We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sammy Anzer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sammy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

There was always freedom in comedy that, as many books I read or classes I took–there was no other teacher besides me. The purpose of stand-up comedy, as I see it, is it learn who you are and what you believe and express it to people who never met you in a way that makes sense and, most importantly, makes people laugh. And no one can do that for you, and that’s something only time and devotion will unveil to you. There is no such thing as a shortcut to that, and the work never ends. Accepting that it was a matter of consistent, persistent effort and my answers would reveal themselves over time liberates me and allows me to focus on learning.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m an ethnically ambiguous comedian from the most culturally diverse streets in the world, Queens, New York, and my comedy is for everyone. I’ve performed alongside DL Hughley, Rory Scovel, Amy Miller, and Rojo Perez. Giving people joy gives me joy and I’ll crack you up at a comedy club, snap up the writing on a script quick, and make your commercial entertaining with a goofy glance.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Can I cite the book Grit by Angela Duckworth? I’m going to. So much of what she wrote supports the idea through research that with the right amount of tenacity, you can enjoy your work of what you’re trying to achieve. She says, “the main thing is that greatness is doable. Greatness is many, many individual feats, and each of them is doable.” And on a level much bigger than measurable, scientific results, comedy writer Harold Ramis said, “If life only has the meaning you bring to it, we have the opportunity to bring rich meaning to our lives by the service we do for others.” Knowing that I can work on comedy and work on it for a rich purpose makes me wake up every day like I’m running on rocket fuel.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

One time I was hired to write a script, and because I wrote it well in my voice, the client had me act in it. Another time, I was hired to act, but because I freestyled so many lines that they used, they could see my ability to write. When I think about these two opposite happenings together, it taught me to always do my best in the job you’re given and try to do a little more because we all have plans, but you never know what opportunities life can give you.

Contact Info:

• Website: SamyAnzer.com
• Instagram: @badboyAnzer
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/badboyAnzer
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU6TY6v_12XrmDxSTTV61Dw

Image Credits
Photographer Nick Holmby @dudeIDK