In my first episode of Working Comic, I interview Dan Perrault who is the co-creator of American Vandal. Dan shares valuable insights on his journey from film school to the to the creation of the show. Our conversation explores the minutia of creating a YouTube channel and making videos to the self promoting and eventually being able to pitch to Funny Or Die.

Episode 1: Dan Perrault (Co-Creator of 'American Vandal'), From YouTube to Netflix

Sean Carrigan is a professional actor, stand up comedian, sketch comedian, and improvisor. Sean recently played Coach Rafferty in Netflix’s “American Vandal” and Dr. Ben ‘Stitch’ Rayburn on “The Young and The Restless.” In this episode, Sean talks life balance, comedy, triumph and failure.

Episode 2: Sean Carrigan (Coach Rafferty On ‘American Vandal’), Actor, Improvisor, And Comedian

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

Episode 4: Dave and Angela Dennison (Small Comedy Scene Club Owners)

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

Episode 5: Michael Rousselet, from Cult Leader to 5 Second Films to Cyanide and Happiness

This past Sunday, I had a fantastic interview with Ahmed Bharoocha. He was generous enough to have Marlina (my girlfriend) over his house on a Sunday evening even though his little baby was sleeping. Ahmed is a stand up comic featured on Conan O'Brian and Comedy Central (30 minute special), was featured in Montreal's Just for Laugh's, has a viral sketch comedy channel called Dead Kevin, and is on Adult Swim's Dream Corp LLC. 

In this conversation we cover a variety very interesting topics including:
- Starting in a small comedy scene and moving to LA
- Differences between smaller and larger scenes
- Leveraging existing material in a new scene
- Building a 'tight 5' for a Late Night Set
- Being a part of a popular weekly sketch channel

Episode 6: Ahmed Bharoocha, Different Comedy Scenes, Nailing a Late Night Set, and Sketch Comedy

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

Episode 7: Susan Jones, Road Warrior & Prepping for EVERYTHING from Bar Shows to Cruises

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

Episode 8:  Kortney Shane Williams (Best in Northwest), Opening for Chappelle, Producing an Album

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

Episode 9: Building UCLA Comedy Scene featuring Nathan Mosher

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

"The hard part is that I'm constantly working on side projects and thinking of new things. And the really hard part is going like, 'what actually deserves my attention'?" - Chris

Episode 10: Chris Reinacher, Former BuzzFeed Star, Going Viral and STILL Being Funny

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

I hope you all enjoy!

Episode 11: Natalie Holt (Comedian and Producer), How to Run a Great Open Mic

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

And more! Hope you all enjoy this one.

Episode 12: Bill Conway, Co-Founder of TheHardTimes.Net (1m+ unique visitors per month)

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

Episode 13: The Joke Editing Process with Sarah Martin

Hi Working Comic Fans, this is a very epic episode! I interviewed Seattle's favorite comedian, Emmett Montgomery. Emmett is a stand up comedian, storyteller, puppeteer, character comic, curator of talent, and just a quirky cool guy. You might've seen him at Bumbershoot or on Last Comic Standing! I really enjoy this interview because it gives Emmett a chance to showcase his incredible storytelling skills. He is absolutely captivating and runs some really cool unique shows in Seattle that will make you laugh and sometimes cry. Emmett watched the Seattle scene grow up and helped incubate it into the breeding ground for indie shows that it is today. 

Here are some topics that we cover:
- Working at Hollywood Video
- Early 2000's Seattle Comedy Scene
- Comedy Boom in Seattle (1970's and 80's)
- Vehicles driving into his store
- Escaping the 9-9 Grind and quitting the day job
- Rise of the Seattle Indie Scene
- Live Comedy competing with Online Comedy
- Running successful shows and curating talent
- How to say 'no' to people that want to be on your show
- Saying 'yes' to puppet shows and entering OTHER scenes
- Opening for and learning from Dave Chappelle
- Dealing with severe health issues

Episode 14: Emmett Montgomery, Comedian and Cultivator of Human Emotion

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

Episode 15: Emmett Montgomery Part 2, Character Work and Last Comic Standing

Hey Working Comic fans! Sorry for the delay again. I was on vacation with my girlfriend this past week at my family Lake House in New York. I tried desperately to post earlier, but there was negative internet out there...

