Writers' Bloc Podcast

(undisclosed number of) years, so I was thrilled to find out he was not only working but also willing to talk to me about it. His latest gig was writing for a new sketch show called "Friends of the People" that will air on Tru TV starting in October. Hugh shares that experience with me as well as what it's been like for him to chase work and find work and then chase work again and find work again and then chase work yet again and find work yet again. He hustles. That's what he does. And, equally as important, he's talented and fun to be around. Hugh's resume varies wildly including stints at "Chocolate News", "Wildnout", "Vibe", "Best Damn Sports Show", and now "Friends of the People" as well as the cartoon "Black Dynamite" on Adult Swim. He's also a great comic and performer who often appears on the show's he writes for including one particularly funny bit he did on "Vibe" called "Shy Tony". We talk about all of this in between almost constant and highly entertaining reminiscing.

Jason Ross is a writer for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, but here's the rub - he lives in L.A. even though the show tapes in New York City. What what?! We discuss how a writer living 3000 miles away from what you would imagine would be his office can, 1 - do his job, and 2 - get his job. Both answers are great stories. Before moving to L.A., Jason spent 11 years writing for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and he shares what made him finally pack it up and head west. We talk about taking meetings in L.A. (do the words "seduced and abandoned" mean anything to you?) and what it's like to pitch an idea without realizing the studio you're pitching it to is already working on a "very similar project". Lesson: they have very little interest in an idea they already have. Jason also offers up some very interesting insight on the writing process in general and we close it out with a laugh-filled discussion of his wide range of early comedy influences. Lend me your ears, BlocHeads! I swear I'll give them back.

Chris Regan is a comedy writer who won five Emmys during his seven seasons on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He talks with us about leaving a lucrative (potential) career in advertising to chase a very potentially un-lucrative career in comedy writing. It turned out well. We talk about the early days at TDS and what it's like to leave a secure, high-profile job in entertainment because you're pretty sure you've got something else going on that it turns out you actually don't really have going on. Then we move on to how you bounce back from that. Short answer: hard work and talent. Chris currently writes for Fox’s long-running animated hit Family Guy, and previously worked on The Jeselnik Offensive, The Burn with Jeff Ross, and Lopez Tonight. He also contributed to the best-selling America: The Book, was the author of Mass Historia: 365 Days of Historical Facts and (Mostly) Fictions, and co-authored the humor book “Shatner Rules” with William Shatner. He recently had the great honor of delivering the commencement address at the Ithaca College Class of 2014 graduation ceremony.

Charlie Grandy was a writer on The Daily Show without Jon Stewart. He was also a writer on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and was on staff with me when we won our first Emmy. Good times. We talk about those years, the difference between the “Jon” and “non-Jon” writing processes, and what it’s like to get a job where you feel like the least qualified writer in the room. After The Daily Show, Charlie moved over to Weekend Update at SNL and within a couple of years was running that department. It’s Writers’ Bloc’s first in-depth look at the process at SNL and it’s a good one. We also talk about his first sitcom writing job at a little sleeper show over on NBC called “The Office” and what it’s like to get your own show on the air only to have your own show taken off the air. Ouch! But don’t worry. Today, Charlie is writing for The Mindy Project and he still has all of his hair… which is nice.

Lesley Arfin was one of the growing number of fantastic people I'd never met before talking to them on the podcast. Fortunately, we hit it off nicely and had a great conversation about her work as a writer on Girls, Awkward, Portlandia, and Brooklyn 9-9. As you might imagine, these are all very different shows which means very different styles of writing, and though Lesley herself admits it wasn't always the best fit, it was always a good experience, or at the very least a learning experience. We also talk about smoking crack by accident and how good writing staffs consist of people with different strengths although it never hurts to be strong at everything. Did I mention the "smoking crack by accident" thing? In addition to her work in television, Lesley wrote for Vice Magazine as well as numerous other publications, and her book, Dear Diary, though according to Lesley is full of "bad writing" is still very entertaining. Currently Lesley is not working on anything she wants to talk about because she might believe in jinxes.

Too late!

