Overcome Fear & Self-Doubt w/ W. Kamau Bell

W. Kamau Bell is a veteran standup comedian, the creator and star of the hit CNN show “United Shades Of America” which is kicking off its 2nd season, host of a couple podcasts, one of which has probably the best title of any podcast ever – “Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period” – and author of a bestselling book among many other things he’s been part of over the course of his career. The word prolific does not even begin to describe this man.

I believe he’s the first comedian I’ve had on, but what’s super interesting is that you’ll hear us touch on so many of the familiar themes that often come up on this show – the same nearly universal challenges that all creators deal with. But what really stands out to me is how he’s a great example of the “10-year overnight success.” Although he got onto the mainstream radar just a few years ago, he’s been in the game since the mid 90s, grinding and grinding and slowly clawing his way to the top. THIS is how it works – virtually nobody is met with instant success, and his story is a great (and hilarious) example of this.

Today on the podcast,

How he went from his humble beginnings doing open mics in coffee shops and bars to getting his first (short lived) TV show and how that ultimately led to his CNN show – there’s no formula for this stuff but you CAN deconstruct the steps he followed and apply them to your own journey
I love what he has to say about playing through fear – he shares some super candid stuff about how despite appearing unflappable, on the inside – as he says – “it’s all flaps.” I love this because we all feel this stuff, but what matters is how you cope with and channel it and he has a great approach
You’ve probably heard me talk about the idea of “create the work you want to be paid to create,” and Kamau has an amazing story about how he applied that exact idea – almost to the word – to get his first TV show. He set out to make the show he wanted to have, rented out a theater, grabbed some friends and they cobbled together a prototype – and it worked! That’s what got him on Chris Rock’s radar and led to his first show – I love hearing examples like this because it’s just another proof point that this stuff WORKS.

Enjoy!

Your work is a constant audition tape

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Some Questions I Ask:

I heard that you want to be the Anthony Bourdain of hard hitting topics. [2:40]
What was the conception of the show, United Shades of America? [4:00]
Is CNN trying to buy up companies like Casey Neistat’s? [7:24]
How cool is it that CNN was willing to take a chance on you, even though you had never had your own show before? [8:45]
What propelled you to pursue a career as a comedian? [11:35]
Give us the first couple of steps in starting on a path like yours. [13:30]
Were you always funny? [18:14]
Where did you get your sense of what you wanted to do? [21:10]
How did you find yourself in the company of Chris Rock? [24:02]
If asked how you got Chris Rock to be your mentor, it sounds like the answer is you just went to work every day. [27:10]
Talk to me about your book, The Awkward Thoughts of W Kamau Bell. [28:40]
How do you deal with fear and discomfort in dealing with topics and folks like interviewing the KKK? [30:50]
Are you an action oriented activist with a vision to know more or are you a comedian who looks to activism for material? [35:11]
Tell us about the journey of finding your voice. [35:50]
You saw what success looked like and you deconstructed it. [40:45]
What is something about you that people don’t know but if they did know they’d be really surprised? [42:15]
How do you feel about the new season of United Shades of America? [45:19]

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

How Kamau helped shape a pitch titled “Black Man, White America” into something he was more interested in, which eventually became “United Shades of America.” [4:20]
What you’re doing now is a constant audition tape for the people you want to be working for eventually. [9:07]
How Justin Simien got funding for a film after shooting just the trailer and pitching it as a finished movie. [9:54]
How Robert Townsend used credit cards to fund projects like Hollywood Shuffle. [10:25]
How Saturday Night Live and being an only child helped shape Kamau’s pursuit of comedy. [12:00]
How Kamau’s best friend helped Kamau stay accountable to his dream. [14:13]
Kamau’s step by step guide on getting started doing the thing that you want to be doing. [15:20]
How to deal with success and failure and the diminishment of your craft or pursuit. Be ok with it. [16:20]
Why you should be your own hardest critic. [17:45]
Why it was a surprise to Kamau’s dad that he was going to try to be a comedian. [18:30]
You may be funny even if you’re not the class clown. [19:10]
A quote from Henry Rollins (maybe): “the secret is don’t quit.” If you keep going, something is going to happen. [19:47]
How Chris Rock helped Kamau get his first show, Totally Biased, and how that foul-mouthed-Yoda-like mentorship spawned. [22:18]
Kamau has always looked up to and modeled his career after people who were just doing their thing and were their own industry. [27:34]
The value that talking to someone with vastly different beliefs that you can carry. [33:00]
How Kamau uses discomfort to push himself. [33:50]
The social movements that have made this country better started with the phrase “does it make sense that…” [34:25]
What would you do if you were already famous? [37:18]
Why are things the way they are? Because that’s all that people had at the time to do a thing. The restraints help you create the art. [41:00]
How Kamau spends his time like a samurai warrior- imagining his worst defeat to prepare for success. [43:20]

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