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Because I was good at it. And I thought I wanted to be an actress, but I didn't have a passion for it. But the first time I did stand up, I knew it was... the one.
The podcast as it is now without a guest is much easier for me to generate stories and material for because I am not trying to impress someone I'm intimidated by or trying to make someone who I feel might be bored or annoyed feel comfortable. It's just about me and Sara and now we have Andrew to supply us with topics. Like "Syria".
Technically I did win Class Clown senior year of high school but on the voting ballots it said "Funniest" and the Yearbook staff changed it to Class Clown, which I was not at all. I think people voted for me for "funniest" because they knew I did stand up.
I think writing jokes has definitely gotten faster and easier for me as I've gotten older. You just understand yourself better and know your voice.
I just tell jokes about my own life and try to make it relatable enough for as many people to enjoy as possible.
Being an introvert can hurt you in this business sometimes because "networking" (EW GROSS WORD) is definitely a thing unfortunately. I've gotten better at socializing. A lot of comics reached out to me early on and said I seemed standoffish but I was just shy and afraid haha.
I think being bicoastal, if you can swing it, is the way to go. LA and NY have different things going for them. There is a lot of TV opportunities in LA and podcasts - but NY is amazing and you can do so many shows in a night there.
I love Bertcast, Gilmore Guys (Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Goys now but I still listen to old Gilmore Guys episodes too), Fresh Air, Good One, Conan's podcast is great, Gettin Better with Ron Funches.
My advice is work hard to accomplish your goals, stay humble and try to empathize with people who hurt you. Because you will be hurt by friends, family, partners and it will feel very intense because you're young. Think about how awful high school was and how it felt as though it would never end and you never even think about it now - I think our twenties will be like that too.
The hardest thing about being an up and coming comic is getting enough stage time to get better. Hopefully you're in a good city with lots of open mics.
I always record my sets at least on audio. A joke really evolves the more you do it which is why doing the road is so important. You need those reps to make something polished and perfect.
All of my jokes happened to me. Sometimes I will change details (names or where I saw something happen - saying "someone I dated" instead of "my current boyfriend" etc) to protect people I have relationships with but the material is true.
I used to have terrible stage fright, the best way to get over it is to just get onstage so much that it becomes second nature and not at all a big deal.
I've told my parents my comedy isn't really their taste anymore. I run jokes about my family past them before putting it on TV.
I love so many comics. I love Maria Bamford and everything she does. I'm inspired watching Richard Pryor documentaries and his stand up obviously. Opening for guys like Brian Regan and Bert Kreischer taught me a lot. I think John Mulaney is brilliant. Dave Chappelle keeps putting out incredible hours. There's so many.
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Nikki Glaser