For political analysis, Pickering has looked to a different source. \u201cHe\u2019s someone who mainstream media won\u2019t know about, but digital media knows very well, and that\u2019s Punter\u2019s Politics [Konrad Benjamin]. He has a podcast and a thriving social media feed, but he\u2019s having conversations about politics that legacy broadcast media aren\u2019t having.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Of his impressive track record of nurturing new talent, Pickering is typically humble.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been very lucky to work with some great people,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen we started The Weekly, the first two people I called were Tom Gleeson and Kitty Flanagan, not just because they were friends. I just knew that they were the two funniest people in the country. I couldn\u2019t believe that people had not been throwing opportunities at them \u2026 I choose people that make me laugh and come up with things that I couldn\u2019t think of myself.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd there\u2019s this other little thing that\u2019s important, and there\u2019s not enough of it in comedy, but they can speak with a tone of authority, even if it\u2019s based on bullshit. They also have to be comfortable bullying me on my own show because I might employ them, but I want them to be fearless at all times.\u201d<\/p>\n
His greatest skill, he says, is knowing when to step aside.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see my job as removing as many obstacles as possible between great comedians and the audience,\u201d he says. \u201cMost producers I\u2019ve seen in various other networks do the opposite. They get in the way. They tell comedians how to be funny and what audiences like. And I know that you hire the best comedians in the country because they know how to be funny, and they know what audiences like. And so my job is to get everything out of their way and have them working with freedom to express themselves. And that is the only recipe for success.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Yearly 2025 airs at 7.30pm on Wednesday, December 17, on the ABC.<\/p>\n