Episode 343 - Jeff Arcuri

Episode 343 - Jeff Arcuri

From Breaking Bread with Tom Papa by All Things Comedy

September 1, 2026 · 53 min

About this episode

Jeff Arcuri joins Tom Papa to discuss his Netflix special and the intricacies of comedy performance.

Jeff Arcuri joins Tom Papa to talk about his Netflix special Nice to Meet You, the strange luck behind great crowd work, and the Comedy Cellar experiences that helped him trust his comedy. They get into rough tapings, online success, creative anxiety, and why a new joke landing still beats everything else. Jeff's Netflix special NICE TO MEET YOU is out now. Our thanks to: Monarch! Start a free trial, and get 50% off your first year of Monarch Core Tier with code PAPA at monarch.com ---------------------------------------------------------- 00:00 Cold open 01:00 Jeff Arcuri joins Tom 01:30 How comedians give compliments 03:23 Making crowd work work on camera 07:20 Five unpredictable special tapings 12:37 Tom's first special 14:33 Learning to edit comedy clips 21:04 Giving every clip an arc 24:42 Keeping crowd work authentic 28:06 Success, guilt and adapting 32:19 The Cellar gave Jeff confidence 38:26 Performing high or drunk 41:04 Moving seamlessly into material 43:04 What changes after a hit special 48:38 New York versus Los Angeles 50:35 Bread and sourdough cookies Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Tom Papa

Guest: Jeff Arcuri

Topics covered

  • comedy
  • crowd work
  • Netflix special
  • creative anxiety
  • Comedy Cellar
  • performance

Keywords

  • Jeff Arcuri
  • Tom Papa
  • Netflix special
  • crowd work
  • Comedy Cellar
  • creative anxiety
  • performance

Sponsors

Monarch

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Nice to Meet You

More episodes of Breaking Bread with Tom Papa

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Breaking Bread with Tom Papa podcast page.