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By the age of three, comedian Ruby Karp had made her Upright Citizens Brigade debut. By the age of ten, she was performing stand-up across New York City. Now in her mid-twenties, she's settling into her comedic voice—and doing so with the maturity and grace of someone who's been working on their craft for more than half their life. Ruby joins Mo this week to discuss her digital footprint, T.J.Maxx platitudes, and why she's naming names in her new solo show "I Don't Trust Adults." Ruby's on Instagram and TikTok @rubykarp, and you can see her show now through May 3 at Soho Playhouse in New York. She'll also be dropping by Good Get's One of Us with Fin and Chris next week, so make sure you're subscribed for another delightful hour with her! Worse Than You with Mo Fry Pasic is hosted and produced by Mo Fry Pasic. Our executive producers are Erica Getto, Myrriah Gossett, and Lauren Mandel. We're on Instagram and TikTok @worsethanyoushow, and you can follow Good Get on YouTube for exclusive video content. Worse Than You with Mo Fry Pasic is a Good Get and Disco Nap Co-Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Melanie Wozniak talks making the move from Perth to LA, working on the ABC show "Itch", her new film "A Girl Like Him", and shares an emotional audition story! About Melanie: Born in Chile and raised in Australia, Melanie Wozniak is a dynamic and multi-talented creative force in the entertainment industry. Her passion for acting began at a young age, starring in TV commercials and feature films, which laid the foundation for her future in the industry. With over a decade of experience in film and television, Melanie's versatility as an actor continues to shine. In 2019, Melanie landed her breakout role in the ABC TV series 'Itch', portraying the series regular "Jack" in a story based on Simon Mayo's bestselling novel. Her physical background proved invaluable as she performed many of her own stunts, including Tae Kwon Do and BMX bike riding, demonstrating her commitment and versatility as an actress. Melanie's dedication to her craft has been honed with training in film and television acting, including classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade school in Los Angeles. Recently, she showcased her talents as a motion capture performer in the highly anticipated video game Diablo IV and Diablo V. Most recently, she starred as the lead in the feature film 'A Girl Like Him', written and directed by Amy S. Weber, opposite the iconic Tovah Feldshuh. With a growing portfolio of diverse roles and a reputation for excellence, Melanie is undoubtedly a talent to watch, poised for even greater success in the years ahead. Follow the show on social media! Instagram: https://instagram.com/thanksforcominginpodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/tfci_podcast Facebook: http://facebook.com/thanksforcominginpodcast/ Patreon: patreon.com/thanksforcomingin YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXj8Rb1bEmhufSBFSCyp4JQ Theme Music by Andrew Skrabutenas Producers: Jillian Clare & Susan Bernhardt Channel: Realm For more information, go to thanksforcominginpodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Here are the 4 KEEN ON AMERICA take-aways in our conversation about the dysfunctional American immigration system with Felipe Torres Medina1) Background & Immigration Journey* Felipe Torres Medina is a comic writer for "The Stephen Colbert Show" and author of the new book America Let Me In about the US immigration system* Born in Bogotá, Colombia, Medina moved to the US at 21 on a student visa to pursue a master's in screenwriting at Boston University* Medina received an "alien of extraordinary ability" visa (talent visa for artists) after graduation, and eventually got a green card after marrying2) On the US Immigration System* Medina describes the immigration process as expensive (costing "tens of thousands of dollars" in legal fees) and filled with bureaucratic challenges* He emphasizes that legal immigration requires "tremendous privilege and money" that most people don't have* The book takes an interactive "choose your own path" format to highlight the maze-like nature of the immigration system* He points out that there hasn't been comprehensive immigration reform since the Clinton administration (nearly 30 years ago)3) Comedy as Commentary* Medina uses humor to process his experiences and create community around shared frustrations* He was inspired by writers like Julio Cortazar, George Saunders, Tina Fey, and Carrie Fisher* The book aims to educate Americans who "have so many opinions about immigration" but "don't know what it entails"* He mentions that making the book interactive and game-like adds "levity" to a tense topic4) How to Fix the System* While critical of Trump's immigration policies, Medina says the book isn't specifically about Trump but about a "flawed and messy" system created by multiple administrations* He suggests moving US Citizenship and Immigration Services out of the Department of Homeland Security to change the narrative that immigration is a security threat* His proposed reforms include creating better pathways for educated immigrants and hiring more USCIS staff to reduce backlogs FULL TRANSCRIPT* Andrew Keen: Hello everybody. It is Sunday, March the 9th, 2025. Interesting piece in the times. A couple of days ago, The New York Times, that is about the so-called British flame thrower who is a comic best suited to taking on Trump. They're talking about a man called Kumar. Nish Kumar looks very funny, and apparently he's very angry too. I have to admit, I haven't seen him. It's an interesting subject. It suggests that at the moment, even in spite of Trump and outraging many Americans, the state of American humor could be amped up a bit. My guest today is a writer on The Stephen Colbert Show and a comic, or certainly a comic writer in his own right, Philippe Torres Medina. He has a new book out on Tuesday. It's called America Let Me In, and I'm thrilled that he's joining us from Harlem in Manhattan today. Congratulations, Phillip, on the new job. What do you the new book? I was going to say job. That's a Freudian error here. What do you make of the Times's observation that American humor isn't in its best state when it comes to Trump?Felipe Torres Medina: Oh, wow. That's that's an interesting question. First of all, I love Nish Kumar. I think he's a wonderful, wonderful comedian. He's very funny. He has a level of wit and his observations are just wonderful. I hadn't seen this article, but I really appreciate that the times recognized him because he's been working very hard for a lot of years. I think more than American humor not being fit for the moment. I think at least personally for me, a little bit of addressing Trump again began. And addressing Trump in general is, you know, jokes have to be new. And after basically ten years of Donald Trump every day, all the time, it's certainly hard to continue to find new angles. Now, the dysfunction of the administration and perhaps sometimes the cruelty and whatever they're doing does provide you with material. But I think it can cause you as a writer to be like, oh God, here we go again. More Trump stuff. You know, because that's what we're talking about.Andrew Keen: Do you see your book, Philippe, as a Trump book? America? Let me in. It's about immigration. I mean, obviously touches on in many ways on Trump and certainly his hostility to immigration and immigrants. But is it a Trump book, or is it a broader kind of critique or observation about contemporary America?Felipe Torres Medina: Yeah, I never set out to write a book about Trump or a Trump book. My goal is to write a book about the immigration system, because I went through it, and as a comedian, I encountered in it many contradictions and absurdities that just kind of became fodder to me for comedy. So I try to write this book about the system, but the system was caused by many administrations in many parties, you know, now, the current hostility or the current everythingness of immigration, you know, immigration being kind of in the forefront of the national discourse certainly has been aided by Republican policy in the past ten years and by Donald Trump's rhetoric. But that doesn't mean that this is a book about Trump or as a response to Trump. It's actually a book responding to a system that is flawed and messy, but it's the one we have.Andrew Keen: Yeah. You described the book as a love letter to immigrants, but it's not a love letter to the system. Tell me your story. As you say. You went through it so you have firsthand experience. Where were you born?Felipe Torres Medina: So I was born in Colombia. I was born in Bogota, Colombia, which is the capital of Colombia. I lived there most of my life. I moved to United States when I was 21 on a student visa, because I came here to do my masters. I did my master's in screenwriting at Boston University. And after that, you know, I started working here as a comedian, but also as a writer. And I was able to get an alien of extraordinary ability visa, which is a very pretentiously named visa, kind of makes you sound like you're in the X-Men, but it it's just what they call talent visas for artists, athletes, entrepreneurs, educators, whatever. And so I got one of those and then several renewals of those. And then, you know, thanks to my work as a writer, as a comedian, initially as a copywriter in advertising, I was able to I bought I met the love of my life, got married, and then I have a green card and that's why I'm here.Andrew Keen: Yeah. As and quoting here, it sounds rather funny. An alien of extraordinary ability. Do you think your experience is typical? I mean, the even the fact that you came for grad school to to Boston puts you in a, in a kind of intellectual or professional elite. So is your experience in any way typical, do you think?Felipe Torres Medina: I wouldn't say typical. I would say my experience is the experience of many people who come here. And I think it's the experience of the people who are, quote unquote, the immigrants we want. Right. And, you know, if we're going to dive into the rhetoric of the of immigration these days, I came the right way and did everything, quote unquote, the right way. You know, but what this book and also this journey that I took to immigrate here proves is that it's it's only possible with tremendous amount of privilege and tremendous, tremendous amount of money. You know, it's a very expensive process for the majority of people.Andrew Keen: How much did it cost you?Felipe Torres Medina: Oh, I think in total since I started. I mean, when you count the fact that for most, like master's programs, you don't get any sort of financial aid unless you get, like a scholarship from your own country or a sort of like Fulbright or something like that. There's already the cost of a full master's program.Andrew Keen: But then you weren't coming. I mean, you didn't pay for your master's program in order to get immigration papers, you know.Felipe Torres Medina: Of course, that, but I, I had to pay for my master's program to be able to study here. You know, I didn't have I didn't have my any sort of aid. But, you know, discounting that in terms of immigration paperwork, I've spent