WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.020 Welcome to the Deep Dive. We're here to unpack 00:00:02.020 --> 00:00:04.419 the sources you give us, find those key insights, 00:00:04.679 --> 00:00:07.580 and help you get truly informed. Exactly. And 00:00:07.580 --> 00:00:10.259 today, wow, we're diving into the career of someone 00:00:10.259 --> 00:00:12.539 who's really woven together a lot of different 00:00:12.539 --> 00:00:15.160 threads. Yeah, I mean, think about it. Serious 00:00:15.160 --> 00:00:17.760 academic background, old school stand -up comedy, 00:00:17.899 --> 00:00:20.420 even some early web stuff, plus, you know, long 00:00:20.420 --> 00:00:22.960 -running TV fame. We're talking about Orny Adams. 00:00:23.339 --> 00:00:26.329 Right. And the goal here, our mission... is really 00:00:26.329 --> 00:00:29.230 to figure out how someone like Orny Adams navigates 00:00:29.230 --> 00:00:31.989 all these different worlds. Academia, comedy 00:00:31.989 --> 00:00:35.909 clubs, MTV, YouTube. And stays relevant. We're 00:00:35.909 --> 00:00:37.630 going to get into the specifics, the details 00:00:37.630 --> 00:00:40.189 from his life, his work that really shed light 00:00:40.189 --> 00:00:42.929 on this pretty unusual path he's taken. It's 00:00:42.929 --> 00:00:45.310 kind of a case study in sticking around and adapting. 00:00:45.429 --> 00:00:47.130 Definitely adaptable. And that starts right with 00:00:47.130 --> 00:00:49.009 the name, doesn't it? It does. That's our hook. 00:00:49.109 --> 00:00:51.289 The guy we know is Orny Adams, that high energy 00:00:51.289 --> 00:00:54.329 comic. He was actually born Adam Jason Ornstein, 00:00:54.390 --> 00:00:57.509 November 10th, 1970. So right off the bat, there's 00:00:57.509 --> 00:00:59.640 this transformation. From Adam Jason Orenstein 00:00:59.640 --> 00:01:03.600 to Orny Adams. That shift from a more formal 00:01:03.600 --> 00:01:06.959 background to this public persona. It hints that 00:01:06.959 --> 00:01:08.680 there's strategy involved here. It's not just 00:01:08.680 --> 00:01:10.920 random chance. Totally. And helping us piece 00:01:10.920 --> 00:01:12.500 this together, we've got this really extensive 00:01:12.500 --> 00:01:15.120 biography as our main source. Yeah, it's great. 00:01:15.200 --> 00:01:17.099 It lets us map everything out. His personal background, 00:01:17.379 --> 00:01:19.959 why he chose certain majors in college. We'll 00:01:19.959 --> 00:01:22.260 spend some time there. The sequence of his comedy 00:01:22.260 --> 00:01:25.060 specials, his TV roles, film stuff. It's a lot 00:01:25.060 --> 00:01:27.480 of detail, which is perfect for really connecting 00:01:27.480 --> 00:01:30.500 the dots, seeing how the person, the learner, 00:01:30.700 --> 00:01:33.120 became the performer we know. Okay, let's get 00:01:33.120 --> 00:01:35.260 started then. Where do we begin? Right at the 00:01:35.260 --> 00:01:38.459 beginning, section one, laying the foundation, 00:01:38.700 --> 00:01:41.200 the academic and personal stuff. The learner's 00:01:41.200 --> 00:01:43.739 context. Makes sense. When you see him on stage, 00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:46.700 that frantic energy, you might not guess, academic. 00:01:47.459 --> 00:01:50.900 But that's exactly where we need to start. Let's 00:01:50.900 --> 00:01:54.400 place Adam Jason Orenstein first. Born in Lexington, 00:01:54.540 --> 00:01:56.980 Massachusetts. Lexington, yeah. It's got that 00:01:56.980 --> 00:01:59.879 historical weight, you know? Revolutionary war 00:01:59.879 --> 00:02:02.560 history, intellectual vibe, maybe not directly 00:02:02.560 --> 00:02:05.180 causal, but as part of the cultural air he breathed. 