Sam Pressler's guest appearances

Sam Pressler

Social Entrepreneur

The Shin Fujiyama Podcast | Social Entrepreneurship | Nonprofit Organizations | International Development Aid | NGOs

Veteran Resource Podcast

The Comedy Cellar: Live from the Table

Art Works Podcast

Millennial Minds with YazzieSpeaks

DCRADIO.GOV

Sean Wilentz

Wes Meier

Katy Ashe

Gavin Armstrong

Nedgine Paul

Pam Muñoz Ryan

Sarah Cash

Howard Shalwitz

Adriana Sananes

Tonya Beckman

Stephan Wolfert

Joe Standart

Taylor Mali

Unai Elorriaga

Dana Tai

OwlTail

Brian Jenkins

In 2013, when Sam Pressler was an undergraduate, he came to a profound understanding of the civilian/military divide and the sobering realities many veterans face when they return to civilian life. Based on his own experiences of coping with loss, he thought comedy might be a way to help returning veterans cope. Since there weren’t any comedy classes for veterans, he started one—partnering with an existing writing group. From that one class, the idea of Armed Services Arts Partnership (or ASAP) grew and flourished. Located in Hampton Roads Virginia and the Washington, DC area, ASAP has reached close to 1,000 veterans, service members, and their families through over 200 workshops and classes. It’s also produced 150 performances of its graduates—including shows at the White House—and reached some 15,000 audience members. Sam Pressler—who recently stepped down as executive director and now sits on the board of ASAP—and the current executive director Brian Jenkins tell us how ASAP came together and grew into a thriving and beloved organization and what they’ve learned about community, veterans, and the arts. It’s a great story.

In 2013, when Sam Pressler was an undergraduate, he came to a profound understanding of the civilian/military divide and the sobering realities many veterans face when they return to civilian life. Based on his own experiences of coping with loss, he thought comedy might be a way to help returning veterans cope. Since there weren’t any comedy classes for veterans, he started one—partnering with an existing writing group. From that one class, the idea of Armed Services Arts Partnership (or ASAP) grew and flourished. Located in Hampton Roads Virginia and the Washington, DC area, ASAP has reached close to 1,000 veterans, service members, and their families through over 200 workshops and classes. It’s also produced 150 performances of its graduates—including shows at the White House—and reached some 15,000 audience members. Sam Pressler—who recently stepped down as executive director and now sits on the board of ASAP—and the current executive director Brian Jenkins tell us how ASAP came together and grew into a thriving and beloved organization and what they’ve learned about community, veterans, and the arts. It’s a great story.

Sam Pressler and Brian Jenkins

I speak with Millennial Mogul, Mr. Sam Pressler, Founder and Executive Director of Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) where the organization offers free classes in stand-up comedy, platforms for comedic performance for veterans, as well as workshops for their families members and loved ones. Sam informs us why comedy as a teaching tool, social networking strategy and stress reliever is a successful opportunity for war veterans. Sam is a 2015 Echoing Green Global Fellow, 2016 Halcyon Fellow, and 2017 Forbes and Pacific Standard 30 Under 30 awardee.

I speak with Millennial Mogul, Mr. Sam Pressler, Founder and Executive Director of Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) where the organization offers free classes in stand-up comedy, platforms for comedic performance for veterans, as well as workshops for their families members and loved ones. Sam informs us why comedy as a teaching tool, social networking strategy and stress reliever is a successful opportunity for war veterans. Sam is a 2015 Echoing Green Global Fellow, 2016 Halcyon Fellow, and 2017 Forbes and Pacific Standard 30 Under 30 awardee.

Millennial Minds Episode 21 with Sam Pressler, Founder and CEP of ASAP for Veterans

Michael Garvey

Joe List is a New York City-based standup comedian. He may be seen performing regularly at the Comedy Cellar. Sam Pressler is the Founder of the Armed Services Arts Partnership or ASAP, a nonprofit that helps veterans integrate into their communities through the arts and comedy. He started Comedy Bootcamp, the first stand-up comedy class in the country for veterans and their families.  Michael Garvey is combat-wounded U.S. Marine Corps veteran who is an alum of ASAP's Comedy Bootcamp course. Since graduating from the class, Michael has gone on to perform at The White House, the Warner Theater, and DC Improv. His PTSD service dog, Liberty, performs with him and writes his material.