tens of thousands of dollars because you have to hire immigration lawyers to make sure that everything's fine. And those are quite expensive.Andrew Keen: Was it worth it?Felipe Torres Medina: Well, yeah. You know, I met the love of my life. I live a.Andrew Keen: Very. I mean, there are lots of loves of. You could have met someone else, and that's true. Or you might have even you might have even met her or him at an airport somewhere else while they were on vacation.Felipe Torres Medina: That's that's possible. But yeah, I mean, I live a I live a good life. I do what I wanted to do, you know, I, I took got my master's because I wanted to write comedy professionally and I get to do that. And I do think when I set out to do this, I was like, well, the place with the best film and television industry in the world is and was then and still is the United States. So I was like, well, I have to go there, you know, and I was able to become a part of this industry and to work in this art form.Andrew Keen: You didn't get any job. You You got the combat job? Yes. I believe you drew the the short straw, right? I bet nobody else was right. Just Stephen Colbert.Felipe Torres Medina: Yeah, I'm very lucky. And but again, it's a mix of luck and hard work and all those things. So yeah, I don't I don't regret moving.Andrew Keen: So some people might be watching this maybe some some MAGA people. I'm not sure if MAGA people really watch this, but if they were they might be thinking, well, Philippe Torres Medina, he's a good example. He's the type of person we want. He jumped through many hoops. He's really smart. He's really successful. He brings value to this country. Is now a full time writer on the Colbert's show he came from it came from Latin America. And he's exactly the kind of person we want. And we want a system that's hard, because only guys like him have the intellectual and financial resources to actually get through it. Well, how would you respond to them?Felipe Torres Medina: I would say that I appreciate the compliment, but I wouldn't necessarily say that that's the best way to move forward on immigration now. I will say this book is a humorous take on the whole immigration journey. And so what? Like I tell different stories of different people coming here made up or inspired by real life. And one of the paths that you can take in this book, because this is kind of an interactive choose your own path book, is mine. But I think what this book tries to prove is that even if you do everything right, even if you, you know, have the money, sometimes it's very, very hard. And that, I think, does put us at a disadvantage when it comes to having a workforce that could be productive for the country, especially as birthrates are declining. You know, we are headed toward a but, you know, people have described as a barrel economy. If we don't simply up the population and the people who are upping the population and actually having children are immigrants.Andrew Keen: One other piece of news today, there's obviously a huge amount of news on the immigration front is apparently there's a freeze on funding to help green card holders. You've been through the process. You write about it in the new book. But how much more difficult is it now?Felipe Torres Medina: You mean under the current administration? Yeah. I wouldn't know. I you know, I think that.Andrew Keen: This idea of even freezing green card. Yeah. That holidays, even if you have a green card, you get frozen.Felipe Torres Medina: Yeah, exactly. And I think that that, you know, I think that that's what Trump did in his first term, more or less with legal immigration, was to create roadblocks and freezes and these kinds of things to kind of just like stymie the process and make it slower, make it harder, even for people who, again, are doing everything right to be able to remain in the country.Andrew Keen: And I'm guessing also some of the DOJ's stuff about laying off immigration judges and court stuff, they're taking office to leave. Apparently 100 immigration court staff are retiring. This adds to it as well.Felipe Torres Medina: Yeah. Yeah, exactly. I mean, Citizenship and Immigration Services, USCIS is a very particular part of the government because it is one of the few parts of the federal government that funds itself. Again, going back to cost the fees that they make are so big, they make so much money that if there's a government shut down, actually, USCIS does not shut down. It's one of the few parts of the government that didn't need to shut down, because they make so much money out of the immigrants trying to come here. So it's a really, really strange part of the government. It kind of doesn't know where it belongs. So seeing like the the DOJ's cuts that arrive into the and that may be implemented into USCIS. Kind I'm not familiar with any Dodge cuts recently on USCIS, but I suspect that they would be strange because it's a it's a very strange division of the federal government. It's not like the Department of Education or the like the Forestry Service. It's it's it's own kind of like little fiefdom.Andrew Keen: Are you wrote an interesting thing or you were featured recently on Lit Hub, where this show actually used to get distributed about how to write a funny book about American immigration. Of course, it's it's a good question. I mean, it's such a frustrating bureaucratic mess at the best of times. I do write anything funny, Philippe, about it.Felipe Torres Medina: Well, I think the, the to me, the, the finding a format to be able to explore this, this chaotic system. It's so, so complicated. It's like a maze. So to me, having this kind of interactive format allowed me to have some freedom to be like, okay, well, you know, one of the things that they taught me in my comedy education, when I was training at a theater here in New York, the Upright Citizens Brigade is the premise of if this is true, then what else is true? You know, so if this absurd thing is reality, then what? How can you heighten that reality? And for me, you know, the immigration system is so absurd. It's it's so Byzantine and chaotic that I was like, okay, well, I can heighten this to an extra level. And so when I keyed in on, on this format of like allowing the person who's reading it to be the many characters to inhabit the, the immigrants and also to be playing with the book, you know, going out and going to one page, making their own choices. It allowed me to change the tone immediately of the conversation because you say immigration and everyone's like, oh, you know, it gets tense. But if you're saying like, no, no, this is a game, you know, we're playing this game. It's about immigration, but it's a game. All of a sudden there's a levity to it, and then you take the real absurdities and the real chaos of the system and just heighten it, which is basically what you do with comedy at all times.Andrew Keen: Who are the the fathers or perhaps the mothers of this kind of comedy? The person who comes to my mind is is Kafka, who found his own writing very funny. Not, and I'm not sure everyone necessarily agrees. He, of course, wrote extensively about central mid European bureaucracy and its darkness and absurdity. Who's inspired you both as a comic writer and particularly in terms of this book?Felipe Torres Medina: Well, actually, Kafka also has a great book called America.Andrew Keen: Yeah. Which is a wonderful first paragraph about seeing this. Seeing the Statue of Liberty.Felipe Torres Medina: Yes. Which is also kind of about this. But I would say my inspirations comedically are, you know, I don't think I would have written this book without, like, the work of Tina Fey. I think Bossy Pants was a book where I was like, oh, you can be funny in writing. And Carrie Fisher is a big Star Wars nerd, you know, to like great, funny writer writers who are just, like, writing funny things about their lives. But I think the playfulness of it all, actually, I was inspired by this Argentine writer, Julio Cortazar, who wrote a novel that in English just translated as hopscotch. And this novel is a huge, like, structural disrupter, you know, in the like, what we call the Latin American boom of writing in the 60s, 70s and 80s. And he wrote this novel that is like a game of hopscotch. You're jumping from chapter two chapter. He's directing you back and forth. So I read a lot of that. And I, you know, I read that in my youth, and then I read it. I reread it as I was older. And then there are writers like George Saunders, who can be very funny while talking about very sad or very poignant things. And so that was also a big inspiration to me. But, you know, I am a late night writer, so I was interested in actually making it like, ha ha, funny. Not just, you know, sensible chuckle funny, you know, kind of like a very, like, intellectual kind of funny. So I was also inspired by, you know, my job and like Colbert's original character in Colbert's book, America, I am American. So can you the writing of The Onion and, you know, the book, The Daily Show Book America, which is just kind of like an explanation of what the federal government is and what the country is written in the tone of the correspondents or the the writers for The Daily Show back in the original Jon Stewart iteration. So those books kind of like informed me and made me like, realize, oh, I can you can make like a humorous guy that's jokey and funny, but also is actually saying something isn't just like or teaching you something. Because the biggest reason I started writing this book is that Americans don't know their own immigration system, and they have so many opinions about immigration, particularly now, but no one knows what what it entails. You know? And I don't just mean like conservatives, you know, I don't just mean like, oh, MAGA people. Like, I was living in New York in the Obama years or like the late Obama years, and none of my liberal Brooklyn, you know, IPA and iced matcha drinking friends had any idea what I was going through, you know, when I was trying to get my visas.Andrew Keen: The liberals drink IPA. I didn't know that I drink IPA, I mean, I have to change my. Yeah. It's interesting you bring up in the first part of that response, the, the the Argentine novelist. There's something so surreal now about America. An interesting piece in the times about not being able to pin Trump down because he says one thing one day, the next thing the next day, and everyone accepts that these are contradictions. Now, the times describes these contradictions as this ultimate cover. I'm not quite sure why they're a cover. If you say one thing one day, in the next something the opposite the next day. But is there a Latin American quality to this? I mean, there's a whole tradition of Latin American writing observing the, the cruel absurdities of of dictators and wannabe dictators.Felipe Torres Medina: Yeah. I mean, it's it's part of our literary tradition. You know, the dictator novel you have. But again, just as the feast of the goat, and you have Garcia marquez, my my compatriot, you know, like that.Andrew Keen: Was one of my favorite magnificent writing.Felipe Torres Medina: It's it's possibly, I hesitate to say, my favorite writer because it creates ranking, but.Andrew Keen: Well amongst your.Felipe Torres Medina: Favorite, among my favorite writers, 100 Years of Solitude. Obviously that is possibly my favorite novel, but he has also, I believe it's the Autumn of the Patriarch, which is his novel about. Exactly. Yeah. I mean, there is a there is. I wouldn't say it's a South American or Latin American quality to it. I think it's just once you encounter it, it is so absurd that art does have to come out and talk about it, you know, and, you know, you see the in a book like the Autumn of the Patriarch. That is a character full of contradictions. That is a character who, in chapter one, hates a particular figure because they he they think that they're against him and then is becomes friends with them and then hires him to be his personal bodyguard. You know, that is what dictators are, and that is what authoritarians do. It is the cult of the person. It is the whims of the person, and the opinion of the person are the be all and the end all to the point where the nation is. It is at the whims of, of of a a person, of those of those persons contradictions. So I wouldn't say it's necessarily a Latin American nature to this, but I think Latin America, because we experience dictatorship in many times supported or boosted by the United States. Latin Americans were able to find a way to turn this into art. And quite good art is what I would say.Andrew Keen: Yeah, and of course, it's the artists who are best able to respond to this. As you know, it's not just a Latin American thing. The Central Europeans, the Czechs in particular. Yes.Felipe Torres Medina: Milan Kundera.Andrew Keen: Yeah. Written a series of wonderful books about this. But the only way to respond to someone like Trump, for example, who says one thing one day, the next thing the next day when he talks about tariffs, he says, well, I'm going to have 25%. And the next day, oh, I've decided I'm not going to have 25%. Then the following day he's going to change his mind again. The policy people, I'm not very helpful here. We need artists, satirists of one kind or another humorist like yourself to actually respond to this, don't we?Felipe Torres Medina: I think so. I think that that that is what. Helps you? I mean, it's the emperor has no clothes, right? That's how you talk. And it's about all kinds of government, obviously. Autocracy or dictatorship is one thing, but at all in all systems of government, these are powerful people who think they have they know better and who think that they are invincible. And you know what? What satire or humor and art does is just point out and say like, wait, that's weird. That thing they just did is weird. And being able to point that out is, is a talent. But also that's why people respond to it so well. People say like, yeah, that is weird. I also notice that. And so you create community, you create partnership in there. And so all of a sudden you're punching up, which is something you want to do in comedy. You want to make fun of the people who have more power, and you're all punching up and laughing at the same thing, and you're all kind of reminding each other. You're not crazy. This is weird.Andrew Keen: Yeah. I mean, the thing that worries me. I was on Kolber on the Colbert Show a few years ago in the original show. I mean, it's brilliant comic, very funny. But him and Jon Stewart and the others, they've been going so long, and they. I'm not saying they haven't changed their shtick. I mean, writers like you produce very high quality work for them, but it's one of the problems that these guys have been going for a while and America has changed, but perhaps they haven't.Felipe Torres Medina: I mean, it's an interesting thing to bring up, particularly with with Stephen, because his show was completely different. Ten years ago, it was a completely different show. He was doing a character. Yeah, right. And now he's doing a more traditional late night show. I think I think the format of late night is a very interesting beast that somehow has become A political genre. You know, it didn't used to be with Letterman. Didn't you see with Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno? You know, they would dabble in politics. They would talk about politics because it's what people are talking about. But now it's become kind of like this world. It all has to be satire. And there's some there's some great work. And I do think people keep innovating and making, like, new things, even though the shows are about ten years old. You know, you have Last Week Tonight, which my wife writes for, but it's a show that does more like deep dive investigations and stuff like that. So it's more like end of the week, 60 minutes, but with jokes kind of format. But I do think, yeah, maybe like the shows, can the shows in the genre in general, like there's genre I could do with some change and some mixing it up and.Andrew Keen: Well, maybe your friend Kumar could.Felipe Torres Medina: Yeah. Well, what? Let us get.Andrew Keen: A slot to his own late night show. And I wonder also, when it comes to I don't want to obsess over Trump or that course it's hard not to these days, but because he himself is a media star who most people know through his reality television appearance and he still behaves like a reality television star. Does that add another dimension of challenges to the satirical writers like yourself, and comics like or satirical comics like Colbert and Jon Stewart?Felipe Torres Medina: I think it's just a layer of how to interpret him as a person. At least for me, it's like, okay, well, you have to remember that he is a show man, and that's what he's doing.Andrew Keen: Yeah. So they're coming back to your your metaphor of the air and power and not having any clothes on. He kind of, in his own nodding wink way, acknowledges that he's not pretending to wear any clothes.Felipe Torres Medina: Yeah, and, well, sometimes he is and sometimes he isn't. And that is. That's the challenge. And that's why writing jokes about him every day is hard. But, you know, we we.Andrew Keen: And the more I know I watched Saturday Night Live last week that Zelensky thing and it was brilliant. Zelensky and Musk and Trump. But I'm very doubtful it actually impacts in any way on anything. Well, and I.Felipe Torres Medina: Think that that's also a misconception people have about comedy. You know, comedy is there to be funny. You know, comedy isn't there to change your mind if it does that, great. But the number one impetus for For Comedy should be to make you laugh. And so the idea that, like, a sketch show is going to change the nation. I don't know. Those are things that I think are applied on to comedy. They're kind of glob down to comedy. I don't necessarily think that that's what it the, the people making the comedy set out to do so. I think if if it made you laugh and if it works. The comedy has done its job. Comedy, unfortunately, can't change the world, you know. Otherwise, you know, I'm sure there would have been a very. There are many good Romanian comedians who could have done something about it has.Andrew Keen: You know, time to time. I mean, Hava became Czech president for a while. You, you, you know, that you sometimes see laugh, laughter and comedy as a kind of therapy when it comes to some of the stuff you do with Kovat. Are you in in America? Let me in. Are you presenting the experience, the heartbreaking experience? So certainly an enormously frustrating experience of the American immigration system as a kind of therapy, both for people who are experiencing it And outsiders, Americans in general.Felipe Torres Medina: And for myself, I think.Andrew Keen: And of course, yes. So self therapy, so to speak.Felipe Torres Medina: I think so, I mean, it is for me a way to like comedy is a way to process things for me. It comes naturally to me, and it is inopportune at times when dealing with things like grief and things like that. But I mean event, anyone who's gone through grief, I think, can tell you there's one moment when things are going really bad and one of the people grieving with you makes one joke and you all laugh and you're like, this. This somehow fixed for one second. It was great. And then we're back to sadness. So I think comedy, you know, as much as again, I go back to what I said a second ago, it's about making you laugh and that making you laugh can create that partnership, can create that empathy and that that that community therapy, I guess, of people saying like, oh wait, yeah, this is weird, this is strange. And I feel better that someone else recognized it, that someone else saw this.Andrew Keen: It certainly makes you saying, hey, you wrote an interesting piece for The New Yorker this week. In times like these, where you, you write perhaps satirically about what you call good Americans. Is the book written for good or bad Americans or all Americans or no Americans? Who do you want to read this book?Felipe Torres Medina: Oh my God. I want everyone to read it and everyone to buy a copy so that I've got a lot of money. All right. No, I think it's written for most Americans and and immigrants as well. People living here. But I do think, yeah, it's written for everyone. I don't think I wrote it with particular like, kind of group in mind. I think to me, Obviously with my background and my political affiliations, I think liberals will enjoy the book. But I also think, you know, people who are conservative, people who are MAGA, people who don't necessarily agree on my vision of immigration, can learn a lot from the book. And I purposely wrote it so that these people wouldn't necessarily be alienated or dismissed in any way. You know, it's a huge topic, and I think it was more of a like, I know you have an opinion. I'm just showing you some evidence. Make with it what you will, but I'm just showing you some evidence that it might not be as you believe it is, both for liberals and conservatives. You know, wherever you are on the spectrum, liberals think it's super easy. Conservatives that think it's super easy but in a bad way to move here. And I'm here kind of saying like, hey, it's actually this super complicated thing that maybe we should talk about and we should try to reform in some way.Andrew Keen: Yeah. And I think even when it comes to immigration, often people are talking about different things. Conservatives tend to be talking about quote unquote, illegal immigration and progressives talking about something else, too. You deal with people who try to get into America illegally, or is that for you, just a subject that you're not touching in this book?Felipe Torres Medina: I address it very lightly toward the final pages of the book. I first of all, I can, like, claim ownership on all immigrant narratives. And I wrote this about the legal immigration system because it's what I've navigated. Again, I am not an immigration lawyer. I am not an activist. I'm a comedy writer who happened to go through the immigration like system, so I but I did feel like, you know, okay, well, let's talk for a second. You've seen how hard it is because I've shown you all this evidence in the first couple stories in the book. And again, I say in the last pages because because of the interactive nature of the book, this could there is potentially a way for you for this to be the first, one of the first things you read in the book, but to