The Stand Comedy Club presents: 10 For 10 Podcast · Witz Comedy Network

THE FOUNDERS EPISODE | 10 FOR 10 | EP. 10

·1 hr 7 min·4 clips

Paul Italia says New York’s permitting system is designed to deter people from opening public venues.

1. The Stand Comedy Club presents: 10 For 10 Podcast marks the club’s tenth anniversary with a founders episode. 2. Kieran McCann hosts Paul Italia, Chris Italia, and Patrick Milligan, whose roles span ownership, management, promotion, and booking at The Stand. 3. The episode asks how The Stand survived ten years of construction problems, eviction, financial pressure, pop-up shows, and personal loss in New York City. 4. Paul Italia says the first build began in 2011 and opened in 2012 after a stop-work order lasting about six months. 5. Paul names the Department of Health, FDNY, Department of Buildings, New York State SLA, and a community board as agencies involved in the venue build-out. 6. Con Edison delayed the gas connection because the Department of Buildings needed a pass before the restaurant could operate. 7. An Italian American inspector eventually gave the founders consideration after meeting Paul’s mother during repeated plumbing inspections. 8. Opening night brought Artie Lange, Dane Cook, Lynn Koplowitz, Jim Norton, and Big Jay to the venue. 9. Two days after opening, Todd Barry’s performance was interrupted when water flooded the comedy stage from the building’s sewage problems. 10. Three weeks after The Stand began operating, Hurricane Sandy blacked out Lower Manhattan and threatened the venue’s food and beer inventory. 11. The founders describe The Stand as a passion and vision rather than a job because daily setbacks would otherwise have driven them away. 12. A landlord’s termination clause forced the founders to confront eviction seven years into their original lease. 13. The team fought for a subterranean Spring and Bowery space for about eight months before losing a community-board and liquor-license battle. 14. Jimmy Fallon visited The Stand, posted about it on social media, and saw Nate Bargatze perform before Bargatze appeared on The Tonight Show. 15. During the transition between locations, The Stand staged shows in hotels, music venues, bars, and other temporary spaces. 16. The pop-up schedule reached three to five shows per week while keeping staff, comedians, and customers connected to the brand. 17. The current location measured about 10,000 square feet, compared with less than 2,500 square feet across two floors at the original Stand. 18. The founders say they removed every existing fixture from the larger space, including walk-in boxes, refrigeration, and ovens, before rebuilding it. 19. The interview uses candid group storytelling, interruptions, profanity, and comic timing alongside detailed business history. 20. Comedy founders, club operators, and New York nightlife followers will appreciate it.

As heard by us

A candid 10-year club anniversary chat about the work, the loss, and the people behind the Stand.

The Stand's 10-year story plays as a club-side sitdown with Paul Italia, Chris Italia, and Patrick Milligan about owning and running a New York comedy club and restaurant.

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You want backstage comedy-club history with real stakes.

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