00:02:05.180 --> 00:02:07.239 And the source mentions he was raised in a conservative 00:02:07.239 --> 00:02:09.400 Jewish household. He's got two sisters, too. 00:02:09.780 --> 00:02:12.419 These details matter, especially for an observational 00:02:12.419 --> 00:02:15.800 comic. Family, religion, that's... Prime source 00:02:15.800 --> 00:02:18.300 material right there. The everyday weirdness, 00:02:18.379 --> 00:02:21.599 the dynamics. It all feeds into it. And then 00:02:21.599 --> 00:02:23.719 there's the summer camp detail. Attended Camp 00:02:23.719 --> 00:02:26.219 Telnor in New Hampshire. Oh, yeah, summer camp. 00:02:26.300 --> 00:02:27.800 It's like a little closed society, isn't it? 00:02:27.860 --> 00:02:30.340 You've got rules, social structures, cliques. 00:02:30.520 --> 00:02:32.560 Totally. So someone with an analytical mind, 00:02:32.599 --> 00:02:35.199 it's like an early sociology lab. Perfect for 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:38.430 observing human behavior up close. Exactly. learning 00:02:38.430 --> 00:02:41.409 how to read people, spot patterns, find the funny 00:02:41.409 --> 00:02:43.949 in those structured, sometimes kind of awkward 00:02:43.949 --> 00:02:46.849 situations. And it seems those roots remain important. 00:02:47.110 --> 00:02:49.270 The source notes he and his family took their 00:02:49.270 --> 00:02:51.969 first trip to Israel together in 2018. Which 00:02:51.969 --> 00:02:53.569 is interesting, right? Long after he's famous. 00:02:53.729 --> 00:02:56.430 It shows that Adam Ornstein, the private person, 00:02:56.590 --> 00:02:58.990 still maintained that connection to his background, 00:02:59.150 --> 00:03:02.349 even while Orny Adams, the public figure, was 00:03:02.349 --> 00:03:04.530 doing his thing. Okay, now let's get to the part 00:03:04.530 --> 00:03:07.770 I find really fascinating, his education. Graduated 00:03:07.770 --> 00:03:10.770 Lexington High in 89, then Emory University, 00:03:10.990 --> 00:03:14.110 got his bachelor's in 93. And the key thing here, 00:03:14.189 --> 00:03:16.550 like the source highlights, isn't just that he 00:03:16.550 --> 00:03:19.430 went to college, but what he studied, a double 00:03:19.430 --> 00:03:22.210 major. Yes, this is where it gets good. Political 00:03:22.210 --> 00:03:25.129 science and philosophy. That combination, it 00:03:25.129 --> 00:03:27.990 seems almost counterintuitive for a stand -up 00:03:27.990 --> 00:03:30.650 comic, right? Poli's sigh and philosophy sound 00:03:30.650 --> 00:03:35.330 so serious, so... well, dry compared to the immediacy 00:03:35.330 --> 00:03:37.210 of comedy. But I think that's the secret. So 00:03:37.210 --> 00:03:38.949 let's break this down. Political science first. 00:03:39.009 --> 00:03:41.909 That's about systems, right? Power, government, 00:03:41.990 --> 00:03:44.409 how society is organized. It teaches you to analyze 00:03:44.409 --> 00:03:47.090 institutions. Exactly. PoliSci gives them that 00:03:47.090 --> 00:03:49.129 big picture view. Understanding the mechanics 00:03:49.129 --> 00:03:51.150 behind things like, I don't know, airport security 00:03:51.150 --> 00:03:54.030 rules or bureaucratic nonsense or why social 00:03:54.030 --> 00:03:56.169 media works the way it does. It provides the 00:03:56.169 --> 00:03:58.210 framework for why things are structured the way 00:03:58.210 --> 00:04:01.120 they are. And often... Why they seem illogical. 00:04:01.240 --> 00:04:03.879 It's context. Right. But then you add philosophy. 00:04:04.259 --> 00:04:08.039 Ah, philosophy. That's the engine for observational 00:04:08.039 --> 00:04:11.099 comedy, I think. Ethics, logic, critical thinking. 00:04:11.520 --> 00:04:14.319 It all trains your brain to do one main thing. 