where the last pages of the book, I say, okay, let's talk about you. We've seen how hard it is. Let's talk about the people who do so much to try and come here and who go even harder because they do it in the like, in the unauthorized way, you know, or the people who come here seeking asylum, which is a legal way to come to the United States, but is very difficult. So I do present that, but I do think it is not necessarily the subject of a comedy book, As I said earlier, when you're dealing with comedy, you want to be punching up. You want to be making fun of people in authority figures or in a sort of status position that is above the general population or the the voice of the comic. And with with undocumented immigrants and people trying to come here in irregular ways. It's it's very hard to find the humor there because these people are already suffering very much. And so to me, the line is threading the line of comedy there. It can very quickly turn into bullying or making fun of those people. And I don't want to do that because a lot of people are already doing that, and a lot of people who are already doing that work on this in this administration. So I don't I don't really want to mess with that.Andrew Keen: Philip, I'm not sure if you've got a a Spanish translation of the book. I'm sure there will be one eventually.Felipe Torres Medina: Hopefully.Andrew Keen: If people start reading this in Colombia, where you're from, Bolivia or Argentina, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, they think themselves, this is so hard to get in, even legally. Even if you have money to pay for lawyers, they might think, well, f**k it, I'll just try and get over the border illegally. And do you think in a way, I mean, it's obviously designed as a humor book, but in a way this would encourage any sane person to actually give up. I mean, go try and try and go somewhere else or just stay where you are.Felipe Torres Medina: I think, I think the book has a tone of I'm I'm a pretty optimistic person. So I think the book does have a tone of optimism and love for America. I do love the United States, where I, while presenting it as a difficult thing, I am also saying, like it? It's pretty good. You're going to have a good time if you make it here. So I don't think it will be a deterrent. Whether it's some sort of Trojan horse to create more people, to try and go through the border. I don't know, it'd be pretty funny if a funny book tended ended up doing that, but.Andrew Keen: It'd be great if we just got hold of the book and blamed you for for for all the illegal immigrants. But in all seriousness, it was been a lot of pieces recently about, according to the New York Times, people going silent for fear of retribution. As a comic writer and someone clearly on the left, the progressive in American politics. Do you think that there is a new culture of fear by some of your friends and colleagues in the comedy business? Are they fearing retribution? Trump, of all people, doesn't like to be laughed that some people say that he he only wanted to be president after Obama so brilliantly and comically destroyed him a few years ago.Felipe Torres Medina: I think in comedy, you know, I think people are tired of talking of Trump because, again, as I said, ten years of writing about him. I don't think anyone is necessarily afraid of talking about him or making fun of him. I think that is or his administration. I think that is proven like this past week with explosion of memes, making fun of J.D. Vance, his face, you know, to the point where J.D. Vance has tried to hop on the meme and be like, ha ha! Yes, I enjoy this very much too. Good job members. So like, obviously, first of all, he doesn't like it, but I think everyone is. And I think this is something that America does so well. Americans like to make fun of politicians, period. And even though I think in certain spaces of, you know, politics and activism, there might be fear of retribution that is much more marked. I think the let's make fun of of the Emperor for having no clothes that make fun of them is an instinct that that it's not going away and it won't go away any, anytime soon.Andrew Keen: Philip, finally, you've written a funny book about immigration. But of course, behind all the humor is a seriousness. Lots of jokes. It's a very entertaining, amusing, creative book. But it also, I think, suggests reform. You've given a great deal of thought. You've experienced it yourself. How can America improve its immigration story so that we don't have in the future more satirical books like America Like Me and what are the the reforms, realistically, that can be made that even conservatives might buy into?Felipe Torres Medina: Well, I think one of the biggest things is, if you look at it historically, there hasn't been comprehensive immigration reform since Clinton. Which is ridiculous. You know, we're nearing on 30 years there, and we're. We're basically 30 years since. And, you know, I'm 33, so it's a whole lifetime for a lot of people with no changes to a system, no comprehensive changes to a system. And that just means that, like it is going to become outdated. So obviously it's very hard right now with the tenor, but what we really need is for people to sit down and talk about it as a normal issue. And this is not an invasion. This is not a national emergency. It is simply an issue, an economic issue. And I think one of the biggest things, and one of my personal suggestions is that. The US Citizenship and Immigration Service has always been, as I said, this kind of strange ancillary part of the government. It started as part of the Department of Labor, eventually joining the Department of Justice. Then it goes back to labor. It kind of always bounces around. They don't know where it fits. And in after 911, it became part of the Department of Homeland Security. And I think that creates a an aura around immigration as something that is threatening to homeland security. You know, which is not true.Andrew Keen: Yeah. I see what you're saying. It's become the the sex when it comes to, in the context of Victorian something that we don't talk about, and we use metaphors and similes to, to, to describe. And I take your point on that. But what about some and I take your point on the fact that the system hasn't been reformed since Clinton. But let's end with a couple of final, just Doable reforms, Philippe, that can actually make the experience better. That will improve that. That might be cheaper that the the Doge people might buy into that both left and right will accept and say, oh, that's fair enough. This is one way we can make immigrating to America a better experience.Felipe Torres Medina: I think, rewarding if we're talking about this idea of like, we want the best immigrants, educated people. I think actually rewarding that because the current system does not do that for most people trying to get a work visa. They're subjected to a lottery where the chances are something like 1 in 16 of getting a work visa to be here, and that is really bad for companies in general. It's something that the big tech firms have been lobbying against for years, and because there's no consensus in Congress to actually do something. We have been able to address that. So I think actually rewarding the kind of like higher education, high achievement immigrants. In a way that isn't just like if you have $5 million, you can buy a gold car. Yeah, and.Andrew Keen: That's what Trump promised.Felipe Torres Medina: Right? Actually rewarding it in a way that's like, okay, well, if you have a college degree, maybe you don't just get a one year permit to work here, you know, maybe you can. There is a path for you to if you made your education here, if you start your professional life here, if you are contributing because all these immigrants are paying taxes or contributing, maybe there's a path that isn't as full of trapdoors and pitfalls. I would say that that that's one of the biggest things. And honestly, higher up, like I, I do think maybe this is my progressive side of me, but it's like get more people working in USCIS so that these waits aren't taking forever and getting more immigration judges, you know, hire people who are going to make this system efficient, because that is, I think, unfortunately, what Dodge thinks that the, you know, we're going to slim it down so it doesn't cost that much. Yeah. But if you slam it down, you don't have enough people. And there's a lot of people are still trying to come here and they're still trying to do things. And if you don't have enough people like working those cases, all you're creating is backlogs.Andrew Keen: Yeah. I'm guessing when those transforms the American immigration system through AI, you'll have another opportunity for you to write a book. Yeah. I mean, I let me in an important book, a very funny book, but also a very serious book by one of America's leading young comic writers full time, writing for Stephen Colbert, Philippe Torres Medina. Philippe, congratulations on the book. It's out next week. I think it will become a bestseller. Important book. Very funny too, and we can say the same about you. Thank you so much.Felipe Torres Medina: Thank you so much for having me.Keen On America is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe
Join Friends Like Us for a vibrant discussion with Lamar Woods & Charles McBee! We celebrate Black excellence, discuss mental health in hip hop, review the Black National Anthem and more. Lamar Woods Lamar grew up in Atlanta, Ga. where he got his BA in Religious Studies at Georgia State University. Once he graduated, he moved to Los Angeles and got his start in Hollywood studying improv and sketch comedy at Upright Citizens Brigade. Lamar's writing credits include GRAND CREW (NBC), BROOKLYN 99 (NBC), SINGLE PARENTS (ABC), NEW GIRL (FOX), and SURVIVOR'S REMORSE (Starz). On the feature side, Lamar co-wrote and stars in IT'S A PARTY which is available on Roku & Amazon. You can also see Lamar performing around town with his all black, all male, improv/sketch team, The Big Team. Lamar has also recently released his sophomore hiphop album, Highly Sensitive Person, which is currently available on all DSPs. Highly Sensitive Person.. has successfully over 100, 000 streams Charles McBee is a respected NYC stand-up comedian and writer from Toledo, Ohio. He has made three national stand-up comedy appearances on Gotham Comedy Live and was a favorite on two FOX television shows, Laughs Seasons 1 and 2 and Punchline Seasons 1 and 2. Charles has written for several TV shows, including Uncommon Sense and Uncommon Sense Live with Charlamagne Tha God, VH1's Hip Hop Honors 2017, and was also a creative consultant on Nick Cannon's Wild N Out. He's most worked on the 2020 VMA's as well as the 2021 Golden Globes, hosted the 2021 Music Lives Festival for the Live X Live Network, and was the Head Writer for Comedy Central's Hell Of A Week, which was nominated for a Writers Guild Award. Charles has also gained a following on social media with his comedic commentary about growing up in the 80s and 90s. Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), TBS's The Last O.G, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Hysterical on FX, The Movie Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf.