In this interview, I had the opportunity to speak with comedic actor and producer Jared Popkin. Jared has produced dozens of BuzzFeed videos with millions of views and is actively selling and pitching various comedy series'. Most importantly, he was my old college improv team coach! Jared knows what it means to be on both sides of the camera, how to produce impressive comedic content while on a tight budget and how to hussle in the fast paced world of Show Biz. Throughout the interview we explore the following:
- What goes into producing?
- Should you re-brand your channel?
- How does one assemble an effective team?
- How does one take her YouTube channel to the next level?
- Arguing while working towards a common goal
- Division of creative control

Episode 18: Producing Content with Jared Popkin

In this episode, I interview the very talented character comic, actor, and comedian Brent Pella. His comedy sketches and music videos have gained millions of views around the world and have been featured on Funny or Die, College Humor, BroBible, The Chive, and Worldstar HipHop.

In this episode we talk about:
- NACA College Shows
- Doing his first hour
- Comedy and Health 
- WHERE to put characters in comedy?
- UCB and Groundlings Improv
- Making a stand up cartoon (Dane Cook style)

Episode 24: Brent Pella (NACA Comedy, Character Work, Stand Up Cartoon)

Hello Working Comic Fans! I interviewed Brian Moses, the host of Comedy Central's hit show "Roast Battle." We talk about a TON of super cool stuff. In this episode, I learned that he essentially CREATED THE ROAST BATTLE FORM! Wow, that's huge. This interview is super informative and I attempted to break it up by topic below if you want to skip ahead to different parts. Hope you enjoy!

Here's what we cover:
- Pornhub Awards (0:50)
- Formation of the Roast Battle (~10:00)
- Selling a show to Comedy Central (~15:05)
- Financial success from selling a show (~17:00)
- Selling shows: Major Networks vs Cable (~17:30)
- Getting Jeff Ross involved (~23:20)
- Scene Hacking and maximizing stage time (~27:45)
- Rising popularity of roast battling and roast structure (~31:00)
- How to host effectively (~39:45)
- General Advice for New Comics (~48:50)
- Get involved with Roast Scene (~54:20)

Episode 26: Brian Moses, Host of Comedy Central Roast Battle

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

Episode 27: Jesse Warren (Self Help Books, Mindfulness, and Talking to Girls)

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

Episode 28: Richard Sarvate (Producer of SF's "The Setup" and Former Software Engineer)

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

Episode 31: Salma Zaky, Doing Comedy in College, Allocating Time Effectively, and MORE

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

Episode 35: Michael Longfellow (Conan, Laughing Skull, TBS Comics to Watch)

Hi everyone,

I've finally returned! This is a super fun interview. I met with Eric Moneypenny, a professional comedy writer who currently writes for AOK. You might remember him from Episode 2 with Gina Ippolito when she recommended that aspiring sketch writers take his class at the Pack Theater in LA. I took his class and got a chance to sit down with him.  We chatted about a ton of stuff including choosing your comedy focus, transitioning from stand up to writing, his Saturday Night Live audition experience, running a 10 Year Sold Out Comedy Show, touring with Drew Carey, working with Jordan Peele, and the death of cable TV.

Bio: Eric Moneypenny is a writer for AOK, former writer for Eric Andre Show, and writer/performer for The Midnight Show (TMS),[1] a popular monthly sketch comedy showcase at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater.Eric has writes both short form comedy sketches and longer form television shows. He also teaches sketch writing classes at the Pack Theater in Hollywood.

Episode 36: Eric Moneypenny (How he became a Professional Comedy Writer)

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

Episode 41: Sammy Obeid, Comedian and Mathematician

I had a great interview with Caleb Synan last week. We chatted about his experience doing Conan, his philosophy regarding high pressure performing situations, his incredible 'Just for Laughs' experience, mastering social media and much more.

Bio: Caleb Synan is one of the hottest young comics in the country. (Funny AND good looking!) His unique background as a preacher’s kid from a small southern town gives him the ability to relate to any and every crowd -- even though he’s a big old millennial who lives in LA. Want proof? He’s written and starred in two different Comedy Central web series: “Deadliest Chef” and “Wise Words” (That’s the internet!) And he’s performed on CONAN (twice!), Last Comic Standing (once!), and Fuse’s “Uproarious” (TV! That’s right!)

