The Afterlaugh w/ Bill Dawes

RE-RELEASE. Before comic and friend and Laugh Factory stalwart David A. Arnold became a juggernaut comedy sensation with his brilliant Netflix special "IT AIN'T FOR THE WEEK," and his viral videos, David was a journeyman comic and creator who wrote, produced, created, and acted in dozens of films and television shows, including his first big break as a producer and writer on 'Fuller House." David...

Jimmy Shin (Amazon special  "Wok of Shame") comes by the yard to talk about the reasons behind the obsessive drive that has made him one of the most prolific bookers and comedy show producers in Hollywood. Reasons that start with the pressure from being the only son of Korean immigrant parents desperate to give Jimmy a chance for success in America, which simultaneously propelled him into law...

Rick D'Elia comes by Bill's hotel to introduce himself so the two comics can get to know each other before a weekend of shows at the Reno Laugh Factory. Rick talks openly about his shift from being a lifelong Democrat to aligning more with the GOP in recent years. What follows is a light and fun conversation about the state of standup comedy, the rise of Youtube and Tiktok stars, and why so many c...

After a quick tour with Bill around Florida, new comic and friend Mario Adrion talks about his wild and unlikely journey from the LITERAL "Black Forest" of Brothers Grimm and childhood nightmares to the runways of Milan, fashion weeks in New York, and comedy stages of Hollywood. They discuss lighter fare about the weird aggressiveness of the German accent, provincial life, finding your voice as a...

Rebecca Trent is the owner and founder of the world famous comedy club, The Creek and the Cave, which began in Queens, New York, and migrated to Texas during the pandemic. After many failed attempts, Bill finally gets to sit down with Rebecca in her home in Austin, Texas, to discuss the quick rise of "The Creek" in the New York comedy scene, and why she ultimately made the tough decision to move t...

After a long hiatus, Tommy comes by the yard to share his mid-life crisis and discuss his need to change his life and travel the world. Bill talks about how traveling isn't all it's cracked up to be and how he got jumped by Moroccans in Madrid during a commercial shoot. Also, for the first time, Bill talks about his jiu jitsu training partner, Anthony Bourdain, and the weird circumstances surround...

AFTER A LONG HIATUS DUE TO A LOST COMPUTER, BILL IS BACK! Mona Shaikh (Minority Reportz, Young Turks, Sirus) is a female Pakastani comic currently making a name for herself as a comedian, host, actor, and producer in LA. Mona comes by Bill's yard after the two of them performed with comedy icon Jo Koy at the Laugh Factory and proceeds to tell Bill her amazing and harrowing story growing up with a...

Comedian Joe White has a story unlike any other. A childhood and upbringing so harrowing that his success in the Australian comedy scene is a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit but also a story of big and small miracles and the power of faith. Growing up on the streets of Sudan with a single mother and five siblings, Joe endured unspeakable hardships before he was able to discover his...

Mateen Stewart is an actor and standup comic who is recently blowing up all around Hollywood. His interesting upbringing is a large part of his unique point of view that is resonating with audiences today. He talks his humble beginnings of desk jobs and working at theme parks to becoming a force in the LA comedy scene. Get to know Mateen and ENJOY!

Former casting director and esteemed audition coach Sam Stiglitz comes by the yard to talk about how she got into being considered one of the top audition coaches in the biz, being featured on the short list of some of the biggest talent agencies in Hollywood. Sam brings an unique point of view and a true love of the craft and acting into her work. Her work covers everyone from movie stars to infl...

After a long hiatus, Tommy Wakefield comes by the yard to discuss his NEW agenda: to learn skills that will serve him the rest of his life. Bill tells Tommy the 4 skills every man needs that he can use for the rest of his life, as well as the skills and hobbies that you should put down if you want to be a badass who can travel the world with a backpack and only a few dollars. What are these skills...

Kim Director is an incredibly accomplished actress who Bill has known for almost 20 years. Her story is a crazy one, full of high highs and low lows. Through it all, Kim has managed to comport herself with dignity and grace while maintaining an amazing career, working with the likes of Spike Lee, Ed Burns, David Simon, Joe Berlinger, and M. Night Shyamalan. If you're interested in what it takes to...

