On Comedy Writing

Evan Waite (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The President Show) joins Alan to talk about teaching English in China, writing comedy about Trump, and working with Tina Fey. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gary Richardson (Saturday Night Live, Miracle Workers) joins Alan to talk about starting out in Chicago, getting his first writing job from a short film, and his first year writing on Saturday Night Live. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Sherman (The Daily Show, Last Week Tonight) joins Alan to talk about archiving sketches at Second City, working on packets, and how writing for The Colbert Report was like a math problem. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beth Newell (Reductress) joins Alan to talk about political cartoons, her time as the Managing Director of Sketch at The Magnet, and the early days of Reductress. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chelsea Davison (The Opposition, @midnight) joins Alan to talk about doing stand-up for the first time because of a college class, getting an agent because of her Lena Dunham impression, and being a cast member on the rebooted MadTV. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Reynolds (The President Show, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson) joins Alan to talk about Celebrity Deathmatch, writing children’s animation, and his webcomic, A Fistful of Babies. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Folta (The New Yorker, Paul Ryan Magazine) joins Alan to talk writing online humor, parody magazines, and the state of political satire. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan Chamberlain (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Above Average) joins Alan to talk about how bad commercial auditions led him to writing, doing sketch open mics at UCB, and the state of digital comedy. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Daniel Kibblesmith (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, ClickHole) joins Alan to talk about how he sold his first book, writing comic books, and the early days of Colbert’s Late Show. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan Gregor (How I Met Your Mother, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) joins Alan to talk about starting the NYU sketch comedy group, getting stuck in the development process, and writing and directing his first movie. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ana Fabrega (The Chris Gerhard Show, The Truth About Pangea) joins Alan to talk about working in finance, creating characters in her room, and working on an HBO pilot with Fred Armisen. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sam West (The Onion, Our Cartoon President) joins Alan to talk about working on The Onion movie, creating Adult Swim infomercials, and writing for animation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andy Bobrow (Brooklyn 99, Last Man on Earth) joins Alan to talk about working in advertising for 15 years, making a pilot, and writing on Community. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Noah Garfinkel (New Girl, The President Show) joins Alan to talk about hosting a show at Rififi, why Kroll Show was the most fun job, and writing on the last season of New Girl. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dave Horwitz (Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23, Dealbreakers) joins Alan to talk about making videos as a kid, having his book optioned for television, and splitting up with his writing partner. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emmy Blotnick (The President Show, @midnight) joins Alan to talk about working as a Late Night with Jimmy Fallon blogger, writing roast jokes for Jewel, and preparing for her half-hour special. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Phillips (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Rick and Morty) joins Alan to talk about being a writer’s assistant on Parks and Recreation, using the story circle on Rick and Morty, and the hallmarks of a successful Brooklyn Nine-Nine episode. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Achilles Stamatelaky (Broad City, UCB) joins Alan to talk about being on Maude Night and a Digital Team at the same time, being the Associate Artistic Director at UCB, and doing punch up work. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mitra Jouhari (The President Show, Miracle Workers) joins Alan to talk about dropping out of college to pursue comedy, being a writer’s assistant on Full Frontal, and getting hired for her first sitcom job because of a humor piece. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Streeter Seidell (Saturday Night Live, College Humor) joins Alan to talk about the early days of online sketch comedy, meeting Lorne Michaels, and writing David S. Pumpkins. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sean Conroy (Mr. Pickles, Gentlemen Lobsters) joins Alan to talk about writing scripts freehand, what it’s like between writing jobs, and working in the Key and Peele writer’s room. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alison Rich (Saturday Night Live, Party Over Here) joins Alan to talk about doing theater at school, the differences between Maude Night on each coast, and acting in a sketch show on network television. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Johnson (The Daily Show, The Tonight Show) joins Alan to talk about political correctness in comedy, why Chicago is great place to hone your craft, and doing an hour on the road. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matt Klinman (Problematic, The Onion) joins Alan to talk about how Facebook is ruining digital comedy, filming a movie in one day through Sketch Cram, and Pitch, his new joke writing app. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nick Rutherford (Good Neighbor, Dream Corp, LLC) joins Alan to talk about shelving videos that didn’t work, the concept for the Good Neighbor pilot that never aired, and being a writer on Saturday Night Live. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brian Kiley (The Tonight Show, Conan) joins Alan to talk about taking a class taught by Denis Leary, the early days of Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and writing late night comedy for 23 years. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laura Willcox (I Am Bride, The Jim Jefferies Show) joins Alan to talk about writing branded content, struggling to adapt her web series into a television show, and writing a satirical wedding book. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Craig Rowin (Search Party, @midnight) joins Alan to talk about taking UCB classes every summer during college, getting writing jobs in New York, and how writing on Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later was a dream job. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff Loveness (Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Marvel) joins Alan to talk about how doing sketch comedy for his campus television station led directly to getting a job at Kimmel, contributing for The Onion in college, and leaving late night to work on a sitcom. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lauren McGuire (Comedy Bang! Bang!, Wrecked) joins Alan to talk about studying psychology in college, getting over her fears and taking classes at UCB, and being the only woman on a writing staff. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Kula (Wrecked, @midnight) joins Alan to talk about the early days of UCBNY, working on Community with Dan Harmon, and writing sports comedy. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nick Wiger (Doughboys, Comedy Bang! Bang!) joins Alan to talk about why he stopped performing, why it’s "unfun" to write comedy about politics, and how he left a job for a sitcom that was cancelled before it was written. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Aukerman (Mr. Show, Comedy Bang! Bang!) joins Alan to talk about not being interested in modern talk shows, the problems with making Run Ronnie Run, and almost getting a movie starring Rainn Wilson made. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anthony King (Silicon Valley, Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later) joins Alan to talk about writing an off-Broadway musical, creating the Maude team system at UCB, and how Playing House uses improv to create scripts. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nate Dern (Funny or Die, Not Quite A Genius) joins Alan to talk about not getting on the staff of The Harvard Lampoon, struggling to do his own comedy while being the Artistic Director at UCB, and his new book, “Not Quite A Genius,” which you can buy at the link below! https://www.amazon.com/Not-Quite-Genius-Nate-Dern/dp/1501122207/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501801951&sr=8-1&keywords=not+quite+a+genius See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Neil Campbell (Comedy Bang! Bang!, Brooklyn Nine-Nine) joins Alan to talk about writing and performing a new sketch every Friday in college, taking the first UCB LA sketch class taught by Scott Aukerman, and how Comedy Bang! Bang! changed and evolved over time. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joey Clift (25 Minutes of Silence, Chats on Cats) joins Alan to talk about interning for The Mighty Boosh, the differences in sketch between different theaters in Los Angeles, and doing Internet bits. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jenny Jaffe (Nikki & Sara Live, Big Hero 6) joins Alan to talk about doing sketch at NYU, working full time at College Humor while finishing college, and writing monologue jokes. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jamie Loftus (CAFE, The Bechdel Cast) joins Alan to talk about starting in a smaller comedy community, writing and animating cartoons, and eating Infinite Jest. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matty Smith (Our Fascinating Planet, Tales of Titans) joins Alan to talk about directing commercials and branded content, writing for animation, and creating his own web series. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Carl Tart (MADtv, Brockmire) joins Alan to talk about using the Second City process to write sketch, the challenges of writing on a television sketch show, and his fast writing process. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matt McConkey (Bajillion Dollar Properties, Heathers) joins Alan to talk about starting out as an actor, being a writer’s assistant on Marry Me, and writing on a semi-scripted show. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Caroline Anderson (Comedy Bang! Bang! and Hampton DeVille writer’s assistant) joins Alan to talk about her crazy start at Earwolf, how an award’s show writer’s room operates, and being a good writer’s assistant. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tamara Federici (The Daily Show, Important Things with Demetri Martin) joins Alan to talk about doing improv in Chicago with Del Close, faxing jokes to SNL, and working on Chappelle’s Show. Videos We Talk About: The Daily Show “I on News” - http://www.cc.com/video-clips/xlgfwp/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-i-on-news---24-hours Important Things with Demetri Martin “Parking Fight” - http://www.cc.com/video-clips/okbp5l/important-things-with-demetri-martin-parking-fight See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode of On Comedy Writing is about defining some terms and giving background on the Los Angeles comedy scene. Host Alan Johnson also talks about why he came to LA. Rate, review, and subscribe! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Evan Susser and Van Robichaux (Fist Fight, Wedding Crashers 2) join Alan to talk about producing the “What’s Going On? with Mike Mitchell” pilot, pitching on existing properties, and the making of their first feature, Fist Fight. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Leann Bowen (Netflix’s Dear White People, Funny or Die) joins Alan to talk about going to art school, how she got on a Maude team, and writing a pilot to get her first television writing job. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nick Ciarelli and Brad Evans (Tween Fest, Billy on the Street) join Alan to talk about writing for a Maude team each month, writing fake scripts, and writing good satire about the Internet. Check out Tween Fest on go90! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jon Millstein (ClickHole, Funny or Die) joins Alan to talk about writing literary humor in college, the differences between stage and video sketches, and becoming one of the first contributors at ClickHole. Videos We Discuss: Where Does The Smell Of A Kiss From- https://vimeo.com/150626200 The Big Test - https://vimeo.com/175911323 Boarding with Jon #3 - The Kickflip -https://vimeo.com/150626169 Jeff Unworthy’s “You Might Be A Millennial” -https://vimeo.com/183575705 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jack Allison (Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Funny or Die) joins Alan to talk about the most valuable Matt Besser class he ever took, the problem with current political comedy, and leaving Jimmy Kimmel Live! to focus on his own projects. Videos We Discuss: The Fixer Upper Brothers Fix The Debt Ceiling - http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/fa3e6d7f47/the-fixer-upper-brothers-fix-the-debt-ceiling?_cc=__d___&_ccid=4cf42e34-e878-42c6-892f-b4cca8c5d628 Funny or Die’s Halloween Anthology with Marilyn Manson - http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/f65a47da1c/are-these-tales-spooky-to-you?_cc=__d___&_ccid=4cf42e34-e878-42c6-892f-b4cca8c5d628 New Brooklyn Nets -http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/768041076b/the-new-brooklyn-nets?_cc=__d___&_ccid=4cf42e34-e878-42c6-892f-b4cca8c5d628 Reading Rainbow’s New Theme Song with LeVar Burton - http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/c61f805aa7/reading-rainbow-s-new-theme-song-with-levar-burton?_cc=__d___&_ccid=4cf42e34-e878-42c6-892f-b4cca8c5d628 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices