Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen

Writing legends John August & Craig Mazin talk about their journey to screenwriting, podcasting, & writing a book.  They talk about how to boil  down 15 years of shows down to a book, the origin of the scriptnotes podcast, the need to help people combined with being annoyed by people, what each of them considers good writing, why people who hate books on writing wrote a book on writing, there are no rules to screenwriting, customizing your process, the moment they thought the might be good enough to make a living at writing, their messiest jobs, their best jobs, the changing nature of show biz, and why the Scriptnotes book weighs a lot less than you think it does.  Bio: Craig Mazin is the multiple Emmy® award-winning co-creator, executive producer, writer and director of the smash hit HBO series THE LAST OF US. An addition to setting viewership records for HBO, THE LAST OF US has earned 51 Emmy® nominations including 9 Emmy® wins, a Peabody Award, an AFI Award, a BAFTA Award, two SAG Awards, a DGA Award, a WGA Award, a GLAAD Award, two Film Independent Spirit Awards, and four Golden Globe Award nominations. Previously, Mazin served as creator, writer and executive producer of the HBO limited series CHERNOBYL, for which he won 2 Emmys®, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, a Peabody, and awards from the Writers Guild, the Producers Guild, the Television Critics Association and the American Film Institute. Looking ahead, Mazin is executive producing the upcoming HBO E-sports drama DAMAGE alongside writer, director and executive producer Celine Song. In addition to his work in television, Mazin has written numerous hit feature films, which have grossed over one billion dollars in theaters worldwide. Mazin can be heard on the popular screenwriting podcast Scriptnotes, which he co-hosts with fellow writer John August. Bio: John August is a screenwriter whose credits include Aladdin, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, Frankenweenie and the first two Charlie's Angels movies. He directed the 2007 film The Nines starring Ryan Reynolds and Melissa McCarthy, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. He earned a BAFTA nomination for his script for Big Fish, and a GRAMMY nomination for his song in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In 2016, he received the Writers Guild of America West's Valentine Davies Award in recognition of his humanitarian efforts and civic service. In addition to his work in film, John wrote the Arlo Finch middle-grade novel trilogy, and the book for the Broadway musical of Big Fish. Since 2012, he has co-hosted the popular weekly screenwriting podcast Scriptnotes. His company, Quote-Unquote Apps, makes utilities for writers (including Highland and Weekend Read) along with Writer Emergency Pack, which is used in 2,000 classrooms nationwide. Born in Boulder, Colorado, John received a BA in Journalism from Drake University and an MFA in Film Producing from USC's School of Cinematic Arts. He lives in Los Angeles with his family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael McKean talks about going from goofball to respected dramatic actor, how his high school drama teacher, NYU and Carnegie Mellon  pushed him into a lifetime of being a creative person, Christopher Guest being his roommate, the credibility gap, being a long haired hippie, how Rob Reiner and Penny Marshall got him on “laverne & shirley”, being a writer, Annette O'Toole being the perfect partner, always searching for the right performance, glenn gary glenn ross, how being in real rock groups like “the left bank” led to “spinal tap, and how being in a movie with Jack Nicholson and Ellen Barkin can go from elation to disaster.Bio: Michael John McKean is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, and musician. Over his career he has received a Grammy Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. McKean started his career as Lenny Kosnowski in the ABC sitcom Laverne & Shirley from 1976 to 1983. He was briefly a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live for its 19th and 20th seasons from 1994 to 1995, and played Gibby Fiske in HBO series Dream On (1990–1996). He has acted in films such as Used Cars (1980), Clue (1985), and The Big Picture (1989), the latter of which he also co-wrote. He is also known for having collaborated with Christopher Guest acting in his films such as This Is Spinal Tap (1984), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006). He co-wrote the song "A Mighty Wind" (for the Guest film A Mighty Wind), for which he won a Grammy Award, as well as "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" from the same film, which was nominated for an Academy Award. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 2019 for his role as Chuck McGill on the AMC series Better Call Saul (2015–2018; 2022). Since 2020, he has voiced Lou Pickles in Nickelodeon's Rugrats franchise. He has acted in shows such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep, Grace and Frankie, Breeders, and The Diplomat. On stage, McKean made his Broadway debut as Edna Turnblad in the musical Hairspray (2004). He took on dual roles portraying J. Edgar Hoover and Robert Byrd in the political epic play All the Way (2014). He has acted in Broadway plays such as the Tracy Letts play Superior Donuts (2009), the Gore Vidal revival The Best Man (2012), and the Lillian Hellman revival The Little Foxes (2017). To date, McKean is the twenty-second highest-earning game show contestant of all time, having accumulated $1,115,400 during his appearances on Celebrity

Michael McKean talks about going from goofball to respected dramatic actor, how his high school drama teacher, NYU and Carnegie Mellon  pushed him into a lifetime of being a creative person, Christopher Guest being his roommate, the credibility gap, being a long haired hippie, how Rob Reiner and Penny Marshall got him on “laverne & shirley”, being a writer, Annette O'Toole being the perfect partner, always searching for the right performance, glenn gary glenn ross, how being in real rock groups like “the left bank” led to “spinal tap, and how being in a movie with Jack Nicholson and Ellen Barkin can go from elation to disaster. Bio: Michael John McKean is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, and musician. Over his career he has received a Grammy Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. McKean started his career as Lenny Kosnowski in the ABC sitcom Laverne & Shirley from 1976 to 1983. He was briefly a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live for its 19th and 20th seasons from 1994 to 1995, and played Gibby Fiske in HBO series Dream On (1990–1996). He has acted in films such as Used Cars (1980), Clue (1985), and The Big Picture (1989), the latter of which he also co-wrote. He is also known for having collaborated with Christopher Guest acting in his films such as This Is Spinal Tap (1984), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006). He co-wrote the song "A Mighty Wind" (for the Guest film A Mighty Wind), for which he won a Grammy Award, as well as "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" from the same film, which was nominated for an Academy Award. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 2019 for his role as Chuck McGill on the AMC series Better Call Saul (2015–2018; 2022). Since 2020, he has voiced Lou Pickles in Nickelodeon's Rugrats franchise. He has acted in shows such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep, Grace and Frankie, Breeders, and The Diplomat. On stage, McKean made his Broadway debut as Edna Turnblad in the musical Hairspray (2004). He took on dual roles portraying J. Edgar Hoover and Robert Byrd in the political epic play All the Way (2014). He has acted in Broadway plays such as the Tracy Letts play Superior Donuts (2009), the Gore Vidal revival The Best Man (2012), and the Lillian Hellman revival The Little Foxes (2017). To date, McKean is the twenty-second highest-earning game show contestant of all time, having accumulated $1,115,400 during his appearances on Celebrity Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writers Tom Gammill and Max Pross discuss being comedy writing partners and then not being partners on SNL, Gary Shandling's Show, Seinfeld and dozens of great comedies, while Marc Wolodarsky and Jay Kogen, also former writing partners, do the same.  They discuss the state of show business, what's life like after writing, becoming an EMT, writing novels, pilots with puppets, development hell, pitching shows to people who weren't born when we started, Harvard Lampoon, David Letterman, and The Simpsons!  Tom Gammill was writing partners for 40 years with Max Pross before Max dumped him. Their credits include “SNL” “Letterman” “Seinfeld” and “The Simpsons”. After the breakup Tom wrote and starred in the play “A Morning With Ernie Bushmiller” which ran for one performance, and was a Consulting Producer for the final season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm”. Wally Wolodarsky began his career as a writer on The Tracey Ullman Show. Writing with Jay Kogen, he received an Emmy. Wally was a writer and producer on The Simpsons for the first four seasons, where he won his second Emmy. With his wife Maya Forbes he has written several features and television shows including Monsters vs. Aliens, A Dog's Purpose and The People vs. O.J. Simpson. Wally produced Infinitely Polar Bear starring Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldana. Together, Maya and Wally wrote and directed The Polka King starring Jack Black and The Good House starring Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline. Max Pross spent forty-two years writing for television, and now atones by working as an emergency responder.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writers Tom Gammill and Max Pross discuss being comedy writing partners and then not being partners on SNL, Gary Shandling's Show, Seinfeld and dozens of great comedies, while Marc Wolodarsky and Jay Kogen, also former writing partners, do the same.  They discuss the state of show business, what's life like after writing, becoming an EMT, writing novels, pilots with puppets, development hell, pitching shows to people who weren't born when we started, Harvard Lampoon, David Letterman, and The Simpsons! Tom Gammill was writing partners for 40 years with Max Pross before Max dumped him. Their credits include “SNL” “Letterman” “Seinfeld” and “The Simpsons”. After the breakup Tom wrote and starred in the play “A Morning With Ernie Bushmiller” which ran for one performance, and was a Consulting Producer for the final season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm”.Wally Wolodarsky began his career as a writer on The Tracey Ullman Show. Writing with Jay Kogen, he received an Emmy. Wally was a writer and producer on The Simpsons for the first four seasons, where he won his second Emmy. With his wife Maya Forbes he has written several features and television shows including Monsters vs. Aliens, A Dog's Purpose and The People vs. O.J. Simpson. Wally produced Infinitely Polar Bear starring Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldana. Together, Maya and Wally wrote and directed The Polka King starring Jack Black and The Good House starring Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline.Max Pross spent forty-two years writing for television, and now atones by working as an emergency responder.”

