Morgan Gallo breaks down her 3-year sprint from writing-room newbie to Denver studio owner with 100K+ followers. We get into filming every set, turning trauma into bits, branding like a social pro, and building community that levels you up. If you’re a 0–5 year comic, this is your blueprint.

Join our Patreon: http://patreon.com/hotbreathpod

Top Takeaways:

• Film every set; post the best 30–60 seconds—weekly, no excuses.
• Consistency beats “algorithm hacks”—show up more than you optimize.
• Look bookable early: simple website, dates listed, headshots, clean captions
• Treat social like your résumé
• Don’t chase going viral; build a library for people to discover
• After a bomb, write three lessons and move on to next show
• Join or build community (writing room/new-material show) to level up faster.



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Welcome back to Hot Breath.

I am your host, comedian Joel Byers.

And as you know, our mission here is to cultivate the next generation of self made comics.

And our guest today is a big part of that mission.

During the pandemic, we started this amazing online community of comics all over the world.

She was in there consistently winning our joke writing contests.

And now she has since moved from starting in Florida to now in Denver, where she owns her own studio, produces her own content.

She's on the road.

She is what we're talking about when we say self made comic.

I'm so grateful.

I'm not going to cry.

But this is, this is like she's in hot breath.

And now she's developed and blossomed into her own self made comedian, which is what Hot Breath is all about.

So please welcome Morgan Gallo to the show.

Wow.

I wish everyone introduced me like that.

That was such a, like, big bro moment.

It was just cool because, like, I remember seeing you in the community and you were always writing and you were just super funny and then you really developed in the Florida scene very quickly.

So just to see where you are now, it was just cool to see like, you and hot breath, like kind of incubating and then you.

Yeah, then you.

Which is the whole goal of what hot breath is.

So you're like a living success of that.

Thanks.

Oh, my God.

Yeah, I feel like success is a strong word, but I levels to this.

Yeah, yeah, you're doing cool things.

Thanks, man.

Yeah, that's so crazy.

And then I think I listened to the podcast first and then I might have found the writing group because I was like, so desperate to just learn anything that I just was like, all right.

And I started doing that writing group, like, at work.

Like, I would close my office door and I would just pretend like I was working on something, but I'd actually be writing one liners just like a weirdo.

Yeah, that was a very fun time of, of my life.

Oh, well, I'm glad you can look back and think it was positive.

That's good.

Yeah, of course, of course.

And now you've like, you've like popped.

What?

What happened?

Do you think so?

I don't know.

These followers now, like, what?

What?

It's a lot of creepy men.

You know, It's a lot of creepy.

A lot of dudes that just want to take me on a date or lick my toes or something.

They'll send you messages saying, I want to lick your toes.

Yeah, I have, I have a series.

I do a very unofficial series called what's in my DMs?

And I've done it like five times now.

And I. I basically.

I do it when I'm on the road and I'm bored and I just look through all my dms and I just screenshot the weirdest ones and I just read them out loud and it's turned into, like, something that, like, people are like, oh, yeah, that Boston guy, the Boston Booty Sniffer, because he messages me consistently.

So it's like, is that a real person?

Yeah, Boston Booty Sniffer.

Yeah.

He.

He always proposes a way.

He's like, if you ever come to Boston, I just want to let you know that if you're in the area, I will gladly pay you to sniff your booty hole.

And I'm like, this is.

It's not real.

But the.

But the guy is serious.

Like, I'm like, this person is just trying to be stupid.

But I'm also like, this is.

What if I go to Boston and someone, like, comes up to me and is like, hey, it's me.

I don't know.

There's the Boston Strangler and now the Boston.

Yeah, the Boston Booty Sniffer.

Dude.

He's all up in the dms.

Yeah.

Is that your weirdest one?

What?

No.

I've gotten all kinds of weird stuff.

I.

It's just a lot of, like, you know, guys who just want to be creepy to girls.

I don't think it has anything to do with me being a comedian.

You know, it's just that they.

They see that I post a lot of videos and so they see I'm active and so they.

They just DM me like, you know, I want to take you on a date, or I think that you're really pretty, or they comment on a very specific body part.

Like, it's just.

It is what it is, man.

It's part of.

It's part of the grind.

Ladies, if you want to be a stand up comedian, be prepared to be lust constantly.

I can't even imagine.

You know, I. I get.

I get roasted Michael Cera people.

Oh, yeah.

You know, fix it, Felix.

But no one.

No one wants to sniff my booty hole.

You know, that's.

I feel weird saying that.

Yeah, exactly.

I mean.

Yeah.

Think about how weird it is to read it.

Yeah, it's an interesting life I have, but comedy's cool.

Comedy school.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Other than that.

Yeah, Other Than that.

What?

How did you.

It was weird because it's just like all of a sudden I looked at your account one day and you had like over a hundred thousand followers.

And I was like, oh, really?

What happened?

Yeah, I never, I guess I was, I'll check in periodically, you know, but I just checked in one time.

Yeah, I know.

It's not like you're looking at someone's following all the time.

I'm not sliding your DMs or anything.

Yeah, yeah, I, I think I just, I've been like working really consistently on my social media because I, when I started comedy, I was already working in marketing.

I have a degree in pr.

Oh.

And so my whole like kind of post college adventures were working as a social media manager for several different companies.

And by the time I started stand up, I had been doing that for a while.

So I kind of understood what it meant to like gain a social following because I was managing accounts that had, you know, tens of thousands of followers because it was, you know, a college, a hotel, whatever.

And so I just kind of like saw the value in posting a lot of stand up and I started.

Well, what I started doing was I saved a bunch of money.

I bought a camera.

