Employee of the Month
We spend most of our time working, so what does it take to (mainly) love what you do? How do even the most gifted, talented, intelligent, ambitious, disciplined, imaginative, inventive, and lucky people develop their point of view, find meaning, serve a greater good, deal with work place politics, rejection, finances, boredom, red tape, logistics, and creative roadblocks? What are the perks or enjoyable about forging your own path? Catie Lazarus and her guests delve into beauty, banality and absurdity of work, jobs, and labor.
176
SETH GODIN on Employee of the Month
In 1943, psychologist Abraham Maslow revolutionized developmental psychology when he came up with the notion, Hierarchy of Needs. It was a simple theory, but not simplistic. Maslow broke down how humans must first fulfill basic physiological needs, lik...
19 min
177
DANNY BURSTEIN on Employee of the Month
When Martin Scorsese wanted to audition Danny Burstein for the roll of Lolly Steinman in Boardwalk Empire, rumor has it Scorsese sent Danny a Vine. Well, Danny was joking, and his humor, accessibility and range as an actor is palpable. He's a quin...
18 min
178
ANDREW RANNELS on Employee of the Month
These days UCB (Upright Citizens Brigade Theater) receives duly deserved praise for nurturing so many truly funny writers and performers, but the utterly hilarious Andrew Rannells honed his comedy chops in musical theater. His early turns in Hedwig, A...
22 min
179
CINDY CHUPACK on EMPLOYEE of the MONTH
If you want to know what it's really like to write for groundbreaking TV shows like Sex and the City and Modern Family, pen a memoir (or two), or just marry a hot stud, this interview is for you.
Few writers are as dexterous across mediums or as...
41 min
180
ESTHER PEREL on Employee of the Month
As soon as you hear therapist Esther Perel, you'll wish she was your shrink. My diagnosis? 1) Listen to our interview, as her humor, insight, is empathy is palpable. 2) Read her book Mating in Captivity which analyzes love, monogamy, and sex. 3) L...
15 min
181
SETH GODIN on Employee of the Month
In 1943, psychologist Abraham Maslow revolutionized developmental psychology when he came up with the notion, Hierarchy of Needs. It was a simple theory, but not simplistic. Maslow broke down how humans must first fulfill basic physiological needs, lik...
19 min
182
Nellie McKay on Employee of the Month
One of Nellie McKay's many gifts is that her subtle, smart writing is on par with her supple range as a singer and a musician. The result is that she can go high and low, be it in what she sings and how she does so. Just out of school, McKay quick...
18 min
183
DARYL ROTH, Tony award winning producer shares ...
After a stint in interior decorating, Daryl Roth decided to change her career and, in doing so, changed theater. Roth became a theater producer when she was 40 years young and quickly became known as a tour-de-force in the theater world.
What sets Rot...
13 min
184
JAD ABUMRAD breaks down how Radiolab is edited ...
A music composer, Jad Abumrad began freelancing in radio when film scoring wasn't scoring high on either the personal fulfillment or financial fronts. NY's flagship public radio station WNYC saw Jad's potential and enabled him to spend a...
17 min
185
LEWIS BLACK describes life on the road, groupie...
Only a playwright would think stand up is a stable career choice. In Lewis Black's case stand up is what pays the bills. Most folks recognize Lewis from The Daily Show's Back in Black segments. When The Daily Show began in 1996, they hired Le...
31 min
186
HOMER STEINWEISS, drummer for Sharon Jones and ...
The most famous drummers are known, at least to lay people, for their personas and off stage antics as much as their instrumentation, take Keith Moon, John Bonham or Animal (The Muppet). Whereas drummer Homer Steinweiss is best known for his technical ...
31 min
187
PIPER KERMAN, author of Orange is the New Black...
Piper Kerman's memoir Orange is the New Black inspired the Netflix series of the same name. Her best selling book chronicles her time doing time, and sheds light how the prison system fails to provide rehabilitation to inmates who can and want to ...
