Tight Five

I talk with The Onion's head writer Mike Gillis about how he got started in comedy writing, some of The Onion's new initiatives like their TikTok channel, and what he’s learned over his time working for the satirical publication. He also shares an interesting fact about how nachos are strangely related to Nazis. Mike is hilarious and really insightful about comedy writing. Follow Mike on Instagram (gillisesque) and check out his website to see more of his work (michael-gillis.com). I hope you guys enjoy this episode. Sorry for the muffled audio on my end!

My guest today is Anthony Farrell. Anthony has written for The Office, The Thundermans, and Little Mosque on the Prairie. We talk about how he got his start in comedy, his time on The Office and what he learned from Greg Daniels, and some of his more recent projects. 

My guest today is stand up comedian and actor Gianmarco Soresi. Gianmarco just had a great set released on Comedy Central in the Fall of 2021. We talk about how he got his start in performing as an actor and then transitioned into comedy. He gave a lot of really helpful tips on both stand up and auditioning. We also talked about jokes from his Amazon special shelf life and working with Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish on the 2021 comedy Here Today. Follow him on Twitter @GianmarcoSoresi and check out his podcast The Downside. 

My guest today is former SNL and Last Man Standing writer Claire Mulaney. If that last name sounds familiar, it's because Claire is the sister of stand up comedian John Mulaney. We talk a little bit about her relationship with her brother. It was super fun to talk with Claire about how she started comedy in Chicago, her time at SNL, and everything she's learned about sketch comedy at the show. We also talk about her time on Last Man Standing and what she’s learned about writing for scripted half hour comedy. You can follow Claire on twitter at @clairemulaney. 

My guest today is SNL head writer Anna Drezen. This was a really fun conversation. Anna is so funny, I’m a diehard SNL fan, and I think this new season is soooo good. This was recorded in March of 2021 and it’s taken a little time to get this episode out. I talk with Anna about her work at Reductress, writing comedy from a place of anger, how she got her job at SNL, and what she’s learned progressing through the ranks of the show. Follow her on twitter @annadrezen.

My guest today is Daniel Kibblesmith. We talk about how he got his start in comedy in Chicago, working at clickhole in the early days of the website, writing comedy for BuzzFeed, and what he learned writing for the Late Show. Check out his children's book Princess Dinosaur. 

My guest today is Maytha Alhassen, who writes for Hulu’s Ramy. This episode is a little different from previous episodes in that Maytha does not have a typical comedy background. She started out in academia and has a PhD in American studies, she’s done theater, written poetry, and she’s worked as a journalist covering the refugee crisis. I found it really fascinating to hear about her varied professional background and how those collective experiences informed her work on Ramy.

My guest today is Michael Rubens, who is a correspondent for Full frontal with Samantha Bee and a former producer for The Daily Show. We talked about what he learned about making field pieces at the Daily Show, writing novels, what it was like working on the first season of Last Week Tonight, and highlights from his time at Full Frontal including interviewing President Obama. You can follow him on twitter @michaelsrubens.

My guest today is Groundlings Sunday Company member Chelsea Pope. You’ve probably seen Chelsea's hilarious videos on Twitter, most notably her amazing Jan Psaki impression where she frequently rips into Pete Doocy. Chelsea and I talked about how she got her start in comedy, working through the groundlings hierarchy, and comedy during the pandemic. I really admired Chelsea’s foresight and the fact that she really took the time to make sure she was prepared before advancing to the next level, and not just rushing into opportunities she wasn’t prepared for.

My guest today is Second City performer Atra Asdou. I first saw Atra over two years ago when I visited Chicago and saw a Second City ETC show. I was really excited to talk to her about how she got her start in comedy and how she worked her way through the second city system. We talk about some of the cool improv shows she’s worked on and what it’s like to develop a sketch show for the ETC stage.