I bought a camera, I bought a tripod, I bought a microphone and I started just taking it to every show and filming everything, even if it was terrible, and then trying to find the best, you know, 30 second, 60 second clip and just started posting.

And I didn't really, like, I didn't really have a strategy.

I just thought, well, I'm a comedian, I do this.

People see my jokes.

I'm not burning material because it's not like I'm, I'm like, you know, a year, two years in, like, no one cares if they see this joke online and then they see it at what, a showcase at a Marina bar.

Like.

And so yeah, I just started posting and things kind of started to like, gain traction.

I had a few videos that went viral and then that just kept happening.

So I kind of, I don't know, sometimes I just feel like I got lucky, you know what I mean?

Because so many comedians post all the time and I feel like in the green room, we're always talking about, what, what's your social media strategy?

Oh, I Post at 2pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I use these hashtags or I don't use hashtags.

And I think it's just consistently consistency over anything else.

Yeah, that's what I'm asking now is how do I.

How do I blow up?

I don't know.

I. I mean, I really don't.

I don't know, dude.

I, I.

Tell me your secret.

Right?

I just, I've tried so many different things, and for me, it was never about, like, trying to blow up.

I just wanted to create something online that looked legitimate so that if people wanted to book me, they were like, oh, this girl's serious.

Like, I had a few mentors in Florida that were like, hey, why don't you have a website?

You know, why don't you post your dates that you're going and doing these showcases?

Even though it wasn't like, you know, even now it's like, I'm not, you know, this big headliner.

I'm not, like, touring.

I'm, like, opening for people, and I love it.

So it was more just like, why don't you just tell people what you're doing?

Because you're at a point now where there's no stakes in it.

Like, you're not trying to sell tickets, so just, like, have fun with it.

And I just started doing that, and it made me look more legit the more that I did.

I had a website that I had a link tree.

I started doing posters for myself.

I started doing clips all the time.

I got more headshots done.

So it kind of just made me look a little bit more like a real comedian, I guess.

Oh, yeah.

And I guess having.

I guess if we post something and feel like, oh, this is the one that goes viral, it's almost like we need.

It helps to have the intention of just creating something for the fun of it and not trying to get something out of it beyond just enjoying the creation of it.

Yeah, Because I feel like when I post, I was like, this better be it, or this is the one.

And then, yeah, and I deleted.

I feel like that more now than before when I didn't have any followers at all.

Like, I feel more like that now.

I'm like, shit.

Now I have to, like, consistently get views, you know, or else someone's going to be like, well, she's, she's not, she's canceled.

Like, she's not doing well anymore.

So, I don't know.

It's weird.

I think social media takes a little bit of the fun out of comedy sometimes, but I recognize the importance of it in the industry now.

So it's like this balance of just.

Trying to do it well.

What did you learn working in social media?

Like, what is the.

What are the skills of social media?

You know, like, you Seem to have helped other brands build.

So we're all our own brands now.

Like, there's specific things, I think, just being true to what yourself is or what the brand is.

Like, for example, I worked at a. I worked at a private college for three years, and that's where I started.

Stand up in St. Augustine.

And I just, like, really, when I was on the accounts, I just always was thinking, like, what does this college?

Or what does the voice of this college sound like?

What does it look like?

What are the colors?

You know, what kind of voice does it have on stories versus what's the voice on regular posts or captions?

And you just kind of have to do that as a social media manager.

I mean, the best examples of it are, like, the Wendy's Twitter account, right?

Like, the person that runs it or the people that run it, like, they know what Wendy's sounds like.

They know exactly what it talks like, they know exactly what it has to say, what kind of vocab it has, and they lean into it, and it makes it hilarious because it's consistently funny.

It's consistently, like, snarky.

So I think, for me, I just kind of started, like, thinking about who do I want to be as a comedian?

And then went from there.

And it constantly evolves.

You know, I'm only three years in, so I don't really know who I am.

I don't know what my voice is still.

So at first I was like, oh, I'm pink and purple, and my whole profile is pink and purple highlights.

And I use these hashtags.

And now I'm like, I care less about that, and I care more about, like, what does the video look like?

Is the video good quality?

If it's not 4k, I don't use it.

I use the same font for all my captions.

I pretty much use the same hashtags for all my videos.

Like, but it evolved there.

I. I tried different things at different times.

So, yeah, interest.

Three years.

I didn't realize it was.

But I guess three and a half.

But you.

And a half.

That's incredible.

So you started in Hot Breath.

That was your first.

I. I should have looked back.

I should have walked on memory lane before this, because I know we've had a lot of interaction, especially during the pandemic.

I should have gone back and look because I'm sure there was a lot going on there.

I basically, like, the pandemic happened.

I got sent home to work from home.

I FaceTimed with a friend and I made him laugh a bunch.

And he was like, you should try stand up comedy.

And I looked up stand up comedy classes in Jacksonville, Florida, and, And I found one.

I went, I learned how to write a joke, and then I started, like, just googling anything and everything.

And I bought, like, the, the Stand up comedy Bible.

I bought, like, how to Kill in Comedy by Steve North.

I listened to your podcast, and then I think it was the podcast notes that led me to the Facebook group to then led me that to do, like, the word of the Day.

And then I would do zoom sessions with people in there.

I, I started listening to Breaking Down Bits with Drew Jordan and, like, I just started, like, kind of diving in.

I was, like, in the bathroom checking the live stream.

Like, I was in it, dude, I was in it.

Let's go.

Yeah, I love it.

Yeah.

Over.

I did over 400 days of live.

Streaming and, yeah, that was crazy.

And had a breakdown and.

Yeah, I didn't blame you.

That was so much.

And there was a point when I cried.

Yeah, there was a point where it was like, okay, the pandemic is, like, not over, but it's like things are happening again.

