Podcasts by The Need to Fail with Don Fanelli
What do all of your favorite comedians, actors, writers, and artists have in common? At some point, they’ve all completely failed. Comedian Don Fanelli sits down with folks at the top of their game to talk about the times their dreams felt more elusive than ever. These hilarious, heartbreaking, and incredibly relatable stories remind us that failure is not only necessary when pursuing a dream, but ultimately the inspiration that keeps us moving uncompromisingly forward. Produced by the Forever Dog Podcast Network.
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The Final Fail: Chris Gethard from 2020-08-25T07:00
In our series finale, we check back in with Chris Gethard (Beautiful/Anonymous, Space Force) who recently came close to committing himself for the first time in almost a decade. We talk about being...
ListenSeven Years Later: Lauren Lapkus from 2020-08-18T07:00
In our final episodes of The Need to Fail, I will be checking back in with my original guests from seven years ago. Next up: Lauren Lapkus (The Wrong Missy, Big Bang Theory) who talks about not boo...
ListenSeven Years Later: Abbi Jacobson from 2020-08-11T07:00
In our final episodes of The Need to Fail, I will be checking back in with my original guests from seven years ago. Next up: Abbi Jacobson (Broad City, Disenchantment) who talks about ending Broad ...
ListenSeven Years Later: Josh Patten from 2020-08-04T04:00
In our final six episodes of The Need to Fail, I will be checking back in with my original guests from seven years ago. Next up: Josh Patten (SNL) who talks about how things have changed over his e...
ListenSeven Years Later: Josh Ruben from 2020-07-28T04:00
In our final six episodes of The Need to Fail, I will be checking back in with my original guests from seven years ago. Next up: Josh Ruben (Scare Me, Werewolves Within) who talks about his frustra...
ListenSeven Years Later: Benjamin Apple from 2020-07-21T04:00
In our final six episodes of The Need to Fail, I will be checking back in with my original guests from seven years ago. First up: Benjamin Apple (The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, The Onion) ...
ListenEpisode 150: Edgar Momplaisir from 2020-07-14T04:00
Edgar Momplaisir (Culture Kings, What Just Happened) gets candid, opening up about his personal demons, regrets, and rock bottom moments. We talk about not fully processing his best friends death, ...
ListenEpisode 149: Anna Salinas from 2020-07-07T04:00
Anna Salinas (badcomixbyanna, Sugar & Toys) went from a kindergarten art teacher to an assistant in the Reality TV department of a big agency working with someone who no one wanted to work with. We...
ListenEpisode 148: Joey Greer from 2020-06-30T14:11:24
Joey Greer (Good Night, Alchemy This) got screwed up taking on the business side of Hollywood. We chat about how he applied his degree in theology to his creative pursuits, being sick and tired of ...
ListenEpisode 147: James T. Robilotta from 2020-06-23T07:00
James T. Robilotta (Leading Imperfectly, TEDx) is now a life coach and public speaker, but it took a lot of ups and downs to get there. We talk about how writing his book was the most polarizing th...
ListenEpisode 146: Ellen Haun from 2020-06-16T07:00
Ellen Haun (How to Get Away with Murder, Cinderella & The Glass Ceiling) was never cast in a show in all four years at USC. An accidentally dropped headshot ruined her final chance. We also chat ab...
ListenEpisode 145: Michael Cruz Kayne from 2020-06-09T07:00
Michael Cruz Kayne (Late Night with Seth Meyers, High Maintenance) booked an off-broadway Stomp-like show called Hoopz, produced by Disney, and it was quickly cancelled after Michael Eisner saw it....
ListenEpisode 144: Charlie Todd from 2020-06-02T07:00
Charlie Todd (Improv Everywhere, Pixar IRL) tried for years to get Improv Everywhere on TV with lots of ups and downs along the way. We talk about how he wound up in handcuffs after an Improv Every...
ListenEpisode 143: Robyn Schneider from 2020-05-26T07:00
Robyn Schneider (The Beginning of Everything, You Don't Live Here) sold her first book at 18. It was the best and worst day of her life. Straddling a life between writing and medical school, Robyn ...
ListenEpisode 142: Jordan Klepper (Part 2) from 2020-05-19T07:00
In Part 2 of our conversation, Jordan Klepper (The Daily Show, Klepper) talks about filling in as host of The Daily Show when Trevor Noah was sick, the joys of getting your own TV show and the gut-...
ListenEpisode 141: Jordan Klepper (Part 1) from 2020-05-12T07:00
In Part 1 of our conversation, Jordan Klepper (The Daily Show, The Opposition) talks about his decade of ups and downs in Chicago, what led him to NY, and auditioning for The Daily Show.
ListenEpisode 140: Julie Buxbaum from 2020-05-05T07:30
Julie Buxbaum's (Tell Me Three Things, Admission) worked on her third novel for over two years, after giving birth to her first child, and made the painful decision to shelve it because it was capa...
ListenEpisode 139: Sam Pancake from 2020-04-28T07:00
Sam Pancake (A Million Little Things, Arrested Development) got the dream call that he was getting his own TV show - but the deal was so bad he had to walk away, which actually opened up unforeseen...
ListenEpisode 138: Amy Spalding from 2020-04-21T07:05
Amy Spalding (We Used to Be Friends, The Summer of Jordi Perez) secured a literary agent, but it took another three years to get her first book published. We talk about the benefits of having a day...
ListenEpisode 137: Mark McConville from 2020-04-14T07:00
Mark McConville (SuperEgo, Talking Tom & Friends) went to college to study music and was denied after his audition freshmen year. We talk about the formation of SuperEgo, the value of intention...
ListenEpisode 136: Paige Weldon from 2020-04-07T07:05
Paige Weldon (Heathers, The Late Late Show with James Corden) had a humor website she co-created hacked and destroyed. Five years of writing and artwork from herself and her friends went down the d...
ListenEpisode 135: Hal Lublin from 2020-03-31T07:05
Hal Lublin (The Thrilling Adventure Hour, The Venture Bros.) flew himself out to NY to audition for Boom Amsterdam, positive he was going to get hired. He did not. We talk about how he wanted to qu...
ListenEpisode 134: Aaron Abrams from 2020-03-24T07:00
Aaron Abrams (Lovebirds, Blindspot) had a panic attack in an audition after he thought the casting director had mistaken him for someone else. We chat about the role he didn't think he was going to...
ListenEpisode 133: Atsuko Okatsuka from 2020-03-17T07:05
Atsuko Okatsuka (Room 104, Let's Go, Atsuko!) was new to stand up and flown down to audition for America's Got Talent. She was X-ed by Howard Stern during her set and booed by the audience. We chat...
ListenEpisode 132: Todd Masterson from 2020-03-10T07:05
Todd Masterson (Gay Fat Friend, Fashion Police) got his dream job working for Joan Rivers and then it was all taken away. We talk about the origins of his GayFatFriend instagram account, almost get...
ListenEpisode 131: Dan Lippert & Ryan Rosenberg (Part 1 of our You're The Man Now Dog Podcast crossover) from 2020-03-03T08:00
In our first crossover episode, Don joins the boys of You're the Man Dog Podcast, Dan Lippert and Ryan Rosenberg to chat about personal setbacks and reflexions on their sketch/improv team Big Grand...
ListenEpisode 130: Bill Posley from 2020-02-25T08:05
After Bill Posley's (The Day I Became Black, Survivor) family filed for bankruptcy and his house was foreclosed on, he didn't have money for college. So he joined the Army after high school and gra...
ListenEpisode 129: Daniel Shar from 2020-02-18T08:05
Daniel Shar (Scraps, The Onion) published an article called "You Miss 87% You Do Take if You Are Me in 2019" in which he documents over a thousand attempts at making money and furthering his career...
ListenEpisode 128: Morgan Evans from 2020-02-11T08:05
Morgan Evans (Netflix, Disney+) had the worst year of his life when he moved to LA, after the movie he wrote was optioned. We chat about the struggles of drought years and money management, the fru...
ListenEpisode 127: Achilles Stamatelaky from 2020-02-04T08:00
Achilles Stamatelaky (Broad City, UCB) is in his head. He's been getting to the final round interviews for a ton of writing jobs and not landing any. We chat about why he thinks this is, his UCB jo...
ListenEpisode 126: Celeste Ballard from 2020-01-28T08:00
Celeste Ballard (Wrecked, Sweet/Vicious) had a couple of dark creative periods in the last year which made her pass at an initial invitation to be on the show. Now she opens up about failed pitches...
ListenEpisode 125: Lance Rubin from 2020-01-21T08:00
YA author, Lance Rubin (Crying Laughing, Denton Little's Deathdate) was dropped by his acting agent and manager on the same day... which led him towards a career he did not plan for. We talk about ...
ListenEpisode 124: Brett Davis from 2020-01-14T08:00
Brett Davis (The Podcast for Laundry, The National Lampoon Radio Hour) takes us through many performance failures over his career, one which lead to a full on fist fight between his writing partner...
ListenEpisode 123: Larry Owens from 2020-01-07T08:00
Larry Owens (A Strange Loop, High Maintenance) got rejected from his top three acting school choices and as a playwright from Yale. We talk about the daily setbacks during his Steppenwolf training,...
ListenEpisode 122: Jocelyn DeBoer & Dawn Luebbe (Part 2) from 2019-12-17T08:00
In Part 2 of our conversation with Jocelyn DeBoer & Dawn Luebbe (Greener Grass, Adam Ruins Everything) we cover all things film festivals. We chat about getting rejected from Sundance four time...
ListenEpisode 121: Jocelyn DeBoer & Dawn Luebbe (Part 1) from 2019-12-10T08:00
Jocelyn DeBoer & Dawn Luebbe (Greener Grass, Buzz) were going through a dry spell in Los Angeles, so they walked on a treadmill next to each other at the gym, simultaneously watching Twin Peaks...
ListenEpisode 120: Paul Welsh from 2019-12-03T08:00
Paul Welsh (Brooklyn99, Crazy-Ex Girlfriend) was flown out back out to NY after he moved to LA and crushed his Daily Show audition - and didn't get it. We chat about why it took him multiple attemp...