UnCabaret founder and host, Beth Lapides, talks about creating the show to have a place to perform then how it shifted to a place where she nurtured Taylor Negron, Judy Toll, Patton Oswalt, Margaret Cho, Bob Odenkirk, Janeane Garofalo, and everyone else to be the best performer they could. She talks about how to be creative and how to stop getting in your own way, how life is change and change is good.  She finds joy in pulling weeds and eating just the right amount of pizza. Bio:  BETH LAPIDES works at the intersection of comedy, creativity and consciousness. She is the creator, host and producer of the legendary, genre shifting, UnCabaret - widely considered to be the original “alt-comedy” show. The LA Times called her the ‘godmother of alternative comedy.” She's produced UnCab for Comedy Central, Amazon Studios, audible etc. And created its spin offs Say The Word and The Other Network. UnCabaret continues to help launch and relaunch some of your favorite iconic comedic voices. Beth is the author of Recorded Books' original audio book “So You Need To Decide,” which was on Vulture's Top 10 Comedy Books of 2022 and which Variety called “a potentially life-changing treasure.” Her first published book, “Did I Wake You? Haiku For Modern Living,” opened the door to a wave of comedy haiku. Her very first books were handmade artist books and were shown, among other places at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her wide ranging muti-disciplinary career has included writing for O Magazine, correspondent-ing on NPR's All Things Considered, touring her solo shows – currently It's A Lot – hosting a daily radio show for Comedy World, shepherding an extremely short lived talk show for MTV, developing a pilot with an Emmy award winning producer, hosting a podcast called Life and Beth, and running a campaign to make First Lady an elected position. An occasional actress, she was the first guest star on Will and Grace and the performance artist on Sex and The City – and has appeared in many indie films most often as an offbeat authority figure. Beth had a parallel career as a teacher and muse, known for her ability to help creators find their authentic voice – understand their own process, transform, complete and produce their work. She's gone from teaching comedians to coaching a vast array of creatives - currently in a framework called The Infinite Creator. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

UnCabaret founder and host, Beth Lapides, talks about creating the show to have a place to perform then how it shifted to a place where she nurtured Taylor Negron, Judy Toll, Patton Oswalt, Margaret Cho, Bob Odenkirk, Janeane Garofalo, and everyone else to be the best performer they could. She talks about how to be creative and how to stop getting in your own way, how life is change and change is good.  She finds joy in pulling weeds and eating just the right amount of pizza. Bio:  BETH LAPIDES works at the intersection of comedy, creativity and consciousness. She is the creator, host and producer of the legendary, genre shifting, UnCabaret - widely considered to be the original “alt-comedy” show. The LA Times called her the ‘godmother of alternative comedy.” She's produced UnCab for Comedy Central, Amazon Studios, audible etc. And created its spin offs Say The Word and The Other Network. UnCabaret continues to help launch and relaunch some of your favorite iconic comedic voices. Beth is the author of Recorded Books' original audio book “So You Need To Decide,” which was on Vulture's Top 10 Comedy Books of 2022 and which Variety called “a potentially life-changing treasure.” Her first published book, “Did I Wake You? Haiku For Modern Living,” opened the door to a wave of comedy haiku. Her very first books were handmade artist books and were shown, among other places at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her wide ranging muti-disciplinary career has included writing for O Magazine, correspondent-ing on NPR's All Things Considered, touring her solo shows – currently It's A Lot – hosting a daily radio show for Comedy World, shepherding an extremely short lived talk show for MTV, developing a pilot with an Emmy award winning producer, hosting a podcast called Life and Beth, and running a campaign to make First Lady an elected position. An occasional actress, she was the first guest star on Will and Grace and the performance artist on Sex and The City – and has appeared in many indie films most often as an offbeat authority figure. Beth had a parallel career as a teacher and muse, known for her ability to help creators find their authentic voice – understand their own process, transform, complete and produce their work. She's gone from teaching comedians to coaching a vast array of creatives - currently in a framework called The Infinite Creator.

Shane Black, Jim Herzfeld, Fred Dekker, and David Silverman look back on their formative years at UCLA and the shared house that became a creative hub and lifelong support system. What began as a loose collective of film-obsessed college friends evolved into a 24-hour open-door hangout where movie watching, gaming, writing, joking, and low-budget filmmaking fueled both friendships and ambition. In the early 1980s, these young creatives found their voices, their confidence, and their drive by building a scene together. The group reflects on how that community shaped their careers and helped launch work that would later define modern film, television, comedy, animation, and genre storytelling. From blockbuster screenwriting and cult-classic filmmaking to animation history and television production, their shared origins reveal how collaboration, camaraderie, and persistence can have a lasting impact on both art and life. The episode celebrates the power of creative tribes and how a single house full of passionate film nerds helped produce some of the most influential movies and shows of the last three decades. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, The Nice Guys)  Jim Herzfeld (Meet The Parents/Fockers), Fred Dekker (Preditor), & David Silverman (The Simpsons) reminisce about their college hangout that became the social group that supported their life and art for the rest of their lives.  They describe a house full of UCLA film nerds with a 24 hour open house policy.  It was young guys finding themselves and their drive and their fun by making a scene in the early 1980's. Movie watching, game playing, movie making, and joking around led to a group of people that has made some of the biggest films of the last 30 years.  Bio: JIM HERZFELD is an American film and television screenwriter who has also done work as a television producer. Herzfeld graduated from UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television (TFT) and his earliest TV credit – on the ground breaking “It's Garry Shandling's Show” -- was followed by almost 10 years of writing and producing episodes on dozens of sitcom staffs, including the Fox TV classic "Married... With Children." Herzfeld's earliest feature film work was a writing credit on the cult comedy “Tapeheads“ in 1988. His most successful work was writing the screenplay for the 2000 film” Meet the Parents” as well as writing the story and screenplay for its 2004 sequel “Meet the Fockers.” To date, both those films remain on the list of the 20 Highest Grossest Comedies. More recently, in 2015 his screenplay for “Meet the Parents” was selected by the Writer's Guild of America's as one of the “101 Funniest Screenplays” of all time. Herzfeld was also the writer of the canceled Circle 7 Animation version of Toy Story 3 and has done countless punch-up and rewrites on dozens of big budget comedies and animated films for virtually every major studio.  Herzfeld has also guest lectured about screenwriting at several major universities, including NYU, UCLA and AFI along with appearing on writer panels at various film festivals, most notably the Austin Film Festival where Jim was a judge for their Comedy Screenplay Competition. Currently, Herzfeld continues to write and develop comedy screenplays and recently became an advisor for Scripthop, a software startup focused on revolutionizing how screenplays are both presented and circulated throughout the entertainment industry. FRED DEKKER - Pursuing a movie career, he moved to Los Angeles where his fledgling screenwriting efforts led to a Hollywood agent and a job writing Godzilla: King of the Monsters for director Steve Miner. Although the film went unproduced, Dekker provided the story for Miner's 1985 horror-comedy House, starring William Katt (screenplay by Ethan Wiley). The film was recognized by the Fantasporto and the Avoriaz Film Festivals, and spawned several sequels. Dekker made his directorial debut with Night of the Creeps, an homage to B-movies that eventually developed a devoted cult following. He went on to direct another cult favorite, The Monster Squad, co-written with his UCLA friend Shane Black. He subsequently wrote five episodes of Tales From The Crypt, including the first episode, directed by Robert Zemeckis. In 1991, Dekker conceived the Denzel Washington starrer Ricochet and the spy spoof If Looks Could Kill, both for Warner Bros. He then returned to the director's chair for the third RoboCop film, co-written with comic book legend Frank Miller. As a script doctor, Dekker made uncredited contributions to films including Titan A.E. and Lethal Weapon 4. He then served as Consulting Producer and wrote three episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise. In 2015, he reteamed with Shane Black on a western TV pilot for Amazon Studios, entitled Edge. The two went on to co-write the 2018 release The Predator, which Black also directed. Dekker's international awards include the Silver Raven from the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film; the Estrella de Fantastico Award from the 2019 Bilbao Fantasy Film Festival; and the 2024 Honorary Time Machine Award (Premi Màquina del Temps) at the Sitges Film Festival for his contributions to horror and fantasy cinema. He is currently developing a true crime limited series for Amazon based on a murder which occurred in his hometown.SHANE BLACK is a writer/director whose writing credits include such films as Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout, The Long Kiss Goodnight and The Monster Squad.  He began as a director in 2005 with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and receives increasingly strident sequel requests for 2016's The Nice Guys.  He is currently writing a spec original and trying to lose some weight by New Years'.  Not that he's fat -- he's just old, and being careful.DAVID SILVERMAN After graduating from UCLA in 1983, David Silverman worked as a freelance illustrator and animator until, in 1987, he landed a job animating on The Tracey Ullman Show — where The Simpsons began. Animating on all 48 shorts led to David directing the first shows of The Simpsons. Starting with the Christmas Special in December 1989, and then the premiere episode the following month, David soon became Supervising Animation Director and a producer on The Simpsons. All told, he has directed 24 episodes and has won 4 Emmys along the way.  When no one was looking, David snuck away from The Simpsons to work at DreamWorks (The Road to El Dorado – co-director), Pixar (Monsters, Inc. – co-director), and Blue Sky (Ice Age, Robots – writing and boarding). But, he came back to the show full-time at the end of 2003 and directed The Simpsons Movie. In 2012, David directed and co-wrote the short film The Longest Daycare about Maggie Simpson, which earned him an Academy Award nomination.And since the Disney acquisition of The Simpsons (via the purchase of Fox), David has directed 10 Simpsons shorts especially for Disney+, as well as several promotional pieces.Editing Notes: There are many verbal cuts on the show we directed to Dan. Also after the show, Shane Black emailed and ask we cut out this.  I say “It's nice your place was a rape free environment” and Shane says something like: “But not rape free for guys,”. He wants his comment cut.

