Aidan Judge / The Hofstra Chronicle
Picture this: the lights begin to shine in Studio A at the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication at Hofstra University. Cameras are rolling, headsets are babbling and the audience waits to be queued for the opening round of applause. Live from Studio A, it’s “Thursday Nite Live” starring none other than junior television major Jake Epstein.
It’s typical that you’ll find Epstein doing whatever he can to find himself on or off camera in the school of communication. There, he works tirelessly to embrace his dream of working in the world of television. Acting, writing, producing, you name it. Chances are, Jake has it on his résumé.
Growing up in the picturesque town of Amagansett, New York (a prime spot for oceanside beach days in the summertime), Epstein’s journey to television and his dedication to the world of communications didn’t begin with a passion for the career path. In fact, it started in quite a different direction. During his days of growing up in the Hamptons, Epstein took inspiration from his father, an entertainment lawyer. Being exposed to the bustling world of musical performance and media in this way, he originally figured his path would lead to studying law. It wasn’t until his high school years that Epstein discovered his passion for television.
Shows like “Saturday Night Live” and “The Office” have always been a cornerstone of entertainment and happiness for Epstein, leading to the inspiration to launch himself into the world of comedy. Epstein said he gets inspiration and joy from being able to make people laugh and believes that laughter is one of the strongest ways to get to somebody’s heart.
However, even after he found his passion, his path to comedy was not always linear, or even positive for the television student. During his sophomore year of high school, he suffered a severe concussion that left him with temporarily impaired cognitive abilities. In this time of strife, for Epstein, comedy was a beacon of hope. After taking refuge in comedy as a form of healing, Epstein found happiness through the works of comedy legends like Adam Sandler and juggernaut television shows like “Friends.” After months of rehabilitation, including work with neuro-optometrists, neuropsychologists and therapists, one of Epstein’s idols, Adam Sandler, took the stage on “Saturday Night Live” with a heartfelt tribute to Chris Farley. Through this moment, his love for television began.
Under any circumstance, it would’ve been difficult to predict the years following and even more difficult to predict the success. Since arriving at Hofstra University in the fall of 2021, Epstein has made quite a name for himself, making himself into a bit of a “hallway celebrity.” After being inspired to attend the school because of Hofstra’s spin on “Saturday Night Live” titled “Thursday Nite Live,” the junior communications student says he dreamed of being part of Hofstra Entertainment Access Television (HEAT)’s College Emmy Award-winning show. Well, if it wasn’t obvious by now, he did just that. After auditioning for the main cast of the show his freshman year and not making it, Epstein bounced back to be cast in his sophomore year, building the confidence to become a force to be reckoned with in Hofstra’s comedy scene.
“Working with Jake is such a pleasure,” said Hayley Kastner, producer of “Thursday Nite Live” “I have been on a few projects with him in the past, and I am currently working on a couple with him now. Not only is he exceptionally funny and ambitious, but he is extremely dependable and is someone I can consistently rely on. As a very close friend of mine, we also have a lot of similar ideas [and] interests, so I always enjoy working creatively with him.”
Along with his success on “Thursday Nite Live,” his list of accomplishments continues. The New York native found himself hosting Hofstra’s very own communications school award show “The Herbies,” working on senior film projects as a producer, in multiple leadership roles at WRHU, the university’s radio station and even becoming a resident assistant at Stuyvesant Hall for first-year students. It wasn’t until this year, however, that his years of dreaming paid off in a way they never had before. Enter “Saturday Night Live.”
“I feel like I’ve worked there for 5 years because I’ve worked there for 5 years in my head,” Epstein said on his current position as an intern for the “Saturday Night Live” news parody segment “Weekend Update.” He recounts playing the ending theme for the late-night variety show before bed every night while dreaming of working for the franchise (and he unintentionally manifested reality, it seems). Epstein’s admiration for the show spans back years before he even decided to delve into a television career, reading “Saturday Night Live”-centric books and media to prepare himself for his future in comedy. There’s one quote that Epstein finds himself coming back to, from the show’s creator Lorne Michaels: “We don’t go because we’re ready, we go on because it’s 11:30,” which Epstein uses as a mantra for success in the television world.
It’s obvious that he is setting himself up for success, but behind all of his passion, hard work and unwavering determination, there lies a sage, softer aspect of the “Thursday Nite Live” cast member. He compares his college experience to “preparing for a 5K by running a marathon” in the demanding nature of the communications world. He also admits to having his own moments of anxiety, despite his mighty presence in the rooms he often commands with grace.
“No matter how tough it might seem after a project doesn’t work out, this industry is a lot like surfing,” Epstein said. “You’re gonna be paddling out there and you might run into a shark or hit a wave, a friend might catch a wave and you wanted that, but it’s always good to cheer for them. Eventually, your wave is coming, and it’s gonna feel like magic, and it’s gonna be worth it.”
To catch a wave as magical as fulfilling his childhood dream of working on “Saturday Night Live” is a pretty major feat, but one could argue that Jake Epstein is much more than one-in-a-million.
