Sjoerd Scott

A €1,900 scam inspired stand-up Sjoerd Scott's law thesis, and sparked his comedy career In this episode of the Dam Yankee podcast, host Zack Newmark sits down with Sjoerd Scott, a Sint Maarten-born comedian whose path to the stage was paved with irony. While repeatedly failing his law thesis on financial crimes, Scott fell victim to a €1,900 telephone scam. A fraudster posing as a Dutch Supreme Court official convinced him to drain his account, leaving him with just two euros. Instead of quitting, Scott pivoted. He wrote his final thesis about the scam itself, finally earning his degree. However, the humiliation provided a "career epiphany." Realizing he was better at telling stories than writing legal briefs, he traded courthouses for comedy clubs. Scott reflects on his early "disaster" of a debut at age 16, the struggle of adapting to the Netherlands after Hurricane Irma, and how his legal training now helps him structure his viral sets. Beyond the irony of the scam, he eventually found that the same analytical skills he used to struggle through law school work. Adding structure and building an argument were the same ingredients needed to sharpen his comedic timing and viral social media skits. From a "terrible student" to a rising star opening for icons like Hannibal Buress, Neema Naz, and Jimmy O. Yang, Scott explains how he learned to transform personal pain into "banger" stories. His €1,900 mistake has become the defining moment of a career that has become more successful each of the past five years. It’s a hilarious and inspiring look at resilience, the absurdity of the Dutch legal system, and why your worst mistakes often make for the best material. Listen to this entire episode of Dam Yankee on all major podcast platforms, or watch the full videos on YouTube. Scott shares more information on his performances and schedule on his TikTok and Instagram accounts. He organizes an English-language comedy showcase every Friday at Clink in Amsterdam-Noord. New episodes of the podcast Sjoerd Scott co-hosts with Daniel Yazbek, In The Background, will also be released soon.