Larry discusses his brilliant autobiography Comedy Samurai, becoming a writer, Friday's, arsenio, seinfeld, mad about you, borat, curb your enthusiasm, and all of the strife and feeds, and turmoil they and he created. We talk about the passion that drives you to take risks. And why wearing pajamas is dangerous.Bio: Larry Charles, rose from the mean streets of Brooklyn and the working class housing projects of Donald Trump's nefarious father Fred, to become the director of BORAT, BRUNO, THE DICTATOR and RELIGULOUS amongst others. He directed Bob Dylan and an all star cast (Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Jessica Lange and Penelope Cruz among others) in the film, MASKED AND ANONYMOUS which he and Bob wrote together.  He has also directed numerous episodes of CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM and was one of the original writers and producers of SEINFELD. He has been nominated for 12 Emmys, winning two, 8 Golden Globes, winning one, a Peabody award and some other stuff too. He has collaborated with a diverse group of cultural icons from Mel Brooks to Michael Moore to Nicolas Cage. In 2018 he created, directed, wrote and starred in the four-part limited series for Netflix, LARRY CHARLES' DANGEROUS WORLD OF COMEDY. His new film for A24, Dicks: The Musical (formerly and more preferably Fucking Identical Twins), premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in the fall of 2023 and won The People's Choice Midnight Madness Award.  And yet, despite all this, or because of it, he remains kind, humble and grateful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Larry discusses his brilliant autobiography Comedy Samurai, becoming a writer, Friday's, arsenio, seinfeld, mad about you, borat, curb your enthusiasm, and all of the strife and feeds, and turmoil they and he created. We talk about the passion that drives you to take risks. And why wearing pajamas is dangerous.Bio: Larry Charles, rose from the mean streets of Brooklyn and the working class housing projects of Donald Trump's nefarious father Fred, to become the director of BORAT, BRUNO, THE DICTATOR and RELIGULOUS amongst others. He directed Bob Dylan and an all star cast (Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Jessica Lange and Penelope Cruz among others) in the film, MASKED AND ANONYMOUS which he and Bob wrote together.  He has also directed numerous episodes of CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM and was one of the original writers and producers of SEINFELD. He has been nominated for 12 Emmys, winning two, 8 Golden Globes, winning one, a Peabody award and some other stuff too. He has collaborated with a diverse group of cultural icons from Mel Brooks to Michael Moore to Nicolas Cage. In 2018 he created, directed, wrote and starred in the four-part limited series for Netflix, LARRY CHARLES' DANGEROUS WORLD OF COMEDY. His new film for A24, Dicks: The Musical (formerly and more preferably Fucking Identical Twins), premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in the fall of 2023 and won The People's Choice Midnight Madness Award.  And yet, despite all this, or because of it, he remains kind, humble and grateful.

The always in demand, Michael Hitchcock, talks about how children's theater led to adult theater which led to a career of acting and writing with the groundlings, mad tv, christopher guest, crazy ex girlfriend, currently the lowdown and nobody wants this.  We chat about writing vs acting and what it takes to realize where you should be. Bio: Actor, writer, producer (and when he was a teenager, semi-professional magician), Michael currently appears as Ethan Hawke's frenemy “Ray” in the critically acclaimed dramedy “The Lowdown,” available on FX and Hulu.  He also plays Kristen Bell's rather clueless dad in the Netflix hit comedy, “Nobody Wants This.” Many dog lovers recognize him as Parker Posey's husband “Hamilton Swan” in the Christopher Guest iconic comedy “Best in Show,” and has appeared in Guest's other celebrated films “Waiting for Guffman,” “A Mighty Wind,” “For Your Consideration,” and “Mascots.” Additional acting credits include “The Paper,” “Jackpot,” “Palm Royale,” “Your Place or Mine,” “Crazy Ex Girlfriend,” “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar,” “Black Monday,” “Space Force,” “Bridesmaids,” "Glee," "United States of Tara," "Men of a Certain Age," “Super 8,” “Serenity,” "Entourage," "Party Down," and "Arrested Development." Writing and producing credits include the acclaimed television series “Crazy Ex Girlfriend,” “Glee,” and “Mad TV.”  He also wrote the films "House Arrest,” “The Ultimate Christmas Present,” and “Where the Day Takes You.”  He is an alumnus of the sketch and improv comedy troupe, The Groundlings, and has performed comedy improv for the U.S. troops all over the world including Japan, South Korea, Iraq, Bahrain, Cuba, Guam, Honduras, and Kuwait. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The always in demand, Michael Hitchcock, talks about how children's theater led to adult theater which led to a career of acting and writing with the groundlings, mad tv, christopher guest, crazy ex girlfriend, currently the lowdown and nobody wants this.  We chat about writing vs acting and what it takes to realize where you should be. Bio: Actor, writer, producer (and when he was a teenager, semi-professional magician), Michael currently appears as Ethan Hawke's frenemy “Ray” in the critically acclaimed dramedy “The Lowdown,” available on FX and Hulu.  He also plays Kristen Bell's rather clueless dad in the Netflix hit comedy, “Nobody Wants This.” Many dog lovers recognize him as Parker Posey's husband “Hamilton Swan” in the Christopher Guest iconic comedy “Best in Show,” and has appeared in Guest's other celebrated films “Waiting for Guffman,” “A Mighty Wind,” “For Your Consideration,” and “Mascots.” Additional acting credits include “The Paper,” “Jackpot,” “Palm Royale,” “Your Place or Mine,” “Crazy Ex Girlfriend,” “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar,” “Black Monday,” “Space Force,” “Bridesmaids,” "Glee," "United States of Tara," "Men of a Certain Age," “Super 8,” “Serenity,” "Entourage," "Party Down," and "Arrested Development." Writing and producing credits include the acclaimed television series “Crazy Ex Girlfriend,” “Glee,” and “Mad TV.”  He also wrote the films "House Arrest,” “The Ultimate Christmas Present,” and “Where the Day Takes You.”  He is an alumnus of the sketch and improv comedy troupe, The Groundlings, and has performed comedy improv for the U.S. troops all over the world including Japan, South Korea, Iraq, Bahrain, Cuba, Guam, Honduras, and Kuwait.

SCTV legend Dave Thomas reflects on the bold choices that shaped his life and career, from growing up in Canada to navigating success and uncertainty in Hollywood. He discusses how Shakespeare and literature helped ground him early on, and the pivotal decision to leave a lucrative advertising career to pursue improvisational comedy at Second City. Thomas shares stories of becoming head writer on SCTV and collaborating with comedy icons such as Martin Short, Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Harold Ramis, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, and Joe Flaherty. The conversation spans his career-defining work on SCTV, the creation of the McKenzie Brothers, Strange Brew, Mad Magazine, and later successes including Grace Under Fire. Thomas also explores his transition into animation, running his own studio, voice work across major animated series, and eventually shifting into dramatic television with shows like Bones and The Blacklist. He touches on international experiences, including time spent in Ukraine and Thailand, and reflects on lessons learned across decades in entertainment. Throughout the episode, Thomas emphasizes that success in Hollywood depends on having at least two of three essential elements: talent, drive, and luck—along with the courage to take risks and follow creative instincts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SCTV's Dave Thomas talks about making bold life choices, growing up in Canada, Shakespeare saving his ass, choosing between big money success as an ad man or being a broke improviser at Second City, becoming head writer on SCTV, Martin Short, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, John Candy, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, Grace Under Fire, running an animation studio, turning to dramas like Bones and The Black List, going to Ukraine, Thailand, Mad Magazine, The McKenzie Brothers, Chester Hope, and how, to make it in Hollywood, you need at least two of these three things, Talent, Drive, & Luck. Bio: David William Thomas was born May 20, 1949, in St. Catharines, Ontario. He is the eldest son of British parents, Moreen Duff Muir (May 4, 1928 – May 18, 2022), a church organist for thirty years originally from Glasgow, Scotland and composer of church music, and John E. Thomas (1926–1996), a medical ethicist from Merthyr Tydfil, Wales who was head of the Philosophy Department at McMaster University, and the author of several books. Dave's younger brother, Ian Thomas, is a Canadian singer-songwriter. The family moved temporarily to Durham, North Carolina, where his father attended Duke University and earned a PhD in philosophy. The family moved back to Dundas, Ontario, in 1961, where Dave attended Dundas District high school, and later graduated with an honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.[1]  Starting his career as a copywriter at ad agency McCann Erickson in 1974, Thomas became the head writer of the Coca-Cola account in Canada within a year. After watching a Second City stage show in Toronto, and while suffering from self-described "boredom" in his advertising work, he auditioned for the Second City troupe and was chosen as a performer.[2] He was a cast member of the Toronto production of Godspell, along with Victor Garber, Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, and Andrea Martin.[3] Paul Shaffer was the musical director.[3 He first achieved fame as a cast member of the Canadian TV comedy series SCTV, joining Godspell castmates Levy, Martin and later Short, plus Rick Moranis, John Candy, Harold Ramis, Catherine O'Hara and others. Notable characters on the show include Doug McKenzie of beer-swilling brothers Bob and Doug McKenzie, editorialist Bill Needle, Scottish scone-chef/bluesman Angus Crock, motor-mouthed TV ad announcer Harvey K-Tel, Lowery organist/curio pitchman Tex Boil and the "Cruising Gourmet". Thomas's first film role was in Home to Stay, directed by Delbert Mann, in which Thomas played in a scene with Hollywood legend Henry Fonda. He then wrote, co-directed, and starred in the Bob & Doug McKenzie feature film Strange Brew. Soon after, he wrote for and acted in The New Show, produced by Lorne Michaels during his hiatus from Saturday Night Live. Short-lived, this show featured a powerhouse writing staff including Thomas along with Buck Henry, George Meyer, Jack Handey, Al Franken, Tom Davis, Valri Bromfield and Steve Martin. Thomas tried his hand at network television hour-long shows in 1986 when he wrote and co-executive produced Steel Collar Man for CBS. The pilot was produced but did not go to series. He co-wrote Spies Like Us (1985) with Dan Aykroyd.  In 1988, Thomas wrote another hour long show for CBS, B Men, which was back ordered, but Thomas took a directing job at Paramount, which caused the network to drop the series. He reportedly introduced John Travolta and Kelly Preston while directing them in the Paramount film The Experts.  He wrote for, produced, and starred in The Dave Thomas Comedy Show (1990). In 1991, he starred in the Showtime comedy, Public Enemy #2. In 1992, he tried his hand at reality TV and co-executive produced ABC's America's Funniest People with Vin Di Bona, but left after thirteen weeks to appear in the film Coneheads.  In 1993, he co-starred in ABC's Grace Under Fire with Brett Butler and Tom Poston and continued with the show for 5 seasons. In 1995 Thomas starred in the ABC television film Picture Perfect with Mary Page Keller and Richard Karn. In 1995 Thomas produced a pilot of a game show called Family Challenge for ABC. When ABC did not pick up the series, Thomas sold Family Challenge to the Family Channel, where he produced 144 episodes of the show spread over 2 seasons. In 1996, Thomas played the title role in the Fox television film Mr. Foster's Field Trip aka Kidz in the Wood with Julia Duffy. In 1996, he wrote the book SCTV: Behind the Scenes (McClelland & Stewart, publishers). From 1999–2002, he voiced various roles on the animated series Mission Hill. Thomas co-starred in the Paramount feature Rat Race. As of 2001, Thomas has been the Executive Creative Director of Animax Entertainment, an animation studio based officially in Culver City, California. In 2001–2002 Thomas appeared with Eugene Levy and Martin Short on Short's show Primetime Glick as Bob Hope (an impression he had first developed for SCTV with great success). In 2002, he co-starred with Jason Priestley, Dave Foley, and Ewen Bremner in Fancy Dancing. The next year he played a lead role in Beethoven's 5th. In 2003, he directed a hospital comedy feature film entitled Whitecoats, which he also wrote. As of 2004, Thomas was on the official Advisory Committee for the Comedy program at Humber College, the only such diploma program in the world. In 2004, he and Moranis again worked together voicing Rutt and Tuke, two moose based on the McKenzie Brothers, in Disney's animated feature Brother Bear.[4]  Thomas has had a long career doing voices for animation including Animaniacs, Duckman, CatDog, The Adventures of Tarzan, Justice League and multiple roles on The Simpsons, King of the Hill and Family Guy. In 2005, he had a guest stint as Charlize Theron's "Uncle Trevor" on Fox's Arrested Development. In 2006, he reprised his voice role in Brother Bear 2 and appeared as himself in the feature film The Aristocrats. He began production on ArnoldSpeaks.com, a video blog, as the voice of Arnold Schwarzenegger; Animax Entertainment won an Emmy for a broadband animated series produced for ESPN, Off Mikes.  In 2007, Thomas and Rick Moranis reprised their roles as Bob and Doug McKenzie in a one-hour special, Bob & Doug McKenzie's Two-Four Anniversary, for CBC Television. The show featured cameos from McKenzie celeb fans like Ben Stiller, Dave Foley, Tom Green, Paul Shaffer, Andy Dick, Matt Groening, Barry Pepper, Martin Short, and Geddy Lee. Former Prime Minister of Canada Paul Martin was the host. In 2008, Thomas revived Bob and Doug McKenzie in a new animated series, Bob & Doug. While Thomas reprises the character of Doug in the new series, Moranis chose not to voice the character of Bob, which instead is voiced by Dave Coulier. Moranis is, however, involved in the series as an executive producer.[5]  In November 2009, Thomas received an Honorary Doctor of Letters from his alma mater McMaster University and gave the fall convocation speech. In 2010 Animax continued to produce branded entertainment, advertising and digital shorts for corporations like Disney, Warner Brothers, NBC Universal, and Kodak. In 2011, Thomas's company Animax produced another animated show for MTV entitled Big Box along with numerous Internet shorts such as Life With Dad.[6][7]  In 2012 and 2013 Thomas guest starred in the dramatic shows Perception and Bones as well as comedy shows Comedy Bang! Bang! and How I Met Your Mother. In addition in 2013 Thomas voiced the recurring role of Jeff Foxworthy's father Jesco in the CMT show Bounty Hunters.  Thomas joined the writing staff of the Fox crime drama television series Bones beginning in 2013. Thomas worked for two seasons on Bones, writing several episodes and working on staff as consulting producer for two seasons.[8]  In 2015 Thomas joined the writing staff of NBC's The Blacklist as a consulting producer. In 2020 life-sized statues of Thomas and Rick Moranis as their characters Bob and Doug McKenzie were put in place at the ICE District Sports Arena in Edmonton, Alberta.[9] Also in 2020, the Governor-General of Canada announced that Thomas was being appointed to the Order of Canada,[10] Canada's highest civilian award. In 2021, Thomas and Max Allan Collins teamed to write a sci-fi mystery novel, The Many Lives of Jimmy Leighton.

