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Today on the show we have comedy legend, author, and writer Steve Kaplan. For years, Steve Kaplan has been the industry's most sought-after expert on comedy. In addition to having taught at UCLA, NYU, Yale and other top universities, Steve created the HBO Workspace, the HBO New Writers Program and was co-founder and Artistic Director of Manhattan Punch Line Theatre. He has consulted and taught workshops at companies such as HBO, DreamWorks, Disney, Aardman Animation, Sony Pictures Network India, Globo Brazil, and others.In New York, Steve was co-founder and Artistic Director of Manhattan Punch Line Theatre, where he developed writers such as Peter Tolan(Analyze This, The Larry Sanders Show), writer and producer David Crane(Friends, Episodes), writer/producer Tracy Poust (Ugly Betty, Will & Grace), Michael Patrick King(Sex and The City, Will & Grace), David Ives(Venus in Fur), Howard Korder (Boardwalk Empire), David Fury(The Tick, Buffy, The Vampire Slayer), Lisa Loomer (The Waiting Room), Tom Donaghy (The Mentalist), Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)and Mark O'Donnell (Hairspray) and introduced such performers as Lewis Black, Mercedes Ruehl, Oliver Platt, Helen Slater, Fisher Stevens, Veanne Cox, Sam McMurray, Vickie Lewis, and Illeana Douglas.In Los Angeles, he created the HBO New Writers Project, discovering HBO Pictures screenwriter Will Scheffer (Big Love), and performer/writer Sandra Tsing Loh (Aliens in America),; and the HBO Workspace, a developmental workshop in Hollywood that introduced and presented performers such as Jack Black and Tenacious D, Kathy Griffin, Bob Odenkirk and David Cross (Mr. Show), Josh Malina and Paul F. Tompkins. At the Workspace, he was Executive Producer for the award-winning HBO Original Programming documentary DROP DEAD GORGEOUS. Steve has directed in regional theaters and Off-Broadway (including Sandra Tsing Loh's ALIENS IN AMERICAat Second Stage).In addition to private coaching and one-on-one consultations, Steve has taught his Comedy Intensive workshops to thousands of students in the United States and countries around the world, including London, Toronto, Galway, Athens, Paris, Tel Aviv, Sydney, Melbourne, Rio, Munich, New Zealand, and Singapore. This year, he will be presenting seminars and workshops in Los Angeles, Brussels, London, and via Skype, Sweden.His new book The Comic Hero's Journey: Serious Story Structure for Fabulously Funny Films. I can't recommend it enough.A comic hero or heroine also goes on a journey, but for the comic hero, it's often quite, quite different. The hero decides to go on the adventure; the comic hero often has no choice. The hero has a wise old man; the comic hero often meets an idiot who inadvertently says something that can teach him a thing or two. Steve Kaplan will show you the diverse paths that comedy takes in The Comic Hero's Journey.This interview is EPIC! If you want to learn how to create "funny" in your screenplays or projects this episode is for you.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/2664729/advertisement
Want to get to the heart of comedy? Look no further than this week's episode, as host Gray Jones interviews comedy guru Steve Kaplan. Steve Kaplan Bio: For years, Steve Kaplan has been one of the industry's most respected and sought-after expert on comedy. His first book, "The Hidden Tools of Comedy," is a best-seller in its field, and his new book, "The Comic Hero's Journey: Serious Story Structure for Fabulously Funny Films" was recently published. In addition to having taught at UCLA, NYU, Yale and other universities, Steve Kaplan created the HBO Workspace, the HBO New Writers Program and was co-founder and Artistic Director of Manhattan Punch Line Theatre. In addition to development projects for HBO, he has taught workshops at companies such as DreamWorks, Disney Animation, Aardman Animation, NBC's Writers on the Verge, and others. In addition to private coaching and one-on-one consultations, Steve has taught his Comedy Intensive workshops to thousands of students around the world, including--in pre-pandemic times--Los Angeles, New York, Australia and Mumbai. He's presently teaching online via Zoom. You can find out all about it at KaplanComedy.com. Follow Steve on Twitter: @skcomedy. BUY STEVE'S BOOKS AND SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Click on "The Hidden Tools of Comedy" and "The Comic Hero's Journey: Serious Story Structure for Fabulously Funny Films" to buy on Amazon. Visit primary sponsor Script Anatomy on the web: scriptanatomy.com Buying Final Draft screenwriting software? Use this link to support the podcast: tinyurl.com/BuyFinalDraft. You can help with the ongoing costs of bringing these weekly podcasts to you by becoming a patron of the podcast – for as little as 25¢ per episode! There are many reward levels. CLICK HERE to find out more. Buy Gray's book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews. Didn't get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com.
Want to get to the heart of comedy? Look no further than this week's episode, as host Gray Jones interviews comedy guru Steve Kaplan. Steve Kaplan Bio: For years, Steve Kaplan has been one of the industry's most respected and sought-after expert on comedy. His first book, "The Hidden Tools of Comedy," is a best-seller in its field, and his new book, "The Comic Hero's Journey: Serious Story Structure for Fabulously Funny Films" was recently published. In addition to having taught at UCLA, NYU, Yale and other universities, Steve Kaplan created the HBO Workspace, the HBO New Writers Program and was co-founder and Artistic Director of Manhattan Punch Line Theatre. In addition to development projects for HBO, he has taught workshops at companies such as DreamWorks, Disney Animation, Aardman Animation, NBC's Writers on the Verge, and others. In addition to private coaching and one-on-one consultations, Steve has taught his Comedy Intensive workshops to thousands of students around the world, including--in pre-pandemic times--Los Angeles, New York, Australia and Mumbai. He's presently teaching online via Zoom. You can find out all about it at KaplanComedy.com. Follow Steve on Twitter: @skcomedy. BUY STEVE'S BOOKS AND SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Click on "The Hidden Tools of Comedy" and "The Comic Hero's Journey: Serious Story Structure for Fabulously Funny Films" to buy on Amazon. Visit primary sponsor Script Anatomy on the web: scriptanatomy.com Buying Final Draft screenwriting software? Use this link to support the podcast: tinyurl.com/BuyFinalDraft. You can help with the ongoing costs of bringing these weekly podcasts to you by becoming a patron of the podcast – for as little as 25¢ per episode! There are many reward levels. CLICK HERE to find out more. Buy Gray's book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews. Didn't get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com.
Steve Kaplan | Comedy ExpertI've been teaching and lecturing about comedy around the world for years. My first book, The Hidden Tools of Comedy is a best-seller in its field. I've also written, The Comic Hero's Journey: Serious Story Structure for Fabulously Funny Films and am currently working on a third, about writing comedy for television.In addition to having taught at UCLA, NYU, Yale and other universities, I created the HBO Workspace, the HBO New Writers Program and was co-founder and Artistic Director of Manhattan Punch Line Theatre. In addition to development projects for HBO, I've taught taught workshops at companies such as DreamWorks, Disney Animation, Aardman Animation, NBC's Writers on the Verge, and others.There are a number of people who teach screenwriting, but there are few who teach comedy. And most are teaching stand-up or improv. My course is one of the only places to learn about the art and science, the physics and philosophy of comedy: what it is, how it works, WHY it works, what's going on when it DOESN'T work, and what you can do to fix it.Dorothy Parker once described the ability to write comedy as being able to have "a sharp eye, and a wild mind." I'd add the perception to see the absurdities of the world we live in, the courage to include yourself as part of that absurd world, and the ability to share that truth with others. And the occasional bathroom humor.Unlike some, I teach principles, not rigid formulas. My equation for comedy—An ordinary guy (or gal) struggling against insurmountable odds, without many of the required skills and tools with which to win, yet never giving up hope—expresses not so much a formula but rather a metaphor that describes our existence in this world. We're all just ordinary people, struggling to live our lives as best we can without super powers or unlimited resources. The main difference between comedy and drama is how we face that struggle. In comedy, no matter what, there is hope.As metaphor, this