Monsters is losely based on a unique podcast that Michael created called, "Punched Up". Michael would sit with a peer in his comedy community and capture incredible stories like Ben Gleib discussing his childhood stutter, how he overcame and became a voice-actor for animated films, and eventually hosting his own game show on television. All of the stories were funny and interesting but some of them were heart-breaking like Jenny Zigrino being kidnapped by her immigrant mother, or Ricarlo Flannagan being stabbed by his abusive step-father while defending his little brother and Chris Cope having a chest aneurism and almost dieing in a motel 6 while on tour. In post, Michael would add narration, background music, and sound effects to help bring their stories to life. Michael would also splice in a few moments of the guest doing stand-up to not only pick the listeners up from these intense conversations but to also give a more well-rounded view of the comic. This is also how Monsters plays out; Showcasing the comedian on stage, while also providing a deep dive into who they really are. If the rise of Tik Tok has shown us anything, it's that people want to see the ugliness of humanity. They want something that feels honest, real and way deeper than 'where'd you grow up?' - 'Whose your comedy idol?' - or even worse, 'Where do find the inspiration for your jokes?' Ugh.