As part of We Own The Laughs.com’s Comedian of the Day, have a few laughs and get to know comedian Sam Skolnik. The Petaluma, CA native shares some of his favorite moments in stand-up comedy and lets us know how he always owns the laughs.
Name: Sam Skolnik
Hometown: Petaluma/Los Angeles, CA
Instagram/Twitter/Facebook/Snapchat/Tik-Tok: @middle_child_sam
Years in Comedy: 7
Haven’t we seen you somewhere before: Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, the movie Freaky Tales (coming soon), MTV, TruTV & in that one Hearing Aid commercial
Comedic Influences: Bo Burnham, John Mulaney, Jerrod Carmichel, Pete Holmes, Jo Koy, Kevin Hart, Jim Gaffigan, Nick Kroll, & Mike Birbiglia
Favorite Comedy Album: Jim Gaffigan “Beyond the Pale”
Favorite Comedy Special: Bo Burnham “what.”
Favorite Comedy Movie: The Other Guys
Favorite Comedy TV Show: The Office
Favorite Comedic Character: Michael Scott
Favorite City to Perform In: The Bay Area
Favorite Topics to Joke About: How lame I am
Favorite Type of Audience for a Comedy Show: I love a super diverse audience–all ages and types!
Favorite Comedy Club: Scoopty Boopty’s
How did you discover your passion for comedy:
My first ever interaction with stand-up comedy was through a burned CD of Jim Gaffigan’s Beyond the Pale (sorry Jim). But mom likes to tell a story about the time I got grounded for stealing beer from my grandpa’s refrigerator with some friends. She said she made me come straight home after school and claimed that I spent the whole week at the kitchen counter making her laugh. She states that was some of the most fun she had with me, and that was when she knew I was gonna be a comedian.
What do you remember most about your first time performing stand-up comedy:
My first time doing stand-up was at The Westside Comedy Theater. I had an awful 5 minute (allegedly) routine about the shape of an uncircumsized penis (classic).
How would you describe your comedic style:
My comedic style is pretty vulnerable and conversational. It’s very calm with spikes of energy and opportunity for interaction with the audience. I also have some comedic songs I perform in longer sets and I WILL NOT BE STOPPED NO MATTER HOW MANY COMICS THINK ITS LAME.
Describe your process for comedic writing:
I do a lot of my writing on stage. I have a core idea with a turn or punchline thought out and then don’t worry about how I’m gonna get to it. The more I perform the bit the tighter and tighter it gets until I have an amazing piece. A lot of times my best bits come from nowhere when I’m improvising on stage.
Describe the comedy scene in your area:
What can I say, it’s LA babyyy.
How do you judge success in the world of comedy:
Amount of money.
KIDDING! Success to me is a constant progression of improvement and fulfillment. If you are consistantly finding new ways to be creatively satiated while progressing in your craft, then WHAT ELSE DO YOU NEED?? (beside money)
Who are some of your comedic peers that you enjoy watching perform or inspire you personally and professionally:
Max Castillo, Macey Isaacs, Scotty Cav, Ray Lau, the whole slice crew (iykyk)
What’s been your most memorable moment in comedy:
One of my most memorable moments actually has to do with my sketch comedy group: THIS or THAT. We have a show that consists of the audience choosing between 2 sketches at a time and whichever one they don’t choose, they never get to see. We built in some pretty intricuit call backs and self-referential moments. When the first ever audience experienced one of our major callbacks everyone absolutely lost their minds. I’m not joking, I had to pause the sketch for 30 seconds to make sure everyone calmed down so we could continue.
Side note, you can catch THIS or THAT at the Hollywood Fringe Fest June 2023!
What have you learned most from your failures in comedy:
Each show is not the end-all-be-whatever. Every show is an opportunity to learn from what works and what doesn’t work. That’s it.
How do people react toward you when they realize that you can make people laugh:
All my parents friends like to say “Oh man, I could never do what you do.”
Describe building a career in stand-up comedy:
Longer than you hope.
If you could change one thing in the world of comedy, what would it be:
I honestly don’t spend too much time worrying about what I would change at this point in my journey. I’m mostly focused on improving and still trying to edge my way in.
Best advice you’ve ever received from a comedian:
Pete Holmes said to me, personally (via listening to his podcast) that stand up is about communicating your ideas and not reciting your jokes. This changed my perspective on writing and performing and made me try to make my material more organic.
If you were releasing a comedy special this week, what would it be called:
“I’m Just A Little Boy” I’m actually currently filming this alternative-style special! It’s gonna be what I call “the filmmaker’s version of a comedy special.”
Funniest encounter you’ve ever had with a celebrity:
I once rap battled Nick Cannon on Wild’n Out Live, a short lived competition style interstitial where rappers and comedians compete for a spot on the show. I did well–then Nick demolished me by inferring he’d made love with my mom.
Weirdest place you’ve ever performed any form of comedy:
Zoom.
A Sam Skolnik Fun Fact:
The reason I have what I call “short kid energy” is because I was 5 foot tall when I went into high school.
Where would you like your laughs to take you:
I’m an actor, comedian and filmmaker. So I’ll probably be a movie star most likely.
What would you tell a potential comedian if they ask you how they can own the laughs:
I refer back to my previous answer: Communicate with the audience, don’t recite from a teleprompter in your head.
What are your thoughts on the future of comedy:
I’m stoked for the future TBQMFH (to be quite mother-fuckin’ honest) I think the world of live comedy is open for the taking. As comics, we can make our own tours, build our own audience, and be successful without help from the industry at this point and that is pretty tight. (not that I wouldn’t enjoy the validation from the industry because I would).
If you could write one episode for one classic TV sitcom, which show would it be and give a brief detailed sentence on the episode:
I’d write a crossover episode where the FRIENDS crew and the How I Met Your Mother crew meet each other and want to hang out, but they can’t decide where to go between the Central Perk and the HIMYM bar, so they end up at the SEINFELD diner where all three casts discuss how lucky they were to find such spacious apartments in New York City.
If you could choose one comedy club and three comedians to perform with on your perfect comedy show, how would it go:
It would be me, Mike Birbiglia, Marc Maron, & Jerrod Carmichael, and by the end of the show, everyone would be extremely emotionally fatigued from listening to intensely personal and meaningful material.
What’s next for you:
I’ve got that aforementioned comedy special I’m working on; I’ve got THIS or THAT performing at Hollywood Fringe Festival, 2 pilots I’m taking around town and five more fucking weddings to go to this year.
Why should a person always laugh at life:
If you look around and realize that everything you see–material or societal–has been made up by somebody that has to shit every morning just like you…that’s kinda silly.
Follow Sam Skolnik’s comedic journey on these social media websites:
Instagram/Twitter/Facebook/Snapchat/Tik-Tok: Sam Skolnik
Youtube: Sam Skolnik
Personal Website: Sam Skolnik
