show, I was still questioning,am I even funny?
SPEAKER_01 (30:15):
Oh for sure.
I think that goes all the way upto every level.
And then when you make it yougotta be funnier for the next
one.
Right.
And you hear all the time, I seea lot like when people put a
special up and then they talk ona podcast, they're like, I gotta
go write some new jokes becauseI have nothing.
And it's like it's interestingbecause um this is kind of
(30:35):
really in the weeds but likepeople will put their hour out
and like most comics wrote thathour over the course of like
five, ten, maybe fifteen years,right?
But then when these touringcomics like okay I put my first
special out now I need to go onthe tour with a new hour.
And then it's kind of like anevery year or two pace.
(30:57):
So like you get a long time forthe first special and if it
kills and it's great, theexpectation is now that you can
do that every couple years.
SPEAKER_00 (31:05):
I heard I think it was Nate Burgetzi actually on
Nateland talking about and maybeit was Dusty too, but they were
talking about how every timethey put out a special they're
like I can't write another joke.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (31:19):
Yeah they all all feel that way like uh oh that
might be it that might have beenit for my material.
Yeah they all are prolificwriters and figure it out.
But it is like this weird likeum back to the beginning start
over every time they put one outwhich is interesting.
SPEAKER_00 (31:34):
Aaron Ross Powell would you ever do like
consulting or anything forcomedians or like uh I don't
know agents or something for Idon't know I've had a few people
um Dave Neal told me I would bea good manager and I said thank
you but no thank you.
I think well I've thoughtsomeone a manager would be they
could be a little bit of ababysitter.
(31:55):
Yeah I could be wrong.
SPEAKER_01 (31:56):
Yeah I don't know also all of the terminology and
like who's responsible for whatum I think it's interesting
because a lot of people like Itold you earlier like what's the
goal for comedian discovery andI'm like beyond it I've been
really really careful to stillmake it a hobby.
Like I have a real job.
I have a family so I can't letit become stressful.
(32:17):
And even with building graphicsI basically have created like a
pay what you can afford system.
I've built some graphics forsome huge comics and they're
like what do you charge?
And I'm like I don't know like Idon't know what this stuff
costs.
I don't consider myself like aprofessional at it but I've also
heard some of the numbers thatpeople pay for like a tour
poster and I think it's absurdbecause as soon as you add a
(32:40):
show it's obsolete.
Like it's just a really sillything to invest in.
So I've always kind of said likeespecially in like mid-level
comics where it's like I'llbuild it for you you know pay
what you want and I've alsopromised that like if you pay me
it goes back into all of this.
Like it's this hobby is selffunding if that makes sense.
(33:00):
Like I don't put my own money init but also I haven't taken a
penny out of it.
I'm sure you're gonna ask meabout shows in a little bit
which is another headache.
But um yeah so that also when Isay pay what you want I don't
feel like like I don't want adeadline from anybody because
then it becomes like a job rightnow I'm on the clock.
(33:22):
I try to get ahead like if Ibuild stuff for somebody like I
am like months ahead to whatthey need.
I started recently I'll ask ifshe wants me to say this or not
but um I started recentlybuilding graphics for the comedy
catch in Chattanooga.
Cool um I just I like thatlittle club and um it's kind of
like small family owned it'sreally fun and then also it's
(33:44):
just very like um probably smallbudget, right?
Like they don't have the bigpower of like a funny bone
behind them and um I can be veryaffordable for her and um that's
kind of the goal like I likesupporting a small business like
that.
I don't have enough time to takeon like a huge client um so I'd
rather like kind of onesietwosie see what comics need and
(34:06):
and find a way to help them.
And then that leads torelationships of like who are
you and why you know whateverand I've always kind of built
the page to be I want it to feellike it's too good to be true.
Like a lot of people DM mewhat's it cost to be on the
release radar?
Like how do I get on it?
And it's like nothing.
Like if you got a qualityspecial a quality clip you want
(34:27):
to send me like I it's not aboutripping people off.
Yeah so like I've had a fewpeople joke saying like where's
the catch and at what point doyou send me an invoice for these
things you've made and it's likehey thanks for liking my stuff
you know I mainly do things forfree until somebody's like can
you help me consistently andthen we kind of have a
(34:49):
conversation what that lookslike.
What is your daydrax I work incorporate America so bag.
