This week on Kill the Small Talk, Alex sits down with comedian, actor, and host Mark Ellis for a deep dive into stand-up, comedy specials, movie trivia, and surviving the LA grind.

With 23+ years in comedy, Mark shares stories from grinding open mics at The Comedy Store to headlining clubs across the country — including upcoming shows at Brad Garrett's Comedy Club in Las Vegas.

They break down:

• The chaos of filming his first special Dog Stepfather during Star Wars Celebration weekend

• Working with Bill Burr’s All Things Comedy & 800 Pound Gorilla

• Why your “Super Bowl moment” doesn’t always feel like fireworks

• The evolution of comedy specials in the social media era

• Crowd work clips vs. full-hour specials • Playing ...