perspective invites creativity rather than stifles it, and it allows artists as divergent as Greta Gerwig and Oscar Wilde to still tell tales about human beings struggling to make sense of an absurd world. The best comedies avoid conventional structures—they create their own. Eschewing formula, the best artists hold true to the basic principle of comedy: telling the truth about human beings.In addition to private coaching and one-on-one consultations, Steve has taught his Comedy Intensive workshops to thousands of students around the world, including--in pre-pandemic times--Los Angeles, New York, Australia, Rio, Moscow and Mumbai. He's presently teaching online on Zoom. You can find out all about it at KaplanComedy.com.Order my books Hidden Tools of Comedyor The Comic Hero's JourneyFollow me on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/KaplanComedyTwitter at Twitter.com/skcomedy
Ellen Humphreys is a New Mexico-based actress, originally born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma where she got her first on-set SAG film experience fresh out of high school as a stand-in, driving double, background casting associate and more. After receiving her BFA in Theatre Arts, she moved to Los Angeles and discovered Lesly Kahn’s Comedy Intensive. With a year of audition practice and practical job skills beneath her belt, she moved to New Mexico to find her place in its blossoming film & television business. Her love of acting was founded upon, and will forever be fueled by her absolute adoration of the spoken word. Some of her past productions include In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play) by Sarah Ruhl, Home with a View of the Monster, and the films Outlaws Don’t Get Funerals, and Running with The Devil.In this conversation, we talk about her path to becoming the actor she is today, language and a fascination with people being her starting point of her career, the importance of community and her personal process of preparing for a role, the conversational nature of acting, and we have a great discussion on whether being an actor is more of an art or a craft.~SHOW NOTES:-Ellen’s website and IMDb -Ellen’s instagram, @themaverickess-Lesly Kahn & Co.-More about the film Ellen did lead casting for: The Daily Life of Mistress Red directed by Peshawn Bread-Interrogation (new series coming this year through CBS All Access)-In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play)~THANK YOU FOR LISTENINGSubscribe & leave a review on iTunesHave any questions, comments or guest recommendations? Email me hereLET’S CONNECT:Follow the Process Piece instagramRuby’s instagramSubscribe to the newsletter
Steve Kaplan is an author, producer, director, consultant and teacher. He has been the industry's most sought-after expert on comedy. In addition to having taught at UCLA, NYU, Yale and other top universities, Steve created the HBO Workspace, the HBO New Writers Program and was co-founder and Artistic Director of Manhattan Punch Line Theatre. He has consulted and taught workshops at companies such as HBO, DreamWorks, Disney, Aardman Animation, Sony Pictures Network India, Globo Brazil, and others. He is also the Author of THE HIDDEN TOOLS OF COMEDY, and THE COMIC HERO'S JOURNEY. In addition to private coaching and one-on-one consultations, Steve has taught his Comedy Intensive workshops to thousands of students all around the world. In this podcast we talk about, how a cab driver became a comedy expert and leader in the comedy space, fear of failure, love of comedy and truth in comedy, finding your voice, hustle, reinventing yourself (more than once), vulnerability to pain and success. If you'd like to keep up to date with Steve, check him out on: Facebook: KaplanComedy Website: www.kaplancomedy.com Instagram: skcomedy52 Twitter: skcomedy Follow @Funny in Failure on Insta and FB and @Michael_Kahan on Insta to keep up to date with the latest info.