So not this nothing I work incompliance banking anti-money
laundering specifically behindthe scenes um and nothing to do
with like building graphicsnothing to do with social media
(35:10):
um this is just a total step outof like what my day-to-day is
but I do work from home so I gotthat advantage yeah all my
screens are where I need them todo both things so where did
comedian Discovery live comefrom and maybe what is it?
Okay so comedian Discovery Liveis you know basically live
(35:31):
stand-up comedy shows um and Ithink it came from I was always
big on like when people wouldsay like where should I perform
they share their stories andlike when I started seeing a lot
of comics that I really likednot coming to Nashville I kind
of scratched my head and I I I'ma huge Zanies fan.
I I'm a regular I'm there allthe time um but I realized that
(35:53):
they are so big that noteverybody has a chance to hit
Nashville.
Yeah um so originally I kind ofthought like well maybe I'll
catch some comics on their waythrough if they're in Atlanta,
Chattanooga and they're justlike not quite big enough for a
Zanies night um maybe I'll add anight on for them.
But then also I I justrecognized that there were so
many comics in Nashville and wewere getting this like buzz of
(36:16):
um the next big comedy scene didyou feel that way?
SPEAKER_00 (36:20):
Yeah I definitely heard people even say that.
SPEAKER_01 (36:22):
Yeah and I think that kind of came from like okay
we have an awesome club we havehuge names here like Theo was
here um Nate's here Dusty's hereLeanne Morgan here like there
was just a lot of like maybe nothere Angela Johnson but like um
and some of that stuff mighthave been state income tax tax
based but that's nee maybe maybea small thing.
(36:43):
But um I just kept hearing thatand I was like yeah but we're
not there's not that manystages.
Because when you think aboutlike New York LA and even Austin
now it's just like there arestages everywhere and it's just
like that is not the structurehere.
There's like Third Coast,there's a couple little shows
but like in general for how manyvenues we have for music there
is very little comedy stagetime.
(37:06):
And then also the other passionwas like I live in the suburbs
and like I would mention zanysand people were like what's that
and people in the suburbs justdon't come downtown.
So I kind of thought like okay Iknow all of these Nashville
comics it would be really easyto pull them out to the suburbs
and like hopefully create smalllittle indie type shows um and
(37:27):
that's kind of where it startedand it just like I guess it went
from there and like I'm big onbeing super transparent to the
comics like hey I'm not makingany money you guys will get all
the money it makes um help mepromote it and I'll try to build
some shows um some have workedbetter than others it's very
stressful and um that's been thereminder of like um I know
(37:50):
comics always say like the upsand downs like you might kill in
one show and then whoopsie thatdidn't go well you bomb but um
I've felt that way producingshows where it's like have two
or three low turnouts in a rowand then we pack a coffee shop
and I'm like here we go.
Like it just like gets me rightback in the adrenal of like
that's why I'm doing this.
And I always say like I'm kindof broken like a comic in that
(38:13):
way of just like looking forthat next um good show.
And the other thing that's crazyis like my standards are really
high because I want to producelike good shows, high turnouts,
shows where like out of townerscan actually headline versus
just a showcase and do like 15minutes.
Like I want to build shows whereit's like if somebody hits me up
(38:35):
that is out of my league forbooking, I want to be like yep
you're on Friday night in MountJuliet like you know whatever.
That's kind of the goal ofhaving like these kind of shows
rolling to where I can plug outof towners in.
That's the vision at least butit takes time.
SPEAKER_00 (38:50):
And that's I mean that's how we met is I did I
think I did the Billy Goat.
Yep.
And then I did the umMockingbird theater.
Yeah Franklin Theater.
Franklin Theater um and that wasI enjoy going I enjoyed going to
the suburbs because it was a lotof the same shows here in
Nashville and it there'sdifferent people.
(39:13):
Your audience is different.
You get to try something new ina way.
SPEAKER_01 (39:18):
I've been told a few times I build crazy lineups
which um I believe is becauseI'm able to be totally out of
like the clicks of it.
And also I don't owe anybody.
SPEAKER_00 (39:31):
So like crazy lineups as in like good lineups
and just like different normalbecause it's less of like hey
I'll do your show you do myshow.
SPEAKER_01 (39:40):
Right.
Whereas me it's like I don'twant your stage time so I can
book whoever I want and itwasn't intentional but I just
kind of put funny peopletogether that I felt like made
sense and complimented eachother.
But I think it just likenaturally created some lineups
that were unique because I keptnoticing I would go to showcases
and I'm just like it's the samefive or six people and I've seen
their 10 minutes.
