If you’re working on building a network, this episode is for you. I interviewed Toronto comedian and podcaster Matt Ardill about his journey of podcasting, and how it helped him to go from watching comedy, to rubbing elbows with the likes of Patton Oswalt and Weird Al’s PR team, to performing it.
Matt’s podcast “Comedy Album Book Club” invites comedians to talk about the comedy album that most influenced their careers, book club style. Everyone watches the same comedy special, and then they chat about it!
The Ultimate Creative · Episode 11 – Building A Network? Start A Podcast.
But where to find guests?
Matt and Jason would attend comedy festivals, clubs, you name it – and quickly started booking bigger and bigger names. And then one day, they booked Patton Oswald! Kind of a huge deal amiright? Meanwhile, Matt’s rolodex was getting bigger and bigger with more names of comedians than you can fit into… a rolodex! So he got a smartphone like everyone else.
Alright maybe I made that last part up, but he did interview Patton Oswalt and he does know a LOT of comedians.
It wasn’t long before Matt started feeling the itch to try comedy himself. Being around so many funny people gave Matt the boost he needed to try his hand at COMEDY SCHOOOOOOL! Which is where I met him!
Taking improv classes, Matt started to feel a different sense of community building, one that supported his ambition to get up on stage with a microphone and tell jokes – one that is very scary to do and something I myself have not yet even attempted. After finishing the improv program he switched into stand up, and started crushing it immediately.
Since he knew the ropes of the industry, finding opportunities to get on stage was a cinch, and because he knew what to expect when he got up there, it was much easier to finally achieve his goal of being a stand up comedian.
Producing Podcasts and Comedy Shows
Now you can find Matt producing the podcasts of other comedians around the city (like Love is Everywhere, a podcast by comedian Tracy Hamilton), AND producing comedy shows via zoom, drawing from his huge network of comedian friends with Comedians in Apartments Drinking Water!
Links mentioned in this episode:
Comedy Album Book Club: https://comedyalbumbookclub.podbean.com/
Love Is Everywhere: https://www.loveiseverywherepodcast.com/
Interview With Patton Oswalt: https://comedyalbumbookclub.podbean.com/e/comedy-album-book-club-vol-7-supplemental-our-interview-with-patton-oswalt/