New "Kahnversations" Podcast with Actor Ellen Humphreys! In this episode of "Kahnversations," we interview Ellen Humphreys. Ellen Humphreys is a New Mexico-based actress. She was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she got her first on-set SAG film experience fresh out of high school as a stand-in, driving double, background casting associate and more. After receiving her BFA in Theatre Arts, she moved to Los Angeles and found Lesly Kahn’s Comedy Intensive. With a year of audition practice and practical job skills beneath her belt, she moved to New Mexico to find her place in its blossoming film & television biz. Her love of acting was founded upon, and will forever be fueled by her absolute adoration of the spoken word. Some favorite past productions include IN THE NEXT ROOM by Sarah Ruhl (Santa Barbara, 2016), and HOME WITH A VIEW OF THE MONSTER. Catch her in the film OUTLAWS DON’T GET FUNERALS, streaming now on Amazon and the upcoming film, RUNNING WITH THE DEVIL (starring Nicolas Cage and Laurence Fishburne). And make sure you get CBS All Access, mostly for Jordan Peele’s THE TWILIGHT ZONE, but also to see her recurring role opposite Peter Sarsgaard in INTERROGATION. Find her at ellenhumphreys.com and @themaverickess on Instagram. You can download or subscribe to our podcast for FREE by clicking below. If you like “Kahnversations,” please leave a rating or review on our iTunes page! There are so many inspiring podcasts with fabulous stars out there. But their careers feel light years away from ours, don’t they? Wouldn’t it be great to hear from the guy who just booked his first pilot? Or the kid finally doing a studio pic after a bunch of low budget indies? Or the woman who’s been a series regular a few times but is only now becoming a name? What about the guy who’s been on a show for years and you know his face but what’shisnameagain? Or that actress who is now a freakin’ showrunner???? How’d THEY do it, right? How did they transition from relative obscurity, bartending and bottle service, to buying that house in Brentwood? We’re producing “Kahnversations,” a podcast that provides access to THOSE people -- your immediate predecessors -- so that you can learn from them while their battle scars are still fresh. In “Kahnversations,” our own Ryan Bailey interviews some of Lesly Kahn & Company’s working actors, directors, and writers in order to learn how they got started in Hollywood, the challenges and hurdles they faced, and how they overcame the odds. (They also dish out some crazy stories!) Listen in and enjoy as these entertainers speak candidly about their paths, processes, and experiences. You might even hear a bit about how Lesly and the Kahnstitute have influenced and shaped their careers.
Today on the show we have comedy legend, author, and writer Steve Kaplan. For years, Steve Kaplan has been the industry’s most sought-after expert on comedy. In addition to having taught at UCLA, NYU, Yale and other top universities, Steve created the HBO Workspace, the HBO New Writers Program and was co-founder and Artistic Director of Manhattan Punch Line Theatre. He has consulted and taught workshops at companies such as HBO, DreamWorks, Disney, Aardman Animation, Sony Pictures Network India, Globo Brazil, and others.In New York, Steve was co-founder and Artistic Director of Manhattan Punch Line Theatre, where he developed writers such as Peter Tolan (Analyze This, The Larry Sanders Show), writer and producer David Crane (Friends, Episodes), writer/producer Tracy Poust (Ugly Betty, Will & Grace), Michael Patrick King (Sex and The City, Will & Grace), David Ives (Venus in Fur), Howard Korder (Boardwalk Empire), David Fury (The Tick, Buffy, The Vampire Slayer), Lisa Loomer (The Waiting Room), Tom Donaghy (The Mentalist), Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea) and Mark O’Donnell (Hairspray) and introduced such performers as Lewis Black, Mercedes Ruehl, Oliver Platt, Helen Slater, Fisher Stevens, Veanne Cox, Sam McMurray, Vickie Lewis and Illeana Douglas.In Los Angeles, he created the HBO New Writers Project, discovering HBO Pictures screenwriter Will Scheffer (Big Love), and performer/writer Sandra Tsing Loh (Aliens in America),; and the HBO Workspace, a developmental workshop in Hollywood that introduced and presented performers such