ListenThe One Year Project: Dan Black (Parts 1 & 2) from 2019-11-26T08:00
In our final One Year Project, guest Dan Black (Comedians of Wrestling Podcast, Adam Ruins Everything) feels like he goes backwards in his career some years. Like when he had to go back to work as ...
ListenThe One Year Project: Langan Kingsley (Parts 1 & 2) from 2019-11-19T08:00
Langan Kingsley was one job away from having to temp again. In Part 1, recorded in 2018, Langan had written on two shows and filmed an Adam Sandler movie, but was looking into the abyss of 2019 wit...
ListenThe One Year Project: James III (Parts 1 & 2) from 2019-11-12T08:00
Our second installment of the One Year Project follows James III's (Astronomy Club, All That) into the unknown of 2019. Part 1 was recorded in December of 2018, where James was coming off of a good...
ListenThe One Year Project: Brandon Gardner (Parts 1 & 2) from 2019-11-05T08:00
Brandon Gardner is in the trenches as he a journeys through fatherhood, conflicting script notes, and the search for representation. In the first of our One Year Projects (inspired by Gardner himse...
ListenEpisode 115: Lauren Ashley Smith from 2019-10-29T07:00
Lauren Ashley Smith (Black Lady Sketch Show, The Rundown) failed to get into a top MFA acting program two years in a row. But she never would have started writing if she did. We talk about how her ...
ListenEpisode 114: Jack Dolgen from 2019-10-22T07:00
Jack Dolgen (Emmy winning writer/songwriter for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) was striving for something that was externally motivated instead of internally driven. So when there wasn't immediate interest f...
ListenEpisode 113: Megan Koester from 2019-10-15T07:00
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ListenEpisode 112: Nate Fernald from 2019-10-08T07:00
Nate Fernald (The Late Late Show, The Pete Holmes Show) developed a name for himself in Chicago but ate shit for years after moving to New York. We talk about his praised SNL packet that led to not...
ListenEpisode 111: Geoff Garlock from 2019-10-01T07:00
Geoff Garlock (Orchid, Panthers, UCB) talks about the ups and downs of his multiple bands, from touring nightmares to record label drops. We talk about his journey into comedy, how therapy and Cape...
ListenEpisode 110: Marcy Jarreau from 2019-09-24T07:00
Marcy Jarreau (Brooklyn 99, A Funny Feeling Podcast) spent over a decade improvising but just couldn't gain any traction professionally and was ready to quit. We talk about how she dealt with being...
ListenEpisode 109: Charles Rogers from 2019-09-17T07:00
Charles Rogers (Search Party, Fort Tilden) had a short film that was for sure going to get into a ton of festivals... until it didn't. We chat about how Season 2 of Search Party was the hardest cre...
ListenEpisode 108: Jason Mantzoukas from 2019-09-10T07:00
Jason Mantzoukas (Big Mouth, John Wick 3) talks about all the gut-wrenching ups and downs of an NBC show he created that was never released and the silver lining postscript. We chat about what it w...
ListenEpisode 107: Scott Aukerman from 2019-09-03T07:00
Scott Aukerman (Comedy Bang Bang, Between Two Ferns) felt like the golden boy of comedy in his early years but quickly got a showbiz education. We chat about how it took him over three years to get...
ListenEpisode 106: Noah Segan from 2019-08-27T07:00
Noah Segan (Looper, Knives Out) regrets being a little too picky early on in his acting career. He chat about the pilot he didn't book, the first time he made up reasons why he shouldn't get a job,...
ListenEpisode 105: Just the Ads from 2019-08-20T04:00
Don's on vacation so he is playing all 99 of his fake ads back to back. Enjoy this journey of stupidity and slowly improving mic quality.
CONNECT W/ THE NEED TO FAIL & DON FANELLI ON T...
Episode 104: Casey Wilson from 2019-08-13T04:00
Casey Wilson (Happy Endings, Black Monday) was forced to respond to an article saying she was fired from SNL for being overweight. This was four days after she was mailed her personal items from th...
ListenEpisode 103: Anthony Atamanuik from 2019-08-06T07:00
Anthony Atamanuik (The President Show, What We Do in the Shadows) had some dark days in Los Angeles. He was doing coke at The Jim Henson Company, had a failed threesome in a car with two sex worker...
ListenEpisode 102: Cipha Sounds from 2019-07-30T07:00
Cipha Sounds (Chappelle's Show, 25th Hour), the self proclaimed Forest Gump of Hip-Hop, denied his gut and turned down touring with people like Rhianna and Jay-Z in order to be loyal to his radio s...
ListenEpisode 101: Anna Drezen from 2019-07-23T07:00
Anna Drezen (SNL, Reductress) talks about battling an alcohol addiction and her nightmare job as a concierge. We also chat about how she wrote her SNL packet a week after sobriety, being okay with ...
ListenEpisode 100: Bobby Moynihan (Live at The Lyric Hyperion) from 2019-07-16T07:00
Special guest Bobby Moynihan (SNL, DuckTales) takes us through his early years at UCB, his strategy the second time he auditioned for SNL, some of his failed characters, and how he was both gratefu...
