What do you get when you cross a senior Intel engineer with a comedy stage? You get Dan Nainan—our guest this week on Fry Your Chickens. Dan shares the wild leap he made from tech to touring comic, and the surprising role Toastmasters played in the transition. We talk about what it takes to open for Russell Peters and Robert Schimmel, how Dan turned fear into laughter, and yes—there’s even a detour into cat territory.

From high-stakes presentations with Andy Grove to sold-out shows around the world, Dan’s story is all about frying your chickens and chasing the mic. If you've ever wondered how to pivot boldly, or just want to laugh at the unexpected, this one's for you.

NOTE: This is the audio podcast. The video podcast version on YouTube also has Dan's cat (that plays fetch!)

Highlights:

1:42 – the transition from Intel to comedy

9:53  – How did you come to the idea of being a 100% clean comedian?

13:05 – Half Japanese / Half Indian = Half Asian?

15:30 – Performing for Barack Obama

21:13 – Uses for AI – some appropriate, some not

23:15 – Would you rather fight one horse sized chicken or 100chicken sized horses?

25:10 – Three random questions from ChatGPT

31:28 – Dan’s upcoming projects

32:59 – Dan’s advice for frying your chickens

Links:

https://www.instagram.com/comediandan/

https://www.facebook.com/comediandan

https://www.youtube.com/c/dannainan

https://www.tiktok.com/discover/dan-nainan-comedian

Dan's talent agency:

https://www.mwatalent.com/Twin City:

https://lnkfi.re/twincity