WEBVTT - Comedy Makes a Comeback In New York City

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<v Speaker 1>This is Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Masser and Bloomberg

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<v Speaker 1>Quick Takes Tim Stinovich from Bloomberg Radio. It's been a

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<v Speaker 1>pretty heavy day, to say the least, certainly tracking all

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<v Speaker 1>the news out of Afghanistan. So we thought maybe a

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<v Speaker 1>little bit of a shift in our tone just to

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<v Speaker 1>wrap up this Monday and our next guest we talked

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<v Speaker 1>to roughly two years ago, and that was before her world,

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<v Speaker 1>like ours, was rocked by the pandemic and shut down.

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<v Speaker 1>We are so delighted to have back with us, Caroline Hers.

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<v Speaker 1>She's founder and owner of the legendary Carolines on Broadway.

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<v Speaker 1>On this day where she and her team announcing that

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<v Speaker 1>the New York Comedy Festival it is back, and Caroline

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<v Speaker 1>joins us on the phone in New York City, how

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<v Speaker 1>are you. I'm good, good afternoon. Yes, we're back, and

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<v Speaker 1>we're happy to be back after we took a break

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<v Speaker 1>last year and coming back stronger than than ever. We

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<v Speaker 1>announced some of our line up this morning, which was

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<v Speaker 1>seventeen headliner shows, which then will be followed with over

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<v Speaker 1>you know, two comedians performing in festival with a hundred

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<v Speaker 1>shows which will be announced later on in September. That's

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<v Speaker 1>a lot really happy. And it's gonna be happening in November, correct,

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<v Speaker 1>a week long, November eighth through fourteenth, So it starts

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<v Speaker 1>Monday night, November eight through Sunday night fourteen. And we're

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<v Speaker 1>really happy and excited and to get back into business

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<v Speaker 1>and to have some more laughs in New York City,

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<v Speaker 1>Oh my god, bring it on. Hey, Caroline, let me

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<v Speaker 1>ask you. Let me just take a step back, if

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<v Speaker 1>I may, the past year for comedians, I mean, what

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<v Speaker 1>has it been like? What have you heard from that

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<v Speaker 1>community about what it's been like. We know that the

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<v Speaker 1>higher profile comics are hosts, you know, who are on broadcast.

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<v Speaker 1>They were able to pivot, but that's not always the

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<v Speaker 1>case for every comedian. No, lots of the emerging talent

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<v Speaker 1>that we deal with, you know, they weren't working, but

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of them, um are now so happy. They

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<v Speaker 1>are related. They're all over the place. I mean that

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<v Speaker 1>we're working in the streets. They were work and wherever

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<v Speaker 1>they could be heard. Um, they tried to get a

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<v Speaker 1>job to do that. But now we're everybody's kind of

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<v Speaker 1>back in business. Ups who are allowed to open beginning

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<v Speaker 1>of April. So we're we've been Caroline has been open. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>we've had you know, like Michael Chaseman there every Tuesday

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<v Speaker 1>night at the club doing a residency, and you know,

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<v Speaker 1>he was telling jokes about you know, during COVID. He said,

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<v Speaker 1>I had all of this material tent up in me.

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<v Speaker 1>He said, I get on the subway and I'd just

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<v Speaker 1>be talking to people and you know, telling them jokes

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<v Speaker 1>on the subway, which maybe probably appreciate it. We all

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<v Speaker 1>could use a good laugh, that's no doubt about it. UM,

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<v Speaker 1>tell us to you about remind us what's going on

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<v Speaker 1>in clubs. We've been doing a lot of stories here

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<v Speaker 1>at Bloomberg, certainly as restaurants have opened, as venues have

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<v Speaker 1>opened that yes you can come in, but you've got

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<v Speaker 1>to be vaccinated and people are checking. So that will

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<v Speaker 1>go into effect. I believe in September that get goes.

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<v Speaker 1>We're doing vaccinated shows, so we're we're protecting the public.

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<v Speaker 1>We want to protect our staff, UM, and we are

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<v Speaker 1>that we're starting now all vaccinated shows, and that's just

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<v Speaker 1>we'll be Look. Look, the clubs and the small venues

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<v Speaker 1>around the United States really suffered. They were shut down,

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<v Speaker 1>they and mandated to close and this year during the festival,

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<v Speaker 1>we really want to highlight a lot of the smaller

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<v Speaker 1>clubs around the city. So we're going out of our

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<v Speaker 1>way to make sure that everybody participates this year on

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<v Speaker 1>the festival. So who's going to be there? Can you

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<v Speaker 1>tell us about some of the headliners? Oh, some of

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<v Speaker 1>the headlinists well, Kim Dylan, Michelle Wolf, Nor McDonald, Ronnie Chang,

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<v Speaker 1>Mark Marin, Brian Reagan, Gary Goldman, Bill Morra will be back,

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<v Speaker 1>Michelle Batteau, Andrew Santino's a new face for us. So

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<v Speaker 1>we have lots and lots of great talent um appearing

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<v Speaker 1>at you know, everywhere from Town Hall to the theater

