If you’re paying attention to the national comedy scene, it may appear that Josh Potter has come out of nowhere as producer of the popular Your Mom’s House podcast hosted by married comics Tom Segura and Kristina Pazsitsky. Locals know better, with Potter spending nearly 15 years as the assistant producer on WEDG’s Shredd and Ragan Show from 2004-2017.
Potter also worked as a stand up comic, honing his self-deprecating style around the Buffalo area. He picked up hosting gigs and opening spots for national acts while looking to take the next step in his career.
However, Potter said he struggled to advance professionally while living in Buffalo.
“There is something special about living in Buffalo. I’m gonna always miss living there,” Potter said. “It’s unfortunate that I work in an industry that, it’s just impossible to live there and, you know, grow in this industry, even in the media.”
But persistence would pay off. An opening spot for Segura in 2017 would set the wheels in motion for Potter’s current podcast gig in Los Angeles.
“I hadn’t heard about (Segura) to be quite honest at the time, you know? I had heard, like, his name, but I didn’t know his deal or anything. So I’m like, ‘Okay.’ And then I worked with him, and it was a fine weekend.
And I’ll say, I’ve had headliners where I thought I’d made a better connection with that never talked to me again. And then Tom, for whatever reason, he just DMed me on Twitter. He goes, ‘Hey, do you want to come to Orlando with me in October?’ And I’m like, ‘Sure.’ So there was that one, and then there was another one.”
Segura urged Potter to take his comedy career to the next level by moving to a stronger comedy market and focusing on standup.
“And he had sort of made the offer like ‘Hey, if you want to come to Los Angeles and have a hand at this, then you can have some work by opening for me on tour for the rest of the year of 2017.'”
After the tour, Potter briefly took an office job before Segura informed him of plans to expand his podcasting studio. A plum production gig was offered to Potter, a veteran of the broadcasting booth.
“This is like (radio) only in a different medium, you know? And when I got into radio I never saw that coming,” Potter said. “Now it’s something that I can’t even believe happened. I mean, the audience is huge.”
Not only does Your Mom’s House rank among the top 30 comedy podcasts, it has spun off into a family of additional shows with hosts like Dr. Drew Pinsky and Bert Kreischer. Your Mom’s House and its network of satellite shows are also filmed for YouTube, creating a wealth of original video and audio content each week.
Meanwhile, Segura’s standup career, boosted by the podcast and a string of Netflix specials, experienced a parallel surge in popularity.
“To watch and experience his career go crazy from clubs to selling out clubs to selling out theaters and now it’s just bananas, you know? He’s on a huge massive tour in 2019,” Potter said.
Part of Segura’s tour includes a sold out show at Shea’s Performing Arts Center on Saturday. Potter has his own headlining gig at Helium on Sunday.
Sometimes referred to as “The Human Cockroach” on Your Mom’s House, Potter is very open on the air about the highs and lows of his love life and his personal eccentricities. A proud Buffalonian, he’s often seen sporting Buffalo Bills gear on the video stream.
“I’ll never not like Buffalo, number one. I’ll never shy away from the fact that I’m from there,” Potter said.
Josh Potter performs at Helium Nov. 10 at 8 p.m.