Consider for a moment all the art forms that began in America: jazz, the blues, musical theater, rock n' roll, phonograph recordings, television, motion pictures, video games. But the art form in which America leads the world—more than any other—is the art of selling. In this show: case examples to prove the point.
How To Talk Your Way Into A Half Million Dollars ... In 45 Minutes.
A story that takes place at the crossroads where art meets commerce—a place where we can ask the question: Is the art of commerce better than the art of art? Writer (and occasional screenwriter) Sandra Tsing Loh accompanies a Hollywood screenwriter as he tries to sell a movie idea—a comedy in the style of Liar Liar. (19 minutes)
Jail Sell
Writer/performer Danny Hoch performs a monologue taken from his one man show, Jails, Hospitals and Hip-Hop. It's a story about a guy who's been locked up for doing the most American activity possible: Selling stuff on the street (in this case Bart Simpson/O.J. Simpson t-shirts). His show is available on CD from his website. (5 minutes)
Who's The Man?
Becoming a salesman can make you more confident and happy, make you ignore it when someone tells you "no"...and why that might be a bad thing. The story of a man who sold radio advertising. (11 minutes)
The Secret To Being Rich And Happy
What happens to you if you stay in sales all your life? 76-year-old salesman "Diamond" Jimmy Roy has sold everything from used cars to antiques to jewelery. Independent producer Dan Collison shadowed Jimmy Roy in his native Braddock, Pennsylvania, to talk to him about the philosophy that's kept him going as a salesman for over fifty years. (18 minutes)
Related
If you enjoyed this episode, you may like these
Act One: Still Life With Chicken
Food writer Jonathan Gold tells what it's like to panfry a chicken—with a live chicken watching you the entire time.
Act Three: World Premiere
David Sedaris play, with Toby Wherry and Penelope Boyer.
Act Five: The Happiest Death Worker
Meema Spadola with Lou Zeidberg.
Staff Recommendations
Kindness of Strangers
A locksmith tells the story of an act of kindness he committed, hoping for a small reward. That, and other stories of kindness in New York City.
How I Got Into College
How a stolen library book got one man into his dream school and changed his life forever. Or at least that's the story he tells himself.