(upbeat music) - Welcome to business forward.

I'm your host, Matt George, joining me tonight.

This is going to be a fun one tonight.

Joining me tonight, Matt Kazam.

Matt is a stand-up comedian, Las Vegas Headliner and the funniest guy I know.

Welcome Matt.

- Hello.

Hello.

Thanks so much for having me and just so good to see your face.

It's been a while buddy.

- I know it.

I know it.

We, so you're talking to all of Central Illinois here so we're excited to, to have you on, so I appreciate it.

So let's get it down to it Matt.

You've been featured in articles all over the country, ABC, Fox, Morning, Washington Post, Las Vegas Sun, you name it.

Do you sometimes ever think, how the heck did I get in this business of being a comedian?

- No, because, you know, I didn't choose it and I'd say this for a lot of comedians, "You know, we don't choose it.

It chooses us."

And I actually started performing at three years old, you know, I mean I came into this world being able to make people laugh.

My father was this insane comedy fan.

So he used to play comedy records for me when I was in the womb.

So, you know, and just a quick story, you know, when I was, I always knew I wanted to be comedian at 10 years old.

I see my first comedy show in Las Vegas, Joan Rivers and Shecky Greene at the Riviera.

I knew right then that that's what I wanted to do with my life.

35 years later, I got my own show in the same room that I saw the show when I was 10 years old.

So, you know, this was kind of like, you know, it's like, did Tiger Woods ever think, you know, "Oh my gosh, I'm a golfer."

And you know, for me I was a comedian before I even knew how to walk.

So, you know I'm kind of where I wanted to be.

Now teaching it, you know, that came later, you know, but, but, you know, spending a lifetime mastering this, you know, prepared me for that.

But my father was a professor.

So it's kind of natural that, eventually, I was probably gonna teach this.

- Okay, well, that's cool.

So, you know, I was reading a lot of testimonials and I've known you for a couple of years, but these are fun testimonials.

Funny, funniest comedian out there laughed the whole show, Clean family, situational.

What type of humor do you say you cater to most?

Or is it everybody - You know, I, I'm old school.

So I go back to when one comedian made the whole family laugh.

And now comedy is about niches, you know.

We have, if your Asian, this is your comedian.

If you're a mom, this is your comedian.

But for me, you know, it was always about making the whole family laugh, you know, because that's, you know, what, what this eventually, you know, started as.

So, you know, for me it's, but, you know, the same joke can be written, you know, technically, so that, you know, people have had a commonality, superiority.

So, you know, nowadays comedy, a grandma shouldn't laugh at the same jokes maybe as, you know, the teenager.

But I can structure these jokes so that mom can laugh at it out of a kind of commonality.

When I talk about when there were three stations on TV and we didn't have Google, we had go ask your father.

You know, if you're from a certain age, you can laugh because you're like, "Oh my gosh, she's talking about us."

But then I can also make that joke, a superiority jokes so that the young people look at it and go, "Oh my gosh, how did they ever live like that?"

- [Matt George] Right - So, you know, I really w-, I mean, it wasn't that I, you know, I, it's not really a great market either, make the whole family laugh but when I created 40 is Not the New 20, it really was about, you know, for everyone, you know, and, and that, you know, nobody ever wanted to go to a comedy show to feel bad about themselves.

You know, that, that humor doesn't have to be so evil, you know.

And, and so I, I, it was never about that for me.

It was just, you know, really about the, you know, the, the, the, the bringing people together.

And, and that's really what my work is about now as well in the, in the corporate space.

- [Matt George] Yeah, and we're gonna get to the corporate space.

'Cause I think this is a very, very interesting piece of business moving forward.

But you were a headliner in Vegas.

You talked about- - [Matt Kazam] Yeah.

- the Riviera.

Who, what are some other names that, I mean, Riviera at- - [Matt Kazam] Oh, yes.

- [Matt George] are huge, huge names.

- [Matt Kazam] Yeah, yeah.

- [Matt George] Like, who else did you share the stage with?

- Well, well, just to put a little bit, I was the last headline that performed there.

Elvis was the first.

I mean, it goes back to the rat pack and, and, you know, it just iconic 60 year old property, but, you know.

Just in Vegas, you know, I mean, I've worked with, with everyone here in town from Penn & Teller to Siegfried & Roy before, you know, the, the, that that happened, you know.

I earned the title Las Vegas Headliner and there are less Las Vegas headliners walking around than there are Academy Award winners.