If you're a regular Talkhouse Podcast listener you know that we most often feature musicians on the show, but we're always happy when creative people in other fields share a chat, too—especially when they've had the kind of interesting careers that today's two guests have. Haley Joel Osment made a permanent mark on pop culture when he uttered the words “I see dead people” in 1999's The Sixth Sense, made when he was just 10 years old. The line still reverberates today: Just listen to Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us." Osment was nominated for an Oscar for his role as a psychic kid, and he has had a fruitful, relatively low-key acting career since—no scandals, no blockbusters, just a bunch of really interesting work. As you'll hear in this podcast, he's fully down to earth about his unusual journey—even ready to find a tiny bit of positivity in the recent L.A. fires, which completely destroyed both his and his parents' house. He's chatting here with his actor-comedian friend Matt Walsh, who's probably best known for playing Mike McLintock opposite Julia Louis-Dreyfuss on Veep. It was the perfect vehicle for Walsh, who made his name as an improv comedian in Chicago before his troupe, Upright Citizens Brigade, which also features Amy Poehler, took their show to New York. Walsh is one of those guys who brings the funny to every movie and TV part he's in: If you don't recognize his name, you'll certainly recognize his face. The reason these two came together today is that a movie they co-starred in is just coming out: It's called Not An Artist, and it's an ensemble comedy about a group of artists who gather at a mysterious retreat—organized by no less than The RZA—to decide whether they're actually cut out to be artists. It's available on demand now. These two chat not only about that funny film, but also about Osment's experience with the L.A. fires, about Walsh's Chicago background, weird Airbnbs, the magic of David Mamet's dialogue and lots more. It's a good one, enjoy. Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Haley Joel Osment and Matt Walsh for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform, and be sure to check out all the great stuff on the Talkhouse Podcast Network. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range. See you next time! Find more illuminating podcasts on the Talkhouse Podcast Network. Visit talkhouse.com to read essays, reviews, and more. Follow @talkhouse on Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter (X), Threads, and Facebook.
Franklin and Kate sat down with comedy legend Ed Helms to explore his journey from Saturday Night Live-fueled interest in high school, to performing with the Upright Citizens Brigade as a young adult to making waves on The Daily Show during the George W. Bush era. They discuss how those experiences shaped his perspective on political comedy today, dive into his roles in blockbuster hits like Vacation and The Hangover trilogy, and chat about his Netflix project, Coffee & Kareem. Plus, don't miss the surprising twist: Ed Helms isn't just a comedic genius—he's also a talented bluegrass musician.Questions? Comments? Criticism? Hit us up on social media at @theblcklst.This conversation was recoreded in 2020. To learn more about The Black List, visit www.blcklst.com. Mentions:+Coffee & Kareem: https://www.netflix.com/title/80220009 +Upright Citizens Brigade: https://ucbcomedy.com +The Daily Show: http://www.cc.com/shows/the-daily-show-with-trevor-noah.
Sebastian Conelli is a New York-based improviser, comedian, and actor known for his work with the Upright Citizens Brigade and his endearing and hilarious podcast Loud About Nothing.In this episode of the Your Own Medicine Podcast, Kallie and Sebastian unpack self-discovery, masculinity, and the unfiltered truth about personal growth. From navigating societal norms to using comedy as a mirror, they dive deep into:✔️ The hidden cost of traditional masculinity ✔️ Why vulnerability is the ultimate power move ✔️ The art of comedy as truth-telling ✔️ How relationships reveal the rawest parts of ourselves _____________ To connect with Sebastian on social media: https://www.instagram.com/sebastianconelli/?hl=en His podcast, "Loud About Nothing": https://www.instagram.com/loudaboutnothing/?hl=en To connect with Kallie on social media: https://www.instagram.com/kali.somatics/ https://www.tiktok.com/@kali.somaticsTo learn more about Kallie's Bali Retreat: https://kalisomatics.com/baliretreatTo learn more about Kallie's signature program, VENOM: https://kalisomatics.com/venom
Accede a los episodios completos y contenido exclusivo en chisteinterno.com y en patreon.com/chisteinterno Episodio 66 - Joanna Hausmann Joanna Hausmann es una comediante, escritora y actriz venezolana, considerada una figura clave en la cultura digital venezolana contemporánea. Ganó popularidad en la plataforma digital “Flama”, donde su serie “Joanna Rants” ha acumulado millones de vistas. Desde entonces, ha desarrollado una carrera prolífica en el mundo de la televisión en los Estados Unidos, donde fue guionista y coproductora ejecutiva de la serie de Disney “Hamster and Gretel”, la cual ganó un Emmy en 2023. Como actriz de voz, ha participado en series animadas como “Milo Murphy 's Law”, “Monsters at Work” y “Harper House”, y actualmente se desempeña como guionista para la próxima temporada de la reconocida serie “Phineas y Ferb”. En nuestra conversación, hablamos sobre su transición de Nueva York a California, cómo el stand-up fue clave en el descubrimiento de su identidad, la importancia de “Flama” en la cultura digital, su amor por la escritura, su paso por “The Upright Citizens Brigade”, la relevancia del trabajo en equipo en la comedia, el reto de ser jefa de escritores y cómo un chiste visual repetitivo en “Hamster and Gretel” le valió un Emmy. ¡Gracias Joanna por visitar Chiste Interno! Comediantes: El próximo show de “Comediantes” es el 26 de febrero. Reserva tus entradas acá: https://ticketplate.com/checkout/comediantes-una-noche-de-stand-up-202502262000 Miami Pod Nights Vamos a ser parte de “Miami Pod Night”, una noche única para encontrarte con tus podcasts favoritos y anécdotas e historias fascinates sobre la creación y el desarrollo de estos proyectos. Adquiere tus tickets aquí: https://ticketplate.com/checkout/chiste-interno-miami-pod-night-2402212000 Chiste Interno Academia: (Cursos On-Demand y Talleres en Vivo) Cursos On-Demand: “Aprendo Stand-Up” y “Acelerador de Chistes” con Reuben Morales: Aprende a crear rutinas de Stand-up y a escribir chistes de forma ágil y efectiva. Disponibles en: chisteinterno.com/reuben Talleres en vivo: “Crea Sketches de Comedia”, dirigido por Charlie Nelson: Este sábado 8 de febrero en Miami. Tickets en: chisteinterno.com/crea-sketches “Edita Sketches de Comedia”, dirigido por Cesar Kensen: Este domingo 9 de febrero (Online en vivo). Tickets en: chisteinterno.com/edita-sketches Para más información acerca de Chiste Interno Academia, visita: chisteinterno.com/academia TIMESTAMPS 0:00 | La diferencia entre Los Ángeles y NYC y la infancia de Joanna Hausmann 20:11 | La comedia como identidad y el paso de Joanna por Upright Citizens Brigade 27:15 | El Paso de Joanna Hausmann por Flama y la importancia de la autenticidad. 1:13:26 | Trabajar en Disney y ser headwriter 1:27:20 | La relación de Joanna con Venezuela Créditos Creado y conducido: Oswaldo Graziani Producción ejecutiva por Oswaldo Graziani y Adrián Salas Producción, post-producción y música por Adrián Salas Asistencia de producción por Katherine Miranda Edición de formato largo por Yamn Milán Edición de formato corto por Ricardo Carmona Comunidad y Contenido por Pedro Graterol Diseño gráfico por Bodega Creative Redacción por Yxa Fuentes Estudio de grabación: Astro Studio chisteinterno.com
"Veep" star and Upright Citizens Brigade founding member Matt Walsh joins The Andy Richter Call-In Show this week to hear your road rage stories! In this episode of Andy's weekly SiriusXM radio show, callers share stories about defeated dads, cowardly driving instructors, jerks on the road, and much more. Plus, Matt and Andy reminisce about some Chicago memories.Want to call in? Fill out our Google Form at BIT.LY/CALLANDYRICHTER or dial 855-266-2604.This episode previously aired on SiriusXM's Conan O'Brien Radio (ch. 104). If you'd like to hear these episodes in advance, new episodes premiere exclusively for SiriusXM subscribers on Conan O'Brien Radio and the SiriusXM app every Wednesday at 4pm ET/1pm PT.
On this episode we talk about the energy and commitment to be funny in everyday life with famed actor, writer, and improviser, Adam Pally who thinks it's just a way of hiding yourself. We talk about being less funny and more authentic. We also discuss Mr. Throwback, Happy Endings, adulting, fatherhood, why New York is better than Los Angeles, parents who sing, deciding UCB was something Adam had to do, the artistic tribe he joined, why he thinks old show business is dead, and how his kid can't believe Adam knows Childish Gamino. Bio: Hailing from Livingston, New Jersey, Adam Pally has quickly found his place as an actor and comedian in Hollywood. Pally is most known for Happy Endings, The Mindy Project, Sonic the Hedgehog 1 & 2, the live-action spinoff series Knuckles, the Peacock mockumentary series Mr. Throwback, which stars NBA All-Star Stephen Curry, Pally will next be seen in the sci-fi dramedy O Horizon, & HBO Max's 101 Places to Party Before You Die. Pally has been a member of the Upright Citizens Brigade since 2003 and continues to write and perform sketch comedy. Pally is a graduate of the New School in New York and currently resides in New York.