Joe List is a New York City-based standup comedian. He may be seen performing regularly at the Comedy Cellar. Sam Pressler is the Founder of the Armed Services Arts Partnership or ASAP, a nonprofit that helps veterans integrate into their communities through the arts and comedy. He started Comedy Bootcamp, the first stand-up comedy class in the country for veterans and their families.  Michael Garvey is combat-wounded U.S. Marine Corps veteran who is an alum of ASAP's Comedy Bootcamp course. Since graduating from the class, Michael has gone on to perform at The White House, the Warner Theater, and DC Improv. His PTSD service dog, Liberty, performs with him and writes his material.

Joe List, Sam Pressler, and Michael Garvey

While studying at the College of William &amp; Mary, Sam Pressler learned about the post-traumatic stress disorder war veterans were facing as they reintegrated into civilian life.  So in 2015, he started Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) to help them re-enter and thrive in their communities. ASAP, based out of Washington DC and Hampton Roads, VA gives veterans a voice by doing something completely unconventional… By offering them free classes and workshops in stand-up comedy, improv, storytelling, and creative writing. But the entrepreneurial journey for Sam Pressler was no joke. He bootstrapped with just two other employees—and during the same week, they both quit. “That was rock bottom for us. I thought we were going to implode,” he said.  “How the heck am I going to do this?” he asked himself. Yet instead of quitting, Sam kept pushing forward. “Time stopped and I immediately went into survival mode." He asked himself one question, "What is the first step to take to get out of this?” and then created an insane schedule for himself—4:30 am workouts at the gym and 6-10 am focused solo time at the desk. “I ruthlessly prioritized my time, segmenting every minute of my day,” he said. Sam's hard work paid off and ASAP was asked to organize a show at the White House. "It was surreal," he said. Since 2015, more than 450 students have taken classes, and there have been over 700 performances in front of an estimated 40,000 audience members. Sam is an Echoing Green Fellow and was recently named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 List for Social Entrepreneurship. Sam Pressler Reading List  Mastery by Robert Greene Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger  Sam Pressler Show Notes Sam Pressler studied political science at the College of William &amp; Mary Back in high school, Sam lost a close family member to suicide Humor and laughter are universal languages that can connect us Growing up, Sam’s passions were service and comedy Sam read Jerry Seinfeld’s biography Sam’s father went to the same gym as Tina Fey. Tina Fey agreed to have an hour-long lunch with Sam! 20 military veterans commit suicide each day in the US Suicide rates in the US are rising Older veterans are seeing the higher rates of suicides Less than 1% of the population has served in combat, so veterans have very few people who understand them when they return home Veterans can face identity issues when returning to civilian life Identity and purpose are important Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger The military gives soldiers a strong sense of community. When they go home, they are abruptly stripped of this community and social bonds. Social clubs and community groups are on the decline At William &amp; Mary, Sam started a writing group and comedy club for 65 veterans from Williamsburg Sam got help from George Srour and Cosmo Fujiyama (my sister) and received a prestigious Echoing Green grant. For Sam, the very first comedy boot camp workshop was terrifying Seven veterans showed up to the first boot camp Two of those original participants now hold positions for Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) Many participants become best friends and even invite each other to their evenings Sam doggedly reached out to veteran service organizations, veteran clinics, student veterans, local military bases, etc. to find participants The very first performance was held at William &amp; Mary World War II veteran Joe Bruni read a poem about a friend who was killed at the Battle of Iwo Jima. He expressed survival guilt in the poem. One participant shared his story of being homeless as a veteran and then eventually going to college The stories are full of tragedy, triumph, and humor Sam moved to Washington DC upon graduation Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) is not an art therapy program, though some of their art programs can be therapeutic “Don’t ever say I, say we.” Hundreds of people are behind Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) “A village of people were supporting us. Teachers, administrators, students.” Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) has three staff members and 30 instructors Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) generate funds from ticket sales from their performances, corporate sponsorships of their shows, fundraising performances at conferences, grants, private donations Standup comedy generates the most revenue for Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP). Improv shows are mostly given for free They can reinvest the revenue generated to expanding their programs In October 2016 Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) carried out the first ever veteran’s comedy show at the White House “It was surreal.” People are interested in the comedic process and behind-the-scenes knowledge Sam’s family was at the crowd in the White House, along with family members of the participants Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) was overextended during the first months. One week, his only other employee suddenly and the volunteer CFO quit. Simultaneously, a good friend became suicidal. Deadlines were missed. He saw immense operational difficulties of the startup phase “That was rock bottom for us. I thought we were going to implode.” “How the heck am I going to do this?” “Time stopped and I immediately went into survival mode. What is the first step to take to get out of this?” He felt the imposter syndrome The difficulty forced Sam Pressler to think more deeply about his work and his deficiencies “It was terrifying and very difficult.” “I ruthlessly prioritized my time, segmenting every minute of my day.” “It taught me to rely on other people.” The co-founder, Ryan, volunteered for three months to help Sam rebuild Identifying the right people at the right time is the key “It’s about building the personal and organizational resilience.” Many veterans didn’t commit suicide because of Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) “The shiny end-state that you see with the awards and all, those are just snapshots in time and things can change very quickly.” Sam Pressler still has a flip phone! He listens to NPR and complains about the weather like an old man, lol Quarterly and monthly meetings to set the north star with staff are key He uses a composition notebook to write down his priorities and tasks Sam Pressler “calendarizes” his time around his peak periods Sam Pressler wakes up at 4:30 am every day and works out 6am-10am is quiet work time for Sam where he does uninterrupted work. Sam does meetings during the day when he is a bit more tired Sam gets 7 hours of sleep, going to bed around 9:30 pm every night Sam reflected on the question, “What is your life task?” upon reading Mastery by Robert Greene Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) is now working with the Veterans Affairs office Joe Bruni was one of the first participants and joined near the 70th anniversary of Iwo Jima. He was 92 at the time. He wanted to simply survive until the anniversary. Joe Bruni wrote “Ode to Joe” about his friend Joe Esposito who fought alongside him CNN sent a film crew to cover the ceremony that Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) organized to honor Joe Bruni. The segment was released on Memorial Day, 2015 Joe Esposito’s nephew saw the segment and called Sam. Joe did another reading of Ode to Joe in Norfolk. Sam didn’t tell Joe that Joe Esposito’s family was going to be there. The family left a scrapbook with letters and photos from Joe and Joe. Joe Bruni realized that he had written some of those letters 70 years prior. He started crying. Everyone started crying. “They’re here?” Joe Esposito’s nephew gives Joe Bruni a huge hug and they start talking. “If nothing else happens through our programs, that alone was worth it.”