Actor/Writer/Kid-In-The-Hall Dave Foley talks about what to do with the next 20-30 years of our lives, finding love, making comedy he's proud of, aliens, conspiracy theorists, Canada, Trump, keeping friendship alive from two coasts, and the day he fell out of a train. Bio:  Dave Foley rose to fame as “the cute” member of the revered sketch group, “Kids In The Hall”.  He went on to star in “News Radio” and dozens of movies and TV shows, He's also the co-writer and star of the cult darling movie, “The Wrong Guy”. Most recently played Danish Graves on season 5 of “Fargo” on FX. And he currently hosts the "REALLY?!. with Tom & Dave" podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Actor/Writer/Kid-In-The-Hall Dave Foley talks about what to do with the next 20-30 years of our lives, finding love, making comedy he's proud of, aliens, conspiracy theorists, Canada, Trump, keeping friendship alive from two coasts, and the day he fell out of a train. Bio:  Dave Foley rose to fame as “the cute” member of the revered sketch group, “Kids In The Hall”.  He went on to star in “News Radio” and dozens of movies and TV shows, He's also the co-writer and star of the cult darling movie, “The Wrong Guy”. Most recently played Danish Graves on season 5 of “Fargo” on FX. And he currently hosts the "REALLY?!. with Tom & Dave" podcast.

Kathy talks about surviving Trump, the Groundlings, Stand-up, her parents who loved show biz, Sia, Joan Rivers, relationships, dating younger guys, saving every dime, and why she made Jay pay for their date. Bio: Two-time Emmy and Grammy award-winning comedian Kathy Griffin is a towering figure on television, on tour and in publishing. In 2013, Kathy was inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records for writing and starring in an unprecedented 20 televised stand-up specials - more than any comedian in history. In 2014, Kathy made history again with her 6th consecutive Grammy nomination and first win for Best Comedy Album (Kathy Griffin: Calm Down Gurrl), joining Whoopi Goldberg and Lily Tomlin as the only other female comedians to ever win Grammy awards for Best Comedy Album. Her hit Bravo series, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List aired for 6 years and won 2 Emmys. It was nominated every single year of its run. The series also earned her a GLAAD Media Award for Best Reality Program.Kathy starred on NBC's Suddenly Susan and guest starred on multiple legendary TV series including Seinfeld, Law & Order: SVU, Glee, You, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Additionally, she has lent her unique voice to animated characters in Shrek Forever After, The Simpsons, American Dad, Futurama and Dilbert. Kathy's unrivaled style of humor and prolific comedy pedigree has made her one of television's go-to hosts for premier live events. Kathy drew huge worldwide audiences to CNN's New Year's Eve special, which she co-produced and co-hosted with Anderson Cooper for 10 years. Kathy co-hosted The Billboard Music AwardsLIVE three years in a row, the 41st annual Daytime Emmy Awards LIVE and AARP's Movies for Grownups Gala. Her sure-fire hosting success led to her own LIVE late night talk show, Kathy.Also an accomplished author, Kathy's memoir, Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin, debuted at #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List. Her much-anticipated second book, Kathy Griffin's Celebrity Run-Ins: My A-Z Index, was also a New York Times Best Seller. On the stage, Kathy has performed standup for hundreds of thousands around the globe. Buoyed by her fiercely dedicated fans, Kathy's live performances are legendary and in a class of their own. The fiery redhead has sold out shows to rave reviews throughout North America, Europe, Australia and Asia at such iconic venues as The Sydney Opera House, The Mark Taper Forum, Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center. Kathy has also performed for active military servicemen and women in such war zones as Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Uzbekistan. She has graced the covers of The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek, and The Advocate, and has had in-depth profiles in New York Magazine and Forbes.In addition to performing, writing and producing, Kathy is a renowned speaker and has taken her empowering messages of equality through activism and humor all over the country. Kathy's passionate advocacy for women, the LGBT community, and other disenfranchised groups have been displayed through numerous candid and intimate conversations with award-winning journalists and moderators from The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Hudson Union Society, 92Y, as well as tech giants Google and AOL. She has been honored in this area with multiple awards including The Human Rights Campaign's Ally for Equality, GLAAD's Vanguard Award, The Trevor Life Award from the Trevor Project, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America's Leadership in Entertainment honor, the Harvard College Distinguished Service Partner Award, Veterans Tickets Foundation Distinguished Donor Award, the Lambda Legal Liberty Award, a two-time Ladies' Home Journal “Funny Ladies We Love” Recipient, and a Gracie Award for Outstanding Female Lead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kathy talks about surviving Trump, the Groundlings, Stand-up, her parents who loved show biz, Sia, Joan Rivers, relationships, dating younger guys, saving every dime, and why she made Jay pay for their date. Bio: Two-time Emmy and Grammy award-winning comedian Kathy Griffin is a towering figure on television, on tour and in publishing. In 2013, Kathy was inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records for writing and starring in an unprecedented 20 televised stand-up specials - more than any comedian in history. In 2014, Kathy made history again with her 6th consecutive Grammy nomination and first win for Best Comedy Album (Kathy Griffin: Calm Down Gurrl), joining Whoopi Goldberg and Lily Tomlin as the only other female comedians to ever win Grammy awards for Best Comedy Album. Her hit Bravo series, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List aired for 6 years and won 2 Emmys. It was nominated every single year of its run. The series also earned her a GLAAD Media Award for Best Reality Program.Kathy starred on NBC's Suddenly Susan and guest starred on multiple legendary TV series including Seinfeld, Law & Order: SVU, Glee, You, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Additionally, she has lent her unique voice to animated characters in Shrek Forever After, The Simpsons, American Dad, Futurama and Dilbert. Kathy's unrivaled style of humor and prolific comedy pedigree has made her one of television's go-to hosts for premier live events. Kathy drew huge worldwide audiences to CNN's New Year's Eve special, which she co-produced and co-hosted with Anderson Cooper for 10 years. Kathy co-hosted The Billboard Music AwardsLIVE three years in a row, the 41st annual Daytime Emmy Awards LIVE and AARP's Movies for Grownups Gala. Her sure-fire hosting success led to her own LIVE late night talk show, Kathy.Also an accomplished author, Kathy's memoir, Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin, debuted at #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List. Her much-anticipated second book, Kathy Griffin's Celebrity Run-Ins: My A-Z Index, was also a New York Times Best Seller. On the stage, Kathy has performed standup for hundreds of thousands around the globe. Buoyed by her fiercely dedicated fans, Kathy's live performances are legendary and in a class of their own. The fiery redhead has sold out shows to rave reviews throughout North America, Europe, Australia and Asia at such iconic venues as The Sydney Opera House, The Mark Taper Forum, Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center. Kathy has also performed for active military servicemen and women in such war zones as Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Uzbekistan. She has graced the covers of The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek, and The Advocate, and has had in-depth profiles in New York Magazine and Forbes.In addition to performing, writing and producing, Kathy is a renowned speaker and has taken her empowering messages of equality through activism and humor all over the country. Kathy's passionate advocacy for women, the LGBT community, and other disenfranchised groups have been displayed through numerous candid and intimate conversations with award-winning journalists and moderators from The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Hudson Union Society, 92Y, as well as tech giants Google and AOL. She has been honored in this area with multiple awards including The Human Rights Campaign's Ally for Equality, GLAAD's Vanguard Award, The Trevor Life Award from the Trevor Project, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America's Leadership in Entertainment honor, the Harvard College Distinguished Service Partner Award, Veterans Tickets Foundation Distinguished Donor Award, the Lambda Legal Liberty Award, a two-time Ladies' Home Journal “Funny Ladies We Love” Recipient, and a Gracie Award for Outstanding Female Lead.

