Splitsider

Posts tagged as comedy writing

Advice

Things to Consider When Submitting to Write For a Late Night Show

by | January 4th, 2013

This piece was originally published on SaraSchaefer.com. It's republished here with permission.

This past fall, I had the amazing privilege of hiring a writing staff for my upcoming TV show, Nikki & Sara Live. I was flattered and honored when hundreds of people applied. It was a super fun experience, but it was also an incredibly illuminating one. Reading so many packets made a couple of things very very clear: there are some really easy, basic things you can do to improve your chances of getting a job writing for TV. Before I give you those tips, however, I want to give a little context.

I think that [...]

History

More of the Greatest TV Writers Rooms Ever

by | November 8th, 2011

This past summer, we ran a piece on the greatest writers’ rooms ever, taking a look at some of the most influential groups of comedy writers in TV history. The staffs of classics like Your Show of Shows, Mary Tyler Moore, and SCTV, as well as the writers responsible for The Simpsons and Saturday Night Live’s golden eras, made our original list. In putting the piece together, though, we were reminded of the sheer number of amazing TV comedies that have made it to air since the medium’s inception, each one boasting its own eclectic roster of comedic geniuses. TV history is littered with enough murderers’ rows of [...]

Quicklink

Weekend Update Writer/Producer Doug Abeles on Making It as a Comedy Writer

by | September 9th, 2010

Gawker.tv has a great interview with SNL Weekend Update writer/producer Doug Abeles that covers everything from getting started in the comedy business to the writing process at SNL. To wit: "There are times when even collectively we all love a particular joke and are very confident that it's gonna kill. It's not even that it's like it's a comedian's comedian kind of joke, it's like no, this is a joke that will kill with everybody, and then it will just die, and it's inexplicable. Then other things that you didn't have as much faith in sometimes end up doing really well, and it's like well, you know, that was [...]

back to school

Listen to a Young Johnny Carson Explain Humor Writing

by | September 14th, 2012

For his senior thesis at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Johnny Carson created an audio program that explained how to write comedy for radio. You can listen to the 45 minute thesis here. (Ignore the first completely unintelligible minute or so.) Using clips from popular programs, he analyzed how to perform things like running gags and comedy duo routines. Beyond being interesting for any fan of Carson's, he does do a really great job explaining the mechanics of certain types of bits. For example: "Step 1: Call your yourself something 'the Magnificent.' Step 2: Hold an envelope up to your head. Step 3: Say an ambiguous phrase. Step 4…"

Writing

The Dan Harmon School of Comedy Writing

by | March 21st, 2011

So you love Community, not just because it's funny but because it's impressively written. It seems each half-hour episode packs in a movie's worth of story: spending time on all 8 characters, taking them on a journey away from their study group and back, hitting a joke in each line and then along the way throwing in a parody of a deleted scene from The Terminator that you thought only you saw.

In addition to that, Community jumps genres from episode to episode — one week it's zombies, the next it's a note-perfect parody of The Right Stuff or the ridiculously intricate paintball/28 Days Later episode from season one. [...]

Interviews

Talking to Molly McNearney, the Co-Head Writer of Jimmy Kimmel Live

by | November 15th, 2011

One of the most hot button issues in comedy right now is the lack of women writing for late night. Molly McNearney is the only woman who currently writes for Jimmy Kimmel Live, but she is also the co-head writer. Molly chatted with me about how she got her start in comedy, her favorite bits that she’s contributed to the show and what it’s like being a woman behind the scenes. She also revealed what a day backstage at Jimmy Kimmel Live looks like and inspired me to declare that my new dream job is to be a “Clip Researcher.”

Partners in Love and Comedy Writing

by | September 13th, 2010

For nearly five years, despite the pleas of common sense, I've engaged in a steamy office romance. But it's not what you think. There aren't any break room rendezvous or synchronized trips to the water cooler. No, our workplace is our Jersey City apartment.

You see, my girlfriend and I aren't cubicle mates. We're writing partners. And although it defies logic and peace of mind, we actively choose to work together.

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