00:04:14.439 --> 00:04:17.480 Question assumptions. Poke holes in things everyone 00:04:17.480 --> 00:04:20.480 else just accepts. That's it. It's not just reading 00:04:20.480 --> 00:04:23.500 old dead guys. It's mastering that Socratic method, 00:04:23.639 --> 00:04:26.519 right? Yeah. Keep asking why. Yeah. Observational 00:04:26.519 --> 00:04:29.019 comedy is basically deconstruction. We all just 00:04:29.019 --> 00:04:31.180 kind of... put up with the weirdness of daily 00:04:31.180 --> 00:04:34.079 life, you know, waiting in line forever, stupid 00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:36.720 rules, corporate jargon. But a philosophically 00:04:36.720 --> 00:04:39.379 trained mind looks at that stuff and asks, wait, 00:04:39.439 --> 00:04:41.959 is this logical? Does this make sense? It applies 00:04:41.959 --> 00:04:45.019 that critical lens to the mundane. So if you 00:04:45.019 --> 00:04:47.920 spend years learning to spot logical fallacies 00:04:47.920 --> 00:04:49.560 and arguments. You're going to spot them in the 00:04:49.560 --> 00:04:51.819 checkout line procedure too. Exactly. It's applied 00:04:51.819 --> 00:04:54.259 logic, but for laughs. And you see it in his 00:04:54.259 --> 00:04:57.350 delivery too, I think. That precision. Observational 00:04:57.350 --> 00:04:59.649 comedy needs sharp language. You can't just yell, 00:04:59.689 --> 00:05:02.550 this is dumb. You have to show why it's structurally 00:05:02.550 --> 00:05:05.350 absurd. Philosophy majors get really good at 00:05:05.350 --> 00:05:08.129 defining terms, building tight arguments. Even 00:05:08.129 --> 00:05:10.269 if the argument ends in a punchline about, like, 00:05:10.290 --> 00:05:13.670 pop -up ads. Totally. And that energy he has. 00:05:13.810 --> 00:05:16.430 That sometimes frantic, almost frustrated energy. 00:05:16.550 --> 00:05:19.149 You could almost see it as the philosopher inside 00:05:19.149 --> 00:05:21.430 him just railing against the irrationality he 00:05:21.430 --> 00:05:23.089 sees everywhere. That makes so much sense. It's 00:05:23.089 --> 00:05:25.129 not just random complaining. It's high -speed 00:05:25.129 --> 00:05:28.000 analysis. Political science gives the structure. 00:05:28.180 --> 00:05:30.180 Philosophy gives the critical tools to pick it 00:05:30.180 --> 00:05:32.680 apart. It elevates the comedy. It's not just, 00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:35.560 isn't this annoying? It's, here's why this system 00:05:35.560 --> 00:05:37.899 is fundamentally flawed. And isn't that ridiculous? 00:05:38.339 --> 00:05:42.100 Which perfectly sets up how he built his actual 00:05:42.100 --> 00:05:44.819 comedic identity on stage. Right. Moving from 00:05:44.819 --> 00:05:47.420 the theory to the practice. Section two, defining 00:05:47.420 --> 00:05:50.139 that comedic identity. So he's got this academic 00:05:50.139 --> 00:05:52.500 toolkit. Now he has to translate it into laughs. 00:05:52.639 --> 00:05:55.589 The sources are clear. His main thing is specialized 00:05:55.589 --> 00:05:59.189 observational comedy. And he got validation early 00:05:59.189 --> 00:06:01.889 on through TV, which was absolutely crucial back 00:06:01.889 --> 00:06:04.389 then, before YouTube really took off for comics. 00:06:04.509 --> 00:06:07.350 Talk shows were the gatekeepers. We see him on 00:06:07.350 --> 00:06:10.029 Letterman pretty early, in 2000. Then Carson 00:06:10.029 --> 00:06:13.189 Daly in 2003. Letterman, yeah. That suggests 00:06:13.189 --> 00:06:16.069 a certain kind of smart, maybe slightly cynical 00:06:16.069 --> 00:06:19.129 edge. Letterman liked comics with a bit of bite. 00:06:19.350 --> 00:06:22.209 True. But his most consistent late night home 00:06:22.209 --> 00:06:25.500 seems to have been Leno. The Tonight Show. Four 00:06:25.500 --> 00:06:28.939 appearances between 2004 and 2007. Which is interesting 00:06:28.939 --> 00:06:31.920 too, right? Leno is Mr. Mainstream. Landing spots 00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:34.980 there consistently meant his specific analytical 00:06:34.980 --> 00:06:37.500 style could connect with a really broad audience. 