Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar - Saagar Interviews Comedian Andrew Schulz

Episode Date: July 8, 2022

Saagar interviews stand up comedian Andrew Schulz who bought back his new special when a streamer tried to censor his provocative jokes and now he is relying on people to pay for the specialTo become a Breaking Points Premium Member and watch/listen to the show uncut and 1 hour early visit: https://breakingpoints.supercast.com/To listen to Breaking Points as a podcast, check them out on Apple and SpotifyApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breaking-points-with-krystal-and-saagar/id1570045623Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Kbsy61zJSzPxNZZ3PKbXlMerch: https://breaking-points.myshopify.com/Andrew Schulz: https://theandrewschulz.com/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLZc32yrTEMxH1ZO-6fKOzA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. is still out there. Each week, I investigate a new case. If there is a case we should hear about, call 678-744-6145. Listen to Hell and Gone Murder Line on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I've seen a lot of stuff over 30 years, you know. Some very despicable crime and things that are kind of tough to wrap your head around.

And this ranks right up there in the pantheon of Rhode Island fraudsters. I've always been told I'm a really good listener, right? And I maximized that while I was lying. Listen to Deep Cover, The Truth About Sarah on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I also want to address the Tonys. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. had high hopes. To hear this and more on disappointment and protecting your peace, listen to Checking In with Michelle Williams from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Joining me now is my good friend, Andrew Schultz. He's taking a big gamble. He's putting his special

out to the people, and he's here to talk a little bit about it. So, Andrew, welcome to the show. It's great to see you again. Thank you for having me, my man. How are you? I'm doing fantastic. The real question is for you. Pre-orders, you've decided to take this special, you've decided to put it out to the people on your website, theandrewschultz.com. Why don't you tell us the backstory of that, the decision-making? It fits very much, I think, within your major career. Yeah. Um, so basically long story short, you know, I had a special, uh, that I was going to put out with a streamer and, um, the streamer wanted to edit some of the jokes and, um, I, I'm kind of like tired of the edits on standup, you know, and I'm fortunate

enough where like, you know, I've built up a nice career and I've built up the ability to, you know, put out the content I wanted. And to be completely honest, like this is my first standup special ever that I was going to do with a streamer. My entire career was built on like YouTube and social media. Um, and that's mainly because the comedy that I like to do was not supported by the industry, uh, when I was originally trying to get into it. So, uh, you know, here I have my first comedy special with a major streamer and I'm like, I'm not going to stop doing the thing that gave me everything. You know, I'm not going to water down the content that in my opinion is the reason why I have this career. So the last thing I want to do is let down all these people who supported me my whole career

and, you know, help me build this whole studio and help me build my whole, you know, life existence by putting out a product that's just not authentic and it's just not real. So I said, screw it. And long story short, we bought it back so I could give it directly to people. And then that's the gamble. It's like, I think people want real comedy. I think people enjoy laughing at things. You know, you come to one of my shows, you've been to a bunch of my shows, like it's the most diverse group of, of people in any comedy show on the planet right now. And everybody's laughing at themselves or laughing at each other. It's like, I see this every single night. I don't need notes from some exec. Like I know what the people like, and I know what the people enjoy. I understand they freak out because they see a white guy on

stage making fun of every different like race, religion,, religion, culture. But at the same time, if they're all there in the room represented and laughing along, then what the hell do you know? I mean, yeah, like you said, I've been to several of these shows. Everybody's always having a good time no matter what ethnic group you are in. It's time to get roasted and everybody just accepts that. My question actually was on the specific joke. So I saw you put out the abortion joke. I'm not going to ruin it. People can go and watch the teaser for themselves. Was it just the one joke, or were there several edits that were being asked by the streamer to make?

No, there was a few. The abortion one, there was one of the tags that they had an issue with. But then there was also, I have a kind of longer piece about Michael Jackson that you're probably familiar with. And they were not a fan of that one, Sagar. They did not like that joke at all. And then, and a lot of people know me for like me, like Rosie and my crowd interactions,

but like with my stand, if you come to the shows, like I kind of do like longer pieces right it's like it could be like a five six seven eight minute like chunk on a topic where I'm like really kind of like you know digging into it and maybe taking what I believe to be the most comedic uh point of view which is not often like the right thing to say and uh so there's a bit on Michael Jackson and then there's another bit that they did not like that much that I don't know. I haven't done it as much recently, but it's a bit about Ted Bundy and like serial killers. Have you, I don't think I've heard that.

