There It Is Podcast

We were joined by writer, climate activist, and creative director, Casey Rand! Casey has done a ton and she talks about it all with Jason in this expansive chat! Casey discusses growing up in Montreal, doing odd jobs (including trying to get a musician on iTunes), then discovering advertising creativity and moving to New York. She also talks about finding improv and sketch at Magnet and how she started writing for Reductress, McSweeney’s, and The New Yorker. She shares her side of the story on how she encouraged Howard Finkelstein (friend of the podcast) to pursue comedy via an email prank that reached comedy Jon Glaser. She also talks about co-writing "People Who Deserve It" and how it came to be from a blog, cofounding the climate nonprofit Potential Energy Coalition, writing a pilot that won a Black List fellowship, freelancing with Gooder (which she founded), and making entertaining messaging to counter disinformation. It's a great discussion!

www.caseyrand.com

Instagram: @CaseyRand @ThereItIsPod, @JasonFarrPics 
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We talk to NYC-based comedian, writer, and performer, Matt Stephens! Matt talks about how he started doing comedy in Pennsylvania through improv at the Philly Improv Theater, bussing to New York for UCB classes, and later beginning stand-up after moving to New York. Matt discusses writing constantly, learning to create his own work, and developing his character-based work. He talks how his joke structure and how it's utilized in his play Brody Went Missing. Jason and Matt also talk about Matt’s Instagram choose-your-own-adventure series The Choice, made with Snapchat filters, polls, and self-performed characters. It's a fun and informative chat about the process of growing as an artist and creating comedy.

Instagram: @MattDaKat9, @BrodyWentMissing, @ThereItIsPod, @JasonFarrPics 
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Facebook: @ThereItIsPod 

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The “Of the Show” gang joins Jason to talk all that POP about the Oscars and the Scrubs revival! Jason, Rob, Trey, and Justina react to the major Oscar wins including Michael B. Jordan, celebrate Ryan Coogler’s win, debate Paul Thomas Anderson’s win for One Battle After Another, and compare it to Sinners while critiquing elements like sexualization and story choices. They praise Conan O’Brien’s hosting, discuss how powerful the In Memoriam segment was including the emotional Rob Reiner tribute that featured many luminaries of his films, took a deep dive into their love of film, and Justina shares a dream about politician James Talarico and SNL's Ashley Padilla that you have to hear to believe.

Instagram: @ThereItIsPod, @JasonFarrPics 
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Facebook: @ThereItIsPod 

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We had a great chat with actor, comedian, and writer, Erica Diederich! Jason talks with NYC-based actor and comedian Erica Diederich about their work, including being a Tina Fey in a Booking.com commercial. Erica shares their path from childhood theater near Syracuse to a BFA in theater performance at Niagara University, where audience reactions helped them discover their comedic voice. They discuss UCB training, the benefits of improv for confidence and “failing well,” and how the pandemic pushed them toward characters and sketch, including performing on the Boogiemanja, Fever Dream. Erica emphasizes taking action in an acting career, lessons learned on large sets, and how they develops characters by grounding absurdity in truthful human feelings.

The Indecision Zone: theratnyc.com/event-details/the-indecision-zone-a-comedic-anthology-series

Instagram: @EricaMirandaa, @ThereItIsPod, @JasonFarrPics 
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Facebook: @ThereItIsPod 

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We got the chance to chat with NYC-based comedian, Rachel Niswander! Jason talks with Rachel about getting into comedy at the University of Maryland, performing sketch (Boogie Manja, Maude Night) and stand-up after moving to New York, and creating her late-night-style talk show, “See You Later.” They also dive into their shared love of Saturday Night Live (including her attending multiple tapings) and Conan O’Brien...and how she got to meet him! She also breaks down her digital bits predicting award show and SNL host monologues and promos, which caught the attention of Nikki Glaser. It’s a fun, nerdy chat!

Instagram: @Rachel_n24, @seeyoulatershow, @ThereItIsPod, @JasonFarrPics 
TikTok: @RachelNis, @JasonFarrToks
Threads: @ThereItIsPod, @JasonFarrPics
Facebook: @ThereItIsPod 

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