It's actual title that you have to earn and get and this charity components to it.

So, you know, I mean, just in this town I've worked with everybody, but, you know, I mean, I've, I've opened up for Michael Bublé.

I mean, the list goes on and on and, you know, some of the greatest comedians.

And that's what I say, I, I've been doing this since I'm three, but, you know, I really got my PhD in comedy, on the road, in the '90s.

Working with everybody from Foxworthy to Drew Carey, to Ray Romano, Pat Cooper, you know, and I just learned from them and, and, you know.

That's the great thing about humor is that they know what I know intuitively but they don't necessarily know that they know it, you know?

And then I think that's a great thing about humor too, for everyone, is that I'm not teaching coding or physics.

Everybody has some sort of connection and understanding of humor going in.

So yeah, no, but I've worked with them all and it's, it's been a crazy ride.

And I just, you know, and now in my business being able to work with people like Richard Branson and, you know, Kevin Harrington's of the world, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's equally, you know, they're, they're rock stars just in a different, you know, setting.

- [Matt George] Yeah.

So 40 is the new 20.

- Not the new 20.

- Not the new 20.

Yeah.

40 is Not the New 20.

- Yeah.

If you Google that, it is one of the funniest.

There are some clips on there that are just hilarious.

Can you just give us like one minute of just fun?

- Oh, absolutely.

You know, I kind of case study my favorite jokes.

And one of my favorite jokes is about the car seat, you know, because, you know, we grew up with a station wagon, you know, I, I went cross country sitting like this, - [Matt George] (laughs) but, you know, in that little schmuck seat back there, where you, you knew you weren't the favorite kid.

You was just sitting back there, you know, but not all the kids in their car seat.

And that's the problem is they sit in these chairs like it's their little throne, you know, they, they could care less.

You're driving a car at 70 miles an hour.

They just sit back, barking out demands like they're Caesar just, (hand claps) "I will need a juice box."

"Release some goldfish, my men."

- [Matt George] (laughs) "Send on Finding Nemo, he amuses me."

And five minutes later, "Take them away.

I've grown tired.

Bring me the one they call SpongeBob."

- [Matt George] (laughs) - And, you know that really is kind of what 40 is Not the New 20 is.

It's kind of comparing how we do it now to very short time ago, you know.

When we used to have to navigate with big paper maps, like you were Magellan, you know, and you know, every, every family vacation, your father's on the side of the road with that big, huge map.

And I would ask the young people, I go "What do you think this is a map of?

Probably the world's right."

I go, "No, Akron.

That's all it is.

It's Akron.

- [Matt George] (laughs) You want to go to Toledo your mother's got to get out of the car there to hold another map."

You know, so, you know, it really, isn't my story.

It's our story.

And, and, and, you know, I, I, as, as much as we jumped on the technology bandwagon, I think there's, it's, it's worth stopping and reflecting on, you know, maybe what we're giving up, you know.

When we used to be able to go outside and play and, you know, just knock on somebody's door and, you know.

So, you know, but again that is the science of humor in terms of its place in society.

Whether it's me on stage or, or, or me teaching it.

- Yeah.

You, one of my favorite things that you did was during COVID, right smack dab in the middle of it.

You decided to do your show on Facebook for free, invited people.

I had my family there, we turned it into a party and it was the break that you needed at the right time.

And it was really fun.

So I commend you for doing that - That, it was actually April fool's day, last year so almost a year to the day.

- Yeah.

- And, and, and it was locked down, you know.

I mean, since then, you know, now, you know, it seems like a memory but I remember going through that and just thinking, you know, I just felt hopeless and powerless and what can I do?

And, and you know, what, if you can make somebody laugh, even if it's just for that short period of time.

You've made the pain go away a little bit.

And, you know, that's really my mission.

- [Matt George] Yeah.

- You know, that's my, whether I'm doing it again, performing it, or teaching people that you don't have to wait for humor to happen organically, that, that you could, you could create it anytime you want, you know, that it can and then in business it can be used the strategy, you know.

Whether it's from a culture standpoint, from a sales standpoint, speaking, whatever it is, humor is your best first option.

And especially now because of after what we've all been through and, and the date on that is just off the charts, you know?

- [Matt George] Well, let's- - [Matt Kazam] And I'm really pleased to do it.

- [Matt George] Let's transition into that.

I had a few other things, but I'll get those tips.

- [Matt Kazam] No, no.

I'm fine with- - I'm gonna go to the end.

