Jared Freid on Stand-Up Comedy

Jared Freid is a comedian, he’s a podcaster, he’s a writer, he’s a TV host, and perhaps he may be best known at this point for his Netflix comedy special “Jared Freid: 37 and Single.” I watched it over the holidays and loved it, I watched it with my family. I’ve been watching Jared really since he got started in comedy; we have a mutual friend who we reference quite a bit in today’s show, and he brought me to see Jared and he just has the humor that I love. We talk about Jared’s journey and how he developed his style and really learned the mechanics of stand-up comedy. So, he’s going to give you the behind the scenes look at what it takes to be a comedian and his approach and what he’s done to build his brand. We do talk about branding, marketing, media, and the future of media and what he’s done to try to build his platform; I think there’s a lot to learn there. He’s also performed on TV; he’s been on The Today Show and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, so certainly he’s been on some big stages and arenas around the country. Jared is authentic and he’s genuine (so there are going to be a lot of f-bombs in today’s conversation; if you have kids, this is your warning: maybe this isn’t the episode for them to listen to). Whatever you are as you listen to today’s conversation, I think you’re going to love Jared’s approach, I think his mindset is really interesting when he talks about how he sets his mind for preparation and for performance, so hopefully there is something to learn for all of us.

Jared had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include:

“I spent most of my days [back then] writing funny emails to friends” (10:30).

“I made my own performing arts school” (13:25).

“Really, what matters is the work” (14:40).

“Becoming a stand-up comedian, which is what I want, which is what really makes everything I do funnier than most, takes a lot of footwork” (15:25).

“My goal was to be funny for money” (17:35).

“You can literally do any show you want with podcasting” (18:25).

“Success [in stand-up comedy] is always did you kill or not kill?” (23:50).

“I like that I like what I’m talking about [in my set]” (27:05).

“You have to make fun of yourself… you have to be present” (36:45).

“I’ve had shows for 50 people that are the best of my life” (40:25).

“A comedy club is like a small boat that’s easier to steer, a big theater is like a cruise ship” (41:20).

“If I did a new minute a week, and 22 of the 52 are really good… I would’ve never gotten to 22 if I didn’t try for 52” (42:50).

“In comedy, you [now] have to do these extreme things to get people to pay attention to you” (56:15).

“My power is in how normal and relatable I am” (56:35).

“I need to be better at being more discerning on what I’m doing” (1:01:10).

“It’s easier for me to look at sports from a macro level living in Manhattan” (1:08:15).

“Stand-up is the most athletic art form” (1:15:05).

“[Stand-up comedy] is tennis. It’s you vs. the audience” (1:15:25).

“It’s hard to be able to move forward without credibility” (1:19:10).

Additionally, you can check out Jared’s website, where you can find all his tour dates, and podcast. You can also find all of Jared’s information on his Instagram, as well as following him on Twitter.

Thank you so much to Jared for coming on the podcast!

I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.

Thanks for listening.