ListenEpisode 99: Richie Moriarty from 2019-07-09T07:00
Richie Moriarty (What We Do in the Shadows, Search Party) was going through a major personal low while experiencing his first professional high. We chat about his divorce, his Just for Laughs exper...
ListenEpisode 98: The Shipley Brothers from 2019-07-02T07:00
Justin & Jordan Shipley (Wrecked, Deadbeat) sold the first thing they ever wrote together. Then they had to figure out how to make a whole season of it. Writers rooms, sets, budgets, locations,...
ListenEpisode 97: Jesse David Fox from 2019-06-25T07:00
Jesse David Fox (Vulture, New York Mag) admits that he was not a good writer for years. We talk about the ins and outs of his podcast, his biggest writing regret, and how his desire to be heard out...
ListenEpisode 96: Alex Fernie from 2019-06-18T07:00
Alex Fernie (Children's Hospital, Do You Wanna See a Dead Body) had six different pilots in eight years fall through. We chat about his blind spots as a director, the frustration of seeing projects...
ListenEpisode 95: Mitra Jouhari from 2019-06-11T07:00
Mitra Jouhari (Big Mouth, High Maintenance) felt herself tanking her producer's session mid-audition for a big pilot. We chat about how her bad days are filled with a sense of desperation, the gene...
ListenEpisode 94: James Adomian from 2019-06-04T07:00
James Adomian (Trump vs. Bernie, BoJack Horseman) tells his biggest bomb story - opening for Joan Rivers. We chat about how he approaches his impressions, why he likes mistakes and not over-polishi...
ListenEpisode 93: Jonathan Braylock from 2019-05-28T07:00
Jonathan Braylock (Black Men Can't Jump pod, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) takes us through a series of setbacks - from thinking he booked a pilot to realizing his sketch duo was over when his partner...
ListenEpisode 92: Blair Socci from 2019-05-21T07:00
Blair Socci (Ladylike, Just for Laughs) lived nine lives before trying to pursue comedy as a career. We talk about seeing her costars' careers skyrocket after her show was cancelled, the endless jo...
ListenEpisode 91: Michael Hartney from 2019-05-14T07:00
Michael Hartney (School of Rock, Throwing Shade, Current AD of UCB) talks about crushing it at Just for Laughs but failing to be seen for SNL. We chat about oscillating between self-confidence and ...
ListenEpisode 90: Brandon Scott Jones from 2019-05-07T07:00
Brandon Scott Jones (Isn't It Romantic, The Good Place) had a pilot he wrote and shot passed on by a network. We chat about how his competitiveness as an adult is waning due to a childhood of inten...
ListenEpisode 89: Eva Anderson from 2019-04-30T07:00
Eva Anderson (Youre the Worst, Briarpatch) had three projects fall through last year. We talk about how not having an agent when everyone else on her sketch team did put her in her head, the produc...
ListenEpisode 88: Joanna Bradley from 2019-04-23T07:00
Joanna Bradley (SNL, The Break with Michele Wolf)took a really long time to process the feeling of not being asked back to SNL. We chat about the pros and cons of not having a brand, feeling emotio...
ListenEpisode 87: Jackie Johnson from 2019-04-16T07:00
Jackie Johnson (Natch Beaut, Fresh Off the Boat) regales us with hilarious stories from her time as a background actress. From staring into the camera to squirting grease on her cocktail dress to a...
ListenEpisode 86: Joel Kim Booster from 2019-04-09T07:00
Joel Kim Booster (The Other Two, Shrill) performs on gay cruises and doesn't give a shit what you think about it. We chat about the difficulty of being an earnest person in this industry, how he st...
ListenEpisode 85: Sean Clements from 2019-04-02T07:00
Sean Clements (Hollywood Handbook, Workaholics) opens up about his battle with addiction, some of his rock bottom moments, how he got sober, and how he found his purpose. We also chat about not wor...
ListenEpisode 84: Zach Cherry from 2019-03-26T07:00
Zach Cherry (Crashing, You) was dropped off at the wrong gate and walked for an hour through a studio lot, sweating profusely, to get to his callback. He booked it. We talk about the oddness of see...
ListenEpisode 83: Eugene Cordero from 2019-03-19T07:00
Eugene Cordero (Tacoma FD, The Good Place) talks about the important advice he got after he did not book MadTV. He also chats about pushing past that disheartening feeling about not being represent...
ListenEpisode 82: Emily Heller from 2019-03-12T07:00
Emily Heller (Barry, Ice Thickeners) talks about the difficulties of selling her stand up special. We chat about hosting a "comedy shabbat" for friends to develop new material, how she deals with f...
ListenEpisode 81: Sudi Green from 2019-03-05T08:00
Sudi Green (SNL, Golden Globes) talks about what she's learned in her first couple of years writing for SNL. We talk about how her definition of success has changed, the difficulties of giving your...
ListenEpisode 80: Brian Huskey from 2019-02-26T08:00
Brian Huskey (Mr. Neighbor's House, Veep) takes an introspective look at his personal and professional battles and shares the lessons he's learned along the way. We chat about his awkward interview...
