Guest · 33:52
So I just loved it. So I started doing it. And then when this press conference happened where he's talking about injecting Lysol into your bloodstream, I just, you know, I couldn't resist. It was just like comedy gold. It was like the perfect length, it was the perfect ridiculousness. So, I just put it together and I think one of the things that people really liked is that I did it within an hour of the press conference and so you were... Some people actually wrote and to said that they saw my version of it before they saw the press conference and so that's how they were introduced to To Howard Davis. Shane's. They saw the So, parody I kinda like that I beat Trump to the punch there a little bit too with his own words. So, yeah, I just I just put it out there really quickly and, yeah, people really liked it.
Scott Galloway · 34:37
Can you talk a little bit about your transition out of the corporate world into comedy and what it, you know, a, what inspired you to take what is a pretty courageous leap of faith? One of my my favorite comedian in the world has a similar backstory to yours, Michelle Wolf. She worked in, I think Morgan was at Bear Stearns and then jumped to comedy. I, what, tell us a little bit about what was going through your head and and the leap to comedy which is a notoriously terrible paying industry versus Google, which is a notoriously fantastic paying industry.
Guest · 35:05
Yeah, everybody thinks you're crazy because if you're not happy at Google, there has to be something wrong with you is basically what everybody says. I've been trying to do entertainment since forever. I actually went broke and ended up at Google. Google was my plan B, which was the original conversation I had with Kara. And I wrote 10 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings, which was just a blog post based on the stupid things that people were doing in meetings in the corporate world and that went viral and led to a book deal. So it was kind of like I had a bit of a launching pad before I
Scott Galloway · 35:42
What was your book? A
Guest · 35:44
100 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings.
Scott Galloway · 35:46
Yeah. Oh, there you go. Excuse me.
Guest · 35:47
Yeah. You probably already know all of the tricks.
Speaker · 35:50
I have two copies, I should know.
Scott Galloway · 35:54
In a Now I have 200 tricks to appear smart.
Kara Swisher · 35:57
Right. So what... Oh god. Scott, please don't go to comedy.
Scott Galloway · 36:00
There's two comedians
Kara Swisher · 36:01
No. Coming There is not. There is one and she's very funny. Wait.
Guest · 36:04
So Does Scott does Scott have a reputation for not knowing who the guests are? I heard that. Yes.
Scott Galloway · 36:08
That's true. Yes. 100%.
Kara Swisher · 36:10
100%. But listen.
Scott Galloway · 36:11
You I'm showing up drunk.
Kara Swisher · 36:12
What what is... I wanna know what's different do... Doing this now because you really got... They went, like, crazy. It went everywhere, this Trump thing. And that's... There's and been a couple bits like this. Alexis Gay is doing... There's a bunch of people who are starting to really take advantage of the lockdown and doing comedy entertainment now versus before. How is that different from your perspective, being a creator?
Guest · 36:35
Well, it's kind of like you don't have a choice. And if you want to make comedy, you're going to find a way to make comedy. And so, if you're stuck in your living room, you're just going to make something with what you have. And I think the constraint has actually been pretty cool because people don't expect high production value. Know, they expect you to be inside. In fact, if you shoot something outside, people shame you. And they're like, why are you outside without a mask? So I think that that has made people like really creative in terms of, Well, you know, have this idea for the Sex and the City sketch and, you know, normally I try to cast it and get costumes and do all this stuff, but actually, I'm gonna play every single one of the Sex and the City girls, I'm just gonna shoot it in my kitchen. One of the comedian did that and it went viral too. So I think people are just like getting like super creative with it and just lowering their expectations in terms of the production quality. You're not going out to clubs, and so you're trying to, like, reach your audience in different ways. People are doing Instagram live, and they're trying to put comedy on Zoom, which is just so awkward because it's kinda like for me
Kara Swisher · 37:40
That's bad.
Guest · 37:40
For me, it's like the corporate world, like, butting heads with the comedy world. Like I'm in this format that's like, normally I'd be talking about, you know, trying to scale something and like people are, trying to do stand up comedy. And I, for me, it feels very awkward, But, you know, I guess it's just like comedy finds a way somehow.
Kara Swisher · 38:00
Do you do it on Zoom? I've seen a couple of these and where people are doing laugh tracks like Saturday Night Live and others. It's really awkward when that happens, when they have people laughing on Zoom for Weekend Update, for example. Although Kate McKinnon's whole cat thing was wonderful. Like, she just had her and the cat. It was great.