Yeah.

So it's like, okay, maybe we can get.

Ease up on the live streaming and, like, go out and actually do an open mic.

I don't know.

That would be cool.

You seem to have really excelled in the Florida scene.

Very quickly, like, you seem to be booking cool, cool shows.

I remember seeing.

Thanks.

Yeah.

Very quickly there.

What do you attribute to that?

Just dms.

Yeah.

People wanting to book your feet for the show.

I mean, it's hard.

I have a, I always have a hard time answering that question because, like, I want to say it was just because I worked hard and you're funny.

Thank you.

I, I, I hope so.

But, like, always were.

Yeah, it is, it is tricky because I think a lot of the time, you know, there is, there is a little bit of, like, being a female comic and being one of a few, because I noticed in Florida that there weren't nearly as many female comics as there are, like, in Atlanta or Denver or San Diego or literally anywhere else.

Like, and I, I think it's because Florida is a very tough state to do comedy in for anyone.

And so especially for women, when we're kind of faced with this, like, weird energy of, like, all right, I'm constantly in front of older people I'm in front of a lot of white people.

I'm in front of a lot of conservative people.

How do I navigate this without them immediately being like, oh, there's a woman on stage.

I'm not into this.

Or, oh, she's a woman.

She's going to talk about her period, or whatever?

So I just pushed through the.

And I just kind of was like, whatever, I don't really care.

Like, I'm just gonna do my jokes and if you don't like me, then don't book me.

And I asked a lot of questions.

I went to shows that I wasn't booked on just to, like, hang out with the headliner and be like, hey, like, how'd you write that joke?

And stuff like that?

And then I got lucky that a few, like, local headliners kind of took me under their wing and started just being like, if you want to do a guest spot on my show, do this or submit to this person.

And I started realizing I was like, oh, I gotta get myself on tape so that I can submit to someone.

So I filmed like, a five minute set on my cell phone and then started submitting that.

And then that got me into my first festival, weirdly enough.

And then I did the festival, and then the.

The tape that I got at the festival was even better, and I started using that to submit.

So it all kind of, like, built upon itself.

And I was also just insane.

And I was willing to drive four hours to do five minutes, which a lot of people are not willing to do.

And I completely understand.

Um, but I was just so.

I was just so into it that I was like, nothing is gonna stop me.

I drove to Miami and back in one night just to, like, do a spot, because I was.

I just wanted to do it.

So I think people realized that I was willing to do it.

So they're like, all right, come do it.

You were just, like, persistent with it.

And that really paid off because Miami, that's.

That's the whole length of the state, right?

Yeah, it was like a five hour drive.

And I just.

I mean, I don't know, I just.

Would I do it now?

Probably not, right?

But, like, I just wanted so badly to get funnier and to be seen and to show people that I could do it.

So it was worth it to me.

So what made you take the leap to Denver now, which is a great scene.

What a great question, Joel.

So thank you.

I've done a few of these in my day.

I grew up in Colorado, and I went to school there, and Everything.

And my parents retired to Florida.

So I got a job out of college.

I hated it.

And I went, I followed them to Florida, got a job, started working at the college, and then started comedy.

So then after maybe like two years of doing comedy, I was like, okay, I'm living in this small town right below Jacksonville.

I feel like I've exhausted what I can do here.

It seems like there's a lot of opportunity in Orlando and Tampa, kind of more central Florida.

So I had the brilliant of idea of moving to Orlando, Florida, which no one else thinks is a brilliant idea, I'll say that, that.

And I moved there and I immediately hated it.

And not because.

Not because the scene wasn't great.

It's just Orlando is the armpit of the state.

It is truly the dumpster fire of Florida.

And people from Orlando know that.

Like, they.

It's not a hot take, believe me.

And I met my boyfriend who was living in Denver, because I actually was lucky enough that a Florida comic took me to Denver to open for him.

And.

And I was like, hell yeah.

I haven't been home since I started stand up.

This is going to be really cool.

And weirdly enough, my boyfriend was photographing one of the shows I was on.

So we met.

It was really cool.

He and I started talking, like over DMS or whatever.

And then I moved to Orlando and he came down to visit me and we like started dating long distance, which was so hard.

But I kept going back to Denver to like see him and do comedy.

And I was like, wow, I miss home.

And Denver has a great comedy scene.

I had no idea there was comedy in Denver.

And I was in Orlando just unhappy for like 8 months.

And I was traveling a lot outside of Florida just so I didn't have to be home.

So I was like, all right, you know what, I'm just gonna move to Denver and I'm gonna jump in to the scene there.

And I knew a lot of people already because I'd been going back and forth and so I moved there and then it was the best decision I've ever made because I. I love Colorado.

I love the people there.

The scene is, in my opinion, like one of the best scenes in the country.

Definitely.

And definitely a step up in terms of like stage time.

So, yeah, I just was like, this is a no brainer.

I'm going to go home.

And you just so happen to start a studio.

Like, you're very pro.

It seems like a big theme is you're very proactive every step of the way.

Like you're gonna put your mind to something, and you're gonna do it.

Yeah, that's called adhd.

That was called ambition.

We can.

I have ADHD so severely that I'm like, I'm gonna start a studio, but then, like, tomorrow I'm also gonna, like, start a podcast, and then the next day, I'm gonna fucking go to a festival in Rhode Island.

And then, you know what I mean?

I just can't stop working.

My boyfriend owned dude idk.

That was his media company before he met me.

And then he's a photographer, videographer, producer.

He's worked at comedy clubs before.

He produces for comedy clubs.

He produces for comedians.

Like, he's all.

All around.

Been in the industry longer than I have, and so when we started dating, I was very interested in, like, helping him and kind of being a part of it, because that's also my background.

