Jeff Greenspan is a guy who wears a lot of hats – comedian, artist, activist, and even former ad agency creative. But at the core of everything he does is a deep curiosity about people and the systems that shape our lives.
If you aren’t familiar with his work, you’ve probably at least scrolled past it at some point. He was the first-ever Chief Creative Officer at BuzzFeed, and was behind viral projects like the “Hipster Traps” in New York – a playful installation about baiting hipsters with cigarettes and PBR.
In an interview with WIUX, Greenspan talked about his comedy show “Deviant Acts" that blends humor and activism, while using satire to challenge authority, and why he thinks public spaces are the best places for creative expression.
Morgan Rusk: Tell me about "Deviant Acts."
Jeff Greenspan: "Deviant Acts" is set up with a mix of traditional stand-up, some storytelling and videos. I share my experience of 25 years of working in the media and then my experience of how I started messing with the media. I’m sharing some of the behind the scenes of what goes on in the media and how the media likes to mess with us or our self-worth.
Rusk: How did you decide to switch from advertising to rebelling against the media?
Greenspan: Advertising taught me how to speak very visually and how to get a point across.And I thought, what if instead of selling shoes and soap, what if I sold ideas. I started with underreported stories, that I thought were a bit more important than products and used the theatrics of advertising that generates interest.. I was getting into the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and then vice. Ad agencies saw the attention I was able to generate with not a lot of money.
Rusk: Do you have a specific process for coming up with ideas or jokes?
Greenspan: I’m not suggesting this would work for everyone, but I feel like things that make you angry or the things you hate can be a great energy source to react to in a way that could be funny or positive. Whether it be the infestation of hipsters in New York City, which was something we had to deal with in the early 2000s, or the influx of tourists that made it impossible to walk around the city – those two things were kind of hate points, and I was able to generate some projects that got a lot of attention in a positive way. I moved on to more serious things like corporate crime and the crimes that a lot of companies were committing behind the scenes. If I can channel that into something that can be humorous, I’m hoping at least a couple other people feel the same way.
Rusk: Do you have any comedic influences you look to?
Greenspan: I was thinking about who has influences me the most comedically and I think it’s weird to say it might be Morrissey from The Smiths, because he’s so incredibly funny, but in terms of comedians, George Carlin and Louis CK. They drew me in on their ability to take really uncomfortable subjects and break them down and make them palatable. They can wrap your head around something that might be uncomfortable and have a lot of friction with it. I would imagine a lot of people who have seen their live shows have a lot to talk about on the drive home.
Rusk: Do you enjoy performing in places like Bloomington with a strong college-aged presence, do you hope to inspire young people to do comedy?
Greenspan: If I’m inspiring anyone to do anything, it’s to do the thing that they’ve been thinking about doing but they won’t. For me, it would be stand-up comedy. That’s kind of what the show is really about; I don’t just show the projects, I show the ways I had no idea what I was doing along the way. I’m more interested in showing the audience, "Look how I almost didn’t do any of this!" I hope the show inspires people to do something. That might be to learn a new language or build something in their wood shop. It doesn’t have to be comedy, but I hope the show does inspire people to say, "I want to create something, and I might not know the next step, but I’m going to do that, and the world will conspire to help me."
Rusk: Do you think it’s good to always see the humor in life?
Greenspan: Yeah, I mean I guess in some places humor isn’t appropriate, but I think comedy is a great unifier. I think we live in a world where we are told that we are very divided, but being fortunate enough to do comedy around the world, we are more alike than we are not. We can come together, and we can make fun of ourselves, and we can gently make fun of people who are not like us. Whatever you are doing, if you can inject some humor into it, it’s a quick way of showing people that you are on the same page.
Rusk: What is one piece of advice that you could give your younger self?
Greenspan: Maybe don’t worry, it’s going to work out. I can imagine a lot of people who are going to see this might be in the middle of something that seems like drudgery or difficult, or like you’re so far away from your goal. But I look back and think that those were great days. Sometimes you’re so concerned with getting where you want to go that you don’t appreciate where you are.
For students interested in comedy, activism, or just making a change, Greenspan’s approach offers a refreshing reminder that creativity doesn’t need a stage – it just needs a place where people can see it. You can see Jeff Greenspan’s show “Deviant Acts” Thursday March 27th at 7pm at the Comedy Attic. Student tickets are $10 with ID.