I'm gonna ask those at the end, because I just want, I do want to talk about Vegas rebounding.

But let's just get to the CEO challenge 'cause I think if you explain it the way that I know it, this is a much needed market, in my opinion.

And you're talking some pretty big names, I mean, Richard Branson, Shark Tank, Kevin Harrington.

Why don't you explain what you're talking about.

What you're doing?

- Yeah, well, you know, and this was kind of like my business, as yours, you know, it changed once COVID came in into the mix but what brought me to the corporate world was always the idea that humor was taken from the workplace.

And now we see the repercussions of that, you know.

It was taken for the local correctness and you know, that but it exists organically in every successful team on the planet, from sports teams, the tribes, the, you know, everything.

But in corporate America, you know, it needs to be reintroduced, you know, and, and that was really my mission to go.

Why does the workplace have to be so toxic?

However, in the beginning of, of, of the business, and even pre COVID, it was always kind of transactional.

Train all sales team, train our speakers, our, you know, train our leaders to be better leaders.

And- then three weeks after COVID, I was getting calls from companies.

The first one was Southwest Gas, old school utility, saying, "Do you have anything on humor for mental health from, you know, wellness standpoint, from a way to connect and engage people 'cause they're working remotely.

And, you know, they weren't necessarily at their best mental state when, when the things were normal.

So what do you have for now?"

So it did transition into, now, providing it from a wellness, from a diversity inclusion standpoint, just a way for us to be able to connect with each other.

Because they say, "It takes 17 names or actions to gain someone's trust or you can make them laugh once."

So, so, you know, but, but the standup challenge was my way of getting humor training embedded into the organization from the top, because what has to happen for humor to work, in any organization, is that they have to be given permission again, to do it.

So my strategy was instead of trying to convince some middle level manager that humor training is something they should do, I can just train the CEO and the optics alone on that they are doing, you know, standup comedy, sent such a powerful message to the rest of the organization that, you know, humor is a priority around here and that we can all kind of you know, you know, start to, to, to, to to look to that part of our personalities.

So I created the stand-up challenge as a way to, to get the CEO some training.

And then what wound up happening is not only were they employees staying longer, 'cause they wanted to work for the CEO who did stand-up comedy, they were attracting a better talent because they wanted to work for the company where the CEO did stand-up comedy.

So, you know, but the way the program worked and, it, the crazy thing is I've been doing zoom three years before anybody even knew what zoom was.

You know, I've been training high level CEOs and entrepreneurs virtually.

And then after six weeks, they would go perform on Broadway right across the street from Hamilton.

And it was getting up the steps so far out of their comfort zone that they had to grow.

And that became, you know, just, just so successful.

We were slated pre-COVID to do one in Australia, one in the UK, one in Denmark, one in South Africa.

I mean, this was, it was going global and it, and it still will, but you know, it really was kind of comedy fantasy camp, but really, you know, from a coaching standpoint, you know, I coached you and, you know, people will listen to me.

But when stand-up comedy, 10 minutes of stand-up comedy, on Broadway is waiting for them, they listen to every word.

So I really got students to engage and I had, you know, the highly intelligent with an aptitude for learning, teaching them, my science.

It just, it just was the perfect experience to give to these, to these people.

But then the goal was always, you know, kind of like Undercover Boss, and I do want to TV-, to turn it into, to a TV show.

But the goal was to give them some perspective on humor so that they could bring it back to the organization.

- [Matt George] So what's an example, if like, how would they bring it back?

- [Matt Kazam] Well, they show the videos.

First of all, they show the, - [Matt George] OK. - the, the, the, the videos to, to, to, to the employees.

But they also understand joke writing, now.

They understand, you know, getting a laugh on purpose, you know.

So now they're able to, every time they speak and communicate with, with, with the, the, the organization they're using humor now.

I mean, and almost now they can't even stop themselves, you know.

It's a, because what I try to do with all my programs is just unlock the funny that lives inside of all of us.

You know, I'll ask, you know, I'm giving a talk or something, I'll ask, "How many of you think you're funny?"

Only a third of the hands go up.

And that is problematic to me because we were all born funny for a reason, you know.

I mean, it's, it's, it's a stress coping mechanism.

It's a connection mechanism.

It's, you know, we, we, it's an emotional safety, you know, thing.

While humor training can raise emotional intelligence.

It's, if you don't think humor is a part of your life, that all you have is anger, all you have sadness, all you have is fear, because those are the two basic human emotions.

