#83: Spike Feresten | A Nicer Nextdoor? Under the Hood of “America’s Most Wonderful, Horrible App”

Comedy writer Spike Ferensten finds himself at the mercy of the moderators

Spike Ferensten is our neighbor. Sort of. He doesn’t come over to borrow cups of sugar or peek over the fence when we have conversations, but Spike met Tod through posts on Nextdoor. The most wonderful horrible app in existence. Nextdoor: That hyperlocal social network that can make a bucolic charming neighborhood seem like a crime-ridden hellhole. The thing is, Nextdoor has the potential to be a really cool, really unifying example of online community building.

Spike’s posts on Nextdoor might be how we met him, but we were already very familiar with his work creating many episodes of Seinfeld (including the ”Soup Nazi”), writing some of David Letterman and Denis Miller’s funniest jokes, ghostwriting the host of Space Ghost Coast to Coast, hosting his own talk show and now the podcast Spike’s Car Radio. Spike is perhaps best known for his work on Seinfeld, David Letterman, and hosting his own Talkshow with Spike Feresten.

You were one of those few voices of reason in a sea of hyperbolic insanity.”

Hopefully, you’ll find his career leap (or more correctly, leaps) of faith—leaving school at Berkeley to move to New York and how getting fired from David Letterman turned into the opportunity of a lifetime—inspiring all on their own.

Fun fact: Up until they met this very podcast, Spike assumed that Tod adopted Brilliant as an ambitious pseudonym for Nextdoor. Alas, it is our founder’s legal surname. Spike checked his driver’s license.

A few things you may learn

> Tod and Spike might have the world record for most suspensions from Nextdoor
> How to talk to people who have totally different views than you in  a super nice, non-combative way
> The difference between daydreaming about doing something and actually doing it
> Tod’s dream car it may/will surprise you
> The No. 1 thing to look for when choosing a car mechanic
> DNA testing dog poop is a real thing

Nice Links

• On Instagram @spikeferensten
• After you listen to this episode listen to Spike’s Car Radio
• The funniest account on Twitter: @bestofnextdoor

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Finally: Have you been voted off the Nextdoor island? We want to hear about it. Email nicework@superniceclub.com and tell us about it.