Jimmy Pardo is Conan’s warm-up guy -- and podcast pioneer

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Jimmy Pardo is Conan O’Brien’s warm-up guy — a crowd whisperer who gets audiences in a good mood for the show. But among the comedically inclined, he’s also famous for being a pioneer in the world of the comedy podcast.

Pardo’s long-running ‘Never Not Funny,’ a straight-talk podcast featuring one comic guest at a time for roughly 90 minutes each week, goes into its ninth season on June 8. Comedian Marc Maron, who hosts and produces a twice-weekly podcast, says Pardo was an inspiration. ‘He made it seem possible,’ says Maron. ‘Comedians aren’t the most motivated people. Jimmy made us know that it was doable, and fun, and a viable new medium to be funny with.’

Read more about Pardo in this Calendar feature.