Breaking Down Bits
What an incredible discussion with Greg Warren! He cautions that even the best comics have to take a beating. You can count down your 50 bad sets to when you’re good is one of his many tips. Also morning pages, dealing with rejection, being seen in the room, quitting your day job, listen to your sets as background noise, and so much more!
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Brian and Drew speak with Andy Woodhull, a nationally touring comedian and writer who has been featured on the Tonight Show, Dry Bar Comedy, Comedy Central, and James Corden.
Andy shares so many tips and tricks including the free tools to help grow your following in Pandora. He talks about writing groups, late night show submissions, working the road, comedy contests, and tells you it’s okay to keep telling those old jokes… And so much more.
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Liz took a non-traditional path to rise to her success. When her contemporaries were doing the normal path such as Just for Laughs and late night TV spots Liz was doing international tours and self producing her albums and saying yes to nearly everything because she knew that more exposure could lead to opening new doors in her career and she was right! She has found a way to really get ahead during the pandemic including re-releasing her first special on YouTube along side her latest special “Self Help Me” which together have gained over 2.6M views since 2020 as of the time of this recording.
We look at Liz’s incredibly meticulous writing process as we examine a clip from “Self Help Me.” Such an incredible and inspiring discussion with a very passionate and talented comedian! Don’t miss this one.
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L.A. comedian, writer, and actress Jasmine Ellis, originally from Texas, joins Brian and Drew. We talk a lot of the top about social media strategies including TikTok as a platform to build your following. We also talk about performing in front of different audiences and changing your setups to be relatable but still sticking your material and staying authentic. We watch a clip from her Dry Bar Comedy special “Nobody’s Queen” and discuss some behind the scenes of doing a Drybar special in front of their unique audiences in Provost, UT including the challenges with performing in front of audiences who like clean comedy.
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Brian and Drew are joined by NYC comedian, actor, and writer Gianmarco Soresi. Gianmarco opens up about how his journey as as standup comedian admitting he was initially just an actor playing a comedian running an hour for one his first sets, until he got serious about writing and getting stage time. Some his first moves were picking up check spots at a tough NYC club and leveraging his acting credits to get stagetime to quickly ascend as one of the more respected up-and-coming comics in the NYC scene.
We hit on a lot of topics including roast battling, check spots, performing in front of different audiences, showing up authentic, writing with comedians and non-comedian friends, and much more!
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Writer and comedian J.F. Harris shares his experiences as a comic who came up in Staten Island, NY now lives in LA and has been everywhere in between. So many great takeaways and recommended readings and other media for comics at any level. Some key takeaways is to make sure you ask for your opportunities, be present, and find a way to be comfortable on stage to explore new jokes and ideas to grow as a comic.
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Brian and Drew talk with NYC comedian Louis Katz. A passionate comedy writer we get into the details of writing and set development that can be helpful for standup comedians at all levels. Additionally we talk about writing teams, club etiquette, audience empathy, the importance of listening, and so much more. We watch a clip from Louis’ story for Comedy Central’s “This is Not Happening.” Really great episode!
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Such a valuable and timely topic for all standup comics – how to go viral on social media! Is there a character in your act that could possibly come to life online? That’s a route that has paid off big for Aristotle with his alter ego Blake Webber has amassed over 4 million followers and hundreds of millions of views across the internet and on TV.
We also cover topics like crowd work, taking risks on stage, and much more! A must listen to for all comics!
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NYC actor, standup comedian, and talented sculptor of Pokémon figurines Matthew Broussard drops some knowledge on the show. Listen in to find out what a “Shit Big Mac” and an “Open Face Shit Sandwich” is for your open mic work. How building a set list is like making a mosaic. Why you should keep a bad ideas notebook. How social media help you with word economy, and so much more!
Matthew shares what he has learned from his incredibly fast accent in comedy beginning in Houston, TX. After only a year in standup, he won funniest comic in Texas and made his way out to LA with a brief stop in Austin. He was vulnerable enough to share how he struggled in those markets until he finally found his true home in New York city where he has excelled getting late night spots on Conan, The Tonight Show, and featured on Comedy Central’s “This Week at the Comedy Cellar.”
Follow Matthew on social media @mondaypunday or on his website mondaypunday.com and catch his podcast “She does Standup too? with his girlfriend Laura Sogar.
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NYC Comedian and writer Jourdain Fisher joins the show to share his rise through comedy starting at the age of 17 in North Carolina to performing on, and writing for, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
Jourdain shares his early beginnings and eventual move to New York including the slow beginnings – once sleeping outside just to get a one minute set on to getting a manager and spots on national TV and comedy central presents — a clip we review on the show.
We talk through writing and Jourdain’s crisp delivery including segues between bits, his conversational flow, and his vocal “act outs.”
We know you’ll enjoy this episode and please also check out Jourdain’s recent album “Good For You.” Available for streaming on iTunes, Spotify, and other platforms.
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