Rick and Jay talk about stupid mistakes, shoe money, James Burrows, Cheers, directing people, not getting the girl, and the moment you reveal your big secret and no one cares. Bio: Rick Beren grew up in the Sixties and Seventies in the very liberal Bay Area. Even then, he managed to push the boundaries of tolerance of his parents, teachers, and eventually, the law. Mostly minor indiscretions, and all (always) in the pursuit of fun, but it landed him in the Vacaville State prison for selling one quarter gram of cocaine. The quality was so poor, he should've been convicted of false advertising. Anyway, his girlfriend also was sent to State prison (unfortunately, not by his side) for women. She had sold the same undercover agent, some 200 amphetamine pills. They were in college at the time (1977) and spent about 5 months in jail. The story of Ricks book is told with humor, compassion and a what the fuck attitude of how could this little, entitled, Jew end up in prison with Charles Manson and his ilk? As I say, He was probably always headed in that direction. Speaking of direction. In less than five years after his release, he was the director's assistant on his favorite show, Cheers. Rick found his life calling and immersed himself in the bliss of being around these amazingly talented people. He worked his way up the ladder and became a director himself and on that very show!  He went on to direct many shows and worked in the industry for four decades. Along the way, he fell into an amazing relationship (with a girl who was not an ex-con) and they have two (so far not ex-con) daughters. Life turned out pretty fucking great. And the highlight of his life and career was being able to spend time with Jay ( the legend) Kogen in an intimate (edited) two hour conversation. Jay wants his time backing the form of a poker game where he can monetize his efforts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rick and Jay talk about stupid mistakes, shoe money, James Burrows, Cheers, directing people, not getting the girl, and the moment you reveal your big secret and no one cares.Bio: Rick Beren grew up in the Sixties and Seventies in the very liberal Bay Area. Even then, he managed to push the boundaries of tolerance of his parents, teachers, and eventually, the law. Mostly minor indiscretions, and all (always) in the pursuit of fun, but it landed him in the Vacaville State prison for selling one quarter gram of cocaine. The quality was so poor, he should've been convicted of false advertising. Anyway, his girlfriend also was sent to State prison (unfortunately, not by his side) for women. She had sold the same undercover agent, some 200 amphetamine pills. They were in college at the time (1977) and spent about 5 months in jail. The story of Ricks book is told with humor, compassion and a what the fuck attitude of how could this little, entitled, Jew end up in prison with Charles Manson and his ilk? As I say, He was probably always headed in that direction. Speaking of direction. In less than five years after his release, he was the director's assistant on his favorite show, Cheers. Rick found his life calling and immersed himself in the bliss of being around these amazingly talented people. He worked his way up the ladder and became a director himself and on that very show!  He went on to direct many shows and worked in the industry for four decades. Along the way, he fell into an amazing relationship (with a girl who was not an ex-con) and they have two (so far not ex-con) daughters. Life turned out pretty fucking great. And the highlight of his life and career was being able to spend time with Jay ( the legend) Kogen in an intimate (edited) two hour conversation. Jay wants his time backing the form of a poker game where he can monetize his efforts.

Douglas talks about trying his hand at theater and seeing how technology and society were changing so he became an expert in navigating the future instead. We talk about tech, social media, surviving the collapse of the old economy, how to fight the tech giants, and helping each other in smaller societies that use less crap will save us.  We also talk to Mamie, Douglas's daughter about what it's like to have a dad who knows stuff. Bio:Named one of the “world's ten most influential intellectuals” by MIT, Douglas Rushkoff is an author and documentarian who studies human autonomy in a digital age. His twenty books include the just-published Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires, as well as the recent Team Human, based on his podcast, and the bestsellers Present Shock, Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus, Program or Be Programmed, Life Inc, and Media Virus. He also made the PBS Frontline documentaries Generation Like, The Persuaders, and Merchants of Cool. His book Coercion won the Marshall McLuhan Award, and the Media Ecology Association honored him with the first Neil Postman Award for Career Achievement in Public Intellectual Activity.  Rushkoff's work explores how different technological environments change our relationship to narrative, money, power, and one another. He coined such concepts as “viral media,” “screenagers,” and “social currency,” and has been a leading voice for applying digital media toward social and economic justice. He serves as a  research fellow of the Institute for the Future, and founder of the Laboratory for Digital Humanism at CUNY/Queens, where he is a Professor of Media Theory and Digital Economics. He is a columnist for Medium, and his novels and comics, Ecstasy Club, A.D.D, and Aleister & Adolf, are all being developed for the screen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Douglas talks about trying his hand at theater and seeing how technology and society were changing so he became an expert in navigating the future instead. We talk about tech, social media, surviving the collapse of the old economy, how to fight the tech giants, and helping each other in smaller societies that use less crap will save us.  We also talk to Mamie, Douglas's daughter about what it's like to have a dad who knows stuff.Bio:Named one of the “world's ten most influential intellectuals” by MIT, Douglas Rushkoff is an author and documentarian who studies human autonomy in a digital age. His twenty books include the just-published Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires, as well as the recent Team Human, based on his podcast, and the bestsellers Present Shock, Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus, Program or Be Programmed, Life Inc, and Media Virus. He also made the PBS Frontline documentaries Generation Like, The Persuaders, and Merchants of Cool. His book Coercion won the Marshall McLuhan Award, and the Media Ecology Association honored him with the first Neil Postman Award for Career Achievement in Public Intellectual Activity.  Rushkoff's work explores how different technological environments change our relationship to narrative, money, power, and one another. He coined such concepts as “viral media,” “screenagers,” and “social currency,” and has been a leading voice for applying digital media toward social and economic justice. He serves as a  research fellow of the Institute for the Future, and founder of the Laboratory for Digital Humanism at CUNY/Queens, where he is a Professor of Media Theory and Digital Economics. He is a columnist for Medium, and his novels and comics, Ecstasy Club, A.D.D, and Aleister & Adolf, are all being developed for the screen.

Comedian David Koechner talks about growing up in a big family in a small Missouri town, and developing the need to be heard and seen by taking the attention, the importance of SNL and Monty Python. Deciding to be a performer. Making the move to Chicago, the influence of being Catholic, the fall of old show business, trying to carve out a career in the aftermath. Becoming a stand-up, how we don't own our kids, improv vs drama, feuds, apologies, Adam McCay, Del Close, and the maturity to not spill a milkshake over yourself even if you will get a laugh. Bio:David Michael Koechner on August 24, 1962, in Tipton, Missouri, his parents ran a business manufacturing turkey coops. He has two brothers and three sisters. He studied political science before moving to Chicago to pursue improvisational comedy at ImprovOlympic and Second City.  Koechner was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995–1996, performing in sketches like "Bill Brasky" and "The British Fops". His breakout film role was as Champ Kind in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), a character he returned to in the 2013 sequel. He also played Todd Packer in 15 episodes of The Office (2005–2013), a role for which Steve Carell recommended him. Koechner has appeared in numerous other films, including Talladega Nights, Thank You for Smoking, Extract, and Waiting..., and received praise for his dramatic role in Cheap Thrills (2014). His television work includes voice roles in American Dad! and recurring parts in shows like Another Period and The Goldbergs. He continues to perform stand-up comedy and tours with "The Office Trivia with 'Todd Packer'".  David performs stand-up around the country and is available for dinner if the food's good. Editing Notes: David does a LOT of shitting on priests and churches and show biz.  I think it gets boring.

Mike Rowe talks about not being the “dirty jobs” Mike Rowe, planning for the future, being funny in high school, becoming an electrical engineer and giving it up for comedy, performing in NY comedy clubs, Alan Zweibel moving him to LA, roasts, jokes, his book “It's a Funny Thing”, Rodney Dangerfield giving him hope, comedy cliques, and why he's moving to Connecticut.  Bio: Michael Rowe is an Emmy Award-winning writer and producer who has worked on many highly regarded comedy and animated shows on television. While still a teenager, Michael began his comedy career as a stand-up comic at such notable New York City clubs as The Improv, The Comedy Cellar and Caroline's. From there, he landed a job writing jokes for SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE's Weekend Update, as well as sketches for shows on MTV, A&E and Comedy Central. Hollywood called, bringing Michael out west to work with Martin Short on his syndicated sketch-comedy show. This soon led to opportunities as a sitcom writer/producer on shows starring George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Ted Danson, and with Eddie Murphy on his groundbreaking animated series, THE PJs. Michael's affinity for the comedic heart and artistic freedom of animation led to a seven-season run as a writer and Co-Executive Producer of the highly acclaimed series, FUTURAMA. From there, Michael joined FAMILY GUY as a writer/producer and soon after, he became the showrunner for Comedy Central's animated series, BRICKLEBERRY. Along the way Michael was awarded 6 Emmy nominations (with 1 win), 2 Annie Awards (with 2 wins), and a WGA Award for his FUTURAMA episode, Game of Tones. He was also nominated for a Canadian Emmy for his work as Executive Producer and Director on Netflix's animated series, THE TRAILER PARK BOYS. In recent live-action endeavors, Michael was a Co-Executive Producer on the hit TV series, 2 BROKE GIRLS for CBS. Michael is currently in development with Supercell creating an adult animated series from their megahit game franchises CLASH OF CLANS and CLASH ROYALE. He is also in development on an animated series with the incredible David Cross, and a separate animated series with Bob Odenkirk. He is also a long-standing, frequent contributor to the ongoing Comedy Central Roasts, featuring such celebrities as James Franco, Donald Trump, Justin Bieber and Roseanne, just to name a few.

Actor/Director Helen Hunt & Actor singer/songwriter psych/mythology PHD phd Helen Slater discuss a deep friendship and love, growing up in art, the beginning of their friendship on a trip to russia, Winnie The Pooh,, growing beyond your first dream, parenting, parenting artists, Helen H. introducing Helen S. to her husband, improv, acting styles, baseball, French Fries, & clown school.Bio: Helen Hunt has enjoyed a distinguished career not only as an award-winning actor, but as an accomplished writer, director, and producer. As an actress, her extensive and diverse body of work includes roles in film, theater, and television.      Hunt enjoyed a residency at The Old Vic Theatre in EUREKA DAY, a story about parents on the Executive Committee of a progressive private school in Berkeley, California. While taking pride in their ability to accept everyone, a public health scare erupts, testing their tolerance and revealing their true colors. Written by Jonathan Spector and directed by Katy Rudd. It was the European premiere of a multi award-winning story. Hunt performed alongside Kirsten Foster, Mark McKinney, Ben Schnetzer and Susan Kelechi Watson. In television, Hunt can most recently be seen as Winnie Landell in HACKS, created by Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, and Jen Statsky. She can also be seen as Rainey in Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal's BLINDSPOTTING, a show based on the film with the same title. In 2022 it was nominated for a Film Independent Spirit Award for Best New Scripted Series. The second season was released in April 2023. Hunt returned to the stage this February in Susan V. Booth's major revival of Pinter's famed masterwork BETRAYAL at Chicago's Goodman Theatre. The Oscar, Emmy, and Golden Globe Award winner currently stars in the play alongside Tony nominee and Outer Critics Circle Award winner Ian Barford, respectively playing Emma and Robert. In 2019, Hunt revived her role as Jamie Buchman for another season of the hit show MAD ABOUT YOU opposite Paul Reiser. The show returned as a limited series on Spectrum Originals with all episodes available on demand.    In 2012 Hunt's performance in THE SESSIONS earned her an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female and notations in the same category by the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, SAG Awards, Broadcast Film Critics' Awards and the BAFTA Awards.  The film premiered in competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and took home the Audience Award as well as the jury prize for Best Ensemble.  Other film credits include: Netflix's Comedy CANDY JAR, RIDE (which Hunt also co-wrote, produced, and directed), DECODING ANNIE PARKER, SOUL SURFER, EVERY DAY, BOBBY, THEN SHE FOUND ME (which Hunt again also co-wrote, produced, and directed), AS GOOD AS IT GETS, WHAT WOMEN WANT, CASTAWAY, A GOOD WOMAN, Woody Allen's THE CURSE OF THE JADE SCORPION, Robert Altman's DR. T AND THE WOMEN, PAY IT FORWARD, and TWISTER. Hunt can last be seen in HOW IT ENDS, Michael Cristopher's THE NIGHT CLERK and Adam Randall's thriller I SEE YOU. Early career film credits are: THE WATERDANCE, KISS OF DEATH, MR. SATURDAY NIGHT, PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED, NEXT OF KIN, GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN, PROJECT X. and MILES FROM HOME.     Additional television credits include “MAD ABOUT YOU” and the critically acclaimed HBO Miniseries EMPIRE FALLS. For her role as Jamie Buchman in MAD ABOUT YOU, Hunt garnered four Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards (three as lead actress and one as Producer for Best Comedy), and a Screen Actors Guild Award.  She was also named “Best Actress” for her role in the film AS GOOD AS IT GETS for which Hunt won a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and an Oscar.     Helen Slater is an American actress and singer-songwriter. In 1982 she was cast in the title role of the film Supergirl (1984) opposite Peter O'Toole and Faye Dunaway. Other credits include The Legend of Billie Jean (1985), Ruthless People (1986), The Secret of My Success (1987), City Slickers (1991), Sticky Fingers (1988), Lassie (1994), No Way Back (1995), The Steal (1995), Seeing Other People (2004) and most recently, Confetti (2021). Slater starred in the Fox original movie 12:01 (1993), Hallmark Hall of Fame's Best Friends for Life (1998), Toothless (1997) and Lifetime's The Good Mother (2013). She was also a part of the all-star ensemble cast of Showtimes guided improvisational films Chantilly Lace (1993), Parallel Lives (1994) and most recently completed filming the sequel Chantilly Bridge (2021). In series television, Helen starred in ABC's The Lying Game (2011-2013), Gigantic (2010-2011) and the CW series Supergirl (2015-2022). As a guest star, she has appeared on such series as Seinfeld, Caroline in the City, HBO's Dream On, CBS' Michael Hayes, Will and Grace, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Supernatural, Smallville and the series finale episode of Madmen. Slater appeared in the off-Broadway plays Almost Romance (1987), Responsible Parties (1988), and starred in the Pasadena Playhouse's world premiere production of The Big Day (1990). She is a co-founder of the theatre group The Naked Angels and one of the founding members of the Los Angeles improvisational group, The Bubalaires, and SHPLOTZ!   She is also a member of Turbine Arts Collective  (https://www.turbine-arts.org/), a non-profit arts organization dedicated to the exploration of creativity.

Gary Anthony Williams talks about his remarkable ability to fit in when he wants to, how growing up poor in Georgia gave him optimism for everything else, how he got skinny, the connection between skinning rabbits and vegetarianism, how he's uncomfortable at a party yet makes strangers comfortable at coffee shops, falling into acting through computer error, how nerds are his people, and how it's still shocking he makes a living acting and being funny. Bio: Gary Anthony Williams' film credits include "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows," "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle," "The Internship," "Undercover Brother," "Soul Plane," “Outlaw Johnny Black” and "The Factory." An accomplished voice actor, Williams is best known for voicing Uncle Ruckus on "The Boondocks." Additional voiceover credits include the newly released shows “Batman: Caped Crusader,” “Wondla” and “The Second Best Hospital In The Galaxy.” Other shows include "The Lion Guard," “Hailey's On It!,” "Star Wars Resistance," Puppy Dog Pals," "Love, Death & Robots," "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," "Batman: The Brave and the Bold," "Bob's Burgers," "Rick and Morty," "Family Guy," "American Dad," "Rugrats,” and "Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur "On television, Williams just wrapped the reboot of “Malcolm In the Middle!” He currently recurs in “Night Court.” He also starred in "The Crew," "Reno 911! The Hunt for QAnon," and as Santa in the Disney Channel Original Movie "Christmas…Again?!" His additional television credits include "I'm Sorry," "Whose Line is it Anyway?," "Boston Legal," "Blue Collar TV," "The Neighborhood," "The Soul Man," and "Weeds." He is also the voice of the award-winning music show "Unsung." Gary tours the country with “Whose Live Anyway” and is a proud member of the all-Black improv show, "The Black Version." Born in Fayetteville, Georgia, Williams currently resides in Los Angeles.

Actor/writer Ken Marino talks about The State, how cases of booze made him popular at college, the best way to be present when you are acting, opening your heart to others just for the fun of it, parenting, how Catholic Camp made him an actor, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, Role Models, the joy of singing in your car, and Voo Doo Donuts!Bio: Kenneth "Ken" Joseph Marino is an American actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter known for his work in sketch comedy and a wide range of television shows and films. A founding member of the influential MTV sketch comedy series The State, he is also a frequent collaborator with his former castmates.

