Improv Nerd With Jimmy Carrane

Pat Finn is a member of Beer, Shark Mice who has appeared in such sitcoms as Seinfeld, Friends, The Drew Carey Show, and Curb Your Enthusiasm just to name a few. He has also done a ton of national commercials. Jimmy sat down with him to talk about his late friend Chris Farley, how he developed his physical style of improvising and what it was like to work on Seinfeld.

John Lehr and Nancy Hower create and produce sitcoms that are improvised, such as Ten Items or Less for TBS and Quick Draw for Hulu. John improvised with ED in Chicago in the late '90s. Nancy studied acting Juliard and fronted a rock band. Jimmy sits down with them to talk about why they like improvising their TV shows, how they settle creative differences, and opening for Meat Loaf.

Tim Kazurinsky is an actor who was on Saturday Night Live from 1980-84 and is best remembered as Carl Sweetchuck in the Police Academy films. He is also a screenwriter who co-wrote About Last Night. Jimmy sat down with him to talk about why he started taking improv classes at The Second City, how he got on SNL and making his Broadway debut last year in An Act of God with Jim Parsons.

Jon Favreau is a well-known writer, actor and director who has directed such films as Iron Man 1 and 2, Elf, Made, and Chef, just to name a few. He's also the director of Walt Disney's The Jungle Book, which comes out April 15. Jimmy sat down with him to discuss his comedy days in Chicago, what tools he uses from his improv training to write his films, and working with Bill Murray on The Jungle Book.

Cecily Strong is a cast member on SNL and she's in four new movies coming to theaters this spring and summer, including Ghostbusters, The Bronze, The Meddler and The Boss. Jimmy talks to her about being a ham when she was younger, why studying in Chicago was important to her career, and why she almost didn't audition for SNL.

Kristy and Jethro Nolan are the co-founders of The Arcade Comedy Theater in Pittsburgh. They are incredibly accomplished improvisers and teachers who have performed at iO-Chicago and Boom Chicago in Amsterdam and taught at the Second City. Jimmy talks to then how they met in improv, why the moved from LA to Pittsburgh, and how they have adjusted to teaching improv in a smaller market.

Kate James is an actor, improviser and writer who is best known as one of the members of the hilarious sketch comedy group Schadenfreude and from the viral video Drunk Cubs Fan. She has also written on the Jeff Award-winning The Second City Guide to the Opera. We talk to her about why most of siblings went into the arts, what it takes to be part of a successful sketch group, and the secret to having your video go viral.

Natasha Rothwell is a former writer for Saturday Night Live who is now one of the stars of the new comedy sketch show "Characters," which debuts on Netflix March 11. We talk to her about training at the People's Improv Theater and UCB in New York, her work ethic, how she got hired by SNL and her new show.

In this episode of Improv Nerd, Jimmy moderates a panel discussion on the issue of sexual harassment in improv, which has become a very heated discussion lately throughout the improv community. On the panel is improv teacher Susan Messing, improvisers Julia Weiss and Laura Bowers, former attorney and corporate trainer Ben Capraro and therapist Nadia Greenspan. This episode was taped on Feb. 18 at Green Shirt Studio in Chicago.

Nora Dunn was a cast member on Saturday Night Live form 1985-1990. She has appeared in the movies Working Girl, Three Kings and Pineapple Express. Jimmy sat down with her to talk to her about her years on SNL, how she comes up with her characters and why she moved back to Chicago after living LA.

For this special compilation episode we have put together some of our favorite moments from our guests talking about a red hot topic -- diversity in comedy. Listen to Key & Peele, Chris Redd, Puntam Patel, Ali Farahnakian, and Edgar Blackmon talk about how they discuss race in comedy, avoid stereotypes and more.

The Defiant Thomas Brothers (Paul Thomas and Seth Thomas) is a brilliant two-person sketch group out of Chicago. After splitting up 9 years ago, they have gotten back together and now have an open run at The Second City Training Center. Jimmy sat down with them at this year's Chicago's Skectchfest and talked to them about getting back together, how audiences have changed, and race in comedy. You are going to love this episode!

