Today we’d like to introduce you to Dave Neal.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was always attracted to the idea of standup comedy, but growing up in Rhode Island I felt far removed from any opportunities to actually learn and grow as a comic. Graduating with a Business degree in 2007 proved to be bad timing, and I exited the world of Advertising only months after graduating with my ‘dream job.’
Luckily for me, this failure in the corporate world provided me with the opportunity to figure out what I truly wanted. I started acting, studying improv and eventually got the nerves up to try standup comedy. Because of this (forced) leap of faith, I’ve been able to spend the last decade investing in myself, traveling all over the country performing standup and launching my podcast, The Sex Actually Podcast, or as we call it, ‘The SAP’ for short.
The SAP has been an amazing open forum for me and my girlfriend/cohost Tasha Courtney, to explore our relationship oddities in an honest and unapologetic forum. For the last five years, we’ve interviewed different comedians, self-help gurus, adult entertainers and have leaned on our guests to share their stories while also providing free therapy for us.
The podcast has been such an unexpectedly gratifying journey. A conversation about relationships, communication and other aspects of life that have gone neglected in the past. There’s a movement happening right now, and although there’s a lot of toxicity within social media, I’m finding that I can connect directly with an audience all around the world.
Comedy is about telling the truth, and with the podcast, we’re able to connect with folks in such an unfiltered forum, that audiences get to hear real stories from real people, and a good number of our listeners also come out to the live standup shows as well.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have been many struggles along the way. It’s hard to maintain the belief within the self, especially in such a vulnerable form of entertainment like standup. I think the best way to deal with the struggles along the journey is to find those loyal friends that believe in me and hold them closely!
The standup comedy family has surprisingly been the most loyal of all the people I’ve met along my journey. There’s a fraternity amongst comedians, an acceptance that if you’re working hard, your time will come.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I think what people enjoy the most about our podcast The SAP is that we are intimately close to our audience, and talk to them as if we are friends catching up. We don’t hold back with our flaws and share our journey. There are plenty of celebrities that have gotten in on the podcast game, great!
There’s plenty of room for everybody. I think what WE tap into is that we’re IN the trenches of our journey. As mentioned, Tasha Courtney, my cohost, and longtime girlfriend works in the industry as a model and actress. She provides a well balanced feminine perspective to the show. I’m proud of the fact that we’ve released over 330 episodes, all free.
We’ve also launched our Patreon, which is a membership community where our super supportive listeners can join us for extra private bonus episodes. We also host a live monthly stand-up show in Hollywood called The Mimosa Show, where our funniest comedian friends perform standup at a private intimate comedy venue at Noon, one Sunday a month.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Work ethic, for sure. I try and be balanced with the grind. A consistent plan of attack but also time to unwind. I also feel that being cut throat might get you ahead of the line, but in the long run, the best avenue to success is by being likable and respected by my peers.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sexactuallypodcast.com
- Instagram: @dnealz
- Facebook: @dnealz
- Twitter: @dnealz
- Other: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sap-comedians-on-dating-relationships/id744156889?mt=2
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