I don't think I've seen that one. Okay. Yeah. So that was, that was another one, which they were not very happy. And I get it. Cause I'm saying that, you know, it's, it's the girl's fault. But I have good reason for why I say it. I'm sure. I'm sure. You have to watch to find out. My question is on this. The only reason that you and I even met is because I remember, I think you were on Rogan with Charlemagne,

and you were talking specifically about the rise of YouTube and more, and I started checking out your stuff, and I was like, wow, this guy is really inventing the game. Obviously, it's been, I think it's been almost two years since that happened. And, you know, do you see this in the context that this is going to change the comedy game? As in, I think it was Mark Norman, I believe, I heard him on Rogan talking about, he's like, you know, I did a Netflix special, and he's like, I think the next one I'm just going to go with YouTube. He's like, I don't see any reason to not just go direct to the fans because I see much more of an impact on

my career, visibility, and more. So, you know, streamer, whoever it is, aside, do you have any reason in the future that you would even have to work with a streamer, given that you're almost, they're almost paying you for less people to watch it, if that's the right way to think about it? I think this is the final level of the independence game. You know, I think the future is definitely ownership, not censorship. So, you know, but I think that this is

the final level. Like, we've been building and I think this is really where it's at. And I think this also separates, you know, the men from the boys. This is a scary thing because you find out

exactly how much you're worth. You know, there's a lot of people saying they want this amount of money from a streamer. But if you can't generate that yourself, how are you asking for it from, you know, one of these streamers? You can't. Right. So, yeah, the tricky thing about doing, you know, specials with the streamers is they used to be able to make superstars. And now they can't make supersters is they used to be able to make superstars and now they can't make superstars like they used to. Like initially back in the day, you go do a, you know, a special with Netflix and it was just like, you know, next week you are boom selling out theaters all over the place. They can't give you the same amount of eyeballs as YouTube. YouTube just has a more

robust algorithm and YouTube can be honest with its content because it's not putting out its own content. Yes. Right. Netflix puts out its own content. I mean, every Netflix shows a 90%. They don't have any shows that they messed up on. Like come on. YouTube is not putting out the content. Right. Right. They're just the marketplace. So if it sucks, they're like, sorry, people don't want to watch this. They're more honest. So it can get you to the most people now but there was still a time where these streamers could pay you they could overpay you you know youtube you're not making that much money on the ad rev right so they would be able to overpay you but now they're in a situation where they can't even overpay because you got to overpay me if people aren't going to see me at the end of the day we're all capitalists right we want to make some bucks you know so it's like if people aren't going to see me. At the end of the day, we're all capitalists, right? We want to make some bucks, you know? So it's like, if you can't give me the people

and you can't overpay me for the people not seeing it, what's the point? And if we create a way where people, comics can actually put their content out and they can make more money than they could make with a streamer, what happens then? You get the most pure, authentic version of comedy. That's it. No notes. And then the networks have to compete with that. They'll never give you a note because they know you could make just as much money on your own, right? The reason why it's important that comics are able to sell it is because in order to do a comedy special with this production value, which is what you want to do, it costs money. It's an investment. A lot of people don't know that, but it costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to even produce something like this. You know, so it's, you, at a certain point in time, it's like everybody would

like to make a movie, but people don't have $5 million to just invest in the movie, right? You do need some capital. You're absolutely right. I tell people this all the time when, I mean, listen, I've been in your chair. I had no idea how this was going to work out. I was like, hey, people support us. It costs a shitload of money in order to do video production. People know that. All these cameras, and you guys travel on the road. I've met your crew. You guys have a lot of equipment. You have an entire show that you have to produce. You have to do it night after night. You have to record it, edit it, all of that. It costs a tremendous amount of resources. So on that, I know exactly how you're feeling. My last question, because you've tremendous amount of resources. So on that, I know exactly how you're

feeling. My last question, because you've always been an astute observer on this, is around culture, which is that while I think what we're doing here on YouTube is incredible, and I know how it's wildly successful and more, piercing the last bubble of popular culture, elite awareness and all that has always been the most difficult part. So what do you think is going to work? If this is the future, are they going to catch up eventually? I mean, in my opinion, they should have caught up 10 years ago, but they're still not. Like at what point are they going to recognize what's really happening out here in our space? I think the one they're already recognizing it, but they recognize at the same time any business recognize it when it hurts their bottom line, right? Like, I mean, once I you know, once I started doing the YouTube thing and other comics started doing the YouTube thing, you know, I have

conversations with these execs because I still do business with these streaming platforms. I'm not anti-streaming platform. I'm just anti-edit my jokes. So, you know, I talked to them. I know that their biggest competitor is now YouTube. You know, it's, it's just what it is. Like that's where people go and that's where people go. And that's where we get the most eyeballs at the end of the day. We're comics, right? We want the most people to see our stuff so we can go tour in the road and do theaters. And it seems like right now, YouTube is the most viable option for that, right? YouTube and posting yourself on social media. So now they've even had to capitulate. So I think once something affects their bottom line,

