Interview · moment 8 of 17
Selling Clowns: The Business of Talent Agents
from It Ends Bad (with Yannis Pappas) · #67
Audio-only archive episode — no video to seek.
6 minGuest
Extended riff on Hollywood's development and agent class as rich, plain, sociopathic people who 'sell clowns' (comedians and performers) without any real skill of their own, plus a story about meeting a stone-cold Mark Burnett in Vegas.
- 17:32Tim reflects on how wealthy someone must be to invest in a clown as a talent prospect, risking the clown's life or career prospects.
- 17:54His parents are still paying for his apartment while he works as an agent representing Tim Dylan, who may make them $7,000 this year.
- 18:30Tim auditioned for SNL in the early 2000s after Bernie Brilstein's son got him the audition through his father's connections.
- 19:03He tanked the SNL audition because he was inexperienced, nervous, and didn't understand the format—he thought stand-up and characters were separate rounds.
- 20:36Lorne Michaels walked in during the audition with two women, making Tim so nervous he screamed and got energetic out of pure anxiety, with Tina Fey and other cast members watching.
- 21:11SNL makes you sign a binding contract before you even audition, which Lorne Michaels implemented to prevent cast members from getting big and leaving.
- 21:37The SNL audition contract offers no compensation and allegedly gives Lorne Michaels 100% of your career earnings if you're selected, something desperate young performers just signed.
- 22:17Entertainment industry outsiders don't understand the desperation and fear pervasive in comedy and TV development—every executive lives in terror of being fired.
- 22:49The industry is perfect for sociopaths because their heartbeat never moves when they stare people down with no emotional reaction.
- 23:14Describing the predatory stare of executives in Hollywood and comparing them to alligators with nothing behind their eyes.
Lorne MichaelsTim DylanMark BurnettBernie BrilsteinJimmy FallonTina Fey