Splitsider

Two decades into his comedy career, Leo Allen is both the host of one of New York's most popular standup shows (Whiplash) and a busy writer who's worked for shows like Saturday Night Live, Jon Benjamin Has a Van (which he co-created), Comedy Bang! Bang!, and most recently, Andy Daly's Comedy Central series Review. Allen recently directed A Night at Whiplash, a concert movie version of his long-running standup showcase Whiplash, which was produced by Splitsider and features appearances from Janeane Garofalo, Eugene Mirman, Michael Che, and more. I recently interviewed Leo Allen about the right way to run a standup show, his stint on SNL, and the John McEnroe '80s comedy he's [...]

Interviews

Harnessing Absurdity to Help Others with Kurt Braunohler

by Emma Soren | July 24th, 2014

You can catch Kurt Braunohler’s new episode of The Half Hour this Friday, July 25, but he’s been focused on a lot more than just standup lately. In June, the comedian jet skied the Mississippi River from Chicago to New Orleans as part of his Indiegogo campaign to raise $50,000 to provide 500 goats and 1000 chickens to African families in need. The quest is documented in his Comedy Central web series Roustabout, coming out this fall.

On top of that, Kurt is starring in the upcoming film B Roll, has plans to release a compilation album from his standup/variety show Hot Tub with Kristen Schaal, and continues [...]

Interviews

Joe Zimmerman on His Comedy Central 'Half Hour' and Staying in NYC

by Isaac Kozell | July 21st, 2014

Self-proclaimed "ambassador of joy" Joe Zimmerman is in a New York state of mind. The comedian is putting down serious roots in what he calls “the place to go if you want to be a standup comic.” And who can blame him? The city is treating him and his career quite well. After making his Comedy Central debut last year on John Oliver’s New York Stand Up Show, Zimmerman is now preparing for the release of his Comedy Central Half Hour special this Friday. I talked to him about his comedy roots, the NYC scene and how West Virgina is kind of like Ireland.

Interviews

Paul Scheer on 'The Hotwives of Orlando' and All the Other Stuff He's Working On

by Emma Soren | July 16th, 2014

Paul Scheer is crazy busy. Now that the full first season of his most recent show, The Hotwives of Orlando, is available on Hulu, Scheer is moving full steam ahead with tons of other projects, from developing a cartoon with Adult Swim to an anthology series with HBO. He’ll also be starring in season six of The League on FXX, which is set to debut this fall, and releasing a comedy special with Rob Huebel based on their live UCB show Crash Test. Scheer talks about always wanting to keep things fresh, whether through the podcast, How Did This Get Made?, which he hosts with Jason Mantzoukas and his wife June Diane [...]

Interviews

Finding Controversy by Accident with Kurt Metzger

by Isaac Kozell | July 11th, 2014

After 15 years of performing standup, New York comic Kurt Metzger's career is gaining momentum, all without the help of business cards and t-shirts. But hey, it's never too late to try something new. "My income’s been getting kind of better, so it’s just a matter of if I have the extra money to spend on something like that."

His new one hour special, White Precious, premieres tonight on Comedy Central at 11pm. I talked to Metzger about leaving behind the religion of his youth, his family, his love/hate relationship with social media, and his penchant for controversy.

From what I’ve read you’re not much of a marketer [...]

Interviews
Inside 'Nathan For You' with Co-Creator Michael Koman
by Bradford Evans | July 29th, 2014
Michael Koman is the co-creator of two of the best comedies on TV — Nathan For You and Eagleheart – and he's about to add a third to his roster. Koman is gearing up for production on an yet-to-be-titled Adult Swim sitcom that pairs Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and Jack McBrayer, which Koman co-created with Robert Smigel and David Feldman. After spending seven years on the writing staff of Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Koman left the late night world, and he's since become some sort of anti-Chuck Lorre, responsible for multiple TV shows that are some of the most original and funny things currently happening on TV. Nathan For [...]

Interviews
Talking to Kumail Nanjiani and Jonah Ray About 'The Meltdown'
by Joel Arnold | July 23rd, 2014
The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail premieres on Comedy Central tonight as an eight-episode, half-hour standup showcase based on the very popular weekly alt show hosted by Kumail Nanjiani and Jonah Ray in Meltdown Comics’ NerdMelt Theater and produced by Emily Gordon. The show will feature a range of comedians many of whom have appeared on the live show in the four years it’s been a part of the Los Angeles comedy scene including Marc Maron, Jim Gaffigan, Adam Scott, Maria Bamford, and Moshe Kasher.

I caught up with Nanjiani and Ray and talked with them about translating their show to TV, working with director Lance Bangs, and making [...]