So when I moved to Denver, we had been tinkering with the idea of getting a workspace, and it was just a workspace.

It was like, what if we got a place where we didn't have to work from home and we could just make it, like, our workplace so that we can separate, like, the personal life from the work?

And then because we're both kind of workaholics, we were like, let's make it a studio.

Yeah, let's fudgeing, do podcasts and live shows and sketches and paint the wall.

I don't know.

And so we opened, we got a studio.

We were very lucky.

We got a cool studio, and we got, you know, all this stuff made.

There's a bunch of artwork on the walls from comedians, from other people.

We have a huge neon sign that says dude idk.

We have, like, curtains everywhere.

Like, it's.

We have photo paper hanging from the wall.

It's really become, like, a creative, collaborative space.

And I have to give a lot of credit to Nick because he's the one with the vision.

I'm just kind of like the person that's like, well, maybe what if we do this?

Or.

You know what I mean?

So.

But he's, like, the big picture guy.

So, yeah, we opened the studio, and we just started slowly with a few podcasts, and then we started producing live shows.

And now we have, like, don't tell in there.

We have the gateway show.

We have a few comedians that do their own, like, personal shows in there.

Some people come just to headline and rent out the space for their own.

Like, they're just renting it out for themselves.

And it's become really Fun for us.

It's kind of nice to have a creative outlet that's not my own stand up, you know?

Yeah.

Something else to scratch that itch.

Yeah, yeah.

And a great networking place too.

Oh, God.

Coming into that.

Yeah, yeah.

That.

That's a really big part of the reason why I love it is being able to have, like, big comedians come in.

And like, during High Plains Comedy Festival, we had a lot of comedians in town that wanted to record an episode of their podcast.

So we had all fantasy everything in there.

We had Sam Talent's podcast in there.

We had a bunch of people who were just like, hey, we just want to film like a random episode interviewing each other.

And they just did that.

So it's been really cool to meet people and they're like, oh, yeah, Morgan, you're part of dude idk.

And, oh, you do stand up.

Cool.

So.

Wow.

Yeah.

In three years.

Yeah.

Yeah.

It's weird because I don't think that that's like.

Like I feel like that's an appropriate amount of time.

Part of me is like, I'm like late in the game.

Like, I gotta get it together.

Yeah.

I think.

I think that is such a new school mentality of that sense of urgency, like.

But I just interviewed Adam Mueller, New York comic, and he's self produced two comedy specials in seven years of doing comedy, which for like an older comedian, that's like unheard of.

It's like, right.

Mean, it's like at least 10 years before you do anything.

Yeah, yeah.

But the new way is literally you, like, you have an idea and you run with it.

Yeah.

Don't hold back.

It's kind of.

It's kind of interesting because I have talked to a lot of like, what I call, like, OG comics, you know, people that have been doing it 10, 15, 20 years, and obviously the landscape has changed drastically.

But it's interesting to hear them be like, yeah, it's frustrating because they feel like now there's.

The game has changed in a way where it's not.

It doesn't favor the people who have been putting in the time and work.

It just favors people who are like, they have that virality.

They have that, like, stuff that can go viral really quickly.

And.

And I get it.

I mean, comedy clubs and networks and platforms, they're looking for what they can make money off of.

Of course.

So if someone has a million followers, but they only have five minutes of stand up, they're like, yeah, we'll book you at the improv.

If you can sell it out, you Know what I mean?

But it is, it is interesting because I see both ends of it.

Like, I, I.

When I was in Florida and even now, like, I valued the road so much because I was like, I just want to get better at stand up.

But then when I was home, I really valued social media because I was like, this is also a very important part of the new way to do it.

So it's kind of.

Yeah, it's kind of tough because for me, I'm like, I'm 28 and I feel like I wish I started comedy when I was 18 because I'd be so much better now.

I'd already be 10 years in.

Like, I started when I was 24 and I feel like that was old in a weird way.

Which is weird though, because in Florida a lot of people were really young and now that I'm in Denver, a lot of people are in their 30s and I'm actually the young one.

So it's.

I don't know, it's weird.

It's very weird.

And you're probably looking at me like, shut the fuck up, you toddler.

What?

No, definitely not.

I mean, I started senior year of college, so that would be like 20, 22, I guess so a few years before you did.

But you know, I've been doing it 14 years now as of two days ago, so.

Oh, congrats.

Yeah, it is a weird thing of like 14.

I mean, I'm grateful, but it is like, all right, what are you doing?

Like, I've.

Cuz I. I feel like that is the old comedian way of just like grind on stage, staged.

Which stage time you have to get on stage, you have to do all that.

But there's that old school mentality of like grinding on stage ground on the road.

Yeah.

Sleeping comedy condos with like three other people and like all this survive on Cliff bars.

Yo, I did that for a whole week.

I know you did.

Yeah.

Yeah, I ate nothing but Clif bars for a week.

God.

Dude.

For the road.

Yeah.

So bad.

It was very bad.

Yeah.

And they were expired because I was.

My job, always expired.

Have you ever eaten a Clif bar that wasn't expired?

But my job right in that, in that time was I was refilling minibars at a hotel and my job was to take out the expired stuff and refill it with not.

So I was just pocketing all the expired stuff.

So I had a lunch bag or a grocery bag full of just expired bars just for a week.

Amazing.

That was amazing.

But that's like that's like the shit you do to be a comedian, like, a lot.

Isn't it funny how people think that?

It's like, so glamorous.

Like, my friends think that I get paid, like, handsomely to, like, host at a random club or whatever, and I'm like, no, like, I actually paid to be here.

Like, I actually spent money to come to Kansas City.

Right.

Or whatever, and do this gig.

And I got chicken tenders in return.

