#42 | Jay Light

Jay Light is a comedian and television writer originally hailing from the fine city of Dallas. He has written for a long list of TV shows. You can see Jay perform all over the country, including regularly at The World-Famous Hollywood Improv. He also hosts WRONG! A Dark Comedy Game Show which you can see in a city near you! A lot was discussed in this episode. Normally when I go into producing these, I have a vague idea of where it could go. This conversation pivoted quickly into a passionate discussion was Jay Light’s argument to as why both comedians and industry would benefit from having a stand-up comedy union (a conversation I did not expect to have but boy am I glad we did!). We discuss how wages for features and headliners have remained the same literally since 1979 not adjusting for inflation one bit, how normalized it is for producers in LA to not pay comedians for ticketed shows with item minimums, the power of collective bargaining, the disappearing stand-up comedy middle class, a fairly recent and successful strike to get wages increased for club performers and emcees in New York City, and a lot more on the matter. I record these episodes on average a month before they are released, and let me tell you, they have shapped every discussion I've had with comedians going forward. Believe it or not, many of my peers have felt similar frustrations. That being said, Jay Light is smart, opinionated, fearless, and frankly, one of the most punk rock people I know in comedy. He is also an artist by every definition of the term and I've enjoyed watching him develop from when we first met. (which incidentally, I met him when he hosted a Potluck when he was a door guy at The World-Famous Comedy Store once-upon-a-time ago and we talk about that too!) We also talk about the power of taking risks industry are reluctant to take on creatives, the importance of giving back, the power of community, what community did for the Roast Battle, really why comics should always be writing and how so many have no idea how to write jokes yet, the difference between art and commerce in the social media era, and so much more! Follow Jay Light on the stuff http://www.instgram.com/dietjay http://www.threads.net/@dietjay http://www.twitter.com/dietjay http://www.tiktok.com/@dietjay Follow WRONG! A Dark Comedy Game Show and go see it in a city near you! March 15th at The Lyric Hyperion in Los Angeles. http://www.instgram.com/wronggameshow And c'mon man. Follow me while you're at it! http://www.instagram.com/ianirarousso http://www.threads.net/@ianirarousso http://www.tiktok.com/@ianirarousso http://www.twitter.com/ianirarousso http://www.facebook.com/ianirarousso Follow The Ian Ira Rousso Show Show on Instagram http://www.instagram.com/tiirspodcast http://www.threads.net/@tiirspodcast  Join The Ian Ira Rousso Show groups on Reddit and Discord https://www.reddit.com/r/theianiraroussoshow/ https://discord.gg/AujN47Vj And see me live! Upcoming dates and shirts: http://www.ianirarousso.com Debut comedy album Sorry Again out now! #TheIanIraRoussoShow #TIIRS #Wages #ComedyUnion #RoastBattle #ComedyPodcasts #ImDyingUpHere #StandUpComedy #TheIanIraRoussoShow #TIIRS