Want funny? Justin Silver was doing some crowd work recently, and asked a male crowd member if he was single. Well, sort of. The guy actually was a widower, and a well-meaning lady (let’s call her Karen) got upset with Justin for bringing this out. But further probing revealed that the widower was … well, kind of a pervert. Welcome to Justin’s world.
Talk about your joke writing process. What is that like, and how challenging is it to come up with funny material?
Never challenging. To me, funny stuff comes up in conversations and then I take notes about them, and now I have to recreate this on stage. I don’t try to dig out concepts. It’s very often not pen to paper.
You’ve done a lot of TV, including Blue Bloods, Law & Order, The Sinner, and others. How do you prepare to do TV compared to standup?
Standup makes TV so much easier. There is nothing harder than going up in front of an audience; even though they are there to have fun, they are more critical. The TV camera wants to get the best out of you, and you can do it again. Comedy is a lot harder than drama.
You have a great presence on YouTube and all the socials. Why is this crucial for an aspiring comic?
Look at how viewership is down on TV compared to the devices in your hand. Fifty percent of your job is recreating what you do on stage on social media and YouTube. Those interactions have taken place over a 45-minute set, so you have to edit it down. It’s got to be more poppy, get to the point. The good part is you’re in control of the content.
What advice would you give to young comics looking for their big break?
Do something else. Try to make it to the NFL. Don’t wait for a big break. The most important thing is to put out stuff that you think is funny.
Can you tell us more about your nonprofit charity Funny for Fido?
I’ve been doing this charity thing for while called Funny for Fido, which brings some of the country’s top comedians together to raise money for animal rescue organizations. Seventy-five percent of a ticket purchased counts as a tax-deductible donation. If people want to participate, they can hop on the Funny for Fido website and learn more.
Justin has a robust presence online, including his YouTube channel, along with Instagram and all the other platforms that matter.
JUSTIN SILVER