Jon Stewart might be nearing the end of his run as host of The Daily Show, but that’s not the only television legacy he’s created as a late night host. According to The New York Times, Stewart has also put his onscreen influence to work for the last three years through a, until now, secret “industry boot camp†for veterans interested in breaking into the entertainment industry:
The Daily Show developed the program over the last three years without publicizing it, but now, because Mr. Stewart is preparing to leave the show, he has taken it into the open, urging other shows to develop their own programs to bring more veterans into the industry.“This is ready to franchise. Please steal our idea,†Mr. Stewart said in an interview at his Manhattan studio recently. “It isn’t charity. To be good in this business you have to bring in different voices from different places, and we have this wealth of experience that just wasn’t being tapped.â€
Unsurprisingly, Stewart noted that the veterans he’s hired from the program – including associate field segment producer Nathan Witmer and production coordinator Justine Cabulong – have been “way less whiny†than his other hires. Read more about the program over at The New York Times.