Interviews
Joe Wengert on His 'Half Hour' Special and Writing for Three Very Different TV Shows
by Emma Soren | July 18th, 2014
With a half hour special under his belt, Joe Wengert's standup career is taking off, so it’s not hard to believe that he's also an accomplished improviser. Wengert ran the UCB Theatre's school in New York and then in LA and still regularly performs improv at the LA theater with the team The Smokes in addition to the long-running show ASSSSCAT. His TV writing credits are impressive as well: Wengert has written for Kroll Show, Comedy Bang! Bang! and Playing House. You can catch his episode of The Half Hour this Friday, July 18th, at 12:30 am.

I got to talk to Joe about preparing for The Half Hour, writing [...]

Interviews
Brian Huskey on UCB, Improv, and Being a Character Actor
by Joel Arnold | July 15th, 2014
Brian Huskey might have once been "that guy," recognized for his work in commercials and film and TV, but the actor and UCB-trained improviser has built a career as a quick-thinking talent able to sink into a role — often a soft-spoken or buttoned-up character — that Huskey makes his own and twists into something more complex. Huskey played an empty-headed panelist in Onion News Network videos before he began appearing regularly as the unbalanced EMT Chet on Childrens Hospital, and he's been popping up in shows and movies all over, including a memorable scene in This Is The End and on shows like Workaholics, Parks and Rec, Bob's Burgers, [...]

Interviews
Damien Lemon on His Comedy Central 'Half Hour' and How He Became a Comedy Cellar Regular
by Phil Davidson | July 10th, 2014
For years Damien Lemon was known as much for his comedic skills as his legendary beater Toyota Corolla. With the way his career is going now, he’s probably due for an upgrade if he hasn’t done so already.

Lemon is one of the rising stars in the NYC comedy scene and has become a regular at most standup clubs, including the famed Comedy Cellar. He’s a cast member on MTV2’s Guy Code, and made his film debut two years ago in The Amazing Spider-Man.

On Friday, you can see his new special on Comedy Central as part of their Half Hour series.

I recently caught up with Lemon while he [...]

Interviews
Mike Birbiglia and the Importance and Power of Jokes
by Philip Stamato | July 28th, 2014
Mike Birbiglia has a very unique ability: the ability to tell any story, like the story of jumping out of a hotel window in Walla Walla, Washington, and make it relatable. To a certain extent, this is one of the primary goals of standup comedy. Although Birbiglia saw great success in the traditional standup circuit early in his career, he didn’t feel that he had produced an act that was true to his own form. So, after appearing on Comedy Central’s Premium Blend at age 23, Letterman at 24, producing a Comedy Central Presents special at 26, and his album Two Drink Mike at 28, he opened a one-man show [...]

Interviews
Sheng Wang on New York and San Francisco's Standup Scenes
by Bradford Evans | July 22nd, 2014
Over a decade into his standup career, Sheng Wang has amassed a list of credits that includes Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell, John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show, and his own Comedy Central Presents special. Wang, who came up via San Francisco's comedy scene, currently resides in New York, where he plays both alt rooms and clubs. Wang is one of several comedians, alongside Janeane Garofalo, Eugene Mirman, and Michael Che, featured in A Night at Whiplash, a Splitsider-produced standup concert movie based on Leo Allen's long-running live standup showcase Whiplash. I recently had the chance to talk to Sheng Wang about his beginnings in comedy, [...]

Interviews
David Rees on How to Make a "How-To" Show
by Phil Davidson | July 17th, 2014
Fans of the 2001-2009 comic strip Get Your War On will be happy to know that David Rees, the man behind the cult classic political send-up, is back with a new project. Only this time, Rees has his sights set on ice cubes, shoelaces, and holes.

Going Deep with David Rees, which premiered Monday on National Geographic channel, is a how-to show that puts tasks we take for granted – say, swatting a fly – under the microscope. It’s a testament to Rees’s abilities as a humorist that he’s so easily able to pivot from blunt critiques of post-9/11 U.S. politics to the dry, though entirely earnest wit he [...]

Interviews
Mark Normand on His Eventful Comedy Central 'Half Hour' Taping and Bad Advice from Other Comedians
by Philip Stamato | July 14th, 2014
Mark Normand has slogged his way through the New York comedy scene since 2006. For years now, he's labored through open mics all across the city, played shows to half-filled rooms and drunk, distracted patrons, spent hours enticing passers-by to free comedy shows in the West Village, and balanced multiple careers, a relationship, and a social life.

But all of these have not been for nothing. Normand is now a Comedy Cellar regular, has appeared on Conan, Last Comic Standing, and Inside Amy Schumer. Most recently, Normand finally assembled his first album, Still Got It, and filmed his first Comedy Central special for their series The Half Hour, which [...]