Producer and manager Pam Thomas is responsible for discovering some of the greatest icons of sketch comedy, including Mike Myers, Chris Farley, Maya Rudolph, and The Kids in the Hall.
In fact, she became such a trusted talent scout for Lorne Michaels that on a couple of occasions he hired her picks for Saturday Night Live sight unseen.
This week on our Inside Late Night podcast, Thomas tells Mark Malkoff what she saw in those now legendary acts, and spills on some of the would-be SNL cast members she brought in who didn’t end up making the cut.
She also describes bringing Lorne Michaels dozens of candidates when he was casting about for a new host of NBC’s Late Night before settling on Conan O’Brien, working with Johnny Carson when he hosted The Academy Awards in 1981, and visiting Mike Myers on the set of Austin Powers, where he remained in character throughout.
Click the embed below to listen now, or find Inside Late Night on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