you all of a sudden start becoming more malleable, right? The idea that like Netflix probably gets more views on their standup that they post on YouTube than they do on Netflix proves the model of YouTube. Yes. You know what I mean? So I think once it affects their bottom line, they make change. That's just how the world works. You have to prove that it's valuable. You go out there, I do this, other comics do it and prove. And at the end of the day, it's up to the people. If the people support this and they want this type of comedy and they don't, you know, and they're not down for the censoring of jokes, then this fucking works. And all of a sudden they're going to have to move their needle. All of a sudden, all these different streamers

are going to have to go, you know what? We have to let these wild jokes go out here. Not because we want to, but because it's hurting our business model. And at the end of the day, that's what we care about. And that's okay. If at the end of the day, they care about that. You know,

these, a lot of times these people work in there, they're not comics, man. They don't love it. Like we love it. You know what I'm saying? They love running a business and they got kids in fucking school and they got

a mortgage to pay. I'm not mad at them, but we all have the things that we love. We all have the things that they, that we're passionate about. So we got to protect that. You know what I mean? I agree. And I hope they're all paying attention. Um, theandrewschultz.com. Anything you want people to know about both the pre-order about, uh, how it's going to post, how it's all going to work. I know you guys have some stuff there. Yeah, just, uh, you can go pre-order my website, theandandrachulce.com. I dropped a clip of it on YouTube that you can go check out. I got some stuff on Instagram, but it's on the 17th of July. But go pre-order right now. Watch it with us all live. We're going to do a live stream after with the flagrant crew. And yeah, just spread the word. Tell everybody. And yeah, you're going to hear, you know, you're going to hear a lot of wild stuff. But if you watch this show, you're used to wild stuff. You know, like Sagar's been doubling down

on this European coffee thing he made up. And I appreciate it because- Yeah, I'm glad you did. You were in Europe too. That was the best part. I actually thought of you while I was tweeting about it. Bro, I saw you double down. I was like, I love this dude, man.

This made me so happy. Bro, you were like, nobody wants to have $7 coffee in Europe. That's true. Coffee's never been $7 in Europe. It's like 50 cents in Europe is the cheapest. He's not going to let you. I'll never give it up.

I'll never give it up. By the way, their currency just hit a 20-year low, so fuck you, euros. That's my thought. So it's even cheaper. Actually, now it's not $7. Coffee is getting cheaper. And that's only because of their shit currency and countries. But we can talk about that at another date.

Listen, I already pre-ordered the show. I love you guys. Flagrant, everything that you guys do over there. And you'll always have a friend over here on Breaking Point. So thank you very much, Andrew. We're going to have a link down in the description. I've been where you are. I didn't know how it was going to work out.

Crystal and I, people showed up for us. I predict that people are going to show up for you. I already did. I'm going to be watching pre-order and on the live stream, just like everybody else. So thank you very much. Thanks for coming on. Thank you so much, brother.

Love you, man. Be good. Cable news is ripping us apart, dividing the country, making it impossible to function as a society, and making it impossible to know just what is true and what is false. But the good news is they are failing and they know it. That is why we're building something new. A new mainstream. A healthier one. Something more trustworthy. Something that we are going to need in one of the most pivotal times

in American history. We are building up here for the midterms for the upcoming presidential election, but we need your help. So if you can help us out by becoming a premium member today at BreakingPoints.com, we're trying to change America for the better and the entire world. So what are you waiting for, guys? Go to BreakingPoints.com and sign up and help us build a new mainstream. Over the years of making my true crime podcast, Hell and Gone, I've learned no town is too small for murder. I'm Katherine Townsend. I've heard from hundreds of people across the country with an unsolved murder in their community. I was calling about the murder of my husband. The murderer is still out there.

Each week, I investigate a new case. If there is a case we should hear about, call 678-744-6145. Listen to Hell and Gone Murder Line on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I've seen a lot of stuff over 30 years, you know, some very despicable crime and things that are kind of tough to wrap your head around. And this ranks right up there in the pantheon of Rhode Island fraudsters. I've always been told I'm a really good listener, right? And I maximized that while I was lying. Listen to Deep Cover The Truth About Sarah on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I also want to address the Tonys. On a recent episode of Checking In with Michelle

Williams, I open up about feeling snubbed by the Tony Awards. Do I? I was never mad. I was disappointed because I had high hopes. To hear this and more on disappointment and protecting your peace, listen to Checking In with Michelle Williams from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart Podcast.