Jeff Hiller is an actor and comedian. Alongside Bridget Everett he stars in the HBO comedy Somebody Somewhere. The series just wrapped its third and final season. Hiller joins us on Bullseye to talk about the show. We also get into Hiller's time as a teacher and performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade theater in New York. He talks about what he learned there, what he loved about it and what frustrated him most about the experience.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
In this episode of The Ethics Experts, Nick welcomes Cindy Marsh. Cindy, a practicing improvisor with over 12 years of experience, is a member of the Applied Improvisation Network. She honed her skills at improv powerhouses like The Second City, Upright Citizens Brigade, and Magnet Theater. Cindy's background in Global Logistics and Trade Compliance surprisingly intertwined with improv, as the skills proved valuable in navigating her career. Experiencing the positive impact in both her personal and professional life, she began sharing her experience and training with others. Now, as the founder of Good Human Improv Company, Cindy empowers individuals to discover their comedic potential and embrace the transformative power of improv. https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindysmarsh/
The early bird gets the worm. What goes around, comes around. It's always darkest just before dawn. We carry these little nuggets of wisdom—these adages—with us, deep in our psyche. But recently we started wondering: are they true? Like, objectively, scientifically, provably true?So we picked a few and set out to fact check them. We talked to psychologists, neuroscientists, runners, a real estate agent, skateboarders, an ornithologist, a sociologist and an astrophysicist, among others, and we learned that these seemingly simple, clear-cut statements about us and our world, contain whole universes of beautiful, vexing complexity and deeper, stranger bits of wisdom than we ever imagined.Special thanks to Pamela D'Arc, Daniela Murcillo, Amanda Breen, Akmal Tajihan, Patrick Keene, Stephanie Leschek and Alexandria Iona from the Upright Citizens Brigade, We Run Uptown, Coaches Reph and Patty from Circa ‘95, Julia Lucas and Coffey from the Noname marathon training program.We have some exciting news! In the “Zoozve” episode, Radiolab named its first-ever quasi-moon, and now it's your turn! Radiolab has teamed up with The International Astronomical Union to launch a global naming contest for one of Earth's quasi-moons. This is your chance to make your mark on the heavens. Submit your name ideas now through September, or vote on your favorites here: https://radiolab.org/moonEPISODE CREDITS: Reported by - Alex Neason, Simon Adler, Sindhu Gnanasambandan, Annie McEwen, Maria Paz Gutierrez, and W. Harry FortunaProduced by - Simon Adler, Matt Kielty, Annie McEwen, Maria Paz Gutierrez, and Sindhu GnanasambandanOriginal music and sound design contributed by - Jeremy BloomFact-checking by - Emily Krieger and Diane A. Kellyand Edited by - Pat Walters and Alex NeasonSign-up for our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Sign up (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)!Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab (https://members.radiolab.org/) today.Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing radiolab@wnyc.org.Leadership support for Radiolab's science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Thanks to the success of the beloved Comedy Central series, Broad City, Abbi Jacobson is widely known as a comedic force in film and television. But, as of late, she's busy uniting her comedy skillset with more dramatic performance opportunities, and the power of her ability to do both is undeniable. After soaring in the canceled-too-soon Prime Video series, A League of Their Own, Jacobson joins the ensemble of yet another brilliant comedy and drama combo, Netflix's No Good Deed.At the center of Liz Feldman's (Dead to Me) latest for the streamer, we find Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano as Lydia and Paul Morgan, a couple gearing up to sell their gorgeous 1920s Spanish-style Los Feliz villa. The appeal of the property sparks a bidding war, a war Jacobson's Leslie finds herself right smack in the middle of. Leslie and her wife Sarah, played by Poppy Liu, are ready to do just about anything to snag the house, but then they start to suspect there might be some dark and dangerous secrets tied to the property — secrets that'll test how far they're truly willing to go to get their dream home. As we now come to expect from a Liz Feldman show, No Good Deed is a laugh-out-loud romp that's also brimming with heart and pathos. Jacobson is especially adept at achieving a pitch-perfect blend of the two qualities, further cementing the fact that she's not only a hugely talented comedic actress, but a dramatic star, too. In celebration of No Good Deed's release on Netflix, Jacobson swung by for a Collider Ladies Night chat to revisit her choice to leave the Atlantic Theater Company for the The Upright Citizens Brigade, and how, all these years later, she's finally come to accept that she didn't have to study at an acting conservatory to take on dramatic roles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Director / Co-Writer Kyle Mooney and Co-Writer Evan Winter are here to turn back time, discuss video store viewings, high school cliques and more. This interview contains mild spoilers for Y2K. More about Y2K On the last night of 1999, two high school juniors crash a New Years Eve party, only to find themselves fighting for their lives in this dial-up disaster comedy. More about Kyle Mooney Kyle Mooney is known for his nine seasons on Saturday Night Live. He co-created, co-wrote and starred in Saturday Morning All Star Hits! which was released on Netflix in 2021. Most recently Kyle appeared, opposite Jennifer Lawrence in No Hard Feelings. In 2017, he co-wrote and starred in Brigsby Bear, which premiered in competition at Sundance and was released theatrically by Sony Pictures Classics. His other film appearances include Zoolander 2, directed by Ben Stiller, and Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising. Mooney also starred in the HBO series Hello Ladies and the show's movie adaptation, Hello Ladies: The Movie, opposite Stephen Merchant. Other notable television appearances include NBC's Parks And Recreation and Netflix's Arrested Development. Mooney is a co-founder of the Good Neighbor sketch group and has been a regular writer and performer at Upright Citizens Brigade since 2007. Y2K is Kyle's feature directorial debut. More about Evan Winter Evan Winter is a writer, director and producer based in Los Angeles. Through his production company Arms Race he has created music videos, commercials and short form content for Paramount, Sony, Warner Music Group, and Universal, with work appearing in The New York Times, NPR, MTV, Rolling Stone and more. His debut feature film, Y2K, for A24, will have its World Premiere at the SXSW Film Festival. Y2K is in theaters now. Find us at www.werewatchingwhat.com instagram.com/werewatchingwhat tiktok.com/@werewatchingwhat THEDHK can be found at instagram.com/thedhk , twitter.com/thedhk, and facebook.com/thedhkmovies
Rob Huebel can currently be seen in the comedy feature film All Happy Families (costarring Josh Radnor and Becky Ann Baker) on VOD, but he is never out of sight for long. An improv comedian and actor par excellence who honed his chops at Upright Citizens Brigade, he frequently works with such pals as Rob Riggle, Paul Scheer, and Will Arnett. His movie credits include I Love You, Man, The Descendants and Keanu and his TV resume is packed with shows like Transparent, Arrested Development and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Leonard and Jessie found Rob to be whip-smart, warm and funny…in short, a perfect guest.
This week, I am honored to host the legendary Matt Besser. Matt is a founding member of the iconic sketch comedy troupe Upright Citizens Brigade, co-founder of UCB Theater, and the genius behind the popular podcast Improv4humans. With over three decades in the comedy scene, Matt has graced both stage and screen, leaving an indelible mark with his sharp wit and improvisational prowess. His work includes appearances on hit shows like Modern Family and Parks & Recreation, as well as standout roles in movies such as Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and Drillbit Taylor. Be sure to check out Matt Besser's podcast Improv4Humans at improv4humans.com. Don't forget to rate and review the podcast to help bring you more amazing content! If you're listening on Spotify, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.