Episode 44: Caleb Synan on Just For Laughs and working under pressure

In this interview we learn how Biniam applies his social media marketing skills to his comedy career. He used to work for MakerStudios, a huge company that grew influencers and social media stars and connected them with corporate sponsors/brand deals. We also talk about his personal comedy career and how he got in with Comedy Central! I learned a lot and think this information is super practical to the modern comic. 

Bio: Ben Bizuneh's stand up was recently featured on Comedy Central. Ben Bizuneh is a writer, actor, and comedian who made his television stand-up debut on Viceland’s “Flophouse” and recently starred opposite Beth Behrs in the Lee Daniels FOX pilot, “Culture Clash.” Bizuneh has created several originals for Comedy Central Digital including Demitrinox’ “Antidepressant for Black Folk” and “How To Be Broke,” which recently wrapped its second season. Ben wrote on staff for “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and previously consulted on TruTV’s “Billy on the Street.”

Episode 45: Biniam Bizuneh on Working with Comedy Central and Mastering Social Media

Hi Working Comic Fans,

Sorry for the craaaazy delay. I've been MIA for about a month now. For the last three weeks of May I was travelling Europe with my girlfriend because I'm a monogamous wealthy jew and THEN I had three Socially Inept roast shows in a row. We had one big show at Cobb's Comedy Club in San Francisco on June 6th followed by two great shows in Los Angeles on June 13th and 14th. 

Anyway - back to business - in this episode, I interviewed Tyler Smith, the producer of the "Dope Show." The Dope Show is a comedy show where comics do their sets, get high, and then do them again. Tyler's show is prolific in the Pacific Northwest and he is able to MAKE A LIVING on the money he makes selling tickets. In my opinion, this is pretty much the dream for a comedian, so there's definitely a lot of cool stuff to learn. We talk about how the show started, marketing tactics he uses, and how he sells thousands of tickets per year. ENJOY!

Episode 46: Tyler Smith and The Dope Show

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

Episode 47: Devin Field (Late Night Writer, UCB Main Stage, & Comedy Central Stand Up)

Hi Working Comic Fans,

I know I have been sparsely posting, but I am still at it. I am probably going to do less than one podcast per week, but I am definitely not dropping the ball here. I've been travelling a lot and prepping my tech roast show "Socially Inept." 

I had a really cool interview with TV Show Writer & Comedian Curtis Cook. We start out talking about how Curtis got into comedy and segue into an interesting tangent on comedy politics. We spend most of the episode talking about recovering from an offensive bit, being edgy on stage, using stereotypes, growing from mistakes, and much more. These are a lot of the questions that I ponder over with my close comedian friends, so it was a real treat discussing them with the very well spoken and accomplished Curtis Cook.

Curtis' Bio: 
Curtis Cook is a writer and standup living in Los Angeles. He’s done a few things on television you may have seen, like puking after a keg stand on a show called Flophouse or traveling through an Ebola checkpoint for a segment on Vice News or awkwardly interacting with Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein during a sketch on Porlandia or doing a standup set on Comedy Central. Most recently, you may have caught his work as a writer and correspondent for The Jim Jefferies Show on Comedy Central.

Episode 48: Curtis Cook (Jim Jefferies Show & Comedian) and Joke Politics

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

Check out his podcast Mango Bae and follow him at @UsamaBinLaughin

Episode 49: Usama Siddiquee, Getting Passed at the Cellar and Bringing Charisma to Comedy

Hi Everyone,

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

Episode 50: Sarah Keller, Roast Battle Producer and Asking For Opportunity

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

Episode 51: Jr De Guzman, Musical Comedy and Traveling the World

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

Episode 52: Auggie Smith (Big Sky Comedy Festival)

I sat down with the very funny and talented Josh Lanzet. Josh is a fellow high tech comedian. He works at Google, does stand up, and creates his own content. In this conversation we chat about outsourcing work to virtual assistants when you're way too busy, Josh's personal organization system, a meticulous approach to maximizing effectiveness of open mics, balancing a high tech job with comedy, and overcoming creative resistance. 

P.S. Sorry it's been a long time for me. Lately I have been trying to focus more on the creative parts of comedy, so I will be posting less frequently for the time being.

Popular tracks by Austin Nasso