So.

Yeah.

And sometimes the club is like, we'll give you 50 off food.

And I was like, oh, thanks.

Yeah.

Paying me 50 and I get half off.

I know, right?

It's like.

It's like, all right, I'll just go fish out of the trash can outside and stuff instead.

So that's why the Internet is the wave, you know, and building all of the leverage.

When you do go on the road, you are selling tickets.

You do set your own terms.

So that's where I'm at right now is like, I've been doing it 14 years.

I've developed as a comedian.

And now what?

Now how do I actually make this?

Like, I mean, it's my full time job, but, you know, I would like to make it to where my wife is like, oh, cool.

I don't have to work if I don't want.

Yeah.

Or I can do whatever, you know, so.

Not saying if she wants to work, go for it.

Yeah.

I'm just saying giving Joel's not trying to get canceled.

No, no, no, no.

Women shouldn't work.

Empowerment women.

I love you.

You know, I grew up with four sisters.

I was basically raised by cats.

So there you go.

I love women.

I'm all about it.

So that was a joke that didn't hit.

Okay.

It's okay.

I got hits on stage.

I'm running bits now.

I'm running bits now.

No, it doesn't.

I haven't done on stage, but it was a thought.

All right, I'm quitting comedy.

I'm going to go back to.

I think that's a funny joke.

Bars, the Raised by cats.

Yeah.

You could talk about what kind of cats each sitter was.

We have an orange cat.

Oh, yeah.

Like a brindle cat.

A black cat.

And maybe how they raised me, like, now I use a litter box or what if I were raised by cats?

What would that look like?

Exactly.

Hairball.

Yeah.

That's why I have this haircut.

This is why you should join the Hot Breath writing room.

In case you haven't already.

Yes, this was an ad sponsored by Morgan Gallo.

Yes, oh, and patreon.com hot breath pod.

Oh, hell.

Do you.

That's awesome.

We just launched that, so I want.

To get a Patreon.

I just don't know what I would do on there.

Yeah, we.

I've just had so many people reach out with gratitude about how helpful the show has been and, like, just hours and hours and hours of free comedy.

I will say it is a lot of work for, like, you're doing God's work.

You know what I mean?

So that's why the Patreon exists.

I don't know if you'll remember this, but there was a time when Spotify wrapped first started coming out.

There was a time that I got.

That was Hot Breath was my number one podcast.

And I had listened to eight hours in one day of the podcast.

I was a psychotic person.

I don't even know what I was doing that day.

Like, I might have been road tripping or something because I listened to eight hours of the podcast in one day.

Thank you.

I love hearing that.

Yeah.

I was so, like, desperate for any information.

No, inspired.

You mean you were so inspired by the show?

Not desperate.

Oh, my God.

Yeah, I do love hearing that.

When people are like, oh, I've I heard one and then listened to like 50 episodes, it's like people just dive into it.

Yeah.

Well, it also helped me, like, learn more about who the comedians are, because when you first start comedy, I feel like a lot of people are just like, oh, I just, like, love Dave Chappelle.

Or I just, like, love who Bernie Mac was.

You know what I mean?

And it's like, there are so many lesser known comedians that deserve that same accolade, but you don't, like, you just don't know because you.

You see the Netflix, you know, specials, you think of, you know, the.

The famous people from the 90s.

Like, you may not know, like, people who are actually kind of hitting right now or about to hit or whatever.

Yeah, it's cool.

Like, and there's.

Because I've been doing it so long that I've caught, like, Mark Norman example.

Yeah, I interviewed him very early on.

Yeah.

And you've had him on a few episodes.

Had him on three times now.

So it's been cool to kind of track his career.

Dusty Slay, the same you.

This is the first.

And then we're gonna get to see.

The Girl from Here moment.

For me, I was telling my boyfriend this morning, like, that it's very funny to like, be talking with you on this podcast after being so, like, obsessed with it for a while, you know what I mean?

It's cool.

Wow.

Yeah.

Pinching myself.

Yeah.

It's just, this is just a love fest.

I know, right?

Well, riddle me this, social media expert.

If how could the show.

There's an engaged audience, like the community is super engaged.

I mean, every time I go to a festival, people are coming up to me and all that.

So like the people that find it, love it.

How, how would you start to use social media to really start to build the following, you know, and start to build that online clout, I guess.

Or just stroke my ego and be like, I want the numbers that show.

The people, you know, I mean, I guess, I guess I would have to see like kind of what you're putting out now because, I mean, I think, I think that everything is, everything is kind of subjective on social media.

Like there's no one clear cut answer.

But I do think consistency is like the biggest key, unfortunately.

So already being consistent is like a good thing to have.

And then just like really, really letting people know that this is like something to learn from.

Because I guess.

And you would be able to answer this more than I would like.

Your audience really is people who want to get into comedy.

The core.

Like it's, I mean, I like veteran comedians, listen to it, I'll hear from them.

But I think the core audience are aspiring comedians or like zero.

Just starting to like five years.

That's probably like the heart and soul.

Yeah, yeah.

All ranges will listen.

But yeah, that's the heart of it.

Yeah, yeah.

Because I think, I think that's like, that would be a great way to kind of segment what you're doing.

Because when you have like the really big comedians like Mark Norman does it like Shane Torres, like when you have people on and you're kind of like, what's your biggest advice?

And they're like, write every day, don't drink as much, you know, whatever.

Take care of yourself.

Like it's, it's almost like you want them to be like, you want them to be able to say like, hey, talk to someone who's like fucking five years in.

Not, don't talk to someone who's about to start comedy.

What would you say to the five year comedian who just bombed an audition they had, who's been on the road, who's lost their voice, who's tired of their material.

What specific thing do you have to say to that person?