SPEAKER_00 (40:00):
And um you know and just to clarify like for our
audience because I don't thinkactually think most of them are
not in stand-up the way we are alot of the way that local shows
are run, not just in Nashville,is that comics are producing
them oftentimes so they can getstand up they can get what is
(40:20):
the word stage stage time thankyou.
And it's not a bad thing.
It's just like that is whathappens a lot.
And so to have a producer Ithink who is not a comic is a
little bit more unusual.
And so I feel like that sets youapart too.
SPEAKER_01 (40:35):
Yeah like New York's the same way.
It's like a lot of you know itis it's creating your own stage
time like guaranteed stage time.
My show once a month I can getit's important.
It is super important.
But it does kind of becometradesy which is very natural
and I don't I don't blameanybody for that but I I think
I've allowed to understand thecomedy scene but also be outside
(40:55):
of it enough to um you knowbuild some unique lineups and
just bring variety to theaudiences.
I'm very careful on like you didthat show two months ago you're
not coming back yet.
SPEAKER_00 (41:09):
That's how I feel about cheaper than therapy.
Um I get I I have like a wholespreadsheet and I literally look
back and I'm like when was thisperson on?
Because I I definitely havefavorites but I try not to let
that affect what the actuallineup is because who I love the
audience might love somebodyelse.
(41:29):
For sure.
SPEAKER_01 (41:30):
So it's like it's so hard to be intentional about
that and like I try to do thesame where it's just like all
right that person's been theretoo often they gotta go to a
different suburb this next showand it's just it's you do have
to be intentional about it.
Because it's easy to also I'velove certain comics more but I
like working with certaincertain comics more.
(41:51):
So like when you're professionalit's very easy to just keep keep
booking certain people.
SPEAKER_00 (41:56):
I'm gonna do some rapid fire questions.
Okay.
What's your favorite comedyspecial right now?
SPEAKER_01 (42:04):
Um I think Chappelle Lacy his half hour with Don't
Tell um can I give you somecontext with that?
Even though it's rapid fire ummy wife told me she said you
really enjoy comedy once youlike start working with somebody
so I started working withChappelle and like building him
graphics.
He kind of seemed overwhelmedwith like promoting shows um and
(42:29):
like his special was coming andI just kind of wanted to teach
him like some very basic rhythmand like a friend of his
connected me with him and thenhis don't tell came out and he
it exploded kind of and it wentreally well and like he kind of
went from touring occasionallyto like he's very smart about
like the shows he picks and thenlike he had a few weekends where
(42:49):
he was just like selling showsout and we were in like a really
good rhythm of like texting likeyo you should do this we kind of
like he does like good goofypromo like he's good at like
being self-deprecating and likehe's allowed me to like have
some really dumb ideas and usethem on graphics.
So like it's been really cool.
I'm not taking any credit forChappelle's blowout but it was
(43:10):
cool to see like okay yourspecial came out and now you
have momentum and you're rollingand he's very good about only
posting like good clips like hedoesn't force junk out and he's
just like my my clips are reallyperforming right now it's like
that's because you don't likejust put garbage out just
because so he's I'm a littlebiased.
He's awesome he's LA based he'sat the comedy store and fan nice
(43:33):
um let's see favorite comedyspecial of all time um probably
Joe List I hate myself.
I think it's one of the bestspecials ever.
Favorite comedian Joe Listunfortunately back to back.
He's great I just love the wayhe writes material he writes
(43:53):
fast he delivers in a way thatfeels like he might be trying
this joke for the first timeeven on a special like he is
nailed every comic tries to makeit feel like oh on the way here
I was thinking about this butyeah he actually nails it in my
opinion of like making a setthat is so tight somehow feel
loose like he just thought of itin the green room and like
(44:16):
that's very cool.
Most underrated comedian mostunderrated comedian I might need
a second on this one how aboutfavorite comedian to see live
comedian favorite comedian tosee live is probably Dusty Slay
right now.
I love everything he does hewrites his new hour so quickly I
(44:38):
think lately he's been doinglike 70 to 75 minutes at the
shows on his I listen to his umpodcast.
Yeah he said he did an hour anda half yeah he's I'm like oh my
gosh he's a machine and like Ilove on his newest special I
loved it he just talked abouthow like some of these jokes are
over before I stop talking andit's just like his way of like
(44:59):
his comfort with the audiencelike I think he's the perfect
theater comic.