00:06:37.680 --> 00:06:39.279 It wasn't just for intellectuals. And he kept 00:06:39.279 --> 00:06:41.600 that appeal going, popped up on Conan way later, 00:06:41.720 --> 00:06:44.540 in 2017. Shows the material had legs. Definitely. 00:06:44.680 --> 00:06:46.300 But then there's this other key moment, something 00:06:46.300 --> 00:06:48.259 that really put him on the map within the comedy 00:06:48.259 --> 00:06:51.459 world itself. The 2002 documentary, Comedian. 00:06:51.600 --> 00:06:54.410 Starring Jerry Seinfeld. And Orny Adams is featured 00:06:54.410 --> 00:06:57.129 prominently playing himself. We really need to 00:06:57.129 --> 00:07:00.509 underline how big a deal Comedian was. It wasn't 00:07:00.509 --> 00:07:03.350 just some behind -the -scenes look. It was Seinfeld 00:07:03.350 --> 00:07:06.569 documenting the grueling process of building 00:07:06.569 --> 00:07:09.589 new material. Huge credibility. So for Adams 00:07:09.589 --> 00:07:12.790 to be in that alongside Seinfeld, that's massive 00:07:12.790 --> 00:07:15.009 validation? Massive. It did a couple of things. 00:07:15.089 --> 00:07:17.970 First, it gave him exposure to people. who were 00:07:17.970 --> 00:07:20.430 genuinely interested in the craft of comedy, 00:07:20.509 --> 00:07:23.089 not just jokes. Serious comedy nerds watched 00:07:23.089 --> 00:07:25.949 that film. Second, and maybe even more crucial, 00:07:26.110 --> 00:07:29.110 it validated him inside the industry. It showed 00:07:29.110 --> 00:07:31.149 him as a serious pro, someone doing the hard 00:07:31.149 --> 00:07:33.709 work, respected by the biggest name in the game. 00:07:34.180 --> 00:07:36.240 That kind of street cred helps when you're trying 00:07:36.240 --> 00:07:38.319 to get specials made, get booked. Right. It basically 00:07:38.319 --> 00:07:40.459 certified him as a dedicated artist, not just 00:07:40.459 --> 00:07:42.800 a funny guy. Yeah. And that foundation let him 00:07:42.800 --> 00:07:45.660 build his own body of recorded work, his specials. 00:07:45.660 --> 00:07:47.279 Let's track those. Yeah, the specials show his 00:07:47.279 --> 00:07:49.720 growth. First big one was Path of Most Resistance. 00:07:50.019 --> 00:07:53.379 Came out as a DVD and CD November 10th, 2006. 00:07:54.019 --> 00:07:55.779 November 10th. Hang on, that's his birthday. 00:07:56.040 --> 00:07:58.910 It is. Definitely intentional. Makes it feel 00:07:58.910 --> 00:08:01.189 like more than just a product, right? A personal 00:08:01.189 --> 00:08:04.449 statement. And releasing on DVD, CD, that was 00:08:04.449 --> 00:08:06.389 the standard model back then. You needed physical 00:08:06.389 --> 00:08:08.970 distribution. Then four years later, he levels 00:08:08.970 --> 00:08:12.889 up. Orny Adams takes the third. Hour -long special 00:08:12.889 --> 00:08:16.290 on Comedy Central, October 29, 2010. That's a 00:08:16.290 --> 00:08:18.550 big jump. From self -releasing physical media 00:08:18.550 --> 00:08:21.500 to getting your own hour on Comedy Central. That 00:08:21.500 --> 00:08:23.379 means the network believed he could hold an audience. 00:08:23.519 --> 00:08:25.779 He passed the gatekeeper test. Okay, so DVD, 00:08:25.860 --> 00:08:28.819 CD, then basic cable. And the progression continues. 00:08:29.319 --> 00:08:31.500 Seven years after the Comedy Central special, 00:08:31.740 --> 00:08:36.159 he moves again. This time to premium cable. Showtime. 00:08:36.440 --> 00:08:38.820 Orny Adams, More Than Loud. Premiered December 00:08:38.820 --> 00:08:41.950 1st, 2017. Showtime. That feels like another 00:08:41.950 --> 00:08:43.750 step up, doesn't it? A different kind of prestige, 00:08:43.889 --> 00:08:46.110 maybe a slightly older or more discerning audience? 00:08:46.309 --> 00:08:48.950 Often, yeah. Premium cable specials can sometimes 00:08:48.950 --> 00:08:51.830 allow for maybe slightly edgier or more unfiltered 00:08:51.830 --> 00:08:54.509 material. It suggests his standing grew. So you 00:08:54.509 --> 00:08:57.149 see this clear path, self -release, basic cable, 00:08:57.250 --> 00:09:00.250 premium cable, a steady climb, building his documented 00:09:00.250 --> 00:09:02.470 work. All while something else huge was happening 00:09:02.470 --> 00:09:05.529 in his career. Exactly. The pivot. Section 3. 00:09:05.710 --> 00:09:08.210 The acting turn in the whole Finstock phenomenon. 00:09:08.610 --> 00:09:11.110 Right. Because for a whole generation, maybe 00:09:11.110 --> 00:09:14.269 especially younger folks, Orny Adams isn't primarily 00:09:14.269 --> 00:09:17.090 the stand -up. He's Coach Bobby Finstock from 00:09:17.090 --> 00:09:20.330 MTV's Teen Wolf, started in 2011. And that role 00:09:20.330 --> 00:09:22.929 just exploded for him. It gave him this consistent 00:09:22.929 --> 00:09:25.909 visibility, playing a specific, marable character, 00:09:26.149 --> 00:09:28.029 which stand -up usually doesn't provide in the 00:09:28.029 --> 00:09:30.669 same way. Finstock became the thing he was best 00:09:30.669 --> 00:09:33.059 known for, for many people. It's interesting, 00:09:33.120 --> 00:09:35.299 too, because the character feels like an extension 00:09:35.299 --> 00:09:37.779 of his stand -up persona, doesn't it? That high 00:09:37.779 --> 00:09:40.600 energy, the frustration, the sort of controlled 00:09:40.600 --> 00:09:43.860 chaos just put into a scripted setting. Totally. 00:09:44.139 --> 00:09:46.840 But that success created a real dilemma, didn't 00:09:46.840 --> 00:09:49.639 it? The classic pull between stand -up your own 00:09:49.639 --> 00:09:52.320 voice, your own material, and the steady paycheck 00:09:52.320 --> 00:09:55.200 and exposure of a hit TV show. Yeah, the sources 00:09:55.200 --> 00:09:57.360 detail this moment of conflict. It was announced 00:09:57.360 --> 00:09:59.320 he wouldn't be back for Teen Wolf after season 00:09:59.320 --> 00:10:02.029 five. And the reason given. He wanted to focus 00:10:02.029 --> 00:10:04.190 on his stand -up touring. That's a big statement. 00:10:04.309 --> 00:10:06.610 Choosing the grind of the road over a hit show. 00:10:06.889 --> 00:10:09.330 It is. Stand -up offers total artistic control, 00:10:09.490 --> 00:10:12.190 right? It's your voice. But touring is exhausting. 00:10:12.490 --> 00:10:15.669 TV offers stability, a regular schedule, good 00:10:15.669 --> 00:10:18.009 money. So deciding to leave Teen Wolf really 00:10:18.009 --> 00:10:20.429 underlined that he saw himself as a comet first, 00:10:20.649 --> 00:10:24.710 actor second. But then, plot twist. Right. The 00:10:24.710 --> 00:10:27.009 source says despite that announcement, he came 00:10:27.009 --> 00:10:29.929 back for the last 10 episodes of that same season. 00:10:30.399 --> 00:10:32.840 season five. That quick turnaround is really 00:10:32.840 --> 00:10:35.139 telling. What does that suggest? Well, it suggests 00:10:35.139 --> 00:10:38.100 the character was maybe more crucial to the show 00:10:38.100 --> 00:10:40.399 than anyone realized or that the audience demand 00:10:40.399 --> 00:10:43.720 was huge. Both, probably. You don't backtrack 00:10:43.720 --> 00:10:46.440 that fast unless the show really needs that specific 00:10:46.440 --> 00:10:49.279 element. Finstock clearly brought something vital, 00:10:49.320 --> 00:10:51.639 that comic relief, that unique energy to a show 00:10:51.639 --> 00:10:54.019 that was often pretty dark and dramatic. His 00:10:54.019 --> 00:10:56.000 return basically says, OK, we need this guy. 00:10:56.139 --> 00:10:58.620 And it wasn't just a brief return. He's stuck 00:10:58.620 --> 00:11:00.820 around, came back for episodes in season six, 00:11:00.860 --> 00:11:03.019 and importantly, he was in the series finale 00:11:03.019 --> 00:11:05.960 in 2017. He saw it through. And the character's 00:11:05.960 --> 00:11:08.480 impact lasted well beyond the finale. Cut to 00:11:08.480 --> 00:11:11.460 September 2021, Paramount Plus orders a Teen 00:11:11.460 --> 00:11:13.980 Wolf reunion movie. And guess who's back? Coach 00:11:13.980 --> 00:11:16.899 Finstock, of course. Orny Adams reprises the 00:11:16.899 --> 00:11:19.419 role for Teen Wolf, the movie, which came out 00:11:19.419 --> 00:11:23.799 January 2023. So even years later, after doing 00:11:23.799 --> 00:11:25.899 his Showtime special and focusing on stand -up 00:11:25.899 --> 00:11:28.289 again, he returns to Finstock. Does that mean 00:11:28.289 --> 00:11:30.250 the role defined him too much? Is there a risk 00:11:30.250 --> 00:11:33.429 of typecasting? It's a fair question. For a regular 00:11:33.429 --> 00:11:36.450 actor, maybe. But for a stand -up comic who also 00:11:36.450 --> 00:11:39.230 acts, I think the dynamic is different. How so? 00:11:39.529 --> 00:11:41.629 Finstock didn't necessarily limit Orny Adams. 00:11:41.789 --> 00:11:44.490 He amplified him. The character acted like a 00:11:44.490 --> 00:11:46.990 giant global advertisement for the Orny Adams 00:11:46.990 --> 00:11:50.070 brand. Like an introduction. Exactly. Millions 00:11:50.070 --> 00:11:52.230 of people saw that specific energy in Finstock, 00:11:52.370 --> 00:11:54.750 loved it, and then maybe thought, who is this 00:11:54.750 --> 00:11:57.330 guy? Let me check out his stand -up. Finstock 00:11:57.330 --> 00:11:59.990 became a gateway to his comedy, not a cage trapping 00:11:59.990 --> 00:12:02.889 him. So he used the TV fame to fuel interest 00:12:02.889 --> 00:12:05.450 in his core identity, the observational comic 00:12:05.450 --> 00:12:07.950 with the philosophy background. Precisely. Which 00:12:07.950 --> 00:12:10.289 leads us perfectly into how he finally cracked 00:12:10.289 --> 00:12:12.909 the digital world. Yeah. Section four, the digital 00:12:12.909 --> 00:12:15.549 era, and connecting all these dots. This part 00:12:15.549 --> 00:12:17.549 is so fascinating because it shows how much the 00:12:17.549 --> 00:12:19.769 media world changed and how Adams was kind of 00:12:19.769 --> 00:12:22.990 positioned perfectly, maybe accidentally, to 00:12:22.990 --> 00:12:25.490 benefit. It's a tale of two digital eras, really. 00:12:25.879 --> 00:12:29.159 Let's rewind first back to 2007. This is before 00:12:29.159 --> 00:12:31.659 YouTube was the powerhouse it is now for comics. 00:12:31.820 --> 00:12:34.580 And Adams was involved in this like super early 00:12:34.580 --> 00:12:37.679 attempt at a viral video show. The source mentions 00:12:37.679 --> 00:12:41.100 a development deal involving CBS, Yahoo and Ashton 00:12:41.100 --> 00:12:43.460 Kutcher's company Catalyst. For a show called 00:12:43.460 --> 00:12:46.720 Tube. Tube. And the idea was Adams would host 00:12:46.720 --> 00:12:48.960 and they'd feature viral videos, comedy sketches, 00:12:49.179 --> 00:12:51.740 basically trying to package Internet randomness 00:12:51.740 --> 00:12:55.000 for TV. In 2007. That was really ahead of the 00:12:55.000 --> 00:12:56.840 curve conceptually, trying to bridge the gap 00:12:56.840 --> 00:13:00.059 between chaotic user -generated stuff and polished 00:13:00.059 --> 00:13:02.460 broadcast TV. So why didn't it take off? It had 00:13:02.460 --> 00:13:05.639 big names behind it. CBS, Yahoo, Kutcher. Probably 00:13:05.639 --> 00:13:08.259 a mix of things. The tech for smooth streaming 00:13:08.259 --> 00:13:10.419 wasn't quite there for mass audiences yet. People 00:13:10.419 --> 00:13:11.860 weren't watching everything on their phones. 00:13:12.080 --> 00:13:14.460 And crucially, producing it through that old 00:13:14.460 --> 00:13:17.700 studio system CBS, Catalyst would have been expensive 00:13:17.700 --> 00:13:20.580 and probably slow compared to how nimble internet 00:13:20.580 --> 00:13:22.990 creators are now. Right. They were trying to 00:13:22.990 --> 00:13:25.570 fit this new type of content into the old production 00:13:25.570 --> 00:13:28.230 model with all the traditional gatekeepers. Exactly. 00:13:28.350 --> 00:13:30.809 It shows Adams was thinking digitally early on, 00:13:30.909 --> 00:13:33.169 but the infrastructure and the audience habits 00:13:33.169 --> 00:13:35.230 just weren't ready for that kind of execution. 00:13:35.629 --> 00:13:38.690 Okay, now jump forward 15 years. Totally different 00:13:38.690 --> 00:13:41.409 story. Completely different. He takes his premium 00:13:41.409 --> 00:13:43.629 special, More Than Loud, the one that aired on 00:13:43.629 --> 00:13:46.610 Showtime in 2017, and what does he do? He just 00:13:46.610 --> 00:13:49.129 uploads the whole thing to his personal YouTube 00:13:49.129 --> 00:13:53.000 channel, July 5th, 2022. For free. The shift 00:13:53.000 --> 00:13:55.519 is incredible, right? Right. In 2007, he needed 00:13:55.519 --> 00:13:57.500 three corporate giants to even try something 00:13:57.500 --> 00:14:01.159 digital. In 2022, he just needed an internet 00:14:01.159 --> 00:14:03.860 connection. And the result? Massive. By March 00:14:03.860 --> 00:14:08.259 2024, that free YouTube special had over 5 .2 00:14:08.259 --> 00:14:11.320 million views. Wow. 5 .2 million. That's huge. 00:14:11.539 --> 00:14:14.399 It's enormous. And it shows how the game changed. 00:14:14.940 --> 00:14:17.519 No gatekeepers. He took content that had already 00:14:17.519 --> 00:14:20.399 run its course on premium cable and put it directly 00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:22.399 in front of the biggest possible audience with 00:14:22.399 --> 00:14:24.559 zero friction. And the timing was perfect too, 00:14:24.580 --> 00:14:26.539 right? With the Teen Wolf movie buzz happening 00:14:26.539 --> 00:14:29.879 around then? Absolutely. The Finstock fame, boosted 00:14:29.879 --> 00:14:32.340 by the movie reunion talk and release, likely 00:14:32.340 --> 00:14:35.659 drove tons of newer, younger fans to search Orny 00:14:35.659 --> 00:14:38.360 Adams stand -up. And boom, there's his full special. 00:14:38.799 --> 00:14:41.139 free and ready to watch so the five million views 00:14:41.139 --> 00:14:43.320 aren't just random they're proof that the finstock 00:14:43.320 --> 00:14:45.440 role successfully funneled people towards his 00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:47.919 core comedy and the quality of that comedy kept 00:14:47.919 --> 00:14:50.320 them watching it's like the perfect modern strategy 00:14:50.320 --> 00:14:53.000 build your cred and quality through traditional 00:14:53.000 --> 00:14:56.419 routes specials talk shows get massive visibility 00:14:56.419 --> 00:14:59.279 from an acting gig then leverage that visibility 00:14:59.279 --> 00:15:02.600 by putting your best stuff directly online for 00:15:02.600 --> 00:15:05.500 everyone And it reinforces that, despite the 00:15:05.500 --> 00:15:08.240 Finstock fame, his core identity remained the 00:15:08.240 --> 00:15:10.200 stand -up. The sources mention this too, looking 00:15:10.200 --> 00:15:12.200 at his other credits. Yeah, besides Teen Wolf, 00:15:12.379 --> 00:15:14.259 when he shows up in things, he's almost always 00:15:14.259 --> 00:15:16.759 playing. Himself, right, like a cameo in Funny 00:15:16.759 --> 00:15:19.039 People in 2009. And all those comedy festival 00:15:19.039 --> 00:15:21.600 shows and panel shows, Comics Unleashed, Just 00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:23.700 for Laughs, Halifax Comedy Festival, Tough Crowd, 00:15:23.919 --> 00:15:27.399 Roll, himself. It confirms that the stand -up 00:15:27.399 --> 00:15:29.919 persona, that analytical, philosophical, high 00:15:29.919 --> 00:15:34.059 -energy guy on stage, is the central pillar of 00:15:34.059 --> 00:15:37.019 his whole career. Finstock was the big amplifier, 00:15:37.299 --> 00:15:39.860 the exception that proved the rule maybe, but 00:15:39.860 --> 00:15:41.659 it always comes back to that foundation. The 00:15:41.659 --> 00:15:44.600 foundation built way back with those poli -sci 00:15:44.600 --> 00:15:46.519 and philosophy degrees. The guy ranting about 00:15:46.519 --> 00:15:49.200 illogical things is the core product. Exactly. 00:15:49.379 --> 00:15:51.039 What a journey. Okay, let's try and wrap this 00:15:51.039 --> 00:15:53.799 up. Let's do it. So to recap this deep dive, 00:15:53.940 --> 00:15:57.440 we traced Adam Jason Orenstein from his academic 00:15:57.440 --> 00:16:00.139 start, that double major in poli sci and philosophy 00:16:00.139 --> 00:16:03.000 at Emory, into the comedy world. He built credibility 00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:06.389 methodically. Late Night Spots, the comedian 00:16:06.389 --> 00:16:09.250 documentary. Then boom, massive recognition as 00:16:09.250 --> 00:16:11.950 Coach Finstock on Teen Wolf, a role so popular 00:16:11.950 --> 00:16:14.090 it came back for a movie years later. And all 00:16:14.090 --> 00:16:15.970 through that, he kept the stand -up career going, 00:16:16.090 --> 00:16:18.350 building his specials, culminating in that huge 00:16:18.350 --> 00:16:21.009 viral success on YouTube when he released More 00:16:21.009 --> 00:16:23.789 Than Loud for free. He basically outlasted the 00:16:23.789 --> 00:16:26.379 old system. It really feels like a lesson in 00:16:26.379 --> 00:16:29.259 sticking to your specific comedic voice, that 00:16:29.259 --> 00:16:31.600 critical observational style, but also being 00:16:31.600 --> 00:16:34.600 incredibly adaptable to how you get that voice 00:16:34.600 --> 00:16:37.419 out there from cable TV to direct streaming. 00:16:37.620 --> 00:16:40.120 Yeah, the quality was consistent, but the delivery 00:16:40.120 --> 00:16:42.919 method evolved. He showed that, you know, serious 00:16:42.919 --> 00:16:46.039 academic training can actually fuel really accessible, 00:16:46.220 --> 00:16:49.159 high energy comedy. And that ability to shift 00:16:49.159 --> 00:16:51.960 platforms kept him relevant for decades. That 00:16:51.960 --> 00:16:54.980 philosophical underpinning seems key. The platforms 00:16:54.980 --> 00:16:57.740 changed, the audience changed, but the core approach 00:16:57.740 --> 00:17:00.120 analyzing the world's absurdities stayed the 00:17:00.120 --> 00:17:02.000 same. Which brings us perfectly to our final 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:03.940 thought, something for you, the listener, to 00:17:03.940 --> 00:17:06.099 chew on after this. Okay, lay it on us. We've 00:17:06.099 --> 00:17:08.019 talked a lot about how Adams majored in philosophy 00:17:08.019 --> 00:17:10.700 and became this great observational comic. So 00:17:10.700 --> 00:17:12.779 consider this. Is stand -up comedy, especially 00:17:12.779 --> 00:17:15.079 the analytical observational kind that Adams 00:17:15.079 --> 00:17:18.099 does so well, is it maybe just philosophy delivered 00:17:18.099 --> 00:17:21.440 faster with punchlines? Hmm. Think about it. 00:17:21.500 --> 00:17:24.160 What's observational comedy if not identifying 00:17:24.160 --> 00:17:27.400 premises in everyday life? The absurdities, theological 00:17:27.400 --> 00:17:30.420 rules, and drawing conclusions. The punchlines. 00:17:30.819 --> 00:17:33.319 Is the comic just doing applied critical thinking 00:17:33.319 --> 00:17:35.980 in real time? Maybe the best observational comics, 00:17:36.019 --> 00:17:38.460 like Orny Adams, are essentially just philosophers 00:17:38.460 --> 00:17:40.420 who found a quicker way to make their point.