Damien Fahey is a writer for Family Guy on FOX. We discuss that. He also voiced two episodes of Family Guy called, “Peter’s Daughter”, & “I Dream of Jesus”. We forgot to discuss that. In addition to writing for the TV box, Damien has also appeared on it, first as the long-running host of MTV’s flagship program, TRL, then as the guest host of The Late Late Show on CBS, then as the co-host of I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here on NBC. We talk about all of those things and much, much more including how Damien's focus and work ethic allowed him to continue finding work even when work wasn't looking for him. And we also discuss the far less common flipside of that, which is what it's like when work seems to track you down. Never one to let a single job keep him happy, Damien also writes for Someecards.com and regularly performs improv comedy with his group "Triggerfinger" and sketch comedy with "Top Story Weekly" at iOWest. Once, in 2006, Damien went almost 6 minutes without checking his iPhone.

Rebecca Drysdale grew up in Versailles, France and Vancouver and Montreal, Canada, which makes her sound more like a line of designer clothing then a comedy writer, but comedy writer she is! For the fantastically funny Key and Peele show on Comedy Central. Rebecca attended Sarah Lawrence College for a minute, where she met her writing partner, none other than Jordan Peele himself, and subsequently moved to Chicago to pursue sketch comedy and improvisation. Rebecca is an Alum of Boom Chicago in Amsterdam, and The Second City Chicago, and in 2005 she won the first ever "Breakout Performer Award" at the Aspen Comedy Festival. Fortunately, she was willing to talk about all this and more as she takes us through her unique and what seems like exhausting path to her current state of being which includes the writing gig at Key and Peele as well as on screen appearances in the film Enough Said, Kroll Show, Key and Peele, and the upcoming season of Orange Is the New Black (a great show!) As if that wasn't enough, Rebecca also owns and runs the Clubhouse, an independent improv theatre in Hollywood. So go there! (listen on iTunes)

In this episode we talk to Mike Royce (executive producer of "Enlisted", Fridays at 9 on Fox) about the intricacies of transitioning from comedian to staff writer to executive producer and showrunner, which is not as easy as it sounds, and it doesn't even sound easy. We also discuss different shooting styles and writing styles and the benefits of getting a scene shot the way you wrote it and then allowing the actors to improvise in the event they can think of something far better than you struggled for hours to think of, which, unfortunately, they often do. Mike grew up in Syracuse, New York, and graduated from film school at Ithaca College. From there he moved to New York City to try his hand (and mouth) at stand up comedy eventually appearing on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien". In 1999, Mike joined the writing staff of “Everybody Loves Raymond” winning Emmy Awards in 2003 and 2005 for "Best Comedy". Mike was the executive producer and showrunner of HBO's “Lucky Louie” starring Louis CK, and is currently the executive producer of “Enlisted". So watch it! (It's really good.) Enjoy!

Lisa Ann Walter is, and always has been, a very busy woman. Known for stand-out roles in features such as The Parent Trap, Bruce Almighty, War of the Worlds, Killers and Shall We Dance, Lisa also co-created, produced and starred in several half-hour sitcoms including Life’s Work for ABC, and she's the creator and judge of Dance Your Ass Off for the Oxygen network. I get tired just thinking about all of it! But wait! There's more! Lisa is also the co-creator, writer/producer and director of the hit action web-series, Gonzo Girlz as well as The Naughty Show – All-Girl Comedy Review, as well as hosting The Fabulous Lisa Ann Walter Show on KFI Radio. Still not enough? Walter’s book of comedic essays, The Best Thing About My Ass Is That It’s Behind Me was #12 on the NY Times Comedy Bestseller List. But most importantly, Lisa is a great friend and a wealth of advice and valuable information for people who strive to be as busy as she is. WARNING: this episode contains dangerous levels of genuine fun.

To say Chuck Tatham's resume speaks for itself... is ridiculous, mainly because resume's don't have the power of speech. They're inanimate objects. The very concept is absurd. As resume's go, however, Chuck's is very impressive to look at: 22 years in the business as a writer and producer at 15 different shows including "Arrested Development" and most recently "How I Met Your Mother" - season finale on March 31st! And all while suffering from a debilitating banana allergy, or at least as debilitating as a banana allergy can be. For our purposes, however, the important thing is that Chuck has learned from many of the biggest names in sitcom creation, production and writing and he willingly shares much of that knowledge for our benefit. Plus we finally get to hear a few stories about "Arrested Development"! It's the total package, so what are you waiting for? Rip it open!