In these troubling times, maybe it's time we hear an inspiring story of success! In the final episode of "Failing Forward", Director and star of "My Date With Drew" Brian Herzlinger joins Steve to discuss how his tenacity early on in his career lead him to a few failures, but mostly success. Brian was just about to give up on his dream of becoming a director after years of hardship, until he threw caution to the wind and made a hit film on a micro-budget of $1,100. Follow Steve's Youtube...

Why would anyone work hard on perfecting a craft, get extremely successful, then decide to completely shift gears into a brand-new career? Comedian (and former famous magician) Nicholas Anthony joins us to potentially answer that very question. Nicolas started off as a successful child magician, gave that up to pursue a career in stand-up comedy. After succeeding at that, Nicolas decided to switch paths again to a career as a professional screenwriter. Follow Steve's Youtube here! Follow...

Is it possible to turn the worst moments of your life into comedy? Comedian Michael Malone did just that in his latest special, "Laugh After Death." He talks with us about the many losses he suffered this past year and how it completely transformed his process, ultimately culminating in his newest comedy special. Check out Michael's podcast, "Advice From Strangers" here! Follow Steve's Youtube here! Follow Steve on Instagram here! For tour dates and more info, visit SteveHofstetter.com!...

How do you recover from failing on national television? Brett Druck is a comedian who retells his epic story of his stint on "America's Got Talent." He gives us the behind-the-scenes about how producers’ number one priority is not the talent, but drudging up drama and emotion from vulnerable contestants. Follow Steve's Youtube here! Follow Steve on Instagram here! For tour dates and more info, visit SteveHofstetter.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you deal with toxicity in the TV and stand-up world? Comedian Taylor Williamson joins us this week to talk about toxic encounters with people while doing comedy, even when providing a $10,000 scholarship to an artist in need, and why Googling yourself is never a good idea. Plus, Taylor sees a lucrative market in alt-right-style comedy, then spends the rest of the time proving to everyone that he's actually a good guy. Follow Steve's Youtube here! Follow Steve on Instagram here! For...

Where's the line between performing out of your comfort zone and performing well? Today's guest, Costaki Economopoulos AKA the biggest name in comedy, is a stand-up comedian and frequent contributor to the hit radio show The Bob & Tom Show. Costaki recalls the time he bombed on NBC's Last Comic Standing because Richard Belzer forced him to wear a suit and we discuss what it takes to finally discover what you're good at and how to utilize it on stage. Check out Costaki's podcast, Quick...