Matt Taylor is a comic, actor and writer.  Tonight, he comes by the yard with his girlfriend to hang out and talk about his journey from classically trained trumpeter on a path to the Philharmonic to moving to LA and starting all over in the world of standup comedy. Matt has a unique and brilliant mind with hilarious takes on just about everything going on in the world. If you're in the mood...

Jiaoying Summers comes by the yard after a weekend featuring for Bill to talk about her rise in comedy, one of the more unlikely rags to riches stories you will hear in the history of comedy. Her life started off as her almost being left in a dumpster as a victim of China's ONE CHILD POLICY. But her mom, a strong independent woman like Jiaoying, changed her mind and decided to keep her, DESPITE th...

Trevor Keveloh comes by the Laugh Factory yard to discuss comedy and some serious subjects, like his fathers interaction with alien technology and MEN IN BLACK that he was silent about until his 80th birthday, shortly before it's passing. Trevor also talks about the near death experience being stabbed in a parking lot of a Denny's and how it refocused his life and his comedy. This is a fun one! EN...

Tommy comes by the yard to catch up with Bill after a long hiatus and they discuss how they were both fired from mediocre jobs this past month. Bill throws caution to the wind and goes on a heated rant about a recent situation where he experienced the very WORST of the business that is show. If you're a fan of Bill and Tommy riffing on injustice and bulls**t, this is a MUST LISTEN - but hurry and...

While in Los Angeles for pitch meetings, Chris Ferman sits down in the yard with Bill to discuss his new animated series about Bonobo chimps working in an office. Chris discusses the idea for the show and also talks about how he found Bill online and how terrible Bill is at all things social media and business-related. Bill responds by talking about how horny Bonobo chimps are AND FINALLY learns t...

Jack Jr. comes back to the podcast to catch up with Bill on his past year - which includes jobs on Carnival Cruises and a baby on the way. Bill and Jack discuss their experience doing mushrooms together in Vegas, something they joked about doing in their first interview together. They also make a commitment to lick the Sonoran Desert Toad together, maybe during an upcoming trip to an Arizona comed...

Kyra Groves is a biracial actress and writer who has appeared in several national television commercials, including some for the Super Bowl. More importantly (for this podcast), she was Bill's first girlfriend when they were at T.C. Williams High School (from "Remember the Titans") in Virginia. As America continues to have a racial reckoning, Bill and Kyra talk about how unusual it was to be in an...

Saurabh Gupta is temporarily living in Bill's studio while he takes an acting class and explores the possibility of being a young actor in Los Angeles. Bill departs his knowledge of acting classes, acting teachers, and the business, as well as his strong opinion about all three. A part-time audition coach, Bill helps Saurabh work through a scene. FOR THE FIRST TIME, we get to see Bill use his MFA...

Jamie Kilstein has led and intense and fascinating life that could cover several podcasts. An incredibly smart, driven, and talented comic-musician-writer, Jamie has had his run-ins with fame the ensuing woke mobs, so he's able to offer his unique perspective on woke mobs and the controversy with Joe Rogan. Jamie is back going strong as ever as a standup comic, with a renewed passion for his craft...

Tommy comes by the yard to get into with Bill about what the f$%k is going on with the new Metaverse, what the actual difference is between virtual reality and augmented reality, and what the future of social media is going to look like. As always with Tommy, things get alternately dark and silly. ENJOY!

Becca Ward crashes at Bill's Los Angeles apartment and they catch up his yard, where they talk about their respective upbringings in West Virginia (Becca's home state) and Virginia. Becca's childhood is wild and woolly, something right out of the "Wonderful Whites of West Virginia" or "Hillbilly Elegy." Without a solid and sober parental unit, Becca relied on a positive attitude, a vivid imaginati...

Friend of the show and fellow comic Samson Crouppen comes by the yard to talk about his unprecedented move in the comedy space of minting his comedy special as an NFT, and the blowback from the comedy community that followed upon it's release. However, Samson has already made his money back within 2 weeks and is looking to produce other NFT specials, including Bills. Listen in on a very interestin...

Andrea Kelly is a comic, actor, producer, manager, and one of Bill's oldest friends in Los Angeles. By that, we mean he's known her for almost 15 years, about the same amount of time he's been doing comedy. Andrea first met Bill when she was working as Jamie Masada's assistant, then as a manager for Laugh Factory Management, which has since been dissolved. After getting fired for making unintentio...