Like I don't want to see Dustybigger than a theater maybe he
will get there but like Iselfishly like just really enjoy
seeing him in that setting whereit's like he always joked like I
thought I would hate theatersbut I love it like everybody's
in there's no servers they'resitting down and like he's
talked about like needing lessand less of an opener and like
(45:22):
maybe if you're grabbing openersfrom like local cities and just
like they're there to see methey're about to see it for 90
minutes which I love.
Like it's just like you have tocome away from that feeling like
you got your ticket price worthI would think.
SPEAKER_00 (45:35):
Yeah I saw him like I feel like he's someone like I
don't know him but he's localand I saw him at his grand old
comedy show earlier.
Which he hosts right which hehosts I love that yeah and I
love I love that show.
And then I saw him in Minnesotawhen I went home and he was in
the theater and it was sofascinating like the ability to
(45:57):
go see him at Zany's and he'slike working his jokes or
whatever and then go see him ina theater with people who never
get to see him there's such adifferent feeling and a vibe
that I felt like very privilegedto be like here and just see him
work on that.
SPEAKER_01 (46:15):
I love seeing people work out material like I've seen
Nate a couple times at Zany's onlike unannounced I think he was
on one of Dusty's shows and itwas just like no matter what
level you get to you have towork on the joke.
You have to go he had notes andthere was a couple jokes that
like started the hit and youcould just tell he didn't have
an ending yet and I just lovedthat just knowing like that's
(46:35):
going to be perfect on a specialin a year.
SPEAKER_00 (46:37):
And I just love that rhythm of stand up and his um
DoorDash joke for a while I sawhim coming to Zanies over and
over again and it was so cool tosee it progress and then to see
the final product.
SPEAKER_01 (46:49):
Yeah I love that I love um comics always say like
come see me on the road I justput my special out like I don't
have that much new material.
That's my favorite time to see acomic because they're just like
grabbing for anything they cangrab right now.
Like they've they're trying todump the old hour and they don't
have it yet and I like seeinglike a joke that over the next
(47:10):
two years is going to becomeperfect but like I like it when
they're just kind of giving it awhirl.
SPEAKER_00 (47:15):
Yeah.
Any thoughts on your underratedcomic before I move us on it's
hard to call her underrated umand it's what I'll be looking
forward to this week.
SPEAKER_01 (47:26):
But Chloe Radcliffe is very good.
She is in all kinds of worldsshe's like um you know
podcasting she does a littleacting she does all this stuff
but I think her stand up is verygood I've got a sneak peek at a
couple things and um I justthink she's very good.
I think she was on like a bigjust for laughs thing and like
(47:49):
kind of like on a few deadlinearticles she's in the Bradley
Cooper movie.
Have you seen the advertisementfor that?
No it's Will Arnett and it'sabout um uh like stand up and
they shoot at the comedy cellarand then some comics are in it.
Actually I believe JordanJensen's in it too and I'll make
sure that's public knowledgebefore you post this but I
believe it is um so like she'sbeen in those worlds and like
(48:12):
yeah I've been saying she's duefor like a pop for like the last
couple years.
SPEAKER_00 (48:16):
I've been helping her with some stuff and like I
just think um like globallyshe'll she'll pop here soon I
might have to check her out thenokay um I think we could talk
about this all day so I need tomove as long as yeah sure what
are you obsessing over lately?
SPEAKER_01 (48:33):
Trying to find a balance with all of this is my
obsession.
So um I have a six year old Ihave a wife I have a job that
pays the bills and then I havewhatever in the world this is
that I've created.
So um it just kind of goes backto like making sure this stays
fun, making sure it doesn'tbecome a stressor um and doesn't
(48:55):
take me away from family.
So like producing shows has beenthis like this really fun thing
but when they're stressful andit's a struggle and then it's a
show I feel like I physicallyneed to be at I try to build my
shows to where like I can reallyjust kind of like give the keys
to somebody.
Yeah.
And there's plenty of awesomehosts in Nashville that I can
trust to do that.
(49:16):
But like how many nights out ofthe house do I get for comedy?
And then also sometimes I justwant to go to Zany's and be like
a comedy fan.
So uh finding the balance thatthis is still fun and um you
know I guess that's that's theI'm working on right now is just
like make sure my family staysfirst and the job that pays the
(49:37):
bills is still rolling.
SPEAKER_00 (49:40):
Like I still have to do that.
Yeah yeah yeah um I've beenobsessing over learning to edit
videos.
Oh okay which is new becauselike I I've done it before in
the past like are you talkingabout long form or like clips?