While studying at the College of William &amp; Mary, Sam Pressler learned about the post-traumatic stress disorder war veterans were facing as they reintegrated into civilian life.  So in 2015, he started <a href="http://www.asapasap.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP)</a> to help them re-enter and thrive in their communities. ASAP, based out of Washington DC and Hampton Roads, VA gives veterans a voice by doing something completely unconventional… By offering them free classes and workshops in stand-up comedy, improv, storytelling, and creative writing. But the entrepreneurial journey for Sam Pressler was no joke. He bootstrapped with just two other employees—and during the same week, they both quit. “That was rock bottom for us. I thought we were going to implode,” he said.  “How the heck am I going to do this?” he asked himself. Yet instead of quitting, Sam kept pushing forward. “Time stopped and I immediately went into survival mode." He asked himself one question, "What is the first step to take to get out of this?” and then created an insane schedule for himself—4:30 am workouts at the gym and 6-10 am focused solo time at the desk. “I ruthlessly prioritized my time, segmenting every minute of my day,” he said. Sam's hard work paid off and ASAP was asked to organize a show at the White House. "It was surreal," he said. Since 2015, more than 450 students have taken classes, and there have been over 700 performances in front of an estimated 40,000 audience members. Sam is an Echoing Green Fellow and was recently named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 List for Social Entrepreneurship. Sam Pressler Reading List <ul> <li><a href="http://amzn.to/2fRgGZj" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mastery</a> by Robert Greene</li> <li><a href="http://amzn.to/2wVOfnw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging</a> by Sebastian Junger</li> </ul> Sam Pressler Show Notes Sam Pressler studied political science at the College of William &amp; Mary Back in high school, Sam lost a close family member to suicide Humor and laughter are universal languages that can connect us Growing up, Sam’s passions were service and comedy Sam read Jerry Seinfeld’s biography Sam’s father went to the same gym as Tina Fey. Tina Fey agreed to have an hour-long lunch with Sam! 20 military veterans commit suicide each day in the US Suicide rates in the US are rising Older veterans are seeing the higher rates of suicides Less than 1% of the population has served in combat, so veterans have very few people who understand them when they return home Veterans can face identity issues when returning to civilian life Identity and purpose are important <a href="http://amzn.to/2wVOfnw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging</a> by Sebastian Junger The military gives soldiers a strong sense of community. When they go home, they are abruptly stripped of this community and social bonds. Social clubs and community groups are on the decline At William &amp; Mary, Sam started a writing group and comedy club for 65 veterans from Williamsburg Sam got help from George Srour and Cosmo Fujiyama (my sister) and received a prestigious Echoing Green grant. For Sam, the very first comedy boot camp workshop was terrifying Seven veterans showed up to the first boot camp Two of those original participants now hold positions for Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) Many participants become best friends and even invite each other to their evenings Sam doggedly reached out to veteran service organizations, veteran clinics, student veterans, local military bases, etc. to find participants The very first performance was held at William &amp; Mary World War II veteran Joe Bruni read a poem about a friend who was killed at the Battle of Iwo Jima. He expressed survival guilt in the poem. One participant shared his story of being homeless as a veteran and then eventually going to college The stories are full of tragedy, triumph, and humor Sam moved to Washington DC upon graduation Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) is not an art therapy program, though some of their art programs can be therapeutic “Don’t ever say I, say we.” Hundreds of people are behind Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) “A village of people were supporting us. Teachers, administrators, students.” Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) has three staff members and 30 instructors Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) generate funds from ticket sales from their performances, corporate sponsorships of their shows, fundraising performances at conferences, grants, private donations Standup comedy generates the most revenue for Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP). Improv shows are mostly given for free They can reinvest the revenue generated to expanding their programs In October 2016 Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) carried out the first ever veteran’s comedy show at the White House “It was surreal.” People are interested in the comedic process and behind-the-scenes knowledge Sam’s family was at the crowd in the White House, along with family members of the participants Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) was overextended during the first months. One week, his only other employee suddenly and the volunteer CFO quit. Simultaneously, a good friend became suicidal. Deadlines were missed. He saw immense operational difficulties of the startup phase “That was rock bottom for us. I thought we were going to implode.” “How the heck am I going to do this?” “Time stopped and I immediately went into survival mode. What is the first step to take to get out of this?” He felt the imposter syndrome The difficulty forced Sam Pressler to think more deeply about his work and his deficiencies “It was terrifying and very difficult.” “I ruthlessly prioritized my time, segmenting every minute of my day.” “It taught me to rely on other people.” The co-founder, Ryan, volunteered for three months to help Sam rebuild Identifying the right people at the right time is the key “It’s about building the personal and organizational resilience.” Many veterans didn’t commit suicide because of Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) “The shiny end-state that you see with the awards and all, those are just snapshots in time and things can change very quickly.” Sam Pressler still has a flip phone! He listens to NPR and complains about the weather like an old man, lol Quarterly and monthly meetings to set the north star with staff are key He uses a composition notebook to write down his priorities and tasks Sam Pressler “calendarizes” his time around his peak periods Sam Pressler wakes up at 4:30 am every day and works out 6am-10am is quiet work time for Sam where he does uninterrupted work. Sam does meetings during the day when he is a bit more tired Sam gets 7 hours of sleep, going to bed around 9:30 pm every night Sam reflected on the question, “What is your life task?” upon reading <a href="http://amzn.to/2fRgGZj" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mastery</a> by Robert Greene Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) is now working with the Veterans Affairs office Joe Bruni was one of the first participants and joined near the 70th anniversary of Iwo Jima. He was 92 at the time. He wanted to simply survive until the anniversary. Joe Bruni wrote “Ode to Joe” about his friend Joe Esposito who fought alongside him CNN sent a film crew to cover the ceremony that Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) organized to honor Joe Bruni. The segment was released on Memorial Day, 2015 Joe Esposito’s nephew saw the segment and called Sam. Joe did another reading of Ode to Joe in Norfolk. Sam didn’t tell Joe that Joe Esposito’s family was going to be there. The family left a scrapbook with letters and photos from Joe and Joe. Joe Bruni realized that he had written some of those letters 70 years prior. He started crying. Everyone started crying. “They’re here?” Joe Esposito’s nephew gives Joe Bruni a huge hug and they start talking. “If nothing else happens through our programs, that alone was worth it.”

