Comedy Means Business

Sarah Sherman Talks Maximalist HBO Special, Awkward SNL Dynamics, Bombing Like Oppenheimer

Sarah Sherman joins Comedy Means Business to discuss the crafting of her gonzo, body-horror variety hour, Sarah Squirm: Live and in the Flesh (HBO), and the building of one of the most singular brands of anyone at SNL. We get into the craft and cost of making a tactile, visually ambitious hour, the challenge of scaling weirdness without sanding off its edges, and what it takes to tour material this production-heavy. Sherman also reflects on her path to 30 Rock from Chicago’s underground alt-comedy scene, her steep learning curve at SNL, and how she’s thinking about the future of her career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Inside Ben Gleib’s At-Home YouTube Late-Night Show

As traditional late-night contracts under the weight of collapsing linear economics, Ben Gleib is making a bet on what comes next. In this episode of Comedy Means Business, the comedian, host, and entrepreneur breaks down the launch of Good Night with Ben Gleib, a late-night show built natively for YouTube — which he’s taping at his house. He reflects on what YouTube offers that network TV can’t, and how he’s thinking about everything from guests and episode cadence to monetization and platform risk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Atsuko Okatsuka On Emulating Lucille Ball, Embracing Inner Weirdo

Atsuko Okatsuka joins host Matt Grobar to discuss her latest special, Father, and the long journey toward trusting what she had to offer as a stand-up. She also talks growing up undocumented in Los Angeles, learning stand-up in a class off Craigslist, performing at the ocean and to the trees in her backyard, her appreciation of recent performances from Justin Bieber that prove “it’s ok to go small,” and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

‘The End’ Of An Era For Ari Shaffir

Ari Shaffir joins Matt Grobar to discuss The End, the culmination of work producing longform comedic storytelling shows that goes back 15 years.. Fresh off seven months off the grid in Latin America, he also reflects on the nomadic lifestyle that’s shaped both his material and his outlook on the business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Pete Holmes: Reclaiming Show Biz Magic In A New Era

Pete Holmes chats with Matt Grobar about coming up through a version of Hollywood that no longer exists — and how he’s reclaiming that magic on his own terms. Promoting his new special Silly Silly Fun Boy, Holmes reflects on the disappearance of talent incubators that once helped build careers, the importance of mentorship and knowledge-sharing across generations, how he would approach building a stand-up career if he were starting out today, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]