Mick Napier is the founder and artistic director of the acclaimed Annoyance Theater in Chicago, an artistic consultant at Second City and the author of the new book, Behind The Scenes: Improvising Long Form. Jimmy sat down with him to talk about some of the concepts in the book such as giving yourself permission to be funny, how to appeal to a non-improv audience and how to get in the right frame of mind when improvising.

Shana Merlin is the owner and founder of Merlin Works in Austin, TX. She is a well-respected improviser and teacher with quite a following. In this lively episode recorded at the Institution Theater in Austin, Jimmy talks to her about starting to teach improv when she was only 22, her take on making mistakes in improv, and how having a baby can affect the business of running an improv theater.

Asaf Ronen is the educational director at The Institution Theater in Austin, TX, and author of Directing Improv. He has been involved in improv since 1990 and has improvised and taught all over the world. In this episode, which was recorded at The Institution Theater, Jimmy talks to him about growing up as a latch-key kid, why he moved from New York to Austin, and how teaching improv helps with depression.

Geoffrey Baer is a popular host, producer and writer at Chicago's public television station, WTTW. In this interview, Jimmy talks to Geoffrey about his theater background, teaching improvisation at the Players Workshop of the Second City, and his grandmother's prediction for his career.

Matt Higbee is well-respected teacher and improviser at iO-Chicago with a huge following. He talks to Jimmy about the hard part of being on the Harold Commission, which decides which teams get to play and which teams are broken up; being bounced around and cut from teams when he started out; and why it's important to study one method of improvisation at a time.

Join Jimmy and his trusted staff -- Producer Dan Schiffmacher, Director Sam Bowers and Head of the Interns Lauren Carrane -- as they sit down to discuss their favorite episodes of Improv Nerd from the past year.

Adam McKay is a writer and director of such comedies as Anchorman, Taladaga Nights, Step Brothers and more. He has just released his latest film, The Big Short. Jimmy sat down and talked to him about improvising in Chicago back in the '90s, what he learned from being head writer on SNL, and how improvises when he directs his films.

Colt Cabana is an internationally known professional wrestler and host of the super popular podcast The Art of Wrestling. Jimmy talks to Colt about his improv and comedy back ground, the comparison between wrestling and improv, and the importance of promoting yourself.

Mike O'Brien has been a writer and featured player on Saturday Night Live. He is an alumni of The Second City Main Stage in Chicago and was a member of the legendary Harold team The Reckoning at iO Chicago. Jimmy sat down and talked to Mike about his love for uncomfortable comedy, his journey from writer to performer on SNL, and his new comedy album, Tasty Radio.

Mike Carr has been the Artistic Director at SAK Comedy Lab in Orlando, FL, since 2006. He has performed with Mission Improvable, studied at iO Chicago where he was on the Harold team Revolver and gotten to improvise at his job at The Monster Inc. Laugh Floor at Disney World. In this episode, Jimmy talks to Mike at the Tampa Improv Festival about how he got started in theater and what it is like to be an artistic director at an improv theater.

Anne Libera is the director of The Comedy Studies program of Columbia College at The Second City in Chicago. She is a well-respected teacher and director who was the Executive Artistic Director of The Second City Training Center for eight years. Jimmy sat down and talked to her about going from actor to director, becoming friends with Stephen Colbert at Northwestern University and the importance working with people you like.

TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi are true improv legends. Their show, TJ and Dave, is an international award-winning show that has inspired improvisers all over the world. Jimmy sat down and talked to them about the history of TJ and Dave, their new book, Improvising at the Speed of Life, and why they decided to give up running The Mission Theater.

Anthony LeBlanc is an actor, teacher and director who recently directed the current Second City etc. show "Soul Brother, Where Art Thou?" He was also a cast member of the Second Mainstage, where he put up two revues. Jimmy talks to him about how the death of his brother has inspired him, why his dream job was to work for NASA and his insight about race in comedy today.

