By Wikipedia’s standards only 13% of women make up their list of ‘American Stand-up Comedians’, but my first guest aims to change that. BanterGirl is the brainchild of comedian, actor, writer, and producer Trish Nelson. Born out of a successfully crowdfunded campaign, an unexpected internship, and long nights working in the restaurant industry, Trish has been in the comedy business producing events for comedians like Bill Burr and Amy Schumer (the first woman to ever make the Highest Paid Comedians list). Trish also produces Women of Letters, a monthly literary salon that features ladies of New York’s celebrating the long lost art of letter writing. Today Trish Nelson sat down with Randi on ‘Dot Complicated’ to talk about how she’s building an empire of funny women, for all women.
TRISH NELSON“Comedy makes politics palatable.”
“Maybe a conversation tracker will be necessary because they don’t know how to talk to each other.”
“I originally wanted BanterGirl to be a non-profit but the contracts in TV and film were too complicated.”
“I took a chance because I knew I wanted more.”
“I’ve always worked for men, unfortunate but it taught me something: I wanted more.”
“I did not like the mass production on entertainment so I decided to do it myself.”
“In Women of Letters we give six women a topic they write a letter in advance. It’s a gateway to discuss the female experience.”
“Being exposed to all these women in Women of Letters, I realized I wanted to be surrounded by diverse females.”
“Comedy is a sneak attack. We’re working on developing TV shows through back door entry. We’re trying to put diverse content out without stereotyping.”
“I don’t expect to change the entire ecosystem of Hollywood, but I’d like to make a dent.”
“BanterGirl Live is a weekly podcast. Anyone can write in to join the conversation.”
“I’m trying to create an empire for all women.”
“Everybody’s voice is important.”
“If you don’t have the means, you can find them. Don’t let life experience hold you back.”
“People were sending me money believing in the message, because I wanted to help diverse women in comedy.”
“Rather than focusing on what you don’t have, focus on what you do have and that it’s enough to begin.”
“Begin and know you won’t have a final product on Day 1. It’s like having a child. You don’t give birth to an 18 year old.”
SAIREE CHAHAL“I started my career in journalism then went to the corporate space. I realized I belonged in startups.”
“SHEROES is putting women’s careers on the map, especially in a country that is patri.”
“Maya Angelou created the name SHEROES. A woman in the US loaned us the domain after asking Maya Angelou her permission to use the name.”
“Parts of India are still very orthodox. We have class and gender differences. In every situation, women end up bearing the brunt.”
“The statistics show there aren’t as many women in the workforce. They’re doing the work and not getting paid or being accounted for.”
“Women want a space that’s their own and a community of support. SHEROES is a community and network of resources to build a career.”
“We build a community based on mentorship.”
“Women can reach out to get advice and help on our app 24/7.”
“Working from home is one of the most powerful pieces for women in the career puzzle.”
“We are one of the largest curators of work from home opportunities in the world.”
“Women from remote parts of the country gain a lot from working from home.”
“Thanks to good Internet, remote work puts women in a place of power.”
“One of the reasons women kept falling off the career map was because of their families. Fleximoms was born out of that.”
“What businesses need and what women need are the same thing.”
“It’s better to work 3 hours a day than not work at all.”
“It’s hard to put careers back on track when there’s been a disconnect.”
“We see a lot of services-based companies and enterprise operations are some top drivers looking for women in the workplace.”
“What we set out to create—being able to connect women to their aspirations—is actually what we’ve done.”
“It is not so hard for a man to articulate his ambitions. Women have to work on creating that space. It’s not as easy to articulate.”
“For a woman who was a stay-at-home mom, her ambition my be getting out of the house.”
“People say there is one definition of success, but at SHEROES women build their own definition.”
“Men are always talking shop. Women are running the caregiving economy. Women need to be able to talk about their own aspirations.”
“Find a community that’s all about you. Not kids, or parents. Just your own ambition.”
“I get a lot of support from my peers and mentors. They’re why I’m able to do it.”
“My first job was to teach Russian to a couple going to Russia.”
“I did a TedTalk in the US about the feminization of women at work.”
“The open talent economy totally fascinates me.”
“Men have a huge role to play in gender disparity. This is an exercise in shared empathy.”
Join ‘Dot Complicated with Randi Zuckerberg’ every Wednesday on SiriusXM Business Channel 111 at 12pm ET!
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