And then clip that up because I need to watch that.

Yeah, yeah.

Oh, gotcha.

Yeah.

Well, what, what would you say to the person who's thinking about getting on stage and hasn't taken the leap yet.

Well, I.

It's a good question because I took a comedy class and although it was helpful, it also burned down in flames.

And because the guy was a jackass.

Yeah, he got ran out of town.

That's why I tell anyone who's taking a class, just, they can be very helpful.

Just make sure that it's being taught by someone that is, like, a good.

Worth learning from.

Yeah, we have.

We have online classes and workshops as well if y' all want to just learn from Hot Breath.

I think because for me, like, I wasn't able to just go to an open mic and start talking like, I'm a research gal.

I really have to feel like I have a background before I do something because it just.

The anxiety would just eat away at me.

So I would say, like, do.

Do some research on, like, what it.

What it is to do an open mic.

Look at, like, how to craft a five minute set or even just how to write a joke.

Because what I did first, before I did anything, was I just wrote like a stream of consciousness of, like, I think what had happened that day.

And I was like, maybe I'll just talk about this.

And then I took a comedy class and I was like, no, I'm not gonna do that.

And then I started doing the writing room and I realized, oh, no, like, each joke is its own little journey that you have to take and, like, figure out what is the setup, what is the punchline, what is it?

A double entendre is a misdirect.

Is it a power of three?

Or even if it's just a funny.

Whatever it is, and you have to like, individually work on each one until they're solid enough.

So I would say if you're thinking about getting on stage, definitely, like, do a little bit of research.

Go to a writer's room or even just go to an open mic and just don't sign up and just kind of ask around, like, hey, how did you get into this?

And everyone's gonna have a different story.

A lot of dudes are just be like, I just got up here because my friends told me I was funny.

And they're gonna be half drunk and they're gonna be annoying.

But I would say, like, just give yourself a little bit of time to feel confident enough.

Don't just like, go in guns blazing because you're probably gonna bomb and you're gonna not be happy about it.

And that's okay.

It's okay, to bomb.

We all bomb.

But the first time, you want to know, at least you tried before you bombed.

Yeah, yeah.

What is your worst bomb so far?

Oh, my God.

Take a sip of water.

I have.

Yeah, I know.

So I have a joke about it, but I. I won't tell the joke that it's just a story about how when I was still living in Orlando, I got hired to perform at, like, a music festival or like a.

It was like.

It was weird.

It was like a music festival.

It was like a women's surf competition.

It was this thing.

And it was in Jacksonville where I started comedy.

And it was cool because, like, I was recommended by the Orlando Improv, which at the time I was working at.

And it was like a big deal because it was female oriented event and they wanted a female comedian.

So they're like, oh, Morgan Gallo.

But I didn't know until the.

I talked to the guy that I would be opening for Smash Mouth.

And I think Smash Mouth is.

They have cool music.

That lead singer was a douchebag.

But, like, there I was like, oh, this is gonna be so cool.

And I, like, told my dad about it.

Like, I was like, this is gonna be sick.

And it turned out to be that they wanted me to do comedy, like, in between the bands.

And it was at an outdoor.

It was at a huge amphitheater, like, at night with like 6,000 people.

How long you been doing comedy?

I had been doing comedy two years at that point.

And so I had 10 minutes.

Like, I was like, I can do it.

But I guess I. I knew that live music and comedy didn't go well together.

Like, I knew that.

But I had also been doing a lot of open mics that were all arts open mics.

And I was like, oh, I know what it's like to go after a guitar player.

Like, I'm gonna kill it.

But the audience, the people that come to watch Smash Mouth are not the same people that come to watch female comedy.

And so I went on stage and the.

The producer, like, didn't tell me this until I was about to go on stage.

They.

They were sound checking all the instruments while I was doing my set.

And he didn't.

He, like, he didn't tell me that that was gonna happen.

And so I'm on stage and I'm like, kind of just ripping through material because people are.

You know, it's an amphitheater, so they're, like, talking, they're getting drinks.

Like, they're.

They're packing in to see Smash Mouth.

They've been waiting three hours to see Smash Mouth.

And so anyway, I'm on stage, I'm bombing.

There's, like, drums in the background going on.

There's, like, a bass player player trying to tune the fucking bass.

And I got heckled really bad.

There were a lot of men who were saying shit like, women aren't funny.

Take your top off.

Oh.

Like, the types of heckles that, like, as a woman are, like, the worst case scenario.

Like, no one is respecting you at all.

No one's laughing.

No one.

People are looking at me like, I am insane for being up there.

And I'm realizing, yes, I am insane for doing this.

And so, yeah, I. I ran off stage and I got booed by 6, 000 people.

Oh, my.

And I, like, locked myself in a utility closet.

And I was.

I've never cried that hard in my life.

Like.

Like, you know that, like hyperventilating where you can't.

You can't even, like, be consoled.

And I was, like, shaking.

And it was.

And it was so bad.

And the worst part of it, which I don't tell on stage, but the worst part of it was, like, after that had happened, I didn't get paid for a week.

And so I emailed the producer and I was like, hey, like, thanks so much for having me.

Like, I was just trying to be polite.

And I was like, I'd love to get the money or whatever, right?

And he gave me the money.

And he was like, here you go.

And then he wrote this novel, and he was like, to be frank, I'm very disappointed in your performance.

It was so disrespectful how you started talking badly about the venue when your set went south.

And what he means by me talking about the venue was I started bombing, and I was like, you guys love how they booked a female comic for this amphitheater, and clearly none of you give a shit.

Like, I started doing that comic thing, right?

Where I was like, obviously, this is a bad show, right?

And so he was upset that I was acknowledging that.