as Jack Black and Tenacious D, Kathy Griffin, Bob Odenkirk and David Cross (Mr. Show), Josh Malina and Paul F. Tompkins. At the Workspace, he was Executive Producer for the award-winning HBO Original Programming documentary DROP DEAD GORGEOUS. Steve has directed in regional theaters and Off-Broadway (including Sandra Tsing Loh’s ALIENS IN AMERICA at Second Stage).In addition to private coaching and one-on-one consultations, Steve has taught his Comedy Intensive workshops to thousands of students in the United States and countries around the world, including London, Toronto, Galway, Athens, Paris, Tel Aviv, Sydney, Melbourne, Rio, Munich, New Zealand, and Singapore. This year, he will be presenting seminars and workshops in Los Angeles, Brussels, London, and via Skype, Sweden.His new book The Comic Hero’s Journey. I can’t recommend it enough.A comic hero or heroine also goes on a journey, but for the comic hero, it’s often quite, quite different. The hero decides to go on the adventure; the comic hero often has no choice. The hero has a wise old man; the comic hero often meets an idiot who inadvertently says something that can teach him a thing or two. Steve Kaplan will show you the diverse paths that comedy takes in The Comic Hero’s Journey.This interview is EPIC! If you want to learn how to create funny in your screenplays or projects this episode is for you.
Today on the show we have comedy legend, author, and writer Steve Kaplan. For years, Steve Kaplan has been the industry’s most sought-after expert on comedy. In addition to having taught at UCLA, NYU, Yale and other top universities, Steve created the HBO Workspace, the HBO New Writers Program and was co-founder and Artistic Director of Manhattan Punch Line Theatre. He has consulted and taught workshops at companies such as HBO, DreamWorks, Disney, Aardman Animation, Sony Pictures Network India, Globo Brazil, and others.In New York, Steve was co-founder and Artistic Director of Manhattan Punch Line Theatre, where he developed writers such as Peter Tolan (Analyze This, The Larry Sanders Show), writer and producer David Crane (Friends, Episodes), writer/producer Tracy Poust (Ugly Betty, Will & Grace), Michael Patrick King (Sex and The City, Will & Grace), David Ives (Venus in Fur), Howard Korder (Boardwalk Empire), David Fury (The Tick, Buffy, The Vampire Slayer), Lisa Loomer (The Waiting Room), Tom Donaghy (The Mentalist), Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea) and Mark O’Donnell (Hairspray) and introduced such performers as Lewis Black, Mercedes Ruehl, Oliver Platt, Helen Slater, Fisher Stevens, Veanne Cox, Sam McMurray, Vickie Lewis and Illeana Douglas.In Los Angeles, he created the HBO New Writers Project, discovering HBO Pictures screenwriter Will Scheffer (Big Love), and performer/writer Sandra Tsing Loh (Aliens in America),; and the HBO Workspace, a developmental workshop in Hollywood that introduced and presented performers such as Jack Black and Tenacious D, Kathy Griffin, Bob Odenkirk and David Cross (Mr. Show), Josh Malina and Paul F. Tompkins. At the Workspace, he was Executive Producer for the award-winning HBO Original Programming documentary DROP DEAD GORGEOUS. Steve has directed in regional theaters and Off-Broadway (including Sandra Tsing Loh’s ALIENS IN AMERICA at Second Stage).In addition to private coaching and one-on-one consultations, Steve has taught his Comedy Intensive workshops to thousands of students in the United States and countries around the world, including London, Toronto, Galway, Athens, Paris, Tel Aviv, Sydney, Melbourne, Rio, Munich, New Zealand, and Singapore. This year, he will be presenting seminars and workshops in Los Angeles, Brussels, London, and via Skype, Sweden.His new book The Comic Hero’s Journey. I can’t recommend it enough.A comic hero or heroine also goes on a journey, but for the comic hero, it’s often quite, quite different. The hero decides to go on the adventure; the comic hero often has no choice. The hero has a wise old man; the comic hero often meets an idiot who inadvertently says something that can teach him a thing or two. Steve Kaplan will show you the diverse paths that comedy takes in The Comic Hero’s Journey.This interview is EPIC! If you want to learn how to create funny in your screenplays or projects this episode is for you.