51: Using standup comedy & improv to help war veterans — Sam Pressler

On this Veteran’s Day, we celebrate with Sam Pressler of the Armed Services Arts Partnership or ASAP.  What words would you use to describe veterans? Hero? Brave? Or maybe broken or dangerous? How about neighbor, coworker, or community member? Veterans are people like you and me who exist far beyond the hyperbole, and yet they are often misunderstood. Since September 11, 2001, about 1% of the US population has served in the military. Because so few have served, there can be a civilian-military divide, punctuated by common misunderstandings. The Armed Services Arts Partnership or ASAP helps veterans and their families to thrive through arts classes and performances. Their flagship program is a comedy boot camp where veterans learn about comedy, write their own jokes and then perform in front of a live audience. ASAP’s training helps veterans to develop life skills while breaking down the civilian-military divide. Social Entrepreneurship Quotes from Sam Pressler  “Only 10% of veterans are female, but 35% of our classes are made up of women.” “There is a difference between art therapy and art as therapy.” “Humor was the avenue that I used to get through difficult times.” “When we don’t have a way to connect to one another, we often turn to humor.” “I didn’t know what social entrepreneurship was.” “I’ve really never had any job, except for this.” “The line between emotional tragedy and emotional jubilation is very thin.” “Really ensure that you are taking care of yourself.” “Get to know veterans beyond the stereotype of the hero or the broken.” “This is a movement to ensure veterans have opportunities to express themselves, have a voice and heal through the arts.” Veteran’s Day Resources:   Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP): http://www.asapasap.org/ Comedy Bootcamp: http://www.comedybootcamp.org ASAP on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ASAP_Vets ASAP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArmedServicesArtsPartnership ASAP on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/armedservicesartspartnership 

On this Veteran’s Day, we celebrate with Sam Pressler of the Armed Services Arts Partnership or ASAP. What words would you use to describe veterans? Hero? Brave? Or maybe broken or dangerous? How about neighbor, coworker, or community member? Veterans are people like you and me who exist far beyond the hyperbole, and yet they are often misunderstood. Since September 11, 2001, about 1% of the US population has served in the military. Because so few have served, there can be a civilian-military divide, punctuated by common misunderstandings. The Armed Services Arts Partnership or ASAP helps veterans and their families to thrive through arts classes and performances. Their flagship program is a comedy boot camp where veterans learn about comedy, write their own jokes and then perform in front of a live audience. ASAP’s training helps veterans to develop life skills while breaking down the civilian-military divide. Social Entrepreneurship Quotes from Sam Pressler “Only 10% of veterans are female, but 35% of our classes are made up of women.” “There is a difference between art therapy and art as therapy.” “Humor was the avenue that I used to get through difficult times.” “When we don’t have a way to connect to one another, we often turn to humor.” “I didn’t know what social entrepreneurship was.” “I’ve really never had any job, except for this.” “The line between emotional tragedy and emotional jubilation is very thin.” “Really ensure that you are taking care of yourself.” “Get to know veterans beyond the stereotype of the hero or the broken.” “This is a movement to ensure veterans have opportunities to express themselves, have a voice and heal through the arts.” Veteran’s Day Resources: <ul> <li>Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP): <a href="http://www.asapasap.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.asapasap.org/</a></li> <li>Comedy Bootcamp: <a href="http://www.comedybootcamp.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.comedybootcamp.org</a></li> <li>ASAP on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/ASAP_Vets" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/ASAP_Vets</a></li> <li>ASAP on Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ArmedServicesArtsPartnership" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/ArmedServicesArtsPartnership</a></li> <li>ASAP on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/armedservicesartspartnership" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/armedservicesartspartnership</a></li> </ul>

124, Sam Pressler, Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) | Empowering Veterans through Comedy and the Arts

Sam Pressler is the founder and executive director of the Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP), and a 2015 Echoing Green Global Fellow. Under Sam’s leadership, ASAP launched the only stand-up comedy class for veterans in the United States, and the largest writing group for veterans in Virginia. Sam graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude from the College of William &amp; Mary (’15), where he was a Ewell Award recipient, McGlennon Scholar, and TEDx Innovative Thinker. His efforts with ASAP have been covered by CNN, ABC News, BBC, Washington Post, NPR, the Military Times, Stars &amp; Stripes, Soldiers Magazine, and Task &amp; Purpose, among others. http://veteranpodcast.com/045

Sam Pressler is the founder and executive director of the Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP), and a 2015 Echoing Green Global Fellow. Under Sam’s leadership, ASAP launched the only stand-up comedy class for veterans in the United States, and the largest writing group for veterans in Virginia. Sam graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude from the College of William &amp; Mary (’15), where he was a Ewell Award recipient, McGlennon Scholar, and TEDx Innovative Thinker. His efforts with ASAP have been covered by CNN, ABC News, BBC, Washington Post, NPR, the Military Times, Stars &amp; Stripes, Soldiers Magazine, and Task &amp; Purpose, among others. <a href="http://veteranpodcast.com/045" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://veteranpodcast.com/045</a>