ListenEpisode 79: Emma Willman from 2019-02-19T08:00
Emma Willmann (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Secret Keepers Club) was stuck in a leaky airport hotel and had an awful ten hours where multiple projects fell through. But those setbacks opened the door to mu...
ListenEpisode 78: Keiko Agena from 2019-02-12T08:00
Keiko Agena (Better Call Saul, Gilmore Girls) talks about what led her to write her book, No Mistakes, which embraces and encourages failure. We chat about how she keeps her anxiety under control, ...
ListenEpisode 77: Jessica Harper from 2019-02-05T08:05
Jessica Harper (Suspiria, It's Garry Shandling's Show) experienced her first taste of failure while taking summer classes at a high school known for its theater department. We also chat about bombi...
ListenEpisode 76: Jon Glaser from 2019-01-29T08:05
Jon Glaser (Jon Glaser Loves Gear, Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter) talks about how not getting SNL helped put his career on track. We also chat about what helped him deal with writers room adversities, ...
ListenEpisode 75: Julie Klausner from 2019-01-22T08:05
Julie Klausner (Difficult People, How Was Your Week) chose to pursue a solo project instead of joining a soon-to-be-popular TV show writing staff and things don't quite pan out. She also chats abou...
ListenEpisode 74: Lennon Parham from 2019-01-15T08:00
Lennon Parham (Playing House, Veep) talks about how she rocked her SNL showcase, bringing her one step closer to her dream, but was never asked to officially audition. We chat about using visualiza...
ListenEpisode 73: Tami Sagher from 2019-01-08T08:00
In our Season 5 premiere, guest Tami Sagher talks about depression, shame, and the fear of doing this podcast. We chat about her extensive experience with The Artist's Way and the group she checks ...
ListenTHE BEST OF FOREVER DOG 2018 from 2018-12-25T19:32
Thank you for listening to Forever Dog podcasts this year and please enjoy this year-in-review clips show! Listen to find a new favorite podcast to subscribe to in 2019 or just a killer back catalo...
ListenEpisode 72: Arthur Meyer from 2018-12-18T05:00
Our Season 4 finale ends with a resonating yet jovial bang from guest Arthur Meyer (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, High Maintenance). Arthur takes us through the myriad setbacks throughout...
ListenEpisode 71: Kate Spencer from 2018-12-11T08:00
Kate Spencer (Forever35 Podcast, The Dead Moms Club) takes us through many years of setbacks. She chats about her early doubts on the UCB Stage, trying to cope with the death of her mother, and wha...
ListenEpisode 70: Eliot Glazer from 2018-12-04T08:00
Eliot Glazer (Broad City, New Girl) chats about the difficulties being a multi-hyphenate (actor/writer/producer) in this current comedic climate. He also talks about the mini-breakdown he had while...
ListenEpisode 69: Rayland Baxter from 2018-11-27T08:00
Singer/Songwriter Rayland Baxter (Wide Awake, Imaginary Man) tells us the story of how getting arrested in college and losing his scholarship led him, in his darkest of hours, to discover his life'...
ListenEpisode 68: Craig Rowin from 2018-11-20T08:00
Craig Rowin (Search Party, Wet Hot American Summer: 10 Years Later) opens up for the first time publicly about an extremely scary, three day long manic episode that landed him in a hospital for a w...
ListenEpisode 67: Josh Sharp from 2018-11-13T08:00
Josh Sharp (The Opposition, 2 Broke Girls) and Don were both recently part of cancelled television shows. They try to break down how they feel and what they've learned from the process. Josh talks ...
ListenEpisode 66: Alice Wetterlund from 2018-11-06T08:00
Alice Wetterlund (People of Earth, Silicon Valley) went years without booking anything while battling personal demons, and even when she started to book, didn't feel like anyone was in her corner. ...
ListenEpisode 65: Gary Richardson from 2018-10-29T22:00
Gary Richardson (SNL, High Maintenance) tested three times and was put on hold twice before getting hired as a writer for Saturday Night Live. He talks about how the inability to work on other gigs...
ListenEpisode 64: Joe Mande from 2018-10-23T07:00
Joe Mande (The Good Place, Parks & Rec) spent many years flailing around doing open mics in NY, directionless, and getting heckled by other comedians. We chat about his first hour-long set and ...
ListenEpisode 63: Wayne Federman from 2018-10-16T07:00
Wayne Federman (The History of Standup, The Zen Diaries of Gary Shandling) talks about why after decades of being a standup comedian and actor, he feels like he still hasn't made it. We chat about ...
ListenEpisode 62: Will Hines from 2018-10-09T07:00
Will Hines (Wrecked, How to Be the Greatest Improviser on Earth) reveals his failed sketch show that he wrote about New York Mayor, Michael Bloomberg. He dishes out advice on his writing routine th...
ListenEpisode 61: Kevin Avery from 2018-10-02T07:00
Kevin Avery (The Jim Jefferies Show, Last Week Tonight) shares multiple stories of professional rejections and "why am I doing this" moments. He dishes out advice to anyone thinking of moving to Lo...
ListenEpisode 60: Kevin McDonald from 2018-09-25T07:00
Kevin McDonald (Kids in the Hall, Arrested Development) was devastated when he was kicked out of his college acting program. But this led him to The Second City in Toronto, where he started taking ...