The amazing writer Winnie Holzman talks with Jay about hard word and being lucky, Wicked the Musical, Stephen Schwartz, My So Called Life, laying in bed depressed about writing, fighting your fear, tricks of staying in the creative process, Marianne Williamson, studying Broadways musicals even when she didn't know she wanted to, being driven towards showbiz at 13, taking the train to acting classes, mentors: Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim, loving acting, being married to the great actor, Paul Dooley, how her daughter Savannah is a great writing partner, and Jay's feud with Ted Danson.Bio: Winnie Holzman is the writer (with renowned composer/ lyricist Stephen Schwartz) of the musical Wicked, which is now the 4th longest running show in Broadway history, and has been performed in over a hundred cities around the world. After graduating from Princeton University, she studied acting, joined a comedy group, got accepted into the newly formed NYU Musical Theatre Program, (where she studied with such luminaries as Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein, and Stephen Sondheim) wrote a musical (Birds of Paradise, which had a short run off-Broadway) then joined the writing staff of the TV drama thirtysomething, and went on to create the series My SoCalled Life, starring Claire Danes. Other TV credits include Once and Again, (reuniting with her mentors, Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz) Huge (with her daughter, Savannah Dooley) and Roadies (with Cameron Crowe.) She's written two plays with her husband, actor Paul Dooley: Post-its: Notes on a Marriage, and Assisted Living. Most recently, she completed both screenplays for the movie adaptations of Wicked

“Hacks on Taps” political guru, Mike Murphy, talks about growing up in Detroit, studying ads, becoming a political consultant by being the only one to raise his hand, starting political pacs, being on the outs with the current Republican party, what the Dems should do to win a bigger percentage of the vote, how buying an EV can really help America, being a Republican in Blue Los Angeles, and secret Republicans in Hollywood whispering that they were conservative! Bio: Mike Murphy is one of the Republican Party's most successful political media consultants, having handled strategy and advertising for more than 26 successful gubernatorial and Senatorial campaigns, including 12 wins in “blue” states that have consistently voted Democratic in Presidential elections, running successful gubernatorial campaigns for Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Christie Whitman (NJ), Tommy Thompson (WI), John Engler (MI), Terry Branstad (IA) along with many other GOP Senators and Members of Congress. In 2024 Murphy founded the EV Politics Project, an organization focused on breaking down the growing partisan divide over Electric Vehicles. Murphy has worked on five GOP Presidential campaigns, and in 2000 was a key strategist for Sen John McCain's “Straight Talk Express” campaign. He also advises several Fortune 500 corporations, as well as several Hedge Funds and Trade Associations. In 2020 he served as a key strategist for Republican Voters Against Trump. Murphy is also a widely quoted pundit; he wrote the popular “Murphy's Law” column for TIME and is a longtime senior analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. He also co-hosts the popular podcast “Hacks on Tap” with his longtime friend David Axelrod. He also serves as co-director of the Center for the Political Future at USC and was a longtime senior fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Murphy also works as a writer and producer in the entertainment industry with projects at HBO, CBS and 20th Century Fox Studios. In 2021 he wrote and created the CBS network pilot “Ways & Means” starring Patrick Dempsey. Murphy was born in Detroit, Michigan and attended the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He lives with his wife Tiffany and daughter Audrey in Los Angeles. He is on Twitter/X at @murphymike.

Writer Rob Kutner talks about being anti-anti-semitic, “The God Gang” cartoon, beards, and a lot of other “Jew talk.” Bio:Rob Kutner is an Emmy-winning writer for TV (The Daily Show, CONAN, Teen Titans Go!) and books (Apocalypse How, Snot Goblins & Other Tasteless Tales, Look Out for the Little Guy), and the head writer of the independent kids' animated series God's Gang. For more info, and to “join the gang,” go to www.godsgang.com.  For more Rob info, go to www.robkutner.com. For a good time, call “SKIFFY" at 555-6969

Writer Peter Murrieta talks about how teachers pushed him to a better life, riding in the car with his grandparents, baseball, creating TV, college training him to be a showman, being a rare latino at Second City, Danny Trejo, collecting baseball cards, loving writing, and becoming a teacher to give back. Bio: Peter Murrieta is a two-time Emmy Award winning producer and writer who has contributed his voice to multiple projects that have expanded and further legitimized the entertainment value of telling stories about diverse cultures. After moving to Los Angeles, Peter was accepted into the esteemed ABC Writing Fellowship. His success during the fellowship led to writing positions on Jesse, Three Sisters and All About the Andersons, before he created the critically acclaimed series Greetings from Tucson, which tells the story of an upwardly mobile bi-racial. The series' Latino cast is a perfect example of how he's been able to bring the lighthearted examination of his culture to the predominantly white television landscape. As a producer, Peter is dedicated to ensuring that diverse and underrepresented persons have opportunities in the industry on both sides of the camera, as evidenced by his work on the Emmy Award winning, Disney's Wizards of Waverly Place.Peter has produced and written on NBC's Welcome to the Family, ABC's Cristela, TV Land's Lopez, Norman Lear's Netflix re-boot of One Day A Time and CBS' Superior Doughnuts. He was an Executive producer and writer on the Imagen Award winning Netflix series, MR. IGLESIAS, starring comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias. And most recently, he is a writer and an Executive Producer on the Amazon FreeVee series, “Primo,” for Universal. And wrote on the staff of the drama for Peacock, “Field of Dreams.” Peter was honored in 2018 with the Imagen Foundation's Norman Lear Writer's Award for his dedication to broadening the diversity of the entertainment industry. He was just named a member of the 2024 Influential Latinos in Media by the Imagen Foundation as well. Having taught at the prestigious American Film Institute, Peter is now a professor of Practice at Arizona State University, and is happy to have a foot back in his home state of Arizona, excited to serve as Deputy Director for The Sidney Poitier New American Film School.

  Writer/Producer Mike Scully talks about being new in a writer's room, Yakav Smirnoff, how he learned empathy from a non empathetic childhood, being a boss, taking over The Simpsons, how 5 daughters run his life, writing with his wife Julie, writing with his brother Brian, doing stand-up, Amy Pohler, Parks & Rec, how Jay ruined Bruce Sprinsteen being on The Simpsons, NRBQ, being a Masshole, getting fired, owing a lot to his mom, writing jokes for the Golden Globes, the WGA, and how Scully costs Jay millions when he unionized Fox Animation Domination. Bio: MIKE SCULLY BIO 2025Emmy,Peabody,and Writers' Guild of America Award winning writer/producer Mike Scully has worked in all genres of TV comedy: animation, single-cam, multi-cam, hidden-cam, award and live performance shows.He joined "The Simpsons" writing staff since 1993 and was promoted to showrunner in 1997 for Seasons 9 through 12 and co-wrote and co-produced "The Simpsons Movie,”released in 2007. In 1998, he organized writing staffs of all the Fox animated shows to win Writers Guild of America union coverage for the writers,which had been underpaid and without healthcare and pension contributions for the first nine seasons of the series. He was a consulting producer on the show until 2021 and continues to write occasional episodes.Scully also served as writer/producer on the Emmy-winning "Everybody Loves Raymond," as well as"Parks & Recreation,” starring Amy Poehler. (He also appeared on the show four times as a disgruntled citizen of Pawnee asking stupid questions at town meetings.) He was a writer/producer on the critically acclaimed “The Carmichael Show” starring comedian Jerrod Carmichael.He has written jokes for Poehler and Tina Fey when they hosted the Golden Globes and for their current liveshow,The Restless Leg Tour.He co-created (with wife Juie Thacker-Scully & Amy Poehler) the animated Fox/Hulu show"Duncanville”starring Poehler, Ty Burrell, and Rashida Jones,which ran three seasons. He also co-created some non-critically acclaimed and very quickly canceled shows such as "The Pitts”, “CompleteSavages", and an animated version of "Napoleon Dynamite.”In 2024, he and Julie produced the ABC pilot Shifting Gears starring Tim Allen and Kat Dennings.The Scullys parted ways with the show after it was ordered to series.  He has five daughters who provide a never-ending financial reason to keep working.

Joely and Tricia Leigh Fisher talk about being the kids of stars, Connie Stevens and Eddie Fisher—the allure of show business, putting on shows in their living room, and deciding at a young age to make performing their career. They share stories of being on the road with their mom, the good and bad lessons they learned, going to Beverly Hills High School while living alone across the street, and what it means to inherit both talent and addictive behaviors. They also open up about being moms, singing, dancing, acting, writing, and becoming beauty entrepreneurs. Joely discusses her stint at SAG, while the sisters reflect on their parents' many relationships, trying to connect with a distant father, and moving forward in a new entertainment landscape. And of course, they share their mom's immortal line: “Once you date Elvis, everyone else is a disappointment.”Bio: Joely Fisher is an American actress and singer, the daughter of Eddie Fisher and Connie Stevens. She is best known for her roles as Paige Clark on the TV series Ellen and Joy Stark on 'Til Death. She is also the younger half-sister of the late actress Carrie Fisher. Her career spans television, film, and Broadway, and she is a political activist currently serving as SAG-AFTRA Secretary-Treasurer.Tricia Leigh Fisher is the daughter of legendary crooner Eddie Fisher and iconic actress/singer Connie Stevens. She spent her childhood on sets and in concert venues, then joined the family business as a teenager, playing Burt Reynolds' daughter in the film “Stick.” Tricia has performed on many stages around the world, including entertaining the troops in the Persian Gulf with the legend, Bob Hope and the USO. After years touring as a back up singer, she landed her own deal on ATCO Records and hit the hot 100 billboard charts. She has continued to work, as an actress, in television and film for the past thirty-five years, starring in films such as Book of Love, Pretty Smart, Arizona Dream, Saving Grace B. Jones, Hostile Intentions and CHUD II. Tricia has worked in television for decades, including her role as Heidi in The Heidi Fleiss Story, 911, Criminal Minds, Rizzoli and Isles, The Mentalist, No Ordinary Family, Ellen, Til Death, and many others. A few of her theater roles include a Los Angeles run and tour of Bermuda Avenue Triangle with Joe Bologna, Renee Taylor, and Lainie Kazan and Miracle on South Division Street at the New Theater in Kansas City. Tricia is currently the lead singer of her 70's band with husband, Byron Thames, and plays regularly to sold out shows in Los Angeles.

