Special People

Comedian Joe Zimmerman (@joezimmerman, Comedy Central Half-Hour) stops by to discuss social media diets, 1 success out of 100, and the art of the short written funny thing.

Mike Sacks (@michaelbsacks) has written for precisely EVERYONE: Vanity Fair, Esquire, GQ, The New Yorker, Time, The New York Times, The Washington Post, McSweeney’s, Radar, Funny or Die, MAD, New York Observer, Premiere, Believer, Vice, Maxim, Women’s Health, and Salon. He's most celebrated for his books. His first, And Here’s the Kicker: Conversations with 21 Humor Writers About Their Craft (2009) featured conversations with George Meyer, Harold Ramis, Al Jaffee, Buck Henry, Bob Odenkirk, Stephen Merchant, David Sedaris, Jack Handey, Robert Smigel, and Daniel Clowes. The sequel, Poking a Dead Frog (2014) contains interviews and advice from Mel Brooks, Jim Downey, Adam McKay, Amy Poehler, Terry Jones, Diablo Cody, James L. Brooks, Kay Cannon, Patton Oswalt, Marc Maron, George Saunders, and many more. He's currently on the editorial staff of Vanity Fair.

Ryan Beck (@iamryanbeck) is a writer and comedian, the brains behind The Ryan Beck Show, and an all-round good guy.

Haitian therapists. Yoga ball sex. Nicholas Cage's birthday party. This episode has everything. Jenn Welch (@jennwelchnow) stops by to talk sobriety, sexual awakenings, and why watching grown men play Tony Hawk on Playstation is not strictly considered foreplay.

This was f**king fun. Ronnie Fleming (@ron_flem) is about to start a podcast. He wrote me a message asking for advice. I said "yes, if we can record it". So we did. Think of this as a "meta"-episode, commenting on its own creation as we make it. Like the movie Barton Fink. Or any episode of Animaniacs.

J.R. Havlan (@jrhavlan) is an eight-time Emmy Award winner and an 16-year writing vet for The Daily Show on Comedy Central. He also hosts The Writer's Bloc Podcast where he interviews the finest TV writers in the business. We talk about Jon Stewart, Bassem Youssef, and the high school guidance counselor who's off-hand remark put his life on track to success.

Jonathan Van Tulleken (J, to his friends) is a filmmaker. We have been friends for 25 years. He talks about his teacher at Columbia Film School, Eric Mendelsohn. We also discuss the merit of small talk, and the peerless joy of paintball.

Comedian @AnthonyDeVito_ is one of the Rad Dudes of the RadDudeCast. He stopped by, very early in the life of this podcast. What resulted was an insane conversation. It went everywhere, and was enormous fun. This was an early "sketch" of Special People, which due to my tecnhical incompetence didn't sound quite as good as later shows. If you're a new fan of this show, don't judge us ENTIRELY on this episode. But if you're a longtime fan, don't skip it: it's great.

Comedian Kyle Ayers (@kyleayers) talks about his high school English teacher Ms. Veitor. He went through something terrible one year. She pulled him out of it and changed his outlook forever. 

David Ebert (@horsedivorce) is a writer, actor, comic and TV star. He's a regular on both MTV2's Guy Code and their newest show, Joking Off. He grew up in a Christian cult in Western New York. One man made him hate it. Another man helped him understand what life could be like outside it.

Jo Firestone is one of the rising stars of New York comedy, with fingers in several pies of funny. We discuss friends with skin diseases, emotional boundaries, and ex-convicts. Miss nothing she does by following her obsessively (yet respectfully) at @kingfirestorm.

Bryson Turner is a comedian, about to release his second self-produced stand-up comedy special. He's at a crossroads. Let's join him there. You can also join him at brysonturner.com and thecomedyhajj.blogspot.com.

Sabrina Jalees is a Canadian comedy superstar, on her way to conquering the U.S. She's also an adorable nut, and someone I admire and take inspiration from. We talked about her wife Shauna. It's a great time. Follow Sabrina on Twitter @sabrinajalees and on ALL PLATFORMS.

Matt Ruby (@mattruby), founder of Vooza (@VoozaHQ), stops by to talk about staying level, respecting Tom Petty, and what being in a band can teach you about creative life.

Comedian and upstate New York wildman Casey James Salengo (@CaseyJSalengo) drops by to talk about his sister Nicole, his hatred of mornings, and why we all need a coach.

John Anderson is one of my oldest friends in comedy. He's a successful actor (his most famous role was probably as Tina Fey's fantasy boyfriend "Astronaut Mike Dexter" in 30 Rock. He has a story about a high school beauty pageant you really have to hear.

The Giantess of Twitter @bez (Ashley Bez) stops by. She discusses her best friends Emily, Haley and Christy Coffey. Ashley is a fantastic person and she should be in your life. If not ACTUALLY, then definitely DIGITALLY.

A discussion with comedian Jeff Simmermon about kangaroo shooting, how to almost die in the Grand Canyon, and why the word 'busy' sucks so much. Special People is a podcast about the most important people in our lives. With jokes. It's hosted by Tom Cowell.