So I really want to unlock it.

So just by putting them through the program they go back and they really see the power of humor.

And, and, and then what we wind up doing is some of these humor training programs that I have to, to, actually, if you're gonna bring humor back, you've got to give them some rules, you know.

And there was a reason why it was taken away.

So, you know, if there's a victim in the joke, and it's not you, don't tell it, you know, I teach them why people laugh.

They laugh out of commonality and superiority.

I mean, making fun of each other is, is, is in us.

You know, it speaks to our security issues.

If we can make fun of somebody else we kind of feel better about ourselves.

But if you mind for the material and you, it's not a funny bone, it's a funny muscle.

And if you train it well then none of that outcome can ever happen because you're starting in a positive place.

Only positive things can happen but there needs to be some training.

And, and that's how we bring it in.

That's kind of the second phase of the program is, is letting me work with the, the, the organization.

- Yeah.

I think what was, what we were talking about too, is you were helping me with some things.

I flew out to Vegas, I spoke and then met with you for hours.

And the next step was I was gonna join one of these stand-up challenges and four weeks later COVID hit.

And so I'm still gonna take you up on it.

I am gonna do it because when you watch the process it does, it doesn't matter what CEO you are.

Everyone is out of their comfort zone.

- Yes.

- And that never happens in the workplace, right?

- No.

- You're the boss.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

So that's pretty cool.

- Yeah.

- So if someone wanted to look this up and sign up for it or give you a call, what's the best place to do for you?

- standupchallenge.com.

You know, it's one of the pages on my website.

We, and we are gonna do one in Chicago.

I actually have two people.

We, we're gonna do here in Vegas.

So that's going to be our home base and, and close to being able to make the announcement on the new venue.

But we also do regional ones because, you know, there's a lot to be said for doing it in Vegas or Broadway but for doing it in your hometown and especially maybe as a fundraiser for your organization.

But we are going to do one in Chicago before the end of the year and I'm glad you still want to do it.

- [Matt George] Right (clears throat) - So, but so there's gonna be different options.

There's gonna be, you can come to Vegas for this three-day experience where you're not only learn from me, you know, we have 10 comedy coaches on the roster and, and they have 27 tonight show appearances alone.

You know, I think 12 Netflix specials show, you know, and we teach you how to think like a comedian, because, you know, most people, you know, can see funny.

They just can't see it clearly the way we do, you know.

And they'll always be like, "I know there's something funny there."

Comedians were really good about making choices and I kind of forced them by getting them out of their comfort zone to really make these choices.

And then comedy is about exaggeration but you can't exaggerate something unless you make the choice.

And it's also about mining for their truth.

And this is why I love working with entrepreneurs and CEOs.

They have amazing stories, you know, I mean, these stories of success, failure, but, you know, and that's, that's a lot of my work now, too.

It's, everyone has an origin story.

They just don't know how to tell it, you know.

- [Matt George] That's right.

- The anatomy of joke writing, you know, just getting down to the words that need to be there.

Writing words to be said, not read.

Most of us when we write humor, we're writing in the paragraph form.

That's not how humorous jokes are written, you know.

So, you know, that's, that's, really, it's also problem solving.

You know, it's, it's, it's empowering these top level folks with this skillset only helps the organization in, in so many ways.

But from a speaker standpoint, one of the reasons we work together is that if you have some sort of backend, every person I've worked with has been able to double their conversions.

So let's just, you know, humor is great for wellness, mental health, all these great things, but from, you know, from a sales standpoint, from marketing standpoint, there's nothing more powerful.

The super bowl, there were nine stand-up comedians in commercials this year.

And I counted, I think it was more, something like 65% were, were funny, you know, like had humor as the goal.

Because, you know, you're looking to gain someone's trust.

Humor does that right away.

It makes us feel safe.

It makes us lower defenses.

People only remember 10 to 20% of anything they hear or see over the course of the day.

You embed that message with humor goes up to 50 or 60%.

So it is the most powerful thing.

And most people go, "Well, it can't be taught."

And I go, "That's (chuckles), I'm doing it since I'm three.

I'm teaching the highest level folks here.

It's real science."

I am painfully shy in real life.

I have to overcome that.

If I didn't have this science, you know, I'm paying, and yet again, I did a show at halftime of a Houston Texans game, the 70,000 people but I can't even ride in an elevator if it's too crowded.

So, you know, it can be taught.

It can be a skill and going forward, you know.

It's about showing up being yourself, being your most authentic self.

That, that's a superpower now.

And, and, and, you know, whether I'm teaching it to CEO's or anyone else the application can be used across the board.

- [Matt George] Well, look at yours truly as I'm in.

So keep me on the radar.

Whether it's Vegas or Chicago, so that'll be fun.

- [Matt Kazam] Yeah - So let's, let's go back to my one of my questions.

Is Vegas rebounding?

- You know, it's, it's we got people here now.

And, you know, I tell you six months ago, certainly, a year ago, I mean, it was locked down.

It was, it was a ghost town.

The people are, people are back, you know, but it's not the conventions.

Vegas is the bread and butter of this town, all the big groups, all the conventions, all the CESs, the SEMAs, the SHOT shows, the Concrete shows, all these things.

So, though, they are bodies in town spending this stimulus money and really, you know, having a good time after lock down.

It's not the same people that were back.

So yes, it's rebounding 'cause there's, you know, money being pumped into the town and people are coming here but it doesn't look like the Vegas that got shut down.

And unless that comes back, you know, the town won't survive because eventually the stimulus money will be gone, you know, and we need those conventions.

We need those events and, and, and they're coming back but, you know, not yet, you know- - OK, alright.

- So my answer is yes and no.

(laughs) - Okay.

So the, the show industry, I mean, a lot of, lot of people, employees out there are in shows.

- Yeah And I know there's gonna have to be some redoing and regrouping of how even the, everything's done.

It's not gonna ever get back to normal in the next couple of years, is it?

- I mean, I don't, I don't think so.

I mean, I'm, you know I'm planning on doing the stand-up challenge here, so I'm already thinking, you know, we're hopefully gonna do our first one in July.

Best case scenario is 50% capacity they're wearing masks, you know.

I mean, it's, it's, it's all of that.

And I think that goes until 2022 and then I don't know.

We see where we are, but shows are back.

And because there's people in town now, you know.

We, they kind of popped up when we could get the 25% capacity.

And, but the problem is there was nobody in town.

So now, there's a lot of people in town the shows are coming back.

You know, I, looking to do, maybe, my show here again, a couple of nights a week, just because I can, I can make people laugh.

I should be doing that now, you know.

So, but you know, you gotta make money, you know, the show has gotta make money.

And, you know, so I don't see Cirque du Solei.

You know, one thing I don't see is, I see, you know, the Chippendales show come back, a magician come back.

But these are small production shows.

- Yeah.

- The big production shows.

There's not even a people, those coming back yet.

- Yeah.

- So I think for that it's, but then again it matters where you are.

You know, in Texas and Florida, you know, it's 125% capacity now.

I mean, you know, it's like.

(laughs) So, but Vegas it's, you know, they've got to do it right here and, you know.

But I do think, you know, we're on a path to that, for sure.

- [Matt George] Alright.

Who, who do you think is funny right now?

Who are your comedic heroes, or not heroes, but maybe some that you, some that you like?

- Yeah.

I mean, you know, to me I grew up with Buddy Hackett, Don Rickles, you know, Catskill comics, Freddie Roman, Shecky Greene, you know.

My father loved comedy, so I grew up watching those comedians.

But you know, modern day comedians Jim Gaffigan, Brian Regan, Pablo Francisco, Hannibal Burris, the late great Patrice O'Neal.

You know, and it's funny, you know, what comedians laugh at would horrify most people.

So, you know, I don't necessarily like comedians that do what I do.

You know, I like just funny, but, you know, most of the guys that the men and women who just don't care, you know.

Like, like I, I always put the audience first and, and, and that's that's kind of my role as the court justice, you know.

I've got to make them laugh or off of my head.

But you know, some of these, you know, Jim Jefferies, John Oliver show, I think is brilliant.

So, you know, this there's great stuff being done.

It's not what I do, but I'm kind of drawn to the stuff that's not like what I do, so.

- Well, you are one funny guy and I strongly urge all the viewers to, to Google your name, Matt Kazam, because you will be laughing.

And I am gonna take you up on that CEO challenge.

I think it's going to be a lot of fun.

Keep people laughing, man, we need that.

You can find Matt on Facebook and social media, and mattkazamcomedy.com and, and so many other things.

So, Matt, I appreciate it.

You're doing great, great things.

Keep it up.

And I'll see you in a couple months.

I need a, I need some lessons.

This wraps another show.

- Absolutely.

I'm Matt, George, and this is business forward.

Thanks Matt.

- Take care.

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