TODAY’S TAKEAWAY
His biggest breaks came from people he barely knew
Your casual acquaintances could be your key to getting ahead in your career.
THE STORY
His biggest breaks came from people he barely knew
It was the early 1990s and computer science major Jimmy Fallon was moonlighting as a comedian in small clubs around Albany, New York.
Two decades later, he was hosting The Tonight Show, the longest-running talk show in the world.
How did he make it?
Not from merely being talented or even from networking—at least not with people in his inner circle.
Instead, it was the people he barely knew who opened the most important doors.
Here’s what happened:
1995: While interning for newspaper owner Peter Iselin in Albany, Fallon gives Iselin a VHS copy of his stand-up act. “Maybe you could play this for people,” Fallon suggests. Iselin passes the tape to a contact of his—Los Angeles entertainment agent Randi Siegel. Fallon and Siegel had never met. Siegel calls Fallon and signs him. Fallon leaves school, moves to LA, and begins his comedy career.
1997: With Siegel’s help, Fallon auditions for SNL. The audition is a flop and Fallon doesn’t get the role.
1998: Fallon, now 23 years old, auditions for SNL for a second time. Lorne Michaels, the creator of Saturday Night Live, hires him. Producer Marci Klein gives Fallon some advice: after every show, go thank Lorne Michaels. He does, and soon enough Michaels invites Fallon out to chat.
2004-2008: Fallon leaves SNL to pursue acting in feature-length films. However, none of the movies do well, and Fallon enters a self-described “lost period.”
2009: Michaels tells Fallon he needs to be back on TV. Fallon agrees. So, Michaels convinces NBC to hire Fallon as Conan O’Brien’s successor on the talk show Late Night.
2014: After 5 years as host of Late Night, Fallon succeeds Jay Leno as host of The Tonight Show.
Present day: As of 2026, 12 years later, Fallon continues to host The Tonight Show.
THE UNSPOKEN RULE
Leverage your weak ties
It’s easy to think that the people you are closest to are the ones who will help you most in your career. But research actually shows something different: the people who know you just a little, but not a lot, are the ones most likely to open the most important doors for you—like when Fallon’s former boss sent his comedy tape along to Siegel.
Wondering how to build your own “weak ties”? Think of one person you haven’t spoken to in a while who once helped or encouraged you. Then, send them some version of this:
“Hi ______, hope you’ve been great since ______. Just wanted to let you know that I [finally got to ______ / have been loving ______ / was recently ______ / ______]. None of this would have been possible had you not ______—thank you!”
Like Fallon, you never know who in your network might one day change your life. The point isn’t to turn everyone into your closest friend, but to keep your connections warm (like what Rosalind Brewer, former CEO of Sam’s Club and Walgreens, did—read my story here).
Similarly, you never know who you could help out, too!
See you next month for our AMA,
Gorick
PS: You can submit your career-related questions here for a chance to be answered in a future Ask Gorick Anything edition.
WHAT I’M READING
Here are 3 articles that I found interesting recently (some with paywalls, but your first article should be free):
- An Analysis of 1,000 Meetings Shows How the Best Leaders Shape Conversations (HBR)
- Women just claimed the majority of US jobs (TheStreet)
- The AI Slop Backlash Is Actually Having an Impact (Wired)
MORE OF MY WORK
1. Keynote speaking: If your organization is looking for speakers for your internship program, new hire orientation, new student orientation, manager training, all-hands meetings, recruiting season, year-end performance evaluation season, or something else, let's chat!
2. HOW TO SAY IT ®: Flashcards that teach you to know what to say in every high-stakes professional setting via hundreds of fill-in-the-blank scripts (just like the examples above). Free shipping on all orders over $40.
3. The Unspoken Rules: My Wall Street Journal Bestseller that Arianna Huffington calls “a blueprint for anyone starting their career, entering a new role, or wanting to get unstuck.” Used by top companies and MBA programs.
4. Soft skills crash course: Hard skills get you hired, but a lack of soft skills gets you fired. Equip your interns and early career talent with the essential behaviors of high performers in just 3.5 hours.
STORY SOURCES
- the longest-running talk show in the world
- While interning for newspaper owner Peter Iselin
- She calls Fallon and signs him
- Producer Marci Klein gives Fallon some advice
- Jimmy Fallon in 1998 at his SNL audition
- “lost period”
- Michaels convinces NBC to hire Fallon
- Jimmy Fallon hosting The Tonight Show
- Fallon succeeds Jay Leno as host of The Tonight Show
- research actually shows something different