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<v Speaker 1>at Madison Square Garden. And we're also this year we're

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<v Speaker 1>doing something with City Bank it City Presents Comedy Included,

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<v Speaker 1>and we're doing this to bring attention to hear diverse

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<v Speaker 1>voices in the industry, in the comedy industry. So we'll

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<v Speaker 1>have a two day panels going on in Carolines all

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<v Speaker 1>about what's going on in the business. Well, and I

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<v Speaker 1>do think about We've had so many different conversations with

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<v Speaker 1>leaders and heads of companies that it's hard not to

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<v Speaker 1>you know, there's no going back to quote unquote normal. You.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, we've been changed by the pandemic, We've been

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<v Speaker 1>changed by George Floyd, We've been changed by so much. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>comedy always feels that interesting spot that for a while

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<v Speaker 1>we can't talk about things, and then we can. I

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<v Speaker 1>think about after nine eleven, right, it was really quiet

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<v Speaker 1>and then we needed humor to come back to help

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<v Speaker 1>us all find our way back. So how has the

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<v Speaker 1>past year and a half on so many different levels,

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<v Speaker 1>I mean and tough things like COVID, like George Floyd,

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<v Speaker 1>like inequities, like diversity inclusions, so many different issues. How

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<v Speaker 1>has that been incorporated into the festival that's coming up

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<v Speaker 1>in November. Well, we like, like I I said to you,

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<v Speaker 1>we're doing this two day event with City Presents Comedy Included,

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<v Speaker 1>and we'll have panel discussions, special performances. We'll hear from

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<v Speaker 1>industry leaders about you know, bringing attention to to hearing

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<v Speaker 1>everybody's voice in comedy, which you know, comedy is really

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<v Speaker 1>pretty diverse, I have to say that, and Carolines has

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<v Speaker 1>always been on top out of that, whether it be female,

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<v Speaker 1>whether it be you know, um, gay comedy, whatever it was,

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<v Speaker 1>it was urban comedy with women. I tried to I

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<v Speaker 1>really tried to highlight all this early early on. So

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<v Speaker 1>we're going to do our best to even make it better.

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<v Speaker 1>Will you do a great job? And we always, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>whenever you're coming on with us, we talked about you're

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<v Speaker 1>very successful, have done so well in a in a

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<v Speaker 1>world that is very much dominated by men. How do

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<v Speaker 1>you do it? And what is the what are some

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<v Speaker 1>of the interactions that you've had with you say that?

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<v Speaker 1>What is it like? Um? You know, for years, I

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<v Speaker 1>just kind of just said, that's just the way it is.

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<v Speaker 1>But I look back now and I have to say,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, I think if I had stood up a

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<v Speaker 1>little more way back, you know, twenty years ago, I think,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, things would have been a changed a little bit.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean things that I just took for granted, like

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<v Speaker 1>being a woman. Oh that's all right. You know, it

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<v Speaker 1>was really kind of a man's world. It really was.

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<v Speaker 1>The whole you know, entertainment business was was kind of

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<v Speaker 1>like that. But I'm lucky now that things are changing,

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<v Speaker 1>and I'm happy for young women that are now on

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<v Speaker 1>the field. There are so many more female comedians around

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<v Speaker 1>right now. I mean, they've really taken it by storm, Well,

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<v Speaker 1>how do you manage kind of all the egos and

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<v Speaker 1>then you know, at the same time cultivating younger talent

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<v Speaker 1>where it can be probably tough to kind of find

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<v Speaker 1>your place. Um, we try hard. We try to see

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of people, you know, we do we do

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<v Speaker 1>something in the festival. We do a lot of different

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<v Speaker 1>kinds of shows and the festivals so we're able to

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<v Speaker 1>see talent and present new talent. Um. I mean, we

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<v Speaker 1>really do go out of a way to see people.

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<v Speaker 1>We have a new Talent Night at Carolines. UM. But

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<v Speaker 1>the year has been um challenging. Yeah, it's been stressful.

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<v Speaker 1>I just feel like I'm hedging all the time, you

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<v Speaker 1>know what I mean. Okay, you take two two feet

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<v Speaker 1>forward and then three backward. I totally feel that. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>I think we all keep saying we just want to

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<v Speaker 1>feel lighter. You know, it's it's really you know, it's

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<v Speaker 1>really taking its toll and now with you know, talking

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<v Speaker 1>about you know, everybody being vaccinated and worrying about a

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<v Speaker 1>new variant coming through. So it's been a challenge. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>we're we're going to be there, the festival's going on,

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<v Speaker 1>and everybody will come out and everybody protected everybody needs

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<v Speaker 1>to get vaccinated so they can all go out and

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<v Speaker 1>see all the great shows. Everybody needs a good laugh.

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<v Speaker 1>The New York Comedy Festival a week long event November

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<v Speaker 1>eight to November fourteenth. Caroline, Thank you. Caroline Hurst, founder

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<v Speaker 1>and owner of Caroline's on Broadway, joining us on the

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<v Speaker 1>phone in New York City.