Is it possible to be a social activist AND a mother in today's intense political atmosphere? Today's guest, Simona Grace, proves that you can. Simona is the founder of Moms In Office, an organization founded to empower the political voice of all women by putting progressive moms in office. With her, we talk about raising kids in a politically charged climate, gender inequality in American government, and being California's 2020 Mom of the Year.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Is it crazy for a comic to own a comedy club? Today we talk with famous comic Dave Reinitz, owner and founder of Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank. In today's episode we talk about young comedians, what makes or breaks being a good club manager, and why most comedy clubs serve terrible food.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is it like to build a huge multimedia company from the ground up? Today we talk to John Shahidi, founder and CEO of Shots Studios. John talks about his journey, going from things like writing individual tweets on a celebrity’s twitter page to turning down offers from major network shows. Other topics include the life cycles of social media platforms, and what it's like to work with some of today's largest content creators.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So “That 70s Show” almost didn’t happen - because it showed teenagers (gasp) smoking. Today, we talk with comedian and That 70s Show co-creator Mark Brazill about the Golden Globes, the meaning of the word "woke," taking responsibility for your words, and why working with studio executives is like baking cookies with a four year-old.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's failure story is coming from somewhere a little different. Not from entertainment, not from comedy, but from the military. For the first time, Steve Hofstetter interviews a fan. First class Naval petty officer Matt Smith joins us today as we discuss joining the military, career focuses, the morality of recruitment practices, and what happens when you break the law while on base. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emmy Award winner Michael Price, current showrunner of F Is For Family and comedy writer for The Simpsons, joins us today on the show to talk about his failures. Together we discuss career journeys, social media flops, local New York television, and learning how to write good jokes.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let's head back to the 90s. What happens when your new show gets on air? How do you solve plot holes? What's it like working with Judd Apatow? This week we're joined by Gabe Sachs, writer/producer for the television classic Freaks and Geeks. We talk about those topics plus email etiquette, high school hang outs, and making the best of a terrible situation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What was your worst gig ever? What does your audience think when they see you in person for the first time? How do you deal with hecklers? This week, we discuss these questions plus liberal southerners, performing old versus new material, and the meaning of the word "entertainment" with author/playwright/comedian Dylan Brody. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happened to MTV? Did it really used to be a quality platform? We talk about MTV's past with "Daria" co-creator Susie Lewis. How did she get there? Where is she now? Plus, we talk about what success means, what failure means, and what both of those concepts are like when you're a creative in the industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is you ok? Not sure if she asked President Obama when she interviewed him but Glozell has a following of over 4 million on YouTube and has over a billion downloads. How did she become so downloadable? Who are the people that follow her? She is appealing to the family fun scene and tempted to run off to Vegas to start a matinee feature. Will she do it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Producer, promoter, and manager Jeru Tillman is an entrepreneur that doesn't seem to ever slow down. Jeru has developed great comedy events/shows - by building a network of people who support each other. Jeru shares how important it is to build up the people around you and to always 'bob and weave'. Stay in the game - you will figure it out. Jeru Tillman links: IG, Twitter, IMDb Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bobby Collins joins Steve Hofstetter to discuss what the word 'Business' means in Show Business. Bobby was working as a VP at Calvin Klein in NYC when he decided to take the leap into comedy as a full time job. Relying on his corporate business sense to run his career, Bobby gives great advice for people looking to make comedy their livelihood. The main point is that making connections both on and off the stage, paired with hard work, will lead you to success. Website for Bobby here. Learn...

Brian Kiley tells Steve Hofstetter of how the Conan O'Brian team went through the highs and lows of being the new Tonight Show and then all of a sudden taken off the air They chat about how and why the new spot on TBS is a much better fit. He also discusses what it takes to be a writer and the work ethic he learned from working with Conan for over 25 years is always driving him forward. Brian Kiley website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Things were going great for Joan Lynch at ESPN. She was instrumental in the 30 for 30 series and she had just signed a 3 year contract. She pitched ABC a show surrounding Sage Steele - the networked loved the pitch and Joan began getting all the pieces in place. She even moved her entire team to LA - only to be flown back to New York just to be let go. How did a phone call from Pete Carroll help pick her back up? Find out the entire insane story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

When Trevor Wallace saw his friends talking about White Claw, he came up with the idea for a video that went insanely viral. The video led to almost $100K in sales - which all blew up in Trevor's face in less than 24 hours. Hear the whole incredible rollercoaster of a story, and how Trevor was able to turn it into a positive. trevorwallacecomedy.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This one gets dark. Suicide expert Dr. Mark Goulston tells host Steve Hofstetter how he dropped out of medical school and still ended up finishing. Dr. Goulston is a psychiatrist and consultant to major organizations and his book, Just Listen, became the basis of a 2010 PBS special Stay Alive. Dealing with suicide does not sound like an uplifting profession, but Dr. Goulston has a way of connecting with people on their level. Now he encourages all of us to engage each other with a simple...

This Failing Forward episode highlights an emotionally painful story from Drew Lynch. He shares an experience with Steve Hofstetter that happened very early in his career, that he’s never been public with before. What’s worse than having to process an emotionally difficult moment? Doing so in a car full of strangers. Drew’s painful journey ends up providing some unintentional comedy as the two comedians, YouTube stars, and friends relive it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Danny Jolles takes the role of host and questions Steve Hofstetter on his own podcast topic. Steve tells a few humbling stories: the time he was a talking head on a VH1 show, the time he auditioned for Last Comic Standing, the time he lost three opportunities with ESPN, and one more doozy you have to listen to.Danny Jolles WebsiteDanny Jolles Twitter  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices