Breaking Bread with Tom Papa

Episode 343 - Jeff Arcuri

September 1, 2026·53 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Jeff Arcuri joins Tom Papa to talk about his Netflix special Nice to Meet You, the strange luck behind great crowd work, and the Comedy Cellar experiences that helped him trust his comedy. They get into rough tapings, online success, creative anxiety, and why a new joke landing still beats everything else. Jeff's Netflix special NICE TO MEET YOU is out now. Our thanks to: Monarch! Start a free trial, and get 50% off your first year of Monarch Core Tier with code PAPA at monarch.com ---------------------------------------------------------- 00:00 Cold open 01:00 Jeff Arcuri joins Tom 01:30 How comedians give compliments 03:23 Making crowd work work on camera 07:20 Five unpredictable special tapings 12:37 Tom's first special 14:33 Learning to edit comedy clips 21:04 Giving every clip an arc 24:42 Keeping crowd work authentic 28:06 Success, guilt and adapting 32:19 The Cellar gave Jeff confidence 38:26 Performing high or drunk 41:04 Moving seamlessly into material 43:04 What changes after a hit special 48:38 New York versus Los Angeles 50:35 Bread and sourdough cookies Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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