ListenEpisode 59: Megan Neuringer from 2018-09-18T07:00
Megan Neuringer (Portlandia, Kroll Show) was not able to show up for her career the way she wanted to these last couple of years as she dealt with personal losses. She talks about why a lot of her ...
ListenEpisode 58: Frank Garcia-Hejl from 2018-09-11T07:00
Frank Garcia-Hejl (First Impressions, Difficult People) worked tirelessly for many years, overcoming personal demons and honing his skills only to fall just short of achieving his one dream of perf...
ListenEpisode 57: Matt Besser from 2018-09-04T07:00
Matt Besser (improv4humans, Upright Citizens Brigade) goes through various setbacks at different stages of his career and tries to explore the definition failure within the UCB system. We chat abou...
ListenEpisode 56: Aaron Jackson from 2018-08-28T07:00
Aaron Jackson (The Opposition, Broad City) talks about not being able to land representation for many years, even while he was performing on a hit show. We chat about his novel mishaps, how a parti...
ListenEpisode 55: Rob Huebel from 2018-08-21T07:00
Rob Huebel (Transparent, Do You Want to See a Dead Body) takes us through his many ups and downs in the acting and developing world. He talks about locking himself in a hotel room for five days to ...
ListenEpisode 54: Hallie Cantor from 2018-08-14T07:00
Hallie Cantor (Arrested Development, Lady Dynamite) discusses the realities writing on popular TV shows and still experiencing long droughts of employment. She talks about her awkward Emmy's experi...
ListenEpisode 53: Natasha Rothwell from 2018-08-07T07:00
Natasha Rothwell (Insecure; Love, Simon) faces some serious imposter syndrome the more successful she gets. She discusses the key take aways auditioning and writing for SNL, the importance of prote...
ListenEpisode 52: Gil Ozeri from 2018-07-31T07:00
It took Gil Ozeri (Big Mouth, Brooklyn 99) six times to get on a UCB house team, before he wound up being on three of the best. Gil talks about how he was motivated to Snapchat after a lot of his p...
ListenEpisode 51: Kristen Bartlett from 2018-07-24T07:00
Kristen Bartlett (Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, SNL) lost her husband's father and then her father within a 4 month period while pursuing her dream of working in comedy. After multiple rejections...
ListenEpisode 50: Jessica St. Clair from 2018-07-17T04:00
Special live episode from the UCB Franklin Theatre with Jessica St. Clair (Playing House, Veep)! Jessica shares hilarious and heartbreaking stories about being fired from two of her first pilots an...
ListenEpisode 49: Dan Gregor from 2018-07-10T04:00
Dan Gregor (How I Met Your Mother, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) worked as a development assistant at HBO for two years and shares what he learned and failed at when trying to develop his own shows. We also...
ListenEpisode 48: Betsy Sodaro from 2018-06-26T04:00
Betsy Sodaro (Disjointed, Another Period) had particularly bad audition - she was hungover and anxious in the waiting room and things only got worse from there. We dive into her audition process, t...
ListenEpisode 47: Johnathan Fernandez from 2018-06-19T04:00
Johnathan Fernandez (Lethal Weapon, Girls) had the unfortunate experience of being replaced on a show... and not being told about it. We chat about how that show caused a shoe-in roll to fall throu...
ListenEpisode 46: Adam Lustick from 2018-06-12T04:00
Adam Lustick (Corporate, Adam Ruins Everything) learned early, by a very sobering acting teacher, that he would most likely fail in this industry. But he returns to this philosophy often to quickly...
ListenEpisode 45: George Kareman from 2018-06-05T04:00
George Kareman (Search Party, Silicon Valley) takes us on a spiritual journey of self-improvement and discipline, leading us to rename today's podcast, The Spiritual Bros. George talks about his fa...
ListenEpisode 44: Jen Bartels from 2018-05-29T04:00
Jen Bartels (American Woman, Friends of the People) gets cut from her Harold Team at UCB and has a series of career ups and downs, until she finds herself running out of money and being confronted ...
ListenEpisode 43: Veronica Osorio from 2018-05-22T04:00
Veronica Osorio (Hail, Caesar!, Treks and the City), after performing for hundreds of people a night for over four years in Venezuela, struggles to overcome the relentless biases she experiences wh...
ListenEpisode 42: Carl Tart from 2018-05-15T04:00
Carl Tart (MadTV, White Women) opens up about multiple setbacks. We talk candidly about the difficulties performing in Amsterdam with Boom Chicago and the chaos that is Just For Laughs auditions. W...
ListenEpisode 41: Maggie Carey from 2018-05-08T04:00
Maggie Carey (Silicon Valley, Last Man on Earth) gets candid about what it is like being a working mother of three in Hollywood. She opens up about the fears she had of being judged and possibly no...
ListenEpisode 40: Neil Casey from 2018-05-01T04:00
Neil Casey (Ghostbusters, Silicon Valley) was homeless for almost 5 months in 2012 and wrote half of his SNL packet living at the Greenpoint YMCA. We chat about how getting rid of a lot of baggage ...