And he also was like, I didn't appreciate how raunchy you were.

Which was weird because when he booked me, I asked him if he wanted me to be clean, and he said, no, we've seen all your material online.

You're fine.

And all the material I did on stage was material I had done online.

And so he sent me that.

He, like, ripped me apart in this email.

So I replied.

And I was like, since we're being frank, you put me in a terrible position.

Like, you did not do anything to give me respect on that stage.

You were sound checking.

You didn't give me any direction on what I was supposed to do.

You.

You bogged on my material when you told me it was fine.

And I, I basically told him, like, please do not put another comedian in this position.

If you do keep doing this festival, do not book a comedian because you are making it so difficult for us when we deserve to have a good time.

And then I just had to get yelled at by men.

So it was.

It was really bad.

And it took me so long to get over it that I. I only wrote about it and started talking about it on stage like two months ago.

And that was a year and a half ago.

Are you, Are you.

It doesn't sound like you are over it.

It sounds.

I think, I think I'm over it in the way that, like, I realize how funny it is.

And when I tell the story, like, I have fun telling it because I recognize how insane of a gig that was.

But I do, I do sometimes kind of get like, irked by producers that book comedians and they don't have any knowledge of what it takes to create a good comedy environment.

And then they get mad at the comedian for not doing their job when it's like, no, but you didn't set the stage.

Yeah.

You know what I mean?

It's like, it's like telling a Zamboni driver to go out and Zamboni the beach.

Like, it's.

It doesn't make any sense.

And he's going to just fuck up his machine.

Like, that's such a dumb comparison.

I'm so.

That is the perfect comparison.

You know what I mean?

It's so.

I can't do comedy with a bunch of, like, drunk smash mouth fans that are like.

I mean, outdoors is a nightmare if it's.

If it's not set up for comedy.

Outdoors is a nightmare in general.

Like, comedy has very few parameters for it to go well.

Yeah.

And that.

Yeah.

Drunk Smash Mouth fans.

Yeah.

Did you have to go back up in between bands or anything like that?

No, it was just.

It was that one right before Smash, it was like all the bands had gone on.

Oh, the last band got off, they were like, all right, we're gonna have someone before Smash Mouth comes on.

And I, like, made fun of that too.

I was like, you guys are just here to see the Shrek soundtrack.

Like, you're not here to see this comic.

And I, When I tell you I ran out of that venue after, I, like, I I like, got out of the utility closet, mascara running down my face.

I didn't even get to see Smash Mouth.

I didn't even get to sing All Star.

And so I ran out of the venue and like, called my boyfriend and cried the whole way home to him.

I was.

It was horrible.

Yeah.

That's one of the best.

I always ask the guests on here their worst bombs.

That's one of the best, really.

Oh, my God.

The worst part is like, I kind of like Smash Mouth.

Like, I kind of like their music in a very weird way.

And every time I hear it, I think about that.

And now I laugh.

But for a while I like, could not listen to it.

I like.

And every time I tell that story, I love when the sound guy is smart.

And after I tell that story, he plays all star.

Like, I think that's so funny.

I'm just picturing you crying in the utility closet with All Star playing.

Like, I was gonna be an all star.

Yeah.

Cause it's like, comedy is so funny with, like, it'll set you up with this high and then just around the corner.

A lot of times comedy will just be like, not yet.

And they're just like, yeah, low.

Like there's something to cancel it out.

Yeah.

Not to say to expect it, but I've had so many experiences of like, I do a seven o' clock show, everything kills.

Oh, God, the nine o' clock show.

I do the exact same show.

Crickets.

Yeah, you're high from that show.

And then there's that low after.

It's just part of that roller coaster.

I'm still.

One of the things that I think I still makes me a three year comedian is my inability to calm down after I bomb.

I still get very emotional and I still get very angry with myself and I get really embarrassed.

And so I.

A lot of the time, like, if I bomb and I'm on a showcase, I'll just like leave the venue and I'll just Irish, goodbye, everyone.

And I want to get better at that because no one cares.

Like, comedians genuinely don't give a.

They're just like, yeah, dude, I bombed yesterday too.

Like, but I get so embarrassed because I have this idea that I have to do well.

Especially because I'll be honest, like, having a lot of followers, I think makes me nervous because people who haven't met me yet, they see that I have followers and they're like, oh, she must be great.

And then if I bomb, I'm like, oh God, that was really disappointing.

And I would like to get better at that.

So I think that's something that comes with time.

Yeah, it took me years to get better at bouncing back from bombs and things like that.

It.

I mean, I would.

If my opening joke didn't work early on, I would bail on the set and I'd be like, oh, I guess this whole thing's gonna suck.

And I would turn around and start rubbing the walls and, yeah, I would roll around the floor.

I did weird stuff when jokes weren't working and just completely bail.

And then afterwards, I would be depressed for, like, a long time just after a bomb, like.

And then over time, you just realize, focus on what you can control.

Get back on stage.

Just do your best on that show.

It's just getting back on the horse really helps to bounce back.

But it.

Yeah, I took me years to really overcome just feeling bad about bombing and that.

Lingering.

Yeah, I'll have to catch myself now.

I mean, I had a killer show last weekend, and then last night, the show went well.

People came up afterwards and are like, that was amazing.

Thank you for coming and all of that.

Like, the show was great, but you can feel a difference when you're not in the zone or you're not just humming.

And I was like, oh, that should have been better.

And then I had to just remind myself it went.

It was fine.

Yeah, not every show is going to be a grand slam.

You made money.

People were happy.

Just be grateful for what is and not worrying about what isn't or what you could change and just focus on.

Continue to move forward.

Yeah.

Yeah.

We all go through that at every level.

Yeah.