Guest · 38:16
Yeah. Yeah. I think that that's the other thing too, is that you realize what good writing is because if it's good writing and you're laughing when there's no laugh track there's no audience, that means that's really good writing. Think John Oliver, when I when me and my husband watch him, we're still laughing out loud even though there's no audience. So that's I think that's really good writing.
Scott Galloway · 38:35
What's the business model? Is it for you?
Guest · 38:39
Here we go, the business model.
Scott Galloway · 38:40
Sorry, my girls gotta eat. So is it the idea that you get a lot of awareness on TikTok or YouTube and that leads to book deals or that leads speaking engagements or more gigs? What is the strategy here behind, I mean, in addition to just making the world a little bit better place to live in, how does this feed into your ability to build a career?
Guest · 39:04
Well
Scott Galloway · 39:06
Or does it?
Guest · 39:08
I mean, me, I'm already working on my next book.
Scott Galloway · 39:14
Yep.
Guest · 39:14
But I have had people write to me and ask about speaking engagements, whether they're Zoom or not. I've had people write to me and ask if they can just send me money through PayPal, which has been very nice. But I also think it's a cool way to raise money for charities and for other things too. Because once you have millions of people seeing something, you can comment on that or what I did was I commented on my video to support Skylar Herbert, who's a five year old who lost her life to COVID-nineteen in Detroit and both her parents are first responders. And I had a lot of people write to me and say that they donated to her memorial fund because of that video. And so I think that there's... Once you have enough eyeballs, you can pretty much figure out a way to to make money. Yeah. In a lot of different ways.
Kara Swisher · 40:04
And you're gonna... And it would be weird to do the the the thing in any other format, the the Trump, the Trump thing in any other format. It wouldn't work. It works on video. It works it works in a in a TikTok kind of zone versus I can't see you doing that in stand up in a club necessarily.
Guest · 40:20
It's true. It's kind of a new format, this idea that like you're taking audio and you're sort of reinterpreting it and doing something different with it. Michael Spicer does that too and he actually, you know, I don't know if you've seen his but he's the the PR guy that's kind of telling Trump what to say as he's saying it. Now, drink it. Now, take a drink of water and then Trump takes a drink of water. Yeah. Yeah. So... Yeah.
Scott Galloway · 40:42
I think
Kara Swisher · 40:42
that's... So it's fun to manipulate that. They're really churning out. Yeah. So last question. Comedy post pandemic. I mean, was post nine eleven comedy. You know, things don't completely stop. But how do you see that? And then you're writing about relationships, meaningful relationships, is your next book. Yeah. How do you build relationships in a quarantine? If you can answer those two, like, what is comedy going forward?
Guest · 41:05
Well, comedy going forward, I think that, I think it's gonna come back. I don't know when it's gonna come back. And I think that people who are awesome on stage are gonna be, I think we're just all dying for that moment where we're back in a comedy club and we're having that, you know, that moment, that connection with an audience. So I think it is gonna come back. I don't know how long that's gonna take. But I think, you know, when we can't actually be together, we have to find ways to connect. For me, it's Twitter. I really like connecting with people on Twitter. And I think that comedians are finding their platform. They're finding the thing that works for them, that helps them connect with that audience the best. And, you know, I think it's also kind of opening a lot of comedians' eyes that like, hey, like, Jerry Seinfeld mentioned me in his, interview this week with the New York Times. I Yeah. It would have taken me, I don't even know how long to get Jerry Seinfeld's attention. So, like, it actually is a great way to put... Get your name out there.
Kara Swisher · 42:08
Yeah. A 100%. Anyway, Sarah, fantastic. I hope you're doing more of them. I said you should do it every I will. That blew up on Twitter. It was crazy. People really like you interpret... Doing Twitter Trump through you, it's really, it's a perfect marriage.
Guest · 42:21
The only thing is people are saying now that when they hear him, they see me, so I don't really like that too much, but...
Kara Swisher · 42:26
That's a fair point. Anyway, Sarah Cooper, thank you so much, everybody. Thank
Scott Galloway · 42:29
you, Sarah. Congratulations.
Kara Swisher · 42:31
What is your Twitter handle so people can watch this?
Guest · 42:32
It's sarahcpr, It's a short name, but... Of Cooper. Sarah c
Kara Swisher · 42:36
p Is that TikTok same thing on Instagram? Yeah.
Speaker · 42:39
Alright. It's sarah c p r. She's very funny. If you have not
Kara Swisher · 42:42
seen it, I can't imagine you haven't. Please do. Sarah, thank you so much for coming on Pivot.
Guest · 42:47
Thank you, Kara.
Kara Swisher · 42:47
Alright, Scott. One more break. We'll be back for predictions.