ListenEpisode 39: Lauren Adams from 2018-04-24T04:00
Lauren Adams (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Deadbeat) was waking up at 5:30am, waiting in line for hours at hopeless equity calls, and after three particularly disturbing weekends as a server she deci...
ListenEpisode 38: David Reichelt from 2018-04-17T04:00
At 33 years old, after a lifetime of career trial and errors, David Reichelt (Color Switch) starts to develop games, and over a two year period, creates forty... which all failed. Overcoming depres...
ListenEpisode 37: Sasheer Zamata from 2018-04-10T04:00
After not passing an improv class, Sasheer Zamata (SNL, I Feel Pretty) is motivated to create her own group, which gets a run at the theater a couple of months later. We chat about a standup meltdo...
ListenEpisode 36: Dru Johnston from 2018-04-03T04:00
Dru Johnston (The Chris Gethard Show, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) was living off a daily supply of coffee, pizza and beer his first three months of living in New York, as he slowly drained his savin...
ListenEpisode 35: Adam Conover from 2018-03-27T04:00
Adam Conover (Adam Ruins Everything, BoJack Horseman) talks about his most humiliating time on stage and the practical ways he moved past it. We also chat about how he develops his standup, how he ...
ListenEpisode 34: Jamie Lee from 2018-03-20T04:00
Jamie Lee (Crashing, GirlCode) shares a story about two stand up sets that got her in her head and caused her to reevaluate things. We chat about having a calendar as a companion, the most importan...
ListenEpisode 33: Dr. Samuel West from 2018-03-13T04:00
Dr. Samuel West (The Museum of Failure) talks about the failures associated with launching his Museum of Failure. He also cuts through the crap and chats about the realities of productivity, yearni...
ListenEpisode 32: Josh Gondelman from 2018-03-06T06:30
Josh Gondelman (Last Week Tonight, Physical Whisper) talks about a pretty tumultuous week doing standup at a casino in Atlantic City, NJ. We also chat about various ego blows, how being genuinely p...
ListenEpisode 31: Jo Firestone from 2018-02-27T05:00
Jo Firestone (The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Search Party) has put on her fair share of live shows in New York. Many did not go according to plan. We talk about failed shows that led to fist f...
ListenEpisode 30: Zhubin Parang from 2018-02-20T06:58
Zhubin Parang (Head Writer of The Daily Show) joins the podcast to talk about the hallmarks of a failure spiral. We also chat about balancing law and comedy, the failure culture in a writers room, ...
ListenEpisode 29: Laura Willcox from 2018-02-13T05:00
On a very special Valentine's Day episode, Don's brilliant, beautiful, incomparable, caring, fantastic, amazing wife, Laura Willcox (The Jim Jefferies Show, I Am Bride) joins the podcast and talks ...
ListenEpisode 28: Chris Gethard from 2018-02-06T05:00
In our Season 3 premiere, renegade comedian Chris Gethard (The Chris Gethard Show, Beautiful/Anonymous) explains why failure has been his greatest ally and how he kept moving forward after so much ...
ListenEpisode 27: Anthony King from 2017-12-19T05:00
Anthony King (Search Party, Silicon Valley) was one of the most influential figures to come through the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, acting as Artistic Director for almost a decade, helping to...
ListenEpisode 26: Mary Holland from 2017-12-12T05:00
Mary Holland (Veep, The Good Place) has been steadily employed for the last three years here in LA. But the first 7 years were a much different story. We talk about the point when she realized her ...
ListenEpisode 25: Mike Castle from 2017-12-05T05:00
Mike Castle (Action #1, Clipped) takes us on an honest and self-reflective journey through personal and professional loss. In a six month span, Mike loses his father, his dog, and two pilots he was...
ListenEpisode 24: Shaun Diston from 2017-11-28T05:00
Shaun Diston (Wrecked, Playing House) had to reevaluate his life after getting arrested at age 22 in Florida. We chat about what kept him motivated after getting cut from a UCB Harold Team, how lon...
ListenEpisode 23: Nate Dern from 2017-11-21T05:00
Nate Dern (Funny or Die, Not Quite A Genius) talks about the tumultuous two months after graduating as a teacher for Teach for America. We also chat about his oopsies as Artistic Director for the U...
ListenEpisode 22: Paul Briganti from 2017-11-14T05:00
Paul Briganti (SNL) makes the difficult decision to transfer colleges and attempts to find his creative people. We talk about directing at Saturday Night Live, his love of editing, and the ongoing,...
ListenEpisode 21: Adam Newman from 2017-11-07T06:06
Adam Newman (Silicon Valley, Letterman) talks about how he honed his stand-up for over a year preparing for his one hour special, only to have the network that was hosting it, shut down. We talk ab...
ListenEpisode 20: Fran Gillespie from 2017-10-31T04:00
Fran Gillespie (SNL, Wet Hot American Summer) performed at the highest level in NY in both sketch and improv for over 10 years, but did not make the cut when she auditioned out in LA. We talk about...
ListenEpisode 19: Nick Kocher from 2017-10-24T05:57
Nick Kocher (SNL, BriTANick) had a pilot passed on by Comedy Central at the same time that his roommate had one green-lit. We chat about early BriTANick video blunders, going a little too "method" ...