Jen Ellison is a director, writer, teacher and performer who is best known for directing The Second City e.t.c.'s 38th revue, "Apes of Wrath."She teaches at The Second City, DePaul University, and Columbia College. In this episode, Jimmy talks to Jen about discovering a passion for directing at a young age, the transition from DePaul's Theatre School to ComedySportz, and the importance of admitting your mistakes.

Irene Marquette is a performer, teacher, writer and director. Best known for the host of the popular "Curio Show" she teaches at iO-Chicago, The Annoyance and Comedy Studies at Columbia College. She also regulary improvises with Tone and Super Human at IO-Chicago. Jimmy talked to her about starting out doing murder mystery dinner theater with her parents, finding improv at 19 in a coffee shop in Las Vegas and how important it is do the improv you love doing.

Joel Murray joins Jimmy during a recent trip to Chicago and talks about his time with The Second City Chicago, his career in film and television, and growing up with brothers Bill Murray and Brian Doyle Murray.

Jimmy explores the process of getting rejected in comedy with guests Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer from Broad City, David Koechner, Dan Harmon, Colbert writer Brian Stack, and more.

In this episode, which was recorded live at the Providence Improv Festival, Jimmy interviews two of the pillars of the Providence improv community: Melissa Bowler, the artistic director of Provindence Improv Guild (P.I.G.) and Tim Thibodeau, the producer of the Providence Improv Festival. They talk about their thriving improv community, how P.I.G. was formed, and the advantages of improvising in a smaller city.

Zach Ward is the owner, founder and executive producer of DSI Comedy Theater, as well as the artist director and executive producer of the NC Comedy Arts Festival. Jimmy sat down at talked to him about starting improv classes in North Carolina, while he was still living in Chicago improvising, what it takes to run an improv theater and why he considers himself a comedian who does improv.

Lance Barber is best known for his role as Pauli G on the short-lived TV sitcom The Comeback on HBO, as well as Jimmy Speckerman in The Big Bang Theory. He studied at The Second City and iO-Chicago where he worked with the legendary Del Close. Jimmy sat down with Lance to talk about what he learned from Del, turning down Second City to move to LA and playing Pauli G.

Jeff Bouthiette is currently the Head of the Music Program at the Second City Training Center in Chicago. As an improviser, he was a longtime member of the musical improv troupe Jazz Hands Across America and currently performs with the Second City Training Center musical improv house ensemble, Infinite Sundaes. Jimmy sat down with him at the Chicago Musical Improv Festival and talked to him about how musical improv is growing up, what the next frontier is for musical improv, and why studying musical improv can you make you a better improviser.

Dan Telfer is stand-up comedian who has opened for Maria Bamford, Brian Posehn and Patton Oswalt. He's performed at the Just For Laughs Festival in both Montreal and Chicago and his writing has appeared in Paste Magazine, The Onion, and The A.V. Club. Jimmy talks to him about starting out in theater, how quickly he made the transition from improv to stand-up, and how he's always been a nerd.

Paul Vaillancourt is the author of the new book Triangle of the Scene, as well as a teacher at iO West, a member of Beer Shark Mice and one of the most respected improvisers around. Jimmy sat down with him to talk about his specific approach to long form scene work, playing with Beer Shark Mice and all the great opportunities he's had along the way.

Jeff Griggs is a teacher at iO-Chicago and The Second City Training Center in Chicago and is the author of Guru: My Days with Del Close. Jimmy sits down and talks to Jeff about his experience with Del Close, improvising with Deep Schwa and what it is like to getting into the Second City directing program later in life.

Rush Howell has been improvising in Chicago since 1999. He has performed with groups such as 3033, Atlantis, CUFFS, The Scene and ARMANDO DIAZ at iO-Chicago. Rush has coached and taught at many theaters across the country and at dozens of festivals. Jimmy talked to him about how he balances being a full-time lawyer, why he still loves to improvise and creating your own projects.

Rashawn Nadine Scott is the cast of The Second City e.t.c.'s 39th revue, "Soul Brother Where Are Thou?" She is a recipient of the Bob Curry Fellowship, and she's performed in The Art of Falling with Second City and Hubbard Street Dance. Jimmy talks to he about her amazing confidence, how she got the Bob Curry Fellowship, and how having a background in singing and musical theater helps her at Second City.

