Ultimately, an audience wants to laugh. That's who they like, the comedian who makes them laugh.

Comedians have varying levels of training. It can range from classically trained actors (like Robin Williams) to people who took comedy classes to folks who just started doing it. That's the beauty of comedy: it's close to a pure meritocracy.

The more you perform, the more adept you get at the nuances of navigating that communal conversation.

Comedians can articulate some important and profound ideas that address a lot of the hypocrisy we're inundated with (in the media).

In terms of my own work ethic, I've always been a determined person. When I'm focused on something, I try to see it through.

A crowd is the only way to know if something works. Telling a friend or two doesn't matter. A crowd is what tells you what works or doesn't, so I'd rather go in front of them cold and see.

'Teachers Lounge' is a web series I co-created with Hollis James. We intentionally left the apostrophe out to turn 'Lounge' into a verb. The show is about teachers lounging around, wasting time.