Um like 10 minutes.
Okay.
So like I'm learning Final CutPro um because I did a vlog for
(50:02):
my Scotland travel with my mom.
Very cool.
And I really like got suckedinto it and I was like oh I
actually like this.
Yeah I thought I would hate itbecause I I had some things I
was working on perhaps the clipsfor this that I was just like oh
God I hate this.
SPEAKER_01 (50:19):
Yeah yeah I hate everybody assumes I would be
good at making clips and I hateit.
It's just I don't find enjoymentin it.
It's a necessary evil like it'swhat you gotta do.
You're making a podcast you haveto do through figure out
whatever but it is it'sexhausting.
SPEAKER_00 (50:34):
Yeah but something about this other type of like
putting in the music and like Ialready have everything kind of
just drag and drop and maybe cutoff the ends.
And I've just found I'm I don'tknow it's very relaxing to me.
This is a very new thing thatI'm learning which I'm glad
little Zen?
Little Zen.
SPEAKER_01 (50:53):
That's um it's also like we're living in a world of
like the most DIY of ever rightlike these are things that like
regular people with regular jobswould never dream of doing in
the past and now all of a suddenit's like let me go figure this
out.
SPEAKER_00 (51:06):
Yeah.
So do you have a recommendationfor our audience?
SPEAKER_01 (51:10):
I do I almost used him as my underrated comic but
it took me a while to get uminto him because I didn't really
like like the character worldbut have you heard of Right Now
with John Gobla Kong?
SPEAKER_00 (51:22):
No.
SPEAKER_01 (51:23):
He's like a green goblin guy he has like a band
that's how it started and now hedoes like a comedy podcast and
when I first saw it I was like Idon't need another like gimmick
thing.
Yeah he might get mad at me forsaying this but we'll deal with
that later.
Um but he is truly an incredibleinterviewer.
I think he has like an actuallike red carpet interview
(51:45):
background or something.
Oh interesting and he asksincredible questions he does
great research and then he'sjust like an improv machine as
the character.
And like once you buy into thatworld it's hilarious.
He has really good interviews umI've enjoyed like every at first
I just like watched one becauseI liked the comic he was
interviewing and I was like ohthis is good.
(52:05):
And um he's also just a verynice dude and like um he's a dad
he's just like a regular guy.
I'll make sure that's publicknowledge.
But um he's um super fun.
I've helped him with somegraphics and just like had a lot
of fun with that.
SPEAKER_00 (52:18):
Okay.
I'm gonna have to look at this.
SPEAKER_01 (52:20):
Yeah I I need your feedback to know I'm not just
crazy.
And I also I told you I becomebiased once I start like helping
and working with people.
SPEAKER_00 (52:27):
Yeah yeah my recommendation is totally
different um which is totallyfine.
I have a planner that I've beenusing.
This is the anecdote so like Ihave three calendars like
electronic calendars and I havea really hard time keeping track
of all of them and then I takenotes handwritten notes all over
(52:49):
and I was losing my notebooksand then everything.
So I found this planner it haslike and it's not like specific
dates.
You just like write it in andthen it has like priorities and
like to do and notes ideas andthen just like blank pages.
And I it's transformational.
SPEAKER_01 (53:06):
I love that but I'll never get back to it.
So I actually think I would useit and then never go back and
review.
So like my desk is full ofsticky notes.
Yeah.
And I do like a quarterlycleanup of like this all has to
be trash, right?
And I write things down becauseI I've heard it's good for our
brain and I think it works.
Yeah.
And sometimes it's like a dailylittle checklist but most of the
(53:27):
time I write it down and nevergo back and look at it.
So I think I would be good onthe front end of that and then
it just wouldn't be a tool.
SPEAKER_00 (53:32):
Yeah.
I think I wasn't looking back atmy notes because I couldn't find
they were they weren't in onespot and this has like calmed my
brain down a bit.
Like I still keep my calendarsup to date but then I also like
write it in here and so allthree calendars are also in
here.
Okay.
Too many calendars.
SPEAKER_01 (53:50):
That sounds like very time consuming.
SPEAKER_00 (53:52):
But whatever you're extremely organized so whatever.
Too organized.
Uh what are you most lookingforward to this week?
SPEAKER_01 (53:59):
So on Thursday I've got a bit of a pinch me show um
Chloe Radcliffe is coming totown she's going to Louisville
and I just thought like hey doyou want to try to set up a
Nashville show and um she's waybigger than a comic that I
should be able to book.