There's so many, like, people that still bomb, that are amazing and, like, sell out arenas and, like.

Yeah, like, that's, like, part of it.

Yeah.

I used to think that it was so bad to bomb because what if someone saw me bomb?

And then later on the Internet, they were like, I saw Morgan Gallo live and she actually sucked.

And then I was like, oh, my God, like, what if people online start talking about me?

And then, like, people don't come to my shows because they think I bombed.

And then I was like, no one does that.

No.

First of all.

And second of all, people who actually watch comedy consistently understand that that's part of it.

And they, like seeing comedians not do well because it humanizes them.

Yep.

Like, we have a new material show that we do at the studio.

These three Denver comedians who run it, and it's called Old Dogs New Jokes because they book comedians who are working, and they're like, hey, since you're working so much.

Instead of doing an open mic, come and do an actual show.

But we book it as a new material show so the audience knows what they're in for.

And sometimes people do really well with new jokes and sometimes they bomb.

But that's like part of the fun of it is they get to be like, all right, well, I tried.

You guys didn't like it.

Thanks for the feedback.

So I need to get out there.

I haven't been to Denver yet.

Fun.

Yeah, I gotta get out there.

Yeah, Denver.

Denver has a lot of great clubs and a lot of great comic run venues that are so awesome and just like, really keen on making a good comedy environment because so many people there are working really hard and are on the road and are either opening for big people or are their own nationally touring headliners.

And it's a great, like, through city.

Like, there's a lot of people from LA that come through there.

Portland, New York, even just kind of the Midwest area.

People come through there a lot on their way down.

Like, it's just a cool scene.

Oh, well, yeah.

Maybe make something happen this year.

Perhaps make a trip out there.

Cool.

Well, I mean, is there, Is there anything else you want the world to know or any.

Anything.

I think we're landing the plane here.

I mean, the bombing story really just.

I know it's.

Where do you go from there?

I love, I love it.

I love just the arc of the.

Of us was three years in and you have over a hundred thousand followers.

You have this studio in Denver and it's so amazing.

And then the.

By the end of the interview, it's, I bombed opening for Smash Mouth.

I've cried harder than I ever.

That's how you.

That's how you know you.

You're doing well.

Is when you get asked to do an insane gig, you say yes out of your own hubris, and then you realize, oh, that was a bad ide.

No, I would just say, like, to the, to the people listening, if I could talk to myself three years ago and I was listening to this type of episode, I would just say, like, take a breath and just like, know that this is a marathon and that you might be in mile one right now, you might be in mile 14, you might be in mile three.

And your pace now does not determine where you end up at the finish line.

Like, if you need a break, take a break.

If you need to grind for a few months, grind for a few months.

If you need to go a completely different detour and then come back to the race path.

Like, that's okay.

Because no one is, like, measuring your success.

Like, no one's looking at you and being like, all right, they're five years in.

They've gone this far.

They have these things.

Like, comparison is the thief of joy.

So even though it's very hard not to compare yourself, especially when you see people who are.

You've started out with them, and now they're getting bigger than you are.

Or maybe you're getting bigger than they are.

Like, there's room for all of us.

There's so many comedy clubs.

There's so many festivals.

There's so many opportunities.

There is truly room for every single one of us, and it doesn't need to be, like, a competition.

Preach, preach, preach.

Well, where.

Where could people follow you?

And check out dude, idk.

Dude, idk.

Yeah, dude, dude1dk on Instagram.

That's us.

And then dude, idk creative.com.

we have all of our shows and stuff on there.

And then I'm just.

Morgan Gallo, comedy on pretty much everything.

And, yeah, I have my website.

I have my dates up.

Yeah, I don't know when this is coming out, so I don't really have any dates to push, I guess, but I'm.

I'm around.

I'm doing it.

Yeah, I have.

I'm driving in my Toyota all across the place, and I'm hoping to start doing another podcast or another show or something soon.

Or.

If you're a weirdo, subscribe to my only fans.

Oh, snap.

Oh, is there weird stuff going on in there?

No, I just said if you're a weirdo.

Yeah, the people.

You're not a weirdo, Weirdo.

No, no.

What are you doing in there?

I just have, honestly, like, boudoir photos.

I don't do any videos.

I don't talk to people.

I don't have nudity.

I was.

I was hoping you were like, I'm just posting crowd work clips and people are subscribing.

No, I'm, like, fully in it, dude.

I'm, like, fully doing, like, in lingerie.

Doing crowd work clips.

That's your own thing.

I should do that.

I should do that.

Honestly.

No, it's just if you.

If you want to see me in a light that you don't see me on Instagram, it's on there.

You know, it's.

To me, I think it's fine because it's like, they're just, like, cute photos.

A lot of people are like, what happens if you get famous and these photos get leaked?

And I'm like, oh, no, a really hot photo of me is on the Internet.

That's what sucks.

Like, you can't see anything.

It's like I'm wearing a bikini.

You see that at the beach for free, so might as well pay $10.

Well, there you go.

Yeah, give her $10.

And while you're at it, go join our Patreon as well and keep supporting this.

Yeah, Joel wears boxers on the Patreon.

Yeah, he does crowd work in his box sometimes.

Compression shorts if you're lucky.

Not a bad idea, Tommy John.

Let's get a deal going.

But thanks for being on Hot Breath, Morgan.

Thanks for having me.

I appreciate.

Dude.

Yeah, of course.

So subscribe to our YouTube channel as well while you're at it and go.

To the writing room.

Seriously?

Yeah.

Our Facebook group, the Comedy Writing Room, we do a daily joke writing contest in there, and people are asking questions in there.

So it's a great online community for comics to connect and get better together.

All linked in the description.

Cool.

Bye, y'.

All.

Bye, Hot Breath.