DoctorShemp — 11 years ago(September 17, 2014 06:44 AM)

People love him for his stand-up but he really deserves credit for being a genius businessman and playing the Hollywood game so well. Forcing himself to write a new hour of material every year was practically unheard of before him. His surge in success over the past 5 years is largely singlehanded, producing and promoting his own specials, particularly the experiment with independently selling his Beacon Theater special online (earned him millions).
And of course there's his current show, where the original deal he took was an extremely risky and long-term move (as he took no salary), and yet that has now paid off critically and commercially. All the while, he maintains his whole persona/"brand" that he's just an average joe who is relatable and genuine. I can't think of another comedian who has maneuvered their career so well and so on his own terms, a lot of them are either very one-note, or owe their success to a larger entity like a specific company or TV show.