That's amazing.
Helping her over the last coupleyears we've talked a lot about
like podcasts and um she doestandem bicycle podcast she rides
(54:21):
a bicycle somebody's behind herand it's an interview and it's a
comic and it's really good.
I kind of helped her looselylike brainstorm some of the
ideas and stuff and she's justbeen really fun to like work
with over the years.
Her and her boyfriend which isStuart Law's he's from the UK he
directed James A.
Castor's special I don't know ifyou know who that is but more
(54:41):
homework for you.
He had the Hecklers Welcome tourhe got heckled a lot and then he
built like an hour where he justlet the hecklers say whatever
they wanted and he couldn't getmad about it.
Oh interesting yeah we can gointo all day about that.
But anyway they will be herethey're gonna do a show with me
and um honestly I'm more excitedfor the hang than I am the show.
But it's it's pretty cool tolike meet, you know, talk to
(55:03):
somebody for a couple years andthen finally have like the human
interaction.
SPEAKER_00 (55:06):
Well I'm looking forward to my infrared sauna so
I'm excited about that.
SPEAKER_01 (55:12):
How have they been?
Have you done it before?
SPEAKER_00 (55:14):
Oh yeah I've gone for like a year and a half now.
SPEAKER_01 (55:16):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (55:16):
Um it's to help my brain injury okay because the
infrared light is shown to likestart to heal your brain in a
way that like nothing else can.
SPEAKER_03 (55:24):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (55:25):
And so plus the sauna is very like detoxing.
So I go I'm currently um in themiddle of the season uh Love is
Blind UK season two.
Okay.
Love the UK edition.
Okay.
Love it.
That's another recommendation.
SPEAKER_01 (55:39):
I love we love garbage TV.
So love it.
SPEAKER_00 (55:42):
But I don't have Netflix right now so I just like
go and I'm just like watching.
Um but yeah you it's at um puresweat and float in Bell Mead and
you have like a little you haveyour own room you go in get
naked get into the sauna andthere's like an iPad that you
can like watch or like listen towhat's the frequency you do
that.
That is a great question Icannot answer.
SPEAKER_01 (56:04):
You're not sure like what like which what should you
how often should you go?
SPEAKER_00 (56:08):
Oh okay I thought you meant like what's the light
like holding it was not like anengineering question.
SPEAKER_01 (56:13):
I'm like how often are you supposed to go do that
or um I will I do it like once aweek.
SPEAKER_00 (56:18):
Okay.
I don't do it as much in thesummer because I find it to be a
little overwhelming with theheat here in Nashville.
Um but when I was really notwell I was going like three
times a week.
Wow.
Yeah.
If not more sometimes it waspart of so I found that when I
really had symptoms flaring upthat like I would go in and it
was one of the things that couldcalm it all down real quick.
(56:40):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (56:41):
I like that you think I work in corporate
America, run this page anddefinitely had a question about
the frequency of the lights.
I have no idea that's I don'teven know if that's the right
word.
I just wasn't the rightterminology at all.
You're a renaissance fan nearlyas deep as you think how often
are you going Nicole?
SPEAKER_00 (56:58):
Once a week.
SPEAKER_01 (56:59):
Okay got it.
SPEAKER_00 (57:00):
But I haven't gone for like three because I was in
Scotland.
So I'm excited.
Where can people find you?
SPEAKER_01 (57:07):
They can find me uh my passion's all on Instagram I
have a Facebook and I hateFacebook I feel uh like a boomer
every time I log in there um butat comedian discovery and then
at comedian discovery for liveshows and then at comedian
discovery underscore graphicsI've started to like kind of put
some of the stuff I've made onthere almost like a catalog um
(57:29):
and then other comics will likesee it like can you make me
something that looks like thatso it's kind of like whatever
and it's kind of cool to likekind of like put the thing I
made somewhere.
SPEAKER_00 (57:38):
Yeah that's awesome.
Well thank you so much for beinghere.
Thanks for having me.
Um and thank you guys forlistening or watching please
subscribe so you don't miss anyepisodes um I'll be back with
another guest next week The End.
Thanks for listening to mycrunchy zen era please subscribe
and leave a review wherever youlisten to your podcasts.
This podcast is produced by me,Nicole Swisher and my good
(58:01):
friends Summer Harcup and LizColder.
Editing is by Drew HarrisonMedia and recording is done by
Logos Creative in Nashville,Tennessee.
Thanks for hanging out we'll beback next week sweet
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