Episode 122: Ophira Eisenberg - Scars, Stories, Stand-Up

Episode 122: Ophira Eisenberg - Scars, Stories, Stand-Up

Ophira Eisenberg is a comedian and writer based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes [https://dashboard.rss.com/podcasts/artists-of-new-york/episodes/2407738/edit/] (00:00) Moving from Toronto to New York (02:44) Arriving before 9/11 (05:58) Performing after the attacks (09:09) Building a life from nothing (11:50) Toronto success and New York gamble (14:18) Learning IT to survive (16:18) Early New York comedy scene (20:17) Discovering The Moth (24:07) Networking through comedy (27:46) Book deal and NPR breakthrough (31:06) Storytelling versus stand-up (35:07) Why New York still matters (38:55) Returning fully to comedy (42:00) Scars, cancer, and identity (47:07) Childhood car accident and loss (51:22) Resilience and rejecting platitudes (53:52) Wellness industry and conspiracy theories (55:58) Parenting, comedy, and vulnerability (57:22) Staying relevant as a comic (58:21) Defining success through respected peers

Episode 121: James Hamilton - Writing, Rejection, Resilience

James Hamilton is a writer and comedian based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes [https://dashboard.rss.com/podcasts/artists-of-new-york/episodes/2407738/edit/] (00:00) Teaching fourth grade and discovering improv (03:32) Childhood creativity and finding comedy's language (06:41) Family expectations and meaningful work (09:39) CJ Hunt and a lifelong creative partnership (12:43) Creativity as communication and personal awakening (16:09) Improv, writing, and choosing New York (19:38) Leaving New Orleans without a real plan (22:54) Early survival jobs and TV writing packets (26:37) Learning to write in other people's voices (30:14) Landing the dream job at Vice News (33:42) Favorite stories from Vice reporting (37:08) Vice's collapse and media's changing landscape (40:36) Freelancing, documentaries, and Olympic writing (44:06) Money, creative freedom, and the Posters podcast (47:31) Dikembe Mutombo's remarkable basketball legacy (51:01) Building a writing career through persistence (55:08) Collecting rejections instead of fearing them (58:14) Favorite New York storytelling venues (60:19) Defining success through deeply personal work (62:07) Creating uniquely human art in the AI era

Episode 120: Dan Davies - Courage, Craft, Comedy Cellar

Dan Davies is a standup comedian based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes [https://dashboard.rss.com/podcasts/artists-of-new-york/episodes/2407738/edit/] (00:00) Childhood trips spark New York dream (02:08) Discovering UCB and falling for improv (04:37) First improv class and early confidence (06:53) Long-form improv and the Herald (08:52) Balancing hospital work and comedy (11:08) Quitting a stable career for comedy (13:36) Day jobs while chasing stand-up (15:39) Building Question Party into a business (17:42) Early success through audience laughs (19:44) First stand-up set and catching the bug (22:02) Avoiding open mics and finding stage time (24:24) Learning by performing with better comics (26:42) Getting passed at the Comedy Cellar (31:02) Auditioning for the Comedy Cellar (33:32) Writing jokes and comedy influences (35:42) Why New York is comedy's capital (37:30) Defining success as a working comic (39:02) Why chasing comedy was worth the risk

Episode 119: Cynthia Zarin - Poetry, Profiles, Prose

Cynthia Zarin is an American poet and journalist. Instagram and all episodes [https://dashboard.rss.com/podcasts/artists-of-new-york/episodes/2407738/edit/] (00:00) Growing Up Bookish in New York (03:18) Childhood Influences and Becoming a Writer (06:47) Columbia, Job Hunting, and The New Yorker (10:41) Inside William Shawn's Legendary New Yorker (14:19) Why Poetry Became Her Lifelong Medium (17:46) Learning Journalism Through The New Yorker (21:03) New York City and Literary Life in the 1980s (24:42) The Magazine's Culture of Quiet Excellence (28:07) From Character to Personality Culture (31:36) Mentors, Editors, and Writing Craft (34:12) Balancing Writing, Marriage, and Four Children (38:09) Reporting While Raising a Family (41:26) Returning to The New Yorker and Yale (44:11) Memorable Profiles and Interviewing Philosophy (48:03) Writing Without Deadlines or Recorders (51:09) Creating Inverno and Estate (56:04) Caroline, Love, and Modern Relationships (61:02) Writing Habits and Creative Process (64:06) Trusted Journalists and Democracy (66:07) Defining Success as a Writer

Episode 118: Jason Choi - Craft, Comedy, Contentment

Jason Choi is a standup comedian based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes [https://dashboard.rss.com/podcasts/artists-of-new-york/episodes/2407738/edit/] (00:00) Loving New York's Chaos (02:27) Childhood Comedy Obsession (04:58) Early Stand-Up Dreams (07:19) College, Writing, and Fear (09:43) Comedy Class Breakthrough (12:16) Advertising, Engineering, and Saving Money (15:08) First Sets and Bombing Hard (18:07) Grinding Through Open Mics (20:54) Opportunities Through Consistency (23:41) Leaving Software Engineering (26:31) Family Sacrifice and Financial Discipline (29:14) Recovering From Burnout (31:42) Success, Fulfillment, and Contentment (35:01) Sustainable Work and Resistance (38:06) David Attell, Mark Normand, and Craft (41:12) Finding Creative Ideas (43:25) Redefining Success (45:02) Letting Go and Trusting the Journey