New "Kahnversations" Podcast with Actor Lisa Linke! In this episode of "Kahnversations," we interview Lisa Linke. Lisa Linke is a Midwesterner to the core, she will pick up litter wherever she goes, delivers casseroles after births and funerals, and already loves your pets. An improv veteran, she moved to Los Angeles from Chicago, five and a half years ago and hit the ground running at Lesly Kahn & Co. In the last sixteen months, she has shot costars and guest stars in LOVE on Netflix, THIS IS US, MODERN FAMILY, Disney’s BUNK’D, TEACHERS, GREY’S ANATOMY, FOR THE PEOPLE and upcoming projects for Apple TV and Hulu. She currently teaches a Comedy Intensive at Lesly Kahn & Co. and co-teaches an ongoing class with the delightful, dreamy, hilarious Tiffany Elle. You can download or subscribe to our podcast for FREE by clicking below. If you like “Kahnversations,” please leave a rating or review on our iTunes page! There are so many inspiring podcasts with fabulous stars out there. But their careers feel light years away from ours, don’t they? Wouldn’t it be great to hear from the guy who just booked his first pilot? Or the kid finally doing a studio pic after a bunch of low budget indies? Or the woman who’s been a series regular a few times but is only now becoming a name? What about the guy who’s been on a show for years and you know his face but what’shisnameagain? Or that actress who is now a freakin’ showrunner???? How’d THEY do it, right? How did they transition from relative obscurity, bartending and bottle service, to buying that house in Brentwood? We’re producing “Kahnversations,” a podcast that provides access to THOSE people -- your immediate predecessors -- so that you can learn from them while their battle scars are still fresh. In “Kahnversations,” our own Ryan Bailey interviews some of Lesly Kahn & Company’s working actors, directors, and writers in order to learn how they got started in Hollywood, the challenges and hurdles they faced, and how they overcame the odds. (They also dish out some crazy stories!) Listen in and enjoy as these entertainers speak candidly about their paths, processes, and experiences. You might even hear a bit about how Lesly and the Kahnstitute have influenced and shaped their careers.
Comedian Stevie Rae Dominguez, a Cool Beans U Stand Up Comedy Intensive graduate, talks to Corey Craig and Matthew Moore about high school and the arts, her experience with the Cool Beans U Stand up Comedy Intensive, her need and desire to perform, and the mindset it takes to finally perform on the main stage at the Ice house Comedy Club in Pasadena, California! Want to be a comic? Want to learn how to make your life experiences the subject of a “killer” stand-up set? Want to jump start your work each and every week onstage with individualized attention and observation? Click here and register today for the February 8th cycle of Cool Beans U's Stand-Up Comedy Intensive. Five weeks of training, a grad show in March, and a video recording of your set. *Music provided by bensound.com
Buckle up for another hilarious episode y’all! @HilliardGuess interviews the Guru of Comedy, Steve Kaplan! With Co-host, award-winning Sci-fi/Horror writer and author, @LisaBolekaja. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: Steve's discovery into Comedy and growing up in Queens, starting and directing a long-running Off Broadway theater company, The HBO Writers Project, his stint as a Lit/Talent Manager, teaching a Comedy Intensive all over the world and many inside stories/secrets from the Guru himself about the hot, new book "The Hidden Tools of Comedy!" Our motto, "Keep it street, keep it opinionated and keep it what? 100!" Subscribe, Comment, Follow & 5 STAR Review Us! iTunes: http://bit.ly/HG-SRR-EP1 Stitcher: http://bit.ly/SRR-STITCHERLINK Twitter: @ScreenwritersRR Email: ScreenwritersRantRoom@Gmail.com www.HilldogProductions.com Hilliard Guess (writer-director-producer) @Hill