On this week’s episode of On Story we’ll hear from two stand-up comedians with strong backgrounds in television writing. Sketch Comedy master and Kids In The Hall co-founder Kevin McDonald & The Simpsons staff writer and Stan Against Evil creator Dana Gould will discuss the ins-and-outs of writing different forms of comedy across different mediums.

Kevin McDonald is a comedian, actor, writer and director who founded legendary Canadian sketch troupe The Kids In The Hall with his friend Dave Foley. The Kids In The Hall eponymous television series ran for 5 seasons from 1989 to 1995 and was produced by Saturday Night Live founder Lorne Michaels. I spoke with McDonald about the history of the group and the process of writing sketch comedy live at the 2019 Moontower Comedy Festival in Austin, TX.

Clips of Kids in the Hall & Kids in the Hall: Brian Candy courtesy Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)

Next up another conversation recorded live at the Moontower Comedy Festival in Austin, Texas. Dana Gould is a standup comedian who began his professional comedy career at 17. Gould has appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Conan and Real Time With Bill Maher. In addition to writing and performing stand-up, Gould was a staff writer on The Simpsons and created the IFC horror-comedy Stan Against Evil. I spoke with Gould about the differences between comedy writing for stand-up and television.

Clips of The Simpsons courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Corporation

All segments were recorded live at the Moontower Comedy Festival in Austin, Texas. Special thanks to Chief Executive Officer Jim Ritts, Festival Director Lietza Brass, Talent Producer Colleen McGarr, Festival Manager Maggie Hoffman and Programming Associate Kaetie Turner.