Nate Bargatze on Bombing, Betting on Yourself, and His First Flick ‘The Breadwinner’

This week on How Success Happens, I sat down with Nate Bargatze, one of the top‑selling stand-up comedians on the planet and now the star and co-writer of his first feature film, The Breadwinner, hitting theaters May 29. You’ve seen Nate everywhere: he’s sold millions of tickets on tour, hosted Saturday Night Live and the Emmys, written a book, and built a devoted audience with his clean, self-deprecating storytelling style. His first turn hosting SNL produced the now-iconic George Washington sketch, where he plays the founding father dreaming about the future of America—a bit that nearly got cut at table read before absolutely destroying in front of a live audience. Nate’s journey from handing out flyers in New York to selling out arenas, building his NateLand universe, and now launching a movie—while even pushing theaters to offer lower “Nate Rate” ticket prices—makes him a rare combo of comedy purist and powerful entrepreneur. We broke down Nate’s success insights to help you punch up your own plan for success in three, two, one!

---

Listen Here

Subscribe now: Apple | Spotify | YouTube

Three Key Insights

1. Obsession Beats Luck

When I asked Nate how he found the confidence to “launch the product” that is himself, he didn’t talk about swagger—he talked about obsession. Early in his New York days, he was handing out flyers just to get stage time and daydreaming about playing Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, a goal that took him 20 years to hit. “You’re trying to figure out the next joke… You’re thinking about it 24/7. It just doesn’t leave your mind,” he told me. Obsessive focus, more than any single big break, is what carried him from open mics to selling out arenas.

Takeaway: Be in it for the long haul — the only way to overcome self-doubt is to outwork it.

---

2. Fight for the Ideas You Believe In

One of my favorite moments from our conversation was Nate’s story about how his now-iconic George Washington sketch on Saturday Night Live almost didn’t happen. In the table read, the sketch fell flat—“no one’s really laughing,” as he put it—and it landed on the maybe pile. Nate knew in his gut that it would work in front of a real audience, so he spoke up and told Lorne Michaels, “I love the George Washington one,” convincing him to let it go last in the run-through with a live crowd. Once he had that audience, the sketch “destroyed,” shot up to an early slot in the show, and went on to become a fan favorite that they later brought back for a second installment.

Takeaway: Advocate for your best ideas and trust your instincts even when the early feedback is lukewarm or confusing.

---

3. Protect Your Life’s Work Like It Is IP

Nate thinks like a founder when it comes to his material—his jokes are intellectual property, not just content to feed the algorithm. He watched other comics toss great bits onto social media or podcasts and couldn’t understand why they’d “give that away” instead of using it to close their live sets. “I’m a big believer of an act,” he said, explaining that having a well-built act is what lets him walk into any room—whether it’s a comedy club, an arena, or a movie set—and know he has something that works. That mindset extends into his bigger ventures; he sees his seven hours of stand-up specials as a library of IP that can power theme parks like his NateLand idea, movies, and whatever he decides to build next.

Takeaway: Treat your best ideas as long-term assets—protect them, develop them, and deploy them strategically instead of spending them for short-term attention.

Subscribe to the free How Success Happens Newsletter for weekly inspiration.

---

Two Free Resources to Learn More

1. You can catch Nate’s stand-up specials and keep up with his projects—including The Breadwinner and his NateLand world—on his official website. Check your local listings for The Breadwinner and be sure to ask your theater if they’re honoring the “Nate Rate” discounted tickets.
2. Get into the mind of one of Nate’s buddies, Bert Kreisher, and watch him get ambushed by the Mayor of Flavortown.

---

One question to ponder

Nate told me about an early show he bombed at and how it ultimately validated his vision for what he was trying to do.

What’s a time when you flopped and it turned out to be the best thing that could have happened?

Email your answer to howsuccesshappens@entrepreneur.com, and we may read it on a future episode.

---

About How Success Happens

Each episode of How Success Happens shares the inspiring, entertaining, and unexpected journeys that influential leaders in business, the arts, and sports traveled on their way to becoming household names. It’s a reminder that behind every big-time career, there is a person who persisted in the face of self-doubt, failure, and anything else that got thrown in their way.