Ellen Haun (How to Get Away with Murder, Cinderella & The Glass Ceiling) was never cast in a show in all four years at USC. An accidentally dropped headshot ruined her final chance. We also chat about how she moved to NY after two agencies were interested and wound up not getting signed by either, how her riffed monologue wound up in the How to Get Away with Murder pilot, and the importance of garbage drafts.

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Michael Cruz Kayne (Late Night with Seth Meyers, High Maintenance) booked an off-broadway Stomp-like show called Hoopz, produced by Disney, and it was quickly cancelled after Michael Eisner saw it. We chat about testing for SNL, searching for validation in the UCB system, and dealing with the loss of his son.

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Charlie Todd (Improv Everywhere, Pixar IRL) tried for years to get Improv Everywhere on TV with lots of ups and downs along the way. We talk about how he wound up in handcuffs after an Improv Everywhere prank gone awry, seeing a network steal and produce one of his show ideas a year after he pitched it, being told by an agent how his show was a used car that he could not sell, and how this pandemic has been a gut check moment for a company that thrives on live human interaction.

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Robyn Schneider (The Beginning of Everything, You Don't Live Here) sold her first book at 18. It was the best and worst day of her life. Straddling a life between writing and medical school, Robyn overcomes trauma, book flops, book cancellations, theft, and a slew of other setbacks on the road to becoming a best selling author. Robyn talks about how she got through it all, shares some writing tips and tricks, and reveals the latest leap of faith she took during the pandemic. 

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In Part 2 of our conversation, Jordan Klepper (The Daily Show, Klepper) talks about filling in as host of The Daily Show when Trevor Noah was sick, the joys of getting your own TV show and the gut-punch of it being taken away, and the life changing experience of being arrested. Jordan also takes us behind the scenes of life as a Daily Show correspondent, what he learned about mindset from The School of Life, and talks about the time his boat capsized in the gator-filled bayou while covering a story.

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In Part 1 of our conversation, Jordan Klepper (The Daily Show, The Opposition) talks about his decade of ups and downs in Chicago, what led him to NY, and auditioning for The Daily Show. We chat about how frustrations led to Jordan creating his own popular sketch show in Chicago, how after a failed audition, he wound up eating at the Universal CityWalk Food Court overlooking the red carpet of a Fast & Furious premier, and why getting the Daily Show was the best and worst day of his life.

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Julie Buxbaum's (Tell Me Three Things, Admission) worked on her third novel for over two years, after giving birth to her first child, and made the painful decision to shelve it because it was capable but not exciting. We talk about her transition from attending Harvard Law School to becoming an author, her continuing self doubts, her routines that make writing less precious, and the importance of recognizing the difference between procrastination and frustration.

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Sam Pancake (A Million Little Things, Arrested Development) got the dream call that he was getting his own TV show - but the deal was so bad he had to walk away, which actually opened up unforeseen acting opportunities. We talk about battling his addictions, his rock bottom moments, and his road to rehab and recovery, as well as what he learned about auditioning while working in commercial casting.

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Amy Spalding (We Used to Be Friends, The Summer of Jordi Perez) secured a literary agent, but it took another three years to get her first book published. We talk about the benefits of having a day job she excels at, burning her childhood novels in a family bonfire, the dangers of only participating in things you are good at, and why boredom is important for creativity and how the modern world is robbing us of it.

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Mark McConville (SuperEgo, Talking Tom & Friends) went to college to study music and was denied after his audition freshmen year. We talk about the formation of SuperEgo, the value of intention, landing a job at Disney after working 16 hour days at Starbucks and a retail store, and the importance of creating your own work.

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