Zach Bartz and Kevin Gerrity are the masterminds behind Shit Hole, one of Chicago's most popular underground comedy shows. Jimmy talks to them about why they have such a big following with their anti-marketing approach, the expectations they have for their audiences and performers, and why building community has been so important to their success.

Jorin Garguilo is an incredible teacher and improviser living in Chicago. He performs with Revolver, Felt and The Scene at iO Chicago and was part of the legendary group Rainbow Deli at CIC. Jimmy sat down with him and talked about starting out improvising when he was 17 in North Carolina, performing with Revolver and why he think he did his best work with Rainbow Deli.

In this latest episode of Improv Nerd, Jimmy talks to Scott Morehead of the Second City e.t.c. cast and the Late '90s at iO Chicago. Jimmy talks to him about his journey to a resident company at Second City, asking for what you want and becoming a dad.

Katie Rich writes for SNL's Weekend Update, is an alumni of The Second City Mainstage and has performed at iO-Chicago with Carl and The Passions. Jimmy talks to her about her first day on the job at SNL, what goes into writing for Weekend Update, and meeting the President at the White House Correspondent's Dinner.

Have you ever wondered what it would take to start your own Improv Theater? In our first compilation episode, you'll hear clips from previous interviews from successful theater owners such as Mick Napier, Tom Booker, Dianah Dulaney, and more! Take a listen as they discuss how to manage actors efficiently, where to find the perfect location, and what their philosophies were when creating their new space.

In this episode, Jimmy sits down with Dick Chudnow, the creator and founder of ComedySportz, and Matt Elwell, current Executive Director of ComedySportz, at the 2015 ComedySportz World Championship in Rock Island, IL, where they talk about the creation of ComedySportz, the advantage of working clean and short form versus long form. Don't miss this great episode!

Ithamar Enriquez is a writer, actor, teacher and performer. He is an alumni of The Second City, writing and performing shows with the MainStage, ETC and the Second City Touring Company. Jimmy talks to him about physical comedy and his wonderful one-person silent sketch show "Ithamar Enriquez Has Nothing to Say."

Billy Merritt has been a performer, teacher and director since the UCB opened in New York. He was founding member of The Swarm and The Stepfathers in New York, and The Smokes in LA. We talk to Billy about how he classifies improvisers as pirates, robots, and ninjas, and what the game in the scene means to him. He also does an amazing job of deconstructing the improv scene between Jimmy and himself.

Dylan Rohde is the founder and co-owner of The Backline in Omaha, NE, and the producer of the Omaha Improv Festival. We talked to him about studying at the UCB and iO West and why he moved from LA to Omaha to start a comedy theater. He also demonstrates an improv game that you will definitely want to use!

Dave Buckman is a director-teacher-improviser. He started out in studying and teaching in Chicago, before becoming the Artistic Director of Boom Chicago in Amsterdam. He has directed at The Second City in Chicago and Cleveland before moving to Austin in 2005. We talked to Dave about directing at The Second City and Boom, why the growing Austin improv community plays nice together, and what it's like performing with his wife, Rachel. Thanks to Joseph Dailey & Cene Hale for the great opening!

Rob Belushi and Jon Barinholtz are in the duo group Sheldon and the perform improv around the country. Jimmy caught up with them at this year's Chicago Improv Festival, where they talked about their brotherly relationship and how they use it on stage, who they named their show after, and they set Jimmy straight on the whole topic of fame and coming from famous families.

Dianah Dulany is an improv institution. She is the owner and producer of ComedySportz in Houston, where she is wonderful teacher-director-actor-improviser. Jimmy talked to her at the Houston Improv Festival about what makes the culture of ComedySportz special, why short form gets a bad rap, and how to tell one of your performers they need to take a shower. Special Introduction was provided by John Thompson's Renaissance Academy Charter School of The Arts Kindergarten class from Rochester, NY!