Piyali Syam is a stand-up comedian based in New York City.

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(00:00) Fordham Bound: Secret Acting Plan

(02:05) Small-Town Upstate to City Dreams

(04:12) Art Kid: Drawing, Flute, Choirs, Theater

(06:18) First Love Was Drawing (and Big Feelings)

(08:27) Majors & Minors: Philosophy Over Performance

(10:11) High-School Theater Highs (and Cringe)

(12:36) “Be Useful”: Sampling Pre-Med, IR, Env Sci

(14:58) Choosing Philosophy: Courses That Mattered

(17:20) Logic, Nietzsche & Existential Meaning

(20:02) Loving Animals: Toward Vegetarianism

(22:41) Brighter Green, Climate Math & Moderation

(24:55) Seafood, “Aspiring Vegan,” Eating Animals

(27:40) Signs Toward Comedy: The Bra Line

(30:33) Abeson’s Note, Industry Boxes & Brecht’s Spoonful

(33:18) First Shows, Gotham Grad, Self-Regenerating Scene

(36:12) Slumps, Solo Show, Storytelling > Jokes-Per-Minute

(40:05) Dark Comedy Projects, Grants & Women-Led TV Aims

(45:15) Redefining Success & “Just Potential” Finale

Pearl de la Motte is a violist at Juilliard in New York City.

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(00:00) Arrival Story & Juilliard Backstory

(01:40) Mom’s Method: Start at Two

(03:05) Family of 11; Music at Home

(04:30) Forced Practice → Hiding in Weeds

(06:05) Switch to Viola for Family Quartet

(07:20) Viola’s Role & Sound

(09:00) First Competition Win at 13

(10:35) Juilliard as Goal; Mentors and Push

(12:30) Practice Philosophy & Golden Gate Park Sessions

(14:45) Falling in Love with the Work

(17:10) Applications & Pre-Screening Details

(20:05) The 10-Minute Audition & Faith

(22:40) Acceptance Day & Covner Fellowship

(25:30) Career Map: Chamber, Teaching, Not Orchestra

(28:10) Baroque/Historic Performance Spark

(31:05) Growth in NYC: Skills & Social Confidence

(33:20) Performance Mindset & Social Media Ambivalence

(36:10) NYC Impressions & Success = Healing Through Music

Alysa Browne is a stand-up comedian based in New York City.

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(00:00) Childhood Dream of NYC

(01:48) Early Acting Ambitions & Stage Fright

(03:12) Typecast in Dramatic Roles

(05:26) Struggles Without a Support System

(07:42) Breaking Point & Rethinking Acting

(10:15) Discovering Design as a Creative Path

(12:58) Corporate Life at NBC & MSNBC

(15:37) Open Mics and a Return to Performing

(18:23) First Comedy Show at Fat Black Pussycat

(21:16) Building Momentum Through Shows

(24:04) Confidence, Anxiety, and Stage Presence

(26:31) Writing Process & Finding a Voice

(28:45) Comedy as Therapy & Self-Expression

(30:14) Favorite Comedians and Venues

(32:08) Defining Great Comedy & Personal Goals

(33:56) Advice for New Comics & Support Systems

Clayton Fletcher is a stand-up comedian based in New York City.

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(00:00) Broadway dreams to basement comedy

(02:04) Agent’s warning and saving up

(04:14) Godspell Judas pushes stand-up

(06:09) Class, Comedy Bible, Caroline’s debut

(08:37) Paying to play & craving creative control

(11:03) Open mics, peers, and redefining success

(13:21) “Amateur” ethos—doing it for love

(15:29) Vanished NYC rooms & the alt scene

(17:52) Discovering “home” in laughter

(20:18) Nerves vs excitement—chasing adrenaline

(22:22) Early influences: dad’s gigs, records, heroes

(25:06) First road break & the Denny’s edit note

(28:01) Rikers Island show & why network matters

(30:49) “Making it” is a moving goalpost

(33:12) Chasing funny vs chasing credits

(39:10) First headliner night in Scottsdale; “actually funny”

(43:04) Gatekeepers, social proof, and role fluidity

(46:26) Poker, sobriety, favorite clubs, and closing

Max Davidson is a magician and mentalist, based in New York City.

