Last year, I met the guy who discovered and advised Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, and just about every other famous comedian.
He utterly blew my mind with how he guided them early on in their careers to find their “signature move.”
Here’s everything he shared 👇
He utterly blew my mind with how he guided them early on in their careers to find their “signature move.”
Here’s everything he shared 👇
First, the backstory:
In the ‘80s, every comedy club in NYC treated comedians horribly.
They barely paid them. They made them order food off a separate, cheaper menu. They’d let in drunk hecklers to every show.
One of these underpaid, exhausted comics was Bill Grundfest.
In the ‘80s, every comedy club in NYC treated comedians horribly.
They barely paid them. They made them order food off a separate, cheaper menu. They’d let in drunk hecklers to every show.
One of these underpaid, exhausted comics was Bill Grundfest.
Bill thought the whole thing was corrupt.
These clubs were building their businesses off the backs of these comedians.
He decided he’d start a new comedy club that treated comics with respect.
There was just one obvious problem: he was completely broke.
These clubs were building their businesses off the backs of these comedians.
He decided he’d start a new comedy club that treated comics with respect.
There was just one obvious problem: he was completely broke.
So he did something genius.
He found a restaurant in Greenwich Village that had a basement and made a pitch to the owner:
Let me start a comedy club in your basement. I’ll keep the cover charge, you keep the food and drink sales.
The owner said yes.
He found a restaurant in Greenwich Village that had a basement and made a pitch to the owner:
Let me start a comedy club in your basement. I’ll keep the cover charge, you keep the food and drink sales.
The owner said yes.
With that, The Comedy Cellar was born.
Bill paid comedians well. He let them order anything on the menu they wanted. He set up a VIP table for them.
He even vetted audience members and wouldn’t let in drunk idiots.
Soon, every comic in NYC wanted to perform there.
Bill paid comedians well. He let them order anything on the menu they wanted. He set up a VIP table for them.
He even vetted audience members and wouldn’t let in drunk idiots.
Soon, every comic in NYC wanted to perform there.
Bill was now at the center of the NYC comedy scene.
He was still doing some standup himself, but he started to realize that his real superpower was identifying talent.
He began advising the comics that he thought were great.
Jon Stewart was one of them.
He was still doing some standup himself, but he started to realize that his real superpower was identifying talent.
He began advising the comics that he thought were great.
Jon Stewart was one of them.
Jon was a bartender at a Mexican restaurant down the street who came in to perform one night.
He completely tanked, but Bill saw potential.
He told Jon to come back the next night and to hold the mic instead of keeping it on the stand.
He needed to loosen up.
He completely tanked, but Bill saw potential.
He told Jon to come back the next night and to hold the mic instead of keeping it on the stand.
He needed to loosen up.
Bill was convinced that Jon was so sharp and likable that people would love him for him. Plain and simple.
Bill told Jon:
“You are not the vehicle for your material, your material is the vehicle for you.”
Here’s the impact Jon said that had on his career:
Bill told Jon:
“You are not the vehicle for your material, your material is the vehicle for you.”
Here’s the impact Jon said that had on his career:
Another comedian he spotted early on was Bill Maher.
At the time, most political “jokes” were a series of political opinions with a half-baked punchline slapped onto the end.
But Bill realized that Maher was different:
His *observations themselves* were hilarious.
At the time, most political “jokes” were a series of political opinions with a half-baked punchline slapped onto the end.
But Bill realized that Maher was different:
His *observations themselves* were hilarious.
Maher still didn’t realize that was his superpower yet, so he took a job hosting a new late-night talk show called Nightshift.
Two months in, he was fired and replaced.
Bill told him:
“You got fired because tons of other comedians can do that job. You were replaceable.”
Two months in, he was fired and replaced.
Bill told him:
“You got fired because tons of other comedians can do that job. You were replaceable.”
That conversation planted the seed for Maher’s first show, Politically Incorrect.
Politically Incorrect revolved entirely around Maher's superpower: merciless, funny political observations.
After 3 years, it became Comedy Central’s highest-rated series.
The rest is history.
Politically Incorrect revolved entirely around Maher's superpower: merciless, funny political observations.
After 3 years, it became Comedy Central’s highest-rated series.
The rest is history.
One more: Ray Romano.
Ray performed a ton at The Comedy Cellar.
He found some early success as a standup comic, but eventually plateaued.
He became stuck as a semi-successful comic without much room to grow.
But Bill knew he could get way bigger.
Ray performed a ton at The Comedy Cellar.
He found some early success as a standup comic, but eventually plateaued.
He became stuck as a semi-successful comic without much room to grow.
But Bill knew he could get way bigger.
Like Jon Stewart, Ray was super likable – but in a different way.
He was a blue-collar family man, a loyal husband, a good father.
Bill met with Ray and told him:
“Get rid of any material that doesn’t support the idea that you are a standup husband and dad.”
He was a blue-collar family man, a loyal husband, a good father.
Bill met with Ray and told him:
“Get rid of any material that doesn’t support the idea that you are a standup husband and dad.”
Ray and his manager took the advice.
Ray doubled down on the family man image and played into it every chance he got.
The result is TV sitcom history...
CBS noticed and picked him up for what became Everybody Loves Raymond, a show centered on him as the supreme family man.
Ray doubled down on the family man image and played into it every chance he got.
The result is TV sitcom history...
CBS noticed and picked him up for what became Everybody Loves Raymond, a show centered on him as the supreme family man.
Those were just three of the comics that found their footing at The Comedy Cellar.
There were countless more, including:
• @SarahKSilverman
• @chrisrock
• @michelleisawolf
• @JewdyGold
• @DaveChappelle
• @attell
There were countless more, including:
• @SarahKSilverman
• @chrisrock
• @michelleisawolf
• @JewdyGold
• @DaveChappelle
• @attell
One theme in all of Bill’s advice was to deeply and consciously know and trust what makes you different.
Bill signed off our call with this epic line:
“You have to find your own rainbow to follow. There is no gold at the end of somebody else’s rainbow.”
Bill signed off our call with this epic line:
“You have to find your own rainbow to follow. There is no gold at the end of somebody else’s rainbow.”
Update: glad to see this resonate with so many people.
Whenever I come across stories like this, I typically send them out in my newsletter:
stewfortier.substack.com
In related news, I just emailed Bill & am going to do lunch with him next week. I'll report back with a story...
Whenever I come across stories like this, I typically send them out in my newsletter:
stewfortier.substack.com
In related news, I just emailed Bill & am going to do lunch with him next week. I'll report back with a story...
Final update: I had a 3-hour lunch with Bill yesterday.
Here are my non-exhaustive highlights:
Here are my non-exhaustive highlights:
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