ListenEpisode 18: D'Arcy Carden from 2017-10-17T04:00
D'arcy Carden (The Good Place, Broad City) had a creative purge and accepted the fact that acting was just not going to work out for her... then she booked The Good Place one month later. We share ...
ListenEpisode 17: Doug Mand from 2017-10-10T04:00
Doug Mand (How I Met Your Mother, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) gives a sobering account of the realities of being a professional writer. We talk about what it's like to sell scripts but never see them get ...
ListenEpisode 16: Emily Altman from 2017-10-03T04:00
Emily Altman (Kimmy Schmidt, Big Mouth) knew it was going to be difficult transitioning from an Italian professor to a comedy writer. She just didn't know it would be as soul crushing. We talk abou...
ListenEpisode 15: John Milhiser from 2017-09-26T14:59
John Milhiser (SNL, The Guest Book) talks about his early struggles to get on a UCB sketch team, his ups and downs at Saturday Night Live, and why he stopped using wigs for his characters. We also ...
ListenEpisode 14: Kassia Miller from 2017-09-19T04:00
A few years after Kassia Miller (Last Man on Earth, Trial & Error) quits her job as a lawyer to pursue comedy full time, she is sat down by her father and asked to reconsider her goals. She als...
ListenEpisode 13: Andrew Law from 2017-09-12T04:00
Andrew Law (Silicon Valley, The Good Place) knew he hit a financial low, when he discovered moths in his rice. He talks about why he briefly quit performing and how he found a surprising mentor who...
ListenEpisode 12: Alison Bennett from 2017-09-05T04:00
Alison Bennett (You're The Worst, LA > Vegas) talks about how she quit her job to take her first professional TV writing gig, only to be put through the ringer and not asked back. We discuss how...
ListenEpisode 11: Alison Rich from 2017-08-29T04:00
Alison Rich (The Goldbergs, SNL) discusses the pressures of working at Saturday Night Live and what she took away from the experience. She also talks about the humbling experience of interning agai...
ListenEpisode 10: Phil Augusta Jackson from 2017-08-22T04:00
Phil Jackson (Key & Peele, Brooklyn 99), follows the mantra "onward and upward" which helps him push through different failures and setbacks. We talk about testing for his first major televisio...
ListenEpisode 9: Jon Gabrus from 2017-08-15T04:00
I sit down and chat with Long Island's #1 Comedian/Sandwich expert, Jon Gabrus (High & Mighty, Workaholics), about how he was almost cast in TBS's Wrecked, why he did sowell auditioning for rol...
ListenEpisode 8: Nicole Byer from 2017-08-08T04:00
Actress/Comedian Nicole Byer (Nailed It, Why Won't You Date Me) tells a heartbreaking story aboutbeing fired on set at one of her first gigs. We also go into the trials and tribulations of audition...
ListenEpisode 7: Dan Klein from 2017-08-01T16:01
After a four year hiatus, Don Fanelli is back and talks to his friend, writer/actor Dan Klein (Great News, Wet Hot American Summer) about what it was like doing some of his best work on stage, only...
ListenUpdate #2: Why the 4 Year Hiatus? from 2017-07-25T04:00
A short episode where I talk about why there was a 4 year hiatus with The Need to Fail and how it relates to some professional ups and downs. I give a brief history on where this concept started an...
ListenNew Season Update and Teaser! from 2017-07-18T04:00
A quick update on the new Need to Fail and a teaser on what to expect this year! New episodes released every Tuesday starting August 1st!
FOLLOW DON FANELLIhttps://twitter.com/theneedtofai...
Episode 6: Matt McGorry from 2013-07-29T15:00
After a minor summer hiatus, the Need to Fail is back with a fun interview Matt McGorry (Orange is the New Black, How to Get Away With Murder) talking about his acting journey.
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Episode 5: Abbi Jacobson from 2013-05-10T16:12
In this episode, I have a super fun conversation with Abbi Jacobson (Broad City, Color This Book) about Philadelphia, The Mighty Ducks, her Atlantic Theatre meltdown, and her journey through the UC...
ListenEpisode 4: Josh Patten from 2013-04-09T14:38
Josh Patten (SNL's Weekend Update, UCB's Grandma's Ashes) delivers a captivating interview filled with improv and life gems. Josh discusses the couple of times throughout doing improv where he acce...
ListenEpisode 3: Josh Ruben from 2013-03-20T20:08
I sit down and talk to Josh Ruben (College Humor, UCB) about how getting rejected from a couple of collegiate acting programs led him to study with some of the most accomplished teachers in the bus...
ListenEpisode 2: Benjamin Apple from 2013-03-04T19:48
I sit down with friend and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon writer Benjamin Apple (www.benjaminapple.com) to talk about the couple of times he did not get onto a UCB Harold Team and how it led him to a...
ListenEpisode 1: Lauren Lapkus from 2013-02-15T14:30
The first episode of The Need to Fail! Don talks with Lauren Lapkus (Are You There, Chelsea?, Orange is the New Black, UCBLA) about high school rejection, the road to improv, and vision boards! Don...
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