An Interview with Eddie Schmidt, Director & Executive Producer of ‘Good One: A Show About Jokes’

GOOD ONE -- Pictured: "Good One" Key Art -- (Photo by: Peacock)

Eddie Schmidt is a highly accomplished producer and director that has given life to some fascinating documentaries throughout the years. His current project, Good One: A Show About Jokes, is available to watch now on Peacock and we here at NTG had the wonderful honor of sitting down with Eddie to discuss how this fascinating docu-series came to life.
 
John Betancourt: I have to know as an executive director, what it was it inspired the creation of a special.
 
Eddie Schmidt: Well, I'm a big fan of comedy. And I really loved the Good One podcast that Jesse David Fox has been doing for Vulture. And so, when a producer with Vulture came to me with the opportunity to adapt it, I was very excited by the prospect. And I brought it to Universal Television, Alternative Studios. And they we teamed up with Seth Meyers and his company and set out to make, you know, something that really showed the process of comedy how, you know, comedy is crafted.
 
John Betancourt: As kind of a follow up on that. You said that you love comedy a lot? What is it about comedy that you enjoy so much that you had to share this process with the masses?
 
Eddie Schmidt: Well, I think I've just grown-up loving comedy, first of all, and I think comedians are able to get to a lot of truths by using humor. And I've been fortunate to work with some very funny people in documentary context, Chelsea Handler, you know, for one, Jason Sudeikis, Harry Shearer. But I hadn't made something that was about the process of making comedy. And so, I know how hard funny people work at what they do. And the meticulousness and the level of detail. And so, I thought, well, “It will be a really fascinating journey to show that process” because it's also very personal, you know, the material is personal. And so, I thought it would be this great intersection of process and personal.
 
John Betancourt: What was it that motivated you to make Mike Birbiglia and his work the focus of this documentary?
 
Eddie Schmidt: You know, Mike has been on the Good One podcast. And Mike is, first of all, an exceptional comedian. He's also very upfront about process. He has his own podcast, you know, about the craft of comedy. So, he's willing to be open about it. And that frankness, that directness, and of course, his skill level, made him ideal. Here's somebody who is a pro, who's willing to say, “Hey, you know, this is where the building blocks come from” that really, that was a great opportunity for us.
 
John Betancourt: I'm very curious as to what kind of challenges you and your team ran into in assembling this journey.
 
Eddie Schmidt: I think the challenge really was, we're creating something new in a sense, which is that the podcast is a conversation. And this is a more immersive, you know, documentary experience, where the comedian, Mike, is leading you, the audience, on this journey. So, there was, you know, a lot of thought involved of, how do we do that in a way that feels authentic and feels natural and is fun. And then also, I think the production challenge was, “Hey, we need to be able to, like, shoot his shows, and shoot with him,” you know, behind the scenes and in his life, and be able to balance all that, you know, that requires a lot of planning, and a great crew. We had a great crew.
 
John Betancourt:  Now, I have to ask you, because I'll be remiss to not ask this question, how much stuff didn't make final cut?
 
Eddie Schmidt: I think, well, it's interesting. You know, we filmed more of Mike's shows, right? So, there's certainly other jokes and routines, but we were balancing, you know, that you need to see the performance, and the performance and the material dovetails with, you know, his life. And so those were the sweet spots for us. So, there were, you know, things that we filmed, different jokes, different routines that were very funny, but they just sort of didn't fit into kind of where the story was, was leading us.
 
John Betancourt: That makes total sense. Because he does focus a lot on “what's the show gonna be about?” and then on those specific jokes, I get that completely.
 
Eddie Schmidt: Yeah, so, there's bonus jokes, floating around. Maybe some of them will float around social media at some point, some of our bonus jokes.
 
John Betancourt: Well, that would be great! Now this is an unprecedented look into just the creation of comedy in general. What does it mean to you to be able to create something this unique and this pioneering?
 
Eddie Schmidt: Well, thank you for saying that, I think, so first of all, I love verité. Filming verité, like filming things as they happen, multi camera and really trying to capture something as it unfolds. And so many documentaries, and particularly documentaries about comedy, or comedians, are looking in the rearview mirror, right? They’re historic, they look back on something that already happened. So, I think the exciting part for us was “No, no, we want to document pivot points as they happen.”
 
John Betancourt: Now, outside of the actual process, what else do your audiences take away from this behind the scenes look at comedy?
 
Eddie Schmidt: Well, I hope that audiences, first of all, have a great appreciation for Mike. He has a brilliant mind and is really exceptional at what he does. And then I hope that the insights they get from something like this extend to all comedians, but really to artists in general, I think what was cool for me is, you know, having documented many people in you know, many worlds, whether you're a musician, whether you're a chef, whether you're a comic, how hard people work, how much they prepare, how much they care about what they do, it's really impressive. And so, I think people, you know, will see this, and think, “Oh, I didn't realize, comedians, you know, work this hard.”
 
John Betancourt: Now this is the beginning of a new series on Peacock? Where we see more of this with other comedians?
 
Eddie Schmidt: We loved making Good One. And we would love to make more. So hopefully, people will enjoy it, appreciate seeing, you know, this window into Mike's process and his world. And it is absolutely something that we can do again, with other comedians. And I think I think there are other comedians who will be interested in telling their stories, too.
 
John Betancourt: Now as a fan of the craft, what did you take away from this experience?
 
Eddie Schmidt: I took away again, the dedication, I guess, that's what I took away was dedication. In other words, I myself, I always say that I work hard, right? And I don't, you know, I've come to this point in my career, but I still work as hard. Interestingly enough, in getting to know, Mike, I guess my first thought was, “Oh, well, he's, he's the top of his game. He's great.” But he works hard. So, I think that was really interesting for me to see like, “Oh yeah, you know, if you really believe in what you do your own bar is high for yourself.” And so, you're gonna work hard, you know, when you stop working hard, you maybe… you don't, you know, you don't care anymore. So, I think if you're working hard at what you what you love, that's a good thing.
 
John Betancourt: Last question I have for you today. What are you most proud of when it comes to this documentary?
 
Eddie Schmidt: I am proud that this documentary is funny. (Laughter) In other words, I think it's revealing, its immersive. But I think if you didn't get to appreciate who Mike is and what he does, through his comedy, you know, that wouldn't work. So, I am glad that people can also laugh along with this documentary.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

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