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(00:00) Choosing New York over Denver to pursue magic

(01:32) Grandma, The Wizard’s Chest, and the $6 trick that started it all

(03:58) First effect: sponge balls—and the early “this is possible” spark

(05:42) From hobby to “maybe a career” (pre-college to junior year)

(08:06) Lessons with Charlie, magic camp, and finding a supportive tribe

(10:55) Practice vs. performance: few shows then, learning by doing now

(13:12) Loving the mic: public speaking, surprise as a gift, and why it stuck

(15:48) Support at home, realistic self-assessment, grit, and self-awareness

(18:56) Influences: Nate Staniforth, Ossie Wind, plus the Penn & Teller axis

(22:04) Audience psychology: memory, story-shaping, trust, and “forced empathy”

(25:36) Skepticism & ethics: James Randi, “it’s not real”—and that’s why it’s interesting

(29:18) Pandemic Zoom reps: 100 shows, lifestyle test, deciding to go pro

(32:47) Building demand: email list, The Nudge partnership, and touring playbook

(36:21) Political-comms major, hating office life, taking the NYC leap

(40:02) Creating Stand-Up Magic: West Side start, The Gutter move, adding Tess & Jason

(51:02) NYC magician community: tight network, jams, collaboration, getting sharper

(55:03) Leaning into mentalism: memory stunts, names, “phone passwords,” methods & ethics

(59:12) The business & future: corporate rates, touring/venues, mediums vs. magic, defining success

Tim Martin is a stand-up comedian based in New York City.

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(00:00) Couch banter & “great couch” cold open

(01:05) UCB tour sparks NYC move (2004–06)

(03:25) College journalism → DC public-TV; Sikh community segment

(08:55) “That’s me” moment; post-9/11 heaviness

(11:35) Leaving DC & wiping jokes from work PC

(13:30) First NYC gigs: PA on The Ten + odd jobs

(18:55) UCB path: classes → auditions → team call & Wolfmother dance

(22:40) Two–three years to cast; nine-year weekend run & real-audience lessons

(28:10) Chekhov Ivanov gun misfire story

(31:00) Team turnover; pandemic shuts it all down

(34:00) 2020 lockdown walks; commercials rebound via improv-friendly director

(37:40) Pivot to improvised stand-up; Rory Scoville influence

(41:10) Starting over at open mics (Greenwich, Flop House)

(45:00) Getting better: chasing laughs, staying loose

(48:25) Instagram & output pressure: viral sketches vs sanity

(51:10) NYC improv & stand-up shout-outs

(54:05) Advice for newcomers: do it, find your people, be patient

(56:20) Closing gratitude & wrap-up

Michelle Chan Bennett is an actor and comedian based in New York City.

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(00:00) NYC-or-bust origin story

(02:11) Nonprofit/education plans; missing creativity

(04:36) Improv → indie team → sketch

(06:58) Layoff pushes full-time creative

(09:40) Forensics scholarship path

(12:07) What “forensics” is; event types

(14:52) Finding a “smart + stupid” voice

(18:05) Vulnerability and taking herself too seriously

(21:27) Intense program culture; “touch grass”

(24:55) Dreaming of speechwriting & oratory

(28:14) Disillusionment with politics; showbiz pull

(31:29) UCB journey & pandemic pivot to characters

(34:47) How UCB auditions work

(38:22) Money reality at UCB

(42:06) Why keep doing it: community & meaning

(49:03) Attention economy, goals & the “20K” talk

(52:06) Brand deals, freebies, rates and UGC

(56:18) Characters, archetypes & truth in comedy; sign-off

Yuko Kudo is an artist and brain aneurysm survivor based in New York City.

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(00:00) From Japan to New York

(03:10) Childhood in Aomori

(05:22) First Impressions of America

(08:40) Broadway Dreams and Disney Inspirations

(12:15) Navigating Visas, Agents, and Auditions

(16:45) Finding Community with Asian Artists

(19:52) Early Passions: Piano, Singing, Acting

(23:35) A Sudden Brain Aneurysm

(27:50) Emergency Surgery and Survival Odds

(31:12) First Memories After the Operation

(35:00) Grappling with Mortality and Perspective

(39:20) Discovering Painting as Therapy

(43:05) Healing, Art, and Letting Go of Perfectionism

(47:22) Shifting Priorities After Near-Death

(50:05) Spirituality, God, and the Afterlife

(53:12) Facing Resurgence and New Procedures

(55:10) Life After Recovery: Art, Sound, and Goals

(57:02) Advice for Survivors and Closing Reflections