Speaker · 42:55
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[Ad break]
— Predictions segment begins —
Kara Swisher · 44:25
Okay, Scott. We're back. You have to predict something. You must predict something.
Scott Galloway · 44:31
Well, this is more about psychology than it is, any underlying fundamentals, but I think that you're gonna see Uber stock way up after hours because I don't think you announce an acquisition like this unless you're feeling your mojo.
Kara Swisher · 44:46
Interesting.
Scott Galloway · 44:47
So I think they're gonna, I think Dara and after hours it's, we record on Thursday, you know, we broadcast our release on Friday. But I think, and it's so dangerous to make these predictions, but I think that basically Uber is going to report that things have stabilized and have started to return or things are the light at the end of the tunnel has been illuminated for ride hailing. Lyft's numbers were stronger than people expected. The other one is, did you see Peloton's numbers?
Kara Swisher · 45:17
No, tell me,
Scott Galloway · 45:18
because Oh I my god.
Kara Swisher · 45:19
Huge, right? Huge, huge,
Scott Galloway · 45:21
The company reported numbers, they were up, I think they were up 60% to about $530,000,000. They are now getting over $100,000,000 recurring revenue. Everything I teach in my online class about how to make a trillion dollar value company, recurring revenue, vertical, they not only manufacture, they have their own stores, they do their own installation. Creating a community. I mean, everything... They are literally firing on all cylinders.
Kara Swisher · 45:54
Scott is the only person who actually uses Peloton, which is Kara Swisher. Yeah. It is it is really interesting what they're doing because initially, of course, they had in studio things with people there biking with the instructors, which they make and they do live classes. And then they were doing the live classes with the instructor alone. They have these very... If you've been to their studios, they're very kind of a plug and play kind of thing. And then someone got COVID nineteen in one of their... They have two studios, I think, in New York now, one in London. And then now they're doing stuff from instructors at home. You know, they're just... They're they're so quick, you know, where people do live classes there. And so they're keeping this... A lot of people who do it love the live classes. I don't. I like the taped classes. And they've got to talk about a treasure trove of stuff that they've had from the past. Like you were talking about this archives, you know, it's a very similar kind of thing that I do the same class over and over again, for example. And then not just that, have meditation, they've got running, they've got an app you can take with you when you run, which is really helpful. You're right, they've sort of got it coming and going in a really smart way.
Scott Galloway · 46:56
Well, they've got over a million paid subscribers. They have a churn rate every month, if you think of this as a SaaS company, of about 0.46% which I think is a churn rate each year of about 9% or 10%. So their logo or membership renewal is like 90% which is near Netflix or Prime level.
Kara Swisher · 47:12
Yeah. Why would I leave? It's not that expensive.
Scott Galloway · 47:13
And this is all... Their revenues are up 60 odd percent in the face of them closing all of their stores. They do in fact have stores. This company is just firing on all cylinders.
— Predictions segment ends —
Kara Swisher · 47:24
Alright. Listen to me. Scott Scott Galley, did you get it out of your system? Sorry. Have you gotten out
Scott Galloway · 47:28
of system? The last nail in the coffin of ad supported media, Vice Television.
Kara Swisher · 47:33
Yes. Mercy, no mouth.
Scott Galloway · 47:35
With a guest appearance from the jungle cat.
Kara Swisher · 47:37
Yes. Apparently, most popular among the vice people. Correct?
Scott Galloway · 47:41
So... Okay. So you heard this. Of course, you bring it up. This suits advice, review the show, I'm like, you know, we don't like this. We don't like this. We really like the banter between you and Kara. I'm like, I can't quit her.
Kara Swisher · 47:53
You can't.
Scott Galloway · 47:54
I can't
Kara Swisher · 47:54
quit You cannot. I can't can't her. We have a We have
Scott Galloway · 47:59
Vice likes you. Vice No. Likes
Kara Swisher · 48:01
They like us. They like you and I together, which is just a combination, like peanut butter and peanut butter. Anyway
Scott Galloway · 48:09
There you go.
Kara Swisher · 48:09
Watch Scott tonight. You're not gonna watch Scott Thursday nights at 10.com.
Scott Galloway · 48:13
After to vice.com. Please watch
Kara Swisher · 48:16
after you watch Anand's show... Anand's show. Anyway, don't forget if there's a story in the news you're curious about and wanna hear our opinion on, email us at pivot@voxmedia.com to be featured on the show. Scott, please read us out.
Scott Galloway · 48:27
Today's episode was produced by Rebecca Sinanis. Our executive producer is Erica Anderson. Special thanks to Drew Burrows and Rebecca Castro. If you like what you heard, please download and subscribe. We will see you next week for a breakdown of all things tech and business.
