With a punchline-heavy style, comedian Sam Morril is not afraid to poke fun at his personal blunders or air out awkward encounters during comedy sets. His self-depreciating style is prevalent in his recent “The Errors Tour” and past specials — “Same Time Tomorrow,” on Netflix, and “You’ve Changed” on Prime Video — showcasing how he uses vulnerability to connect with audiences. 

But long before his mainstream success, Morril struggled to launch his stand-up career in New Orleans while attending Tulane University. That was until he returned to his native New York City in 2007, transferring to NYU to study Ancient Greek comedy — all while frequenting comedy bars in the city.

Morril spoke to WSN about his journey building rapport in the comedy scene and his advice on crafting a career in the creative field.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

WSN: What were your early days as a comic like?

Morril: I was horrible. The first time I went up was an open mic, and it was embarrassing. I knew I was gonna suck, so I bought a six-pack of beer on stage and I was just pounding beer after every few jokes bombed. I took a class at the Comic Strip Live with D.F. Sweedler, who was really nice and after the end of the class, we would run jokes every week. It was a really supportive way to start because the open mics were painful. He kind of urged me to go cleaner because he was like, ‘You can always write dirty.’ I wasn’t squeaky clean, but also when you’re 18, your life is just like, ‘I’m just a kid in school, trying to meet women.’

One of Morril’s first memories of falling in love with comedy was watching Adam Sandler movies with his brother. While many of his childhood shared his obsession with comedy sets by Chris Rock and Dave Attell, Morril’s fascination went much deeper. He knew early on that he wanted to seriously pursue a career in the field and perform on stage.

At 18, Morril performed his first set at the Comic Strip Live on the Upper East Side, which has hosted well-known comics such as Eddie Murphy and Jerry Seinfeld. But his pursuit in the city’s comedy scene was cut short when he moved to New Orleans for his undergraduate degree at Tulane. There, Morril would perform weekly stand-up sets at local open mics where many of his friends would attend, still struggling to break in as a serious comic.

But the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina made it difficult to bring light-hearted content to local audiences. In 2007, two years after the storm, Morril decided to return to New York City in search of greater opportunities.

WSN: How has growing up in New York City shaped your career?

Morril: My style of comedy was very influenced by comics I respected in New York. Every city has a different kind of style and New York was very much known for ‘Bam bam bam, hold the audience’s attention.’ I saw people I respected and how hard they worked and I was like, ‘Oh, this is more than a job.’ You really have to give everything to it and I think that goes for any form of entertainment. You kind of have to go all in, or else there’s not gonna be much of a connection with the audience.

Morril spent his early career focused on preparing small stand-up sets in New Orleans — but was hungry to jump into a bigger pond of competition as a burgeoning performer in New York City. He distinguished his experiences from most comics, who moved from small cities to major markets after garnering substantial recognition. 

Building his career in the city also meant experiencing the missteps of being a young comic in the limelight. While studying at NYU, he took advice from his academic advisor to create his own degree at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where he learned the history of ancient Greek comedy. It brought him to realize the longevity of his work: Comedy has always been a universal language for people to extract humour in absurd life experiences.

WSN: What are your inspirations for your comedy?

Morril: Stand-up, for me, was trial and error completely. You kind of self-educate yourself through watching stuff that you like, and then just say, ‘Here’s how I would have done it differently.’ You get feedback the night you try it. If I really believe in something, I’ll stick with it for a while. But at a certain point, if it’s just not working, you gotta put it on the shelf to come back to it or drop it. 

An old friend from college — he is very critical of me, but in a way that’s helpful because he’s very supportive as well — the stuff that makes him laugh really hard is just not gonna work on stage. You never stop learning. There’s no formula to this. If you’re putting out the exact same style each tour, it’s kind of redundant and boring to your audience — you have to be evolving.

Since February, Morril has been on the road for the “The Errors Tour” in 44 cities across the United States and Canada. The tour features Morril reflecting on his mistakes wrapped in humor. He found that while he has been known for delivering quick jokes, sustaining audiences’ interest at a one-man show requires telling stories with a personal touch. The comic will be back in New York City to perform on Dec. 4 at Carnegie Hall. 

WSN: What advice would you give students aspiring to break into comedy? 

Morril: Make sure you love it because it’s gonna be harder than you think. Social media wasn’t a thing when I started. I was mailing a DVD and a VHS tape where I started to get booked. If you like something, you can find a way to do it. Make stuff independently if you can and if you make really good stuff, somehow people will see it. 

And also just don’t ever be a dick. That’s the last piece of advice. Don’t be an asshole to people because that follows you. Just be nice to people — it’s so much easier, and no one wants to be around someone who’s bringing people down. 

Contact Kaitlyn Sze Tu at [email protected].