First off, can you let us know what projects you’re currently working on?
Well when I was in L.A. last October, I wasn’t sure what I’d be doing. I lived in L.A. for the last 28 years. Finding work in L.A. has been really brutal since Covid.
But in October I got a call from Chris Andrews, who is the director of the South Point sports book and studio in Vegas. years ago – I think around 2011 – he and I shot a pilot for a show in Pittsburgh that had people guess the odds of pop culture stuff – like how long a celebrity marriage would last – stuff like that. But we never met again after that.
But last October, VISN moved to the Circa – they were the owner of South Point . They needed to make the South Point TV studio viable and told Chris they needed to make some successful shows soon. They launched an analytical show on sports odds but wanted to launch a second show. At the time I was trying to figure out what to do next. They flew me in and I auditioned on Friday for the show, had a two-hour dinner at The Silverado, then they asked me after if I could start on Monday!
So what did you do after that?
They called the show Punch Lines with Frank Nicastro. I moved to Vegas and the show launched October 27th. Now we’re over 230 episodes – we way surpassed the numbers they were hoping for. They have a horse-racing show now as well. The studio is doing great – we have our own channel now on YouTube. We bring a lot of well-known comics like Billy Gardell, sports stars like Denny Neagle – anyone who wants to come on and talk about sports, entertainment and gambling.
How did you get started in standup and gameshows?
I was the class-clown at North Allegheny High School! I was voted the class comedian three out of four years – I lost to Jackie Joyce as a Sophomore so I had to beat him by Junior and Senior years!
I started doing standup at the Funny Bone. I used to call them and ask if I could do standup – I wanted to be a comedian. They had an open competition sponsored by White Mountain Coolers and one of the managers thought I did really well and kept my name and number. I started getting booked after that – that was in ’88. That’s when cable really helped comedy to explode – so many places were looking now to book comedians. I was working at the National Record Mart during the day then made money under the table at comedy clubs around the area. That’s when I was 19. I thought I was rich – I was making good money!
I had been going to Duquesne but took a semester off. I told my parents I wanted to pursue comedy and they said ok. My dad Sam was in films, tv and on the radio – he was supportive of the arts.
I went and started doing clubs on the road – I was on stage four-to-five nights a week – it was incredible. Then I got on the A&E Comedy Club show and was on WDVE once a week with Jimmy Krenn and did commercials for companies like Iron City Beer. After seven years I went to L.A. and stayed there with my cousin Greg who worked out there in the movie business.
And you got into gameshows soon afterwards?
In ’96 I got on as a contestant on a gameshow called Debt with Wink Martindale. It was a show where you could pay off your debt. I went on and won $14,106! The casting woman loved me and after that I got called on for more gameshows.
Being a comedian helped me as a writer and I got a writing job in ’96. I was hired for a show called Street Smarts – that show ran for six years. That’s how I got my name in the gameshow world.
Now, I just recently headlined Jimmy Kimmel’s club and have been doing a lot of standup work and working on the show here in Vegas.
Have you had anyone help mentor you along the way?
Oh yeah, Jimmy Krenn. He just got started on WDVE’s morning show and brought me up. My dad too – he would audio record David Letterman and I’d listen to it the next day. And of course I listened to albums from comedians like Robin Williams, Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy – I listened to their sets.
Also, Billy Elmer too – he taught me how to work a room and book shows and create sets. Pittsburgh was a very supportive place to start standup then. I’m not sure how it is now.
I wanted to ask you about that – what influence Pittsburgh had on your career?
It’s such a friendly city. The size of the town is great and there were so many places to work. And the fact it was a blue collar town – the work ethic that it instilled in you. I saw that especially in my mother and her work. I worked hard and did what I had to do to prepare – down to making the press kits.
I know you are a big Pittsburgh sports fan too…
I played baseball in high school and made the JV team at North Allegheny. I kept the stats for the team and kept the team loose. But the next season I didn’t make the team – the coach told me I was a clown and too distracting!
As a kid I loved the Pirates – we’d go to 40 or so games a year. As I got older I’d go with other comics in the area that loved the team too and we’d get hammered.
I remember the 2006 All-Star game in Pittsburgh – my agent kept reaching out to the league to see if there was anything I could do. They finally said I could MC the celebrity softball game. All the All-Stars stayed at the Renaissance Hotel and I remember the bus rolling up with all of the Hall of Fame players like Winfield, Gossage, Madlock….I got on the bus and in the back row there was Bill Mazeroski. I asked if I could sit next to him and he said “Sure.”
When we got to the convention center and we pulled in – and as we did so we were eye-level with the Mazeroski Way sign. I said it must be mind-blowing for him and he said it was.
When we got to the stadium there were 35,000 people in the stands – I bet I knew 1,000 of them. It was incredible – I’d go to the mound and be interviewing guys like Rob Reiner! When we got to the locker room Franco Harris was there. It ended up getting a bunch of the Hall of Fame players to sign a ball for me.
You’re a Steelers fan too right?
They’re my second passion. When we played Kansas City about 10 years ago I got to be the guy that runs out with the Terrible Towel before the game. Larry Richert was the DJ for those games and he knew me since I was 10 years old. He told me he got hoked up when he saw me out there.
What advice would you give guys now trying to get into the business?
Everything has changed. There wasn’t social media or cellphones then. I’m glad the cellphone cameras didn’t exist then to record my antics!
I am always happy to help people and try to give people advice. My advice has always been to be a student of the business. I studied standup of other comedians like athletes do game tape. Then, get on stage as much as possible. It doesn’t matter if there are five or 500 people in the audience. Each time you do something it gets better and you find something that makes it a bit different and great.
Now, with social media there are people getting rich before they ever set foot on stage. But I wouldn’t change what I do for the world. I never thought I would be here now hosting a sports show. It worked out well and has been a blast. Now here I am loving what I’m doing, in a whole new market in Vegas!