Impractical Jokers is more than a hidden camera prank show. The truTV hit, a Jackass / Oblivious hybrid where four friends compete to out-prank each other (directed via earbuds, they’re unleashed upon an unsuspecting public, and punished if they don’t complete their missions), Impractical Jokers has spawned six seasons on air (so far), a spinoff series (Impractical Jokers: Inside Jokes), multiple international versions, and several sold-out cross country comedy tours.
The Jokers are hustlers, no doubt. They have been from the beginning: the four Staten Island natives first started performing as sketch comedy team The Tenderloins, and in their first 10 years together they won NBC’s It’s Your Show talent competition and a pilot deal with Spike TV. That show never made it to air, but it did pave the way for Impractical Jokers. The guys – Joe Gatto, James Murray, Brian Quinn, and Sal Vulcano – shot the pilot on their iPhones, set a meeting with truTV, and the rest is history.
Entrepreneur profiled the Jokers for their upcoming March issue. They’re natural subjects for the business insider mag, having steered their own careers from the start – and they’ve done it all together.
According to this cover story, it’s their close friendship that’s helped make them such a unique success:
These four guys have mastered the art of working together as a team. They are consistently open, honest and vulnerable with each other — something that’s hard for anyone to do, let alone leaders of a company. It isn’t always easy for them, either. But it’s the only path forward. And it’s working.
You can read the full cover store on Entrepreneur.com.