Actress/writer/activist Amy Benneman talks about creating a TV show, writing plays, the pleasure of performing in front of people. Her kick-ass judge-pioneer mother, lawyer activist dad and how they started her on a journey of trying to fix the world, expectations of what the world thinks is normal and how it messes up the rest of us, parenthood and raising a neurodivergent child and how she taught Amy to accept and embrace who she is and she talks, about how Jeff Bridges can seduce you without ever laying a hand on you. Bio: Amy Brenneman earned a degree from Harvard College in Comparative Religion and studied sacred dance and indigenous ritual in Kathmandu, Nepal. She is a founding member of Cornerstone Theater Company which produces site-specific, community-based theater on themes of social justice. Favorite Cornerstone roles included Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Natasha in Three Sisters and Clytemnestra in The Oresteia.Other theater: CSC Rep, Lincoln Center Theater, Williamstown Theater Festival, Yale Rep and The American Repertory Theater. She starred in the world premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated Rapture Blister Burn (Playwrights Horizons, Geffen Theater) and Power of Sail opposite Bryan Cranston (Geffen Theater.) She played Miriam of Nazareth in the world premiere of Galilee 34 (South Coast Rep) and starred in The Sound Inside (Pasadena Playhouse), which was named one of the years' best performances by the Los Angeles Times. She recently finished the world premiere of Larissa Fasthorse' Fake It Until You Make It at Arena Stage in Washington DC.Amy co-created, wrote, and starred in MOUTH WIDE OPEN (The Yard, American Repertory Theater) and OVERCOME (The Yard, Cotuit Center for The Arts). She has performed her original spoken word pieces at venues such as Spark, Tasty Words and the Martha's Vineyard Playhouse.Amy created, executive produced, and starred in “Judging Amy” (multiple Golden Globe Emmy and SAG nominations) based on the work of her mother, the Honorable Judge Frederica Brenneman. Other television: “NYPD Blue” (multiple Emmy nominations, SAG award) “Frasier,” “Goliath,” “Jane the Virgin,” “VEEP,” “Private Practice,” “The Leftovers,” “Tell Me Your Secrets,” “Shining Girls” and “The Old Man.” Film credits include CASPER, FEAR, DAYLIGHT, HEAT, FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS, THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB, NINE LIVES, THINGS YOU CAN TELL JUST BY LOOKING AT HER and MOTHER AND CHILD.For her activist work, Amy has been honored by Women in Film, The Brady Center, the League of Women Voters, the National Children's Alliance, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, the Producer's Guild of America, among others. She currently serves on the Creative Council for the Center for Reproductive Rights and on the board of Crimson Goes Blue, an organization dedicated to preserving and strengthening democracy in America. In 2016, she was part of the amicus brief for the Supreme Court case Whole Women's v. Hellerstedt and received the Eleanor Roosevelt Award from The Feminist Majority for her ongoing commitment to reproductive rights. She is married to writer/director Brad Silberling and has two children, Charlotte and Bodhi.

Felipe talks about his new book, coming to the USA under an EXTRAORDINARY ARTIST visa, writing for Colbert, growing up in Columbia, the beauty of curious Americans, the danger of being too comfortable, and losing emmy awards to his wife.Bio: Felipe Torres Medina is a Peabody and Writers Guild of America Award–winning writer from Bogotá, Colombia. His writing for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has earned him five Emmy nominations. His humor has appeared in The New Yorker, McSweeney's, and others. He lives in New York City with his wife and is totally chill when you misspell his birth country's name. (He is not.)

Writing Legend, Arnie Kogen, talks with Jay and Jay's son, Charlie, about his childhood, career, and what it's like to be 91. Three generations of Kogens in one pod! Bio: ARNIE KOGENComedy Writer/ TV ProducerHas written and/or produced for the Carol Burnett Show, The Tonight Show, Newhart, Mary Tyler Moore, Empty Nest, Mad TV, The Dean Martin Show, Sinbad, Donnie & Marie, The Jackson Five, Evening At The Improv, The Bob Newhart Show, Tim Conway, The New Dick Van Dyke Show, Candid Camera, Love, American Style, The Love Boat, The Golden Globes and contributed to The Academy Awards.  Has also written comedy material for Phyllis Diller, Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme, Shelley Berman, Debbie Reynolds, Connie Stevens, Totie Fields, Jackie Vernon, Diana Ross, Flip Wilson, Ann Margret, Sammy Davis, Morty Gunty and Jerry Van Dyke.For over five decades he has been one of the leading contributors to Mad Magazine.  Kogen has won three Emmy Awards (seven nominations) and one Writers Guild Award (three nominations)

Phil Stark talks about writing and learning it wasn't really his dream, telling patients to find their bliss, deciding joy wasn't in the writers room, writing “Dog With A Blog”, treating writers who are panicking about work, writer's block, and where's  the best Tex Mex in Houston. Bio:  Screenwriter (Dude, Where's My Car?) turned therapist (Dude, Where's My Car-tharsis?) Phil Stark sees clients virtually from all over the state of California. He also writes about mental health and personal growth as experienced through talk therapy.

Writer of “Jaws" & "The Jerk" Carl Gottlieb talks about working with Spielberg, Steve Martin, Carl Reiner, David Crosby, Joan Baez, improv group The Committee, performing comedy in the army, how the Smothers Brothers Show was the hippest most popular show at the time and somehow also cancelled. Bio:  Carl Gottlieb is a screenwriter (Jaws, The Jerk), director (Caveman), & actor (Mash). His book, THE JAWS LOG, remains the most popular book about the making of a motion picture ever written.  He also wrote WHICH WAY IS UP with Richard Pryor. He was a member of the classic San Francisco Improv group, The Committee.  And a writer on the controversial Smothers Brothers show. He served on the Board of Directors of the Writers Guild of America, and was on the faculty of the Film Division of the School of the Arts at Columbia University, the American Film Institute, the University of Miami's School of Communications and the University of Southern California's School of Cinema & Television.

Will Forte talks about almost being a financial advisor, his checkered writing career, SNL MacGruber, Nebraska, The Groundlings, Last Man on Earth, having kids late, seeing shrinks, frats, & Val Kilmner being the weirdest roommate of all time.Bio: Will Forte is a comedian, actor, writer, and improviser best known for his work on Saturday Night Live and his starring role in The Last Man on Earth. Born in Alameda County, California, Forte studied History at UCLA before briefly working as a financial broker. He shifted to comedy in the late '90s, joining the Groundlings and writing for shows like The Jenny McCarthy Show and That '70s Show. His pilot about two clueless brothers led to The Brothers Solomon (2007), which he wrote and starred in. Forte joined Saturday Night Live in 2002, quickly earning a reputation for absurd and surreal comedy. He co-wrote and starred in the cult film MacGruber (2010) before leaving SNL to pursue broader roles. He appeared in comedies like 30 Rock, Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie, and That's My Boy, while also branching into drama with Run and Jump and Alexander Payne's Nebraska (2013), earning critical praise. From 2015 to 2018, he created and starred in the acclaimed sitcom The Last Man on Earth. He later portrayed Douglas Kenney in A Futile and Stupid Gesture (2018) and appeared in hit films like Booksmart and Good Boys (2019). More recently, he has starred in Netflix's Bodkin, Four Seasons, and the upcoming Coyote vs. Acme.

This week, James L Brooks talked about The Simpsons, Mary Tyler Moore ,Terms of Endearment, having a million lunches to cast parts,  his difficult beginnings and how the fear of survival and women's shoes drove him to his success. We also talk about what an amazing mentor he is, incredible writer, the worst notes he's ever gotten from a network, and now he likes to have drool days.Bio:James L. Brooks is a three-time Academy Award®-winner and eighteen-time Emmy® Award-winner.  He began his television career as a writer who also produced such beloved television hits as Taxi, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Tracy Ullman Show, and The Simpsons. Brooks began working in film in 1979 when he wrote the screenplay for Starting Over which he co-produced with Alan J. Pakula. In 1983, Brooks wrote, produced and directed Terms of Endearment for which he won three Academy Awards. In 1987, he wrote, produced and directed Broadcast News, which was nominated for seven Academy Awards® including Best Screenplay and Best Picture. Brooks then directed I'll Do Anything starring Nick Nolte, Albert Brooks, and Julie Kavner.  In 1997, Brooks co-wrote, produced, and directed As Good As It Gets, starring Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, and Greg Kinnear. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards® including Best Picture, and both Nicholson and Hunt won Oscars® for their performances. In 2004, Brooks wrote and directed the film Spanglish, starring Adam Sandler, Tea Leoni and Paz Vega. In 2010, Brooks wrote and directed the film How Do You Know, starring Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd, and Jack Nicholson.Brooks's company, Gracie Films has produced numerous films and television shows since it was formed in 1990. On the television side, the company produces the long-running hit, The Simpsons, as well as producing the Tracey Ullman Show, What About Joan?, and The Critic. On the feature side – Brooks has executive produced the feature film, Say Anything, produced War of the Roses, and co-produced Big. In 1996, Brooks executive produced the film Bottle Rocket, directed by Wes Anderson, and produced Cameron Crowe's Oscar®-winning Jerry Maguire, starring Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Renee Zellweger. In addition, Brooks produced Penny Marshall's Riding in Cars with Boys, starring Drew Barrymore, and produced the film Edge of Seventeen, written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig for STX Productions. In addition, Brooks co-wrote and produced The Simpsons Movie, the movie version of the Fox hit.

Writer/Activist Steve Skovan talks about his work with Ralph Nader, his substack “Bits and Pieces”, his dad being a comic inspiration, the trouble with politics, Public Citizen a progressive consumer rights group, starting as a stand-up, and how a football coach changed his life without molesting him.Bio:  ​​Steve Skrovan has worked as a stand-up comedian, actor, and TV comedy writer since the early eighties. He has written for many shows, most notably, Seinfeld, Hot in Cleveland, Til Death, Wendell and Vinnie, School of Rock, and the entire nine-year run of Everybody Loves Raymond, a show which he has also adapted internationally in Russia, Israel, and India. He is also co-director/writer/producer of An Unreasonable Man, a documentary about the career of legendary consumer advocate and third-party presidential candidate, Ralph Nader, which was not only an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival but also made the “shortlist” for Academy Award consideration in the documentary category. In 2005, he co-produced the TBS environmental special “Earth to America.”  In addition, Steve co-hosts the weekly radio show Ralph Nader Radio Hour, which runs on the Pacifica network and various other independent radio stations as well as being available on all podcast platforms. He is a board member of the non-partisan public interest organization Public Citizen in Washington DC.