Comedian Josh Peck On the Five Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career As A “Chief Hosting Officer”
First off, morale is key. As a leader, you need to bring some razzle-dazzle to keep the morale high. You know, lead by example — attraction rather than promotion.
Next, it’s crucial to be prepared. Ensure you’re not left navigating a supermarket at 11 PM on December 24th. No one wants to be in that situation, so having your ingredients ready is a good move.
Also, be mindful of hangry guests, making sure you have plenty of easy appetizers, like canapés or hors d’oeuvres — whether that’s a Jimmy Dean stuffed sausage or whatever you’re into — to keep everyone satisfied while they wait for the main meal.
Go easy on yourself. Understand that things will come up and try to roll with the punches.
Lastly, enjoy the fact that what the holidays are really about is being around the people you love.
I had the pleasure to talk to Josh Peck. Josh Peck is a versatile and dynamic figure in the entertainment industry, known for his work as an actor and podcaster, as well as his dedication to his role as a father of two and an enthusiastic home cook. Embracing his multifaceted career, Josh has recently undertaken the role of the first “Chief Hosting Officer” for the Jimmy Dean brand, aiming to assist Americans in managing the often stressful holiday hosting season. In this new partnership, Josh shares his expertise through valuable tips, resources, and guidance, all designed to help individuals stress less and enjoy more.
Beyond his partnership with Jimmy Dean, Josh continues to engage his audience through his podcasts, “Good Guys” with co-host Boy With No Job, where they discuss various topics, including teasers about upcoming episodes and potential guest appearances. His personal journey, including a significant weight loss of 125 pounds, has been an inspiration to many, and he openly shares how he maintains his health, especially during the indulgent holiday season.
As a committed family man, Josh also reveals how he and his wife navigate parenting during meal times and hosting events at home, offering a glimpse into his life behind the scenes. With his official partnership with Jimmy Dean, Josh is set to enhance the holiday spirit by curating and giving away exclusive party kits, complete with unique items to elevate any celebration.
In a recent initiative, Josh has collaborated with Jimmy Dean to launch the “Officially Sponsored Host” program. This program aims to bring joy and ease to holiday parties by offering consumers the chance to win one of 10 prize packages. These packages include not only a comprehensive dinner party kit but also a $1,000 stipend to support all aspects of hosting, from hiring a cleaning crew to engaging a DJ, ensuring a memorable and stress-free experience for all.
Josh, It’s a delight to meet you. Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn about your personal origin story. Can you share the story of your childhood and how you grew up?
Josh Peck: Oh sure. Let’s see. I grew up in New York City. I was raised by a single mom, an only child. We moved around a lot. My mom was a hard-charging, self-made businesswoman, sort of a tigress, you might say. She was busy raising a little boy and trying to provide. Then around 8 or 9 years old, I got into performing arts. I started performing in local theater and then eventually stand-up comedy. I got into a performing arts high school, where I started to excel and began auditioning for Nickelodeon and other more mainstream TV shows and movies. I booked a TV show that brought me out to California and, luckily, I’ve been working ever since.
So can you tell us a bit about your new exciting partnership with Jimmy Dean? Tell us what you hope to accomplish and how it could help people.
Josh Peck: Thanks for asking. I’m excited to be Jimmy Dean’s chief hosting officer. I’ve always wanted to work at the C-level, you know, in the C-Suite. The benefits alone are terrific, and I’ve always wanted a great business card, (Laughs) so it’s really nice to be here offering some solutions, some resources to people during the holidays.
It’s a wonderful time, but it can be stressful. It’s kind of a three-way punch between Thanksgiving, then the Christmas holidays, and New Year’s. I’m glad to know that I’m here with Jimmy Dean to offer easy ways to keep people happy, to keep them well-fed, and to allow them to really enjoy the holidays instead of just overstressing.
That’s great. We all have that annoying brother-in-law or uncle, and we dread meeting them over the holidays. From your experience, what’s the best way to navigate those tense conversations or awkward chemistry?
Josh Peck: I worry maybe that I’m the annoying brother-in-law. You’d have to ask my wife’s family. But I think it’s honestly fun to try not to reserve judgment and really hear people out because sometimes you might not agree, but people can take you on a wild ride if you don’t object too soon. So it can be fun to hear people out, to borrow an improv technique to do “yes, and” instead of stopping them in their tracks. You can always try agreeing and then pivot or bring up a new point. And again, I think the other thing you can do is just keep everyone so well-fed that they want to go to bed early, and then it kind of cuts the conversation short.
So tell us about your new podcast. There are so many podcasts out there. Tell us why it’s different and why our readers should subscribe.
Josh Peck: You’re right, there are a ton of podcasts out there, and I believe what makes my podcast ‘Good Guys’ stand out is our approach — we’re the good guys. We don’t claim to be excellent, but we are definitely good. My co-host Ben and I are essentially two old souls trapped in millennial bodies. We spend a lot of time kvetching and complaining about various people, places, and things, or just sharing our observations about the world around us. We have segments like “What Are You Nuts?” where we discuss something we find outrageous. Another one is “Best Bite of the Week,” where we talk about something delicious we’ve tried — my personal favorite this week is Jimmy Dean sausage macaroni and cheese. You might wonder how two perfect things combined could be anything but amazing, and you’d be right — it’s absolutely delicious. So, I really hope people will tune in. The podcast is available wherever you listen to podcasts.
Amazing. So this is our signature five things question. As a successful Chief Hosting Officer, can you share with our readers the five things you need to be highly successful in that role?
Josh Peck: Okay, here’s what I would say.
First off, morale is key. As a leader, you need to bring some razzle-dazzle to keep the morale high. You know, lead by example — attraction rather than promotion.
Next, it’s crucial to be prepared. Ensure you’re not left navigating a supermarket at 11 PM on December 24th. No one wants to be in that situation, so having your ingredients ready is a good move.
Also, be mindful of hangry guests, making sure you have plenty of easy appetizers, like canapés or hors d’oeuvres — whether that’s a Jimmy Dean stuffed sausage or whatever you’re into — to keep everyone satisfied while they wait for the main meal.
Go easy on yourself. Understand that things will come up and try to roll with the punches.
Lastly, enjoy the fact that what the holidays are really about is being around the people you love.
This is our final, serious aspirational question. You’re a person of enormous influence, frankly, and people take your words very seriously. If you could spread an idea or inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
Josh Peck: I think it’s my ethos. The only thing I can speak from is my own experience, and what has brought me the most joy is doing things for other people. It may sound reductive and simple, but the moments when I’m able to get out of my head, step out of my own way, and be a resource for others are what I cherish. I’ve been incredibly fortunate in my life with a wonderful family and great opportunities, getting to do what I love. I find that when I pay it forward and help others on their journey, that’s when I feel the best about myself.
Amazing answer, it’s been a delight and an honor to meet you. I don’t want to keep you up. I wish you continued success, blessings, and happy holidays to all of us.
Josh Peck: You too. Thank you so much. It was nice meeting you.
Yitzi: The pleasure is mine. Hope we can do this again next year.
Josh Peck: Yeah, me too.
Yitzi: All the best.
Comedian Josh Peck On the Five Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career As A “Chief… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.