11 min
188
JON RONSON on EMPLOYEE of the MONTH
In this episode, JON RONSON, author of The Psychopath Test, Frankie, and Men Who Stare at Goats, talks about the corrosive effects of diagnosing strangers. We spoke about how reality TV shows, filmmakers and journalists can often oversimplify their sub...
10 min
189
PUNK SINGER KATHLEEN HANNA on EMPLOYEE of the M...
KATHLEEN HANNA is a bad ass. As one of the very first women in the punk scene, Hanna led the way and inspired musicians, from Carrie Brownstein to Kurt Cobain. Proudly a feminist, Hanna quickly won a loyal fan base starting when she was the lead singer...
13 min
190
The Daily Show's JR Havlan on Employee of the M...
Emmy winning writer for The Daily Show and host of the podcast The Writer's Bloc, JR HAVLAN reveals what it really takes to make a career as a comedy writer. You'll hear the real story of how The Daily Show switched hands from Kilborn to Stew...
47 min
191
Kathleen Hanna, Piper Kerman, Jon Ronson & Mari...
MEMO RE: Employee of the Month
To Whom It May Concern:
Employee of the Month is a talk show, where I ask people about their work. It's where we spend the majority of our time, so why not hear from folks who love what they do? I'm not sayin...
53 min
192
BRAIN PICKINGS' MARIA POPOVA on Employee of the...
If you ever want a liberal arts education or wish you could go back to school, BrainPickings provides everything you need, without student loans.
I sat down with Maria Popova, who is the creator (and Editor-in-Chief) of BrainPickings.org, and has als...
45 min
193
The Daily Show Head Writer Elliott Kalan on EOTM
ELLIOTT KALAN is the Head Writer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central and recipient of multiple Emmy Awards. We spoke right before he started as Head Writer and, moreover, became a dad for the first time. He also co-hosts the podcast Th...
68 min
194
MEMO to FANS & FRIENDS
TWO GREAT LIVE TAPINGS OVER THE HOLIDAYS! Start 2014 off right or correct!
Employee of the Month is making its DEBUT at the phenomenal Joe’s Pub!
7 pm, Wednesday, January 8th, 2014
@ Joe’s Pub
425 Lafayette Street, NY, NY 10003
www.joespub.com
Catie...
2 min
195
ANTHONY DE ROSA on Employee of the Month
Anthony De Rosa, aka Tumblr's King, aka Twitter's Stallion, helped transform how we consume news. He broke in by writing his own stories and deftly covering news stories on his Tumblr Blog, SoupSoup, and Twitter, @antderosa. His rapid coverag...
41 min
196
DIANE BIRCH on EMPLOYEE of the MONTH
As the music industry struggles to find its footing, singer/songwriter Diane Birch gracefully manages to music she can feel proud of and earn a living. Her debut album BIBLE BELT led to appearances on every major late night comedy show, from Jimmy Kimm...
25 min
197
AMY SHERMAN-PALLADINO on Employee of the Month
TV Creator AMY SHERMAN-PALLADINO transformed television’s images of girls by creating “imperfectly perfect” female characters in her beloved TV series GILMORE GIRLS. In depicting independent, flawed, funny women, who weren't self-hating, Sherman-P...
18 min
198
CHRIS GETHARD on EMPLOYEE of the MONTH
CHRIS GETHARD is such a delight that it's hard to simply describe him by his job title, comedian. Gethard does improv, stand up, acts, teaches at UCB, authored a memoir A BAD IDEA I'm ABOUT TO DO, which IFC optioned, and hosts the critically ...
18 min
199
STEPHEN MOYER on EMPLOYEE of the MONTH
With the exception of Stephen Moyer, Alan Ball never let another actor direct an episode of TRUE BLOOD, his critically acclaimed series nearing its seventh (and last) season on HBO.
Once you hear Stephen Moyer in our interview, you'll know why t...
17 min
200
ANNA HOLMES on EMPLOYEE of the MONTH
If you only check Jezebel once a day, you are disciplined. Writer ANNA HOLMES created the addictive website, which covers the cultural zeitgeist and considers females multi-dimensional human beings. Jezebel stood out from its get go because it never co...
42 min