FILE – This Nov. 30, 2011 file photo shows television host Jon Stewart during a taping of "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" in New York. Stewart says goodbye on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2015, after 16 years on Comedy Central’s "The Daily Show" that established him as America’s foremost satirist of politicians and the media. (AP Photo/Brad Barket, File)
It’s fair to say I peaked early.
For two weeks at the start of my senior year in college, I had one of the greatest jobs on the planet: I was a production assistant for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
The entire TDS crew came to St. Paul – where I went to school; go Hamline Pipers! – for the Republican National Convention in Sept. 2008. I heard about the gig from a professor, and was lucky enough to make the cut along with 20 or so other production assistants.
The first week we did what we could to help (and not get in the way) while the real professionals turned the McNally Smith College of Music into a full-fledged Daily Show studio.
Once the Daily Show crew wrapped up with the Democratic National Convention in Denver, the producers and writers and directors and on-air talents and, yes, Jon Stewart himself, made their way to the Twin Cities for the RNC.
One of the supervisors assigned a few of us to be drivers, and when my pathetic excuse for a poker face made clear my disappointment at not being chosen for the task, another one of the PAs said I could take his spot.
He knew how much I’d wanted to meet the funny people from my favorite show.
My first job as driver was to pick up the hilarious and talented (and married) correspondents, Samantha Bee and Jason Jones, from the airport. Oh, and grandma and two babies – a toddler and an infant. I tried to set up the mini-van rental in advance, but my best efforts to install the car seat fell short. I had it on backward.
The DNC had just finished in Denver, so everybody on the show had just gone through two hellish weeks and an early flight. I feared the wrath of tired parents (and grandma), but Bee and Jones were patient and friendly.
They put me – the PA, the peon, the guy on the lowest rung of the ladder – at ease. Parenting pros that they were, they fixed the car seat and away we went on a 15 minute ride to downtown St. Paul. They asked me about my life, my interests, and if there’s anything fun to do in the Twin Cities if “you’re not a rich, white oligarch.”
When more and more on-air talents arrived, the vibe was the same: If you were a part of their operation, you were one of them.
Bee, Jones, Aasif Mandvi, Wyatt Cenac, Rob Riggle and Larry Wilmore – every one of them was genuine.
If this feels like namedropping, you’re right – it absolutely is – but it stands that the Daily Show family was incredibly inviting.
One night I was called to give a ride take back to the hotels, and lo and behold, Jon Oliver gets in the passenger seat next to me. I would have understood if he’d buried his face in his smartphone and ignored me completely, but he shook my hand and introduced himself.
We talked about fantasy football, my pursuit of journalism, and of the discord in his native England between soccer’s working-class roots and rugby’s well-heeled beginnings. He was present, intelligent, funny and genuinely interested in what I had to say. (And I promise, it wasn’t because I’m all that interesting.)
“Why are these famous people being nice to me?” I thought.
The entire staff was that way, though, reflecting a culture that took care of its own.
I befriended one of the show’s producers and her husband, my driving skills and (inflated) knowledge of the area paying off with trips to and from the Minnesota State Fair. (They seemed to enjoy food on a stick almost as much as Minnesotans.) I couldn’t believe how cool everyone was.
The experience was like stepping into another world.
Downtown St. Paul transformed, with swat teams and mass protestor arrests and Scientologists standing on corners handing out pamphlets (which oddly enough, left out the juicy bits about Xenu). Sarah Palin had just been added to the McCain ticket, sending the staff into a frenzy to learn more about the polarizing Alaska governor.
But while madness reigned outside the doors at McNally, inside the venue the atmosphere was one of controlled chaos. In short order, the staff put together some incredible shows during the RNC.
At the forefront of all of it was the franchise: Jon Stewart.
I first met Stewart at the airport, and got to shoot the breeze for 10 seconds before TV cameras swarmed him. My contact with him was pretty limited after that – he had a pretty busy slate, after all – but he was, like the others, instantly relatable, kind, and of course, hilarious.
And he really only had one rule: Act like a normal person around him, not a crazed fan. There’s no reason we can’t all have fun, and acting like a professional goes a long way.
Many correspondents have come and gone during Stewart’s 16-year tenure – from Oliver, who’s thriving at HBO, to Steve Carrell and Stephen Colbert. And while there’s no doubt their talents would probably have taken them places anyway, The Daily Show was a springboard – and Stewart their fearless leader.
Stewart’s last show is tonight. If you’re a fan, you’ll probably read (from people a lot smarter than me) about how Stewart lead the way with his blend of comedy and astute political satire – about how he filled a need in a time where the political discourse often led people to retreat from the issues.
I second all of those perspectives.
But more than anything, I’m proud to say that I got to know – even if briefly – the staff and crew of one of the most important shows of our time.
I tried to keep the snack bar fully stocked, and managed to drive people around without getting a speeding ticket.
That is to say, I played the smallest of parts in the operation. But I was never made to feel small, and that made the experience that much more worthwhile.
When Stewart departs, it’s anyone’s guess what TDS will be like under new host Trevor Noah. He’ll be funny, he’ll probably increase the show’s appeal for millennials, and hopefully he’ll plant his own flag.
In any case, the show will continue to thrive if it keeps the same culture it did under Stewart: Genuine, hard-working, intelligent people with a knack for cutting to the truth – however silly or sinister – in a way that gives us something tangible to take away.
Whether that’s a laugh or a nugget or a difference perspective – it’s usually all at once – the standard and legacy are worth honoring and continuing.
Thanks for the opportunity to be a tiny part of it, even if it meant peaking at 21-years-old.
#JonVoyage