Comedienne Kasha Patel on Using Analytics to Evaluate Jokes

On this edition of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, senior research analyst Mark Simon (@MarkASimonSays) takes the show in a different direction. Mark is joined by science writer and stand-up comedienne Kasha Patel (@KashaPatel). Kasha, whose day job is as a science writer and social media manager for NASA, has opened for notable names such as Jen Kirkman and Vir Das in her comedy work. Her stand-up focuses on science, but also traditional topics such as family and the cultural experience of growing up as an Indian in West Virginia. What’s distinct about Kasha is that she uses data to inform her comedy in ways that parallel how we study baseball statistics. She shares her background (2:33), then transitions into explaining how she tracks her jokes in a spreadsheet (4:09). Mark and Kasha discuss the different ways she categorizes and times her jokes (5:58), the process of tracking jokes and her wish for an automated tracking system (11:27), how old-school comedians have reacted to her work (17:07), how she constructs a joke (19:06), and how she simplifies scientific information to make it easily accessible to audiences who don’t have scientific background (24:02). Lastly, she shares career-development advice that can be applied to any field (26:47).Then in the spirit of Kasha’s podcast, Science Comedy Paradox, Mark and show producer Justin Stine (@j_stine31) discuss the biggest takeaways from the conversation and share an analogy Kasha made comparing her joke list to a baseball lineup (29:52).Stay safe, stay healthy, and thanks for listening!Helpful LinksKasha’s Tedx Talk – “Sneaking Science into Standup”Stand-up set at the DC ImprovScience Comedy Paradox Podcast