Failing Forward with Steve Hofstetter

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.

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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.

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For tour dates and more info, visit SteveHofstetter.com!

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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!

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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.

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For tour dates and more info, visit SteveHofstetter.com!

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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.

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For tour dates and more info, visit SteveHofstetter.com!

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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 Snaps!

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For tour dates and more info, visit SteveHofstetter.com!

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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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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