This week I got to hang out with veteran late-night writer Laurie Kilmartin (Jimmy Kimmel Live, Conan, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn), an old friend of mine from many stand-up rooms back in New York. We talk about joke writing, the evolution of a comic’s perspective over time (and why it's great to start releasing specials the day you start), and why a lot of stand-ups now include way too many words in their setups. Laurie talks about what it’s really like inside the Conan and Kimmel writers' rooms, the pressure of writing dozens of monologue jokes a day, and why stand-up is still the ultimate creative control valve for a TV writer.

What does it take to get a green light from Disney+ and a room full of legendary Muppet performers? This week, I sit down with my old pal Jeff Yorkes. Jeff is an award-winning trailer editor, and oh yeah the co-creator of The Muppets Mayhem. Holy smokes, nice work Jeff.

Jeff breaks down the chaotic, brilliant process of bringing Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem to the screen—from pulling off a secret "Muppet-crashing" Zoom pitch to managing a pandemic-era writer's room on Zoom. Plus, we dive into the art of cutting pitch trailers from "every movie that’s ever existed," battling imposter syndrome, working with Sir Peter Jackson on the ultimate Friday shoot, and the exact screenwriting trick you should use before you even finish your pilot script. Sometimes your best ideas happen in the shower.

Comedian, filmmaker, and Groundlings alum Mel Stephens and I talk about going from performing to being a writer and director. And why!  What it’s like to be a comedian working with comedian Brett Goldstein to shoot a high-stakes short film in one take; what it’s like when you realize your comedic sensibilities don’t align with the establishment; what it’s like when you realize that no one is coming to rescue you—you have to push the boulder up the hill yourself. And what you can do about it. What you have to do about it. Mel talks about why accepting that writing is supposed to be hard turns out to be the ultimate creative freedom. Mel and I talk about whether or not creative joy is a myth,anxiety, how setting deadlines helps, and (I should listen to this part) why marketing yourself is how you avoid staying hidden.

Don't miss Mel's upcoming YouTube stand-up special Sparkles on June 23rd! Follow her @MelM.Stevens.

How do you make a character likable when they’re doing terrible things? Just ask Andy Daly!

Actor, comedian and writer Andy Daly (Review, Eastbound & Down, Silicon Valley) goes deep on the chaos of the Hollywood development process, and on his own comedy process.

We dissect the origin story of Comedy Central’s Review, and the creative note from debate champion and director Jeff Blitz that saved Forrest Macneil from being a "psychopath." We also talk improv (we’ve done it together a few times), a failed pitch we did involving an autographed photo of O.J. Simpson, why Andy avoids traditional stand-up (but not completely), and why one might want a bound volume of one's unproduced scripts.

Andy gives me a lot of great insights into writing comedy, creative integrity, and how to deal with fussy executive vice presidents named Dan Blithers.

Support Andy: Check out his incredible work and subscriber content at patreon.com/andydaly and follow him on Instagram @TVsAndyDaly.

Subscribe to Punching Up so you never miss an episode, and feel free to leave me a 5-star review, just to goose the algorithm(which we should all be doing all the time).

Welcome to Season 2 of Punching Up with Sean Conroy! I'm Sean, and just so you know, this episode gets pretty intensely personal. I'm a TV writer and comedian, and because of some stuff that's gone in my real life recently I've decided to try treating my life like a script. I'm gonna be 60 in a little more than a year, and I'm trying to change some things, both physically and creatively. I even gave myself a deadline- writers love deadlines! (Listen and find out when mine is). Take a listen to why the "shitty first draft" is a writer’s secret weapon, the difference between pure data and moral failure, and why it is never too late to write your own second draft.

📝 WORK WITH ME THIS SUMMER:Want to finish your sitcom pilot by midsummer? Sign up for my upcoming 6-week Sitcom Pilot Writing Workshop starting late June. Space is strictly limited: https://www.seanconroy.com/classes

There's a lot of stuff I think about now when I'm starting to figure out how to write a TV pilot script that I would have liked to know when I started out, if somebody was like "hey here are some screenwriting tips for beginners." And writing that script doesn't mean developing a TV series, but it feels like that is something you have to have in the back of your mind when you start, or at least it's something that helps. What is the show gonna be like after the pilot? I was watching trailers for a couple of shows (Mad Men, Reservation Dogs, Deadwood, etc.) and it gave me an idea (honestly, a stroke of genius) for what some people might find a helpful writing exercise. Give it a shot and let me know what you think.

I've been working on my creative process lately, struggling with overcoming perfectionism and writing consistency, and I feel like I'm kind of winning. A little. Discipline is to creatives as ice cream is to lactose intolerants, but these days I've somehow acquired (ulp) (at least temporarily) some creative discipline. WIth the help of my trusty yellow legal pad and my Sanford uni-Ball 207, and my knowledge of cursive writing, I'm getting some done. See if you can relate on this episode of Punching Up with Sean Conroy.

In this episode I talk to Ed Herro, who wrote for (among other things) Jeff and Some Aliens and American Housewife. Most recently he co-created and co- ran The Sticky for Amazon Prime. In this showrunner interview, we get into a lot: the importance of sitcom pilot writing when you're starting and as you continue in writing for television, some great ideas on writers' room etiquette when you're starting out, and when you've been there a while, and lots of other fantastic gleaned-from-experience TV writing tips. Ed even gets into some thoughts on how to pitch a TV show. He recommends a couple of great books on writing, some of the classics like On Writing, and Save the Cat, and Bird by Bird. This one is a gold mine for aspiring writers (and me)z.

One thing I've always struggled with as a writer is "paralysis by analysis"- maybe if I read THIS book or follow THIS method or use THIS structure I'll get it right, and everything will be easy. So in this episode I talk about some of the things I've done that have helped me get better at writing, and also specifically helped me get better at writing sitcoms. For example, you know how every sitcom nowadays makes fun of improv comedy for being dorky? Well, guess what's one of the most useful things I did when I was learning? Check out the episode, rate and review, all that podcasting stuff.

TV writer and comedian Sean Conroy and his guests talk about how to write a great sitcom pilot, how to have a career in comedy, how to develop good habits as a writer, and his struggles with all of those things. He gives the advice he wishes he'd gotten earlier on, and gets advice from guests that he hopes it's not too late for. If you're a fan of comedy, this show is for you.