This one is HUGE!!! Forrest, Conan Neutron, Kristina Oakes, and Kt Baldassaro sit down with Director Adam McKay (Don't Look Up, Vice, the Big Short, Anchorman, Step Brothers) to talk about his filmmaking career. Adam is a writer/director who came out of Upright Citizens Brigade and then Saturday Night Live Before leaving with Will Ferrell in 2001 to start making movies, together they co-wrote Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Talledega Nights, Step Brothers, and the Other Guys. Then Adam began working on darker political satire, first directing and writing The Big Short, about the guys who shorted the housing market before the 2008 Crash Followed by Vice and his most ambitious project to date Don't Look Up. We went over Adam's entire career!!! #AdamMckay #vice #dickcheney #dontlookup #willferrell #stepbrothers #filmpodcast #film #filmdirector #leonardodicaprio #christianbale #saturdaynight #saturdaynightlive #uprightcitizensbrigade Watch KT Baldassaro & Jared Skolnick's Girl in the Basement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcn2Q57VXEQ Join our discord: https://discord.gg/jhvuexTJThe Movie Night Extravaganza Patreon helps us keep the show going.. become a Patron and support the show!! https://patreon.com/MovieNightExtra Conan Neutron has music available from Conan Neutron & The Secret Friends https://neutronfriends.bandcamp.com OR if you want to become a Protonic Reversal patron: https://patreon.com/protonicreversal
Welcome to That One Audition! Today's guest is the multi-talented Stephanie Koenig, a Michigan native who got her start in performance through dance competitions before earning an acting degree from Michigan State University. A comedy veteran, she sharpened her skills at Upright Citizens Brigade and Groundlings, frequently collaborating with some of their biggest names. Koenig's acting credits span from starring roles in English Teacher and Lessons in Chemistry to notable appearances in The Flight Attendant and The Offer, where she portrayed casting executive Andrea Eastman, helping to assemble the iconic cast of The Godfather. Behind the camera, Koenig has made waves by writing, directing, and starring in projects like A Spy Movie alongside frequent collaborator Brian Jordan Alvarez, as well as her hit short-form series Stupid Idiots, which was in development at Paramount TV. These are the unforgettable stories that landed Stephanie Koenig right here. CREDITS: English Teacher Lessons in Chemistry The Offer The Flight Attendant Modern Family Swedish Dicks Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Stupid Idiots Sick Girl GUEST LINKS: IMDB: Stephanie Koenig, Actress, Producer, Writer INSTAGRAM: @stephaniekoenig THAT ONE AUDITION'S LINKS: For exclusive content surrounding this and all podcast episodes, sign up for our amazing newsletter at AlyshiaOchse.com. And don't forget to snap and post a photo while listening to the show and tag me: @alyshiaochse & @thatoneaudition MAGIC MIND: Get 48% off with promo code ONEAUDITION20 SLAYTEMBER: Starting September 15, 2024! THE BRIDGE FOR ACTORS: Become a WORKING ACTOR THE PRACTICE TRACK: Membership to Practice Weekly PATREON: @thatoneaudition CONSULTING: Get 1-on-1 advice for your acting career from Alyshia Ochse COACHING: Get personalized coaching from Alyshia on your next audition or role INSTAGRAM: @alyshiaochse INSTAGRAM: @thatoneaudition WEBSITE: AlyshiaOchse.com ITUNES: Subscribe to That One Audition on iTunes SPOTIFY: Subscribe to That One Audition on Spotify STITCHER: Subscribe to That One Audition on Stitcher EPISODE CREDITS: WRITER: Erin McCluskey WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings ASSISTANT: Elle Powell SOCIAL OUTREACH: Alara Ceri
On this week's episode of DTT, Mike meets up with Brooke Comegys. The creator of "Titty Monster" shares what inspired and ultimately led to the creation of the brand,. Brooke also shares her recent legal victory over Monster Energy for trademark rights to Titty Monster. Brooke also discusses her time living in NYC pursing a film degree, interning for Saturday Night Live, and joining Upright Citizens Brigade.
Actor and writer Andy Richter is best-known for his long-running role as Conan O'Brien's announcer and sidekick throughout multiple late-night shows. He rose to fame alongside Conan in 1993 on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and reprised this role on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, which premiered in 2009. In 2010, the duo moved to TBS, where Conan ran for 11 years with Richter once again acting as announcer, writer, general sidekick and participant in comedy sketches. Richter has guest-starred in popular shows such as Arrested Development and Hulu's Love, Victor. His feature film work includes Scary Movie 2, Elf, Talladega Nights, Blades of Glory, Semi-Pro, and Marcel the Shell With Shoes On. Andy's also had a prolific voiceover career across numerous projects Mort in DreamWorks Studios' Madagascar films, as well as in the Nickelodeon series Penguins of Madagascar. Since 2019, Richter has hosted the popular podcast The Three Questions with Andy Richter, has appeared in the film 80 for Brady and recently finished production on the upcoming film First Time Female Director. Richter is a graduate of Chicago's Improv Olympic and Annoyance Theater, and a frequent performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade theater in Los Angeles. Join us for this fun, insightful, in-depth chat about Andy's life and career. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel
Geeks rule! Kat Jones is Founder of Motiv PR, based in CA, a global communications company repping such clients as Critical Role, Felicia Day, Titmouse Animation, Upright Citizens Brigade, Real Good Touring, E3 and the ESA, Blind Squirrel Games and more. She was named one of the top PR pros in the industry by Business Insider three years in a row and has been extensively profiled in West Coast media. She just returned from San Diego Comic Con where she had a front row seat to some of the biggest pop culture news in the country right now. We talk about SDCC and the PR that goes into promoting big brands. The PR Podcast is a show about how the news gets made. We talk with great PR people, reporters, and communicators about how the news gets made and strategies for publicity that drive business goals. Host Jody Fisher is the founder of Jody Fisher PR and works with clients across the healthcare, higher education, financial services, real estate, entertainment, and non-profit verticals. Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok at @ThePRPodcast. The PR Podcast: Facebook Twitter Instagram TikTok Kat Jones: Instagram MotivPR: Facebook Instagram Linkedin --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theprpodcast/support
The Matrix, Chapter 19 Featuring a chapter novelized by Daniel Kibblesmith (Colbert, Clone High), and narrated by June Diane Raphael (How Did This Get Made!) plus an interview with Suzi Barrett. Andy Bobrow has written for Community, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Bless the Harts, The Last Man on Earth, Malcolm in the Middle, SNL, and Krapopolis. Lane Moore is a stand-up comedian who is the creator and host of Tinder Live! With Lane Moore, and her writing has appeared in The New Yorker and The Onion. Alyssa Sabo is a comedian and improviser at the Upright Citizens Brigade. Each season on The Novelizers, we take a beloved film, give each scene to a TV comedy writer (from SNL, The Simpsons, Colbert, and more) to novelize. Then we give those scenes to a comedian or actor to narrate. Plus interviews with the people who (may or may not have) made the original film. The Novelizers is produced by Stephen Levinson, with Graham Douglas, Kevin Carter, Christine Bullen, Dennis DiClaudio, Rob Kutner, and Suchetas Bokil. Music and additional editing by Cole Emoff. Graphic design by Crystal Dennis. Theme song by Andrew Lin, performed by Knotts. Reprise performed by Paige Beller and sometimes Aimee Mann. The Novelizers is a work of parody, unauthorized by Warner Brothers. Follow The Novelizers on Instagram, Threads, Facebook and TikTok, and please donate to our Patreon. Copyright 2024 Novelizers LLC.
Jake, Gareth and special guest Matt Walsh (Veep, Upright Citizens Brigade) talk to callers about a rowdy kickball team and a business's Instagram getting spammed by some very specific bots. Later, the guys talk to someone about a grabber toy getting out of hand and we get a special update from the second call of last week's episode “Car Crash Turned Train Wreck.”Want to call in? Email your question to helpfulpod@gmail.com.PATREON (Early Access, Bonus Calls and Q&As): Patreon.com/HereToHelpPodVIDEO: Youtube.com/@HeretoHelpPodMERCH: heretohelppod.comINSTAGRAM: @HereToHelpPodTIKTOK: @HereToHelpPodIf you're enjoying the show, make sure to rate We're Here to Help 5-Stars on Apple Podcasts.Advertise on We're Here to Help via Gumball.fm See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Taylor Coffman thinks caretaking is hotA Fresh Story Podcast, season 9, episode 1We chatted with Taylor Coffman, an actor, author, and patient advocate, who shared her inspiring story of resilience after a rare disease diagnosis. Taylor's acting career, marked by versatility and depth, includes roles on "Silicon Valley" and "Feud: Bette and Joan." Her life took a dramatic turn during the birth of her daughter, leading her to become a passionate patient advocate and storyteller.Taylor shared how she survived multiple organ failures, emphasizing the importance of a strong support system and effective communication with healthcare providers. Her husband Zach played a crucial role in her recovery, advocating for her when she couldn't speak. Taylor's experiences inspired her to write for Substack Rare Disease Girl, where she chronicles her journey with humor and authenticity, aiming to educate and empower others facing similar challenges.We explored Taylor's journey of navigating life with a chronic illness, the impact on her relationships, and her approach to parenting. Taylor discussed her upcoming book, which covers relationships, career, and gratitude, highlighting the importance of embracing vulnerability and finding strength. Her story is a powerful testament to the human spirit's resilience and the transformative power of fresh starts.As an actor, author, and patient advocate, Taylor Coffman has captivated audiences with her unique blend of humor and authenticity sharing her inspiring personal story of survival and resilience after an extremely violent and rare disease diagnosis.Before her disease, Taylor's acting career on stage and screen was marked by versatility and depth. A storyteller with disarming humor, Taylor has a particularly extensive background in comedy, having worked on Jimmy Kimmel Live, studying at Upright Citizens Brigade, traveling with musical comedy shows to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as well as a recurring role on season 2 of HBO's Silicon Valley directed by Mike Judge, Life in Pieces on CBS, and Rachel Dratch's Late Night Snack on TruTV. She also appeared in Feud: Bette and Joan directed by Ryan Murphy.In addition, Taylor has over a decade of experience in creative project management in media, including former operations lead for LAist Studios, an award-winning podcast production studio.Everything in Taylor's life ground to a halt during the birth of her daughter. Her delivery triggered atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, leaving Taylor near death with multiple organ failure. Defying all odds, her experience inspired her to work as a patient advocate, empowering others with their life-changing diagnosis.Taylor's message of patient empowerment quickly gained momentum. In her article for the Huffington Post, I Spent Weeks Near Death In The ICU. Asking My Doctors To Do This 1 Thing May Have Saved My Life, Taylor shares how her medical catastrophes forever changed how she approaches her own healthcare. The article topped Apple News as the #1 story, garnering nearly 1 million impressions in 48 hours.Taylor Coffman has shared her story as keynote speaker at the aHUS Foundation Conference, as well as sharing her story to the FDA, the American Society of Hematologists, and The Moth among others.At the intersection of disability, motherhood and adapting to a new chronic illness, Taylor began writing for Substack Rare Disease Girl - which chronicles her experience of living with a rare medical condition and navigating life's inevitable challenges. In Taylor's upcoming book, she hopes to educate and advocate for patients, as well as to bring more awareness to life with chronic illness. Bridging her comedy and project management expertise, she naturally weaves together the harsh reality of her difficult healthcare journey with light, laughter, and ultimate path to greater purpose and...
The Matrix, Chapter 18 Featuring a chapter novelized by Andy Bobrow, and narrated by Lane Moore plus an interview with Alyssa Sabo. Andy Bobrow has written for Community, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Bless the Harts, The Last Man on Earth, Malcolm in the Middle, SNL, and Krapopolis. Lane Moore is a stand-up comedian who is the creator and host of Tinder Live! With Lane Moore, and her writing has appeared in The New Yorker and The Onion. Alyssa Sabo is a comedian and improviser at the Upright Citizens Brigade. Each season on The Novelizers, we take a beloved film, give each scene to a TV comedy writer (from SNL, The Simpsons, Colbert, and more) to novelize. Then we give those scenes to a comedian or actor to narrate. Plus interviews with the people who (may or may not have) made the original film. The Novelizers is produced by Stephen Levinson, with Graham Douglas, Kevin Carter, Christine Bullen, Dennis DiClaudio, Rob Kutner, and Suchetas Bokil. Music and additional editing by Cole Emoff. Graphic design by Crystal Dennis. Theme song by Andrew Lin, performed by Knotts. Reprise performed by Paige Beller and sometimes Aimee Mann. The Novelizers is a work of parody, unauthorized by Warner Brothers. Follow The Novelizers on Instagram, Threads, Facebook and TikTok, and please donate to our Patreon. Copyright 2024 Novelizers LLC.
From improv4humans, the Upright Citizens Brigade and silver screens big and small, Matt Besser returns to the chart orchard! Topics include: Carp Fishing, Creek by the Water, Crack Country, Black Frisbee.Subscribe at www.whochartedpod.com to support the show, and gain access to Two Charted, the weekly Howard/Brett deep-dive bonus show, and the entire Who Charted and Preem Streem archives ad-free! Now includes the Who Charted Holiday Bundle.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
We had a great conversation with Emmy Award-winning Actress Danielle Bisutti on The Chris & Sandy Show. We talked about her role in The Blue Rose, what she learned from her role, her life and so much more!Born and raised in Los Angeles, Danielle Bisutti attended California State University, Fullerton, where she received a BA in Acting and Musical Theatre graduating Magna Cum Laude. While attending CSUF, she was nominated multiple times for Best Actress in the Irene Ryan Competition and took the runner-up position at The Lincoln Theatre in NYC. She played the role of ‘Sheila' in a California-based production of Hair and brought the cast to Chicago to perform at the Democratic National Convention, along with a five-week run at The New Athenaeum Theatre. Her other theater credits include Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes, Maggie in Boy's Life, Yelena in Uncle Vanya, Fastrada in Pippin and Ophelia in Hamlet. She also studied with Lesley Kahn, performed with the Upright Citizens Brigade and studied with the Film Actor's Workshop under Eric Kline. Bisutti has been seen on some of television's most popular series including Parks & Recreation, Last Man Standing, CSI: Miami, Without a Trace, The O.C., Castle, NCIS, Criminal Minds, 90210, Shonda Rhimes' For the People, Private Practice, Body of Proof, Two and a Half Men and Boston Legal. She is best known for her starring role as Amanda Cantwell opposite Keke Palmer on the Nickelodeon series True Jackson VP. Her film credits include Insidious Chapter 2, Universal Studio's Curse of Chucky, Michael Rosenbaum's indie comedy Back in the Day, Lionsgate's Venice Underground opposite Eric Mabius, The Neighbor with Matthew Modine and Lionsgate's Faith-based film No Greater Love. She won a Los Angeles area Emmy Award in 2022 for hosting Street Music Los Angeles. She co-produced the web series Hollywood Girl in which she had a starring role as Pasha Maneer. Her talents lend to both onscreen and behind the scenes work. In 2018, Bisutti provided the voice and motion capture for the Witch of the Woods, who is later to be revealed as the Goddess Freya in the Sony Playstation video game God of War. She continued her role for the 2022 release of God of War: Ragnarok – roles for which she has been BAFTA nominated for. Additionally, she performance captured the role of “Claudia Grimstone” in Madden NFL 21: Face of the Franchise and voiced “Wonder Woman” in the Lego Movie 2 video game. A Writer, Producer and Director: Her company Perfect Timing Productions' current projects include Mood Swings, a TV comedy series for Pureflix, and short film Little May which was an "Official Selection" of Academy Award qualifying LA Shorts International Film Festival and Fade In Awards Grand Jury Prize "Best Short Script" 2019. Projects in development include TV pilots: Wonderland, Damsels and feature films projects: The Fort, The Christmas Rebound, and Wake Me.As a Singer-Songwriter, Danielle's original songs have been placed in films Venice Underground, April Moon, In the Presence of, Shadowheart, and theme song Heaven for the indie feature City of... which she performed live at the 19th Annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards Desert AIDS Project accompanying dancers Kupono and Marko from So You Think You Can Dance with with choreography by Ray Leeper. She received a Los Angeles Music Award for "Best Female Singer-Songwriter." Her album "Glimmer" was nominated for AAA Album of the Year and her song "In Passing" has received Unanimous Choice Recipient Award for Independent AC Single of the Year. Music Connection Magazine has featured Danielle in its Hot 100 Unsigned Artists list. Annually Danielle sings on stage with rock n' roll legends at the Venice Beach Sign Holiday Lighting ceremony, past artists: Al Jardine of The Beach Boys and Andy Summers of The Police. Danielle sings and plays piano, guitar and ukulele with her band Midnight Velvet, interweaving jazz and blues standards in...
Paul W. Downs co-created the HBO Max show with his wife, Lucia Aniello and their friend and collaborator, Jen Statsky. The three met at the Upright Citizens Brigade. Downs talks with Ann Marie Baldonado about how they came up with the idea for Hacks, tackling cancel culture, and how his wife continued directing the show while she was in labor. Hacks is nominated for 16 Emmy awards this year, including for Downs for his role as Jimmy. Also, David Bianculli reflects on the Turner Classic Movies series Two for One. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Paul W. Downs co-created the HBO Max show with his wife, Lucia Aniello and their friend and collaborator, Jen Statsky. The three met at the Upright Citizens Brigade. Downs talks with Ann Marie Baldonado about how they came up with the idea for Hacks, tackling cancel culture, and how his wife continued directing the show while she was in labor. Hacks is nominated for 16 Emmy awards this year, including for Downs for his role as Jimmy. Also, David Bianculli reflects on the Turner Classic Movies series Two for One. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
WGN Radio's Dave Plier catches up with actor and comedian Matt Walsh on the relevance of HBO's ‘Veep' today, his latest role on ‘Manhunt' about the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and his improv journey with Players Workshop, Upright Citizens Brigade and IO Chicago and their IOFest all weekend long. For tickets and more, visit […]
Shannon is joined by actor & comedian, Alyssa Sabo! You can find her on Starz's Gaslit, being silly on the iconic Upright Citizens Brigade stage, reading from her Christian journal on TikTok, or fainting on the Price is Right stage. Alyssa & Shannon discuss growing up Christian, who should pay on the first date, giving people headaches with the volume of their voices, and her dog Paula Abdul (who has yet to win over Shannon— jury is still out).Alyssa Sabo: https://www.instagram.com/alyssa_sabo/(0:00) Banter(16:33) AITA for a friendship ending over $5? (Alyssa's story)(28:25) AITA for saying it's not fair that my sister gets to go to an awesome summer camp while I go to church camp?(46:00) AITA for embarrassing my friend's boyfriend?(01:00:52) AITA for asking my co-worker to control the volume of her voice? Submit to our Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AITApod/Join us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/aitapodWhat's on Patreon?200+ Bonus eps- NO ADSand accurate timestamps- Discord with awesome communityTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@aitapodInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/aita_pod/
This week we chat with one of Kellin's oldest childhood pals, Kristen Bartlett and her lovely other half, Jason Gore. Kristen is a five-time Emmy-nominated writer and performer, and is so insanely talented with her word. Her husband Jason is a hilarious comedian, writer, actor, podcaster and voice artist. Jason has a hysterical podcast called 108.9 The Hawk, in addition to The Best Show with Tom Scharpling that you will promptly want to check out. These two have some serious stacks of credits and accomplishments as artists, and we are thrilled to be welcoming them into the box today. This episode was so jam packed full of great moments that we had to cut almost an entire second episode out of material that was not cleared for public consumption. But if you are on of our patrons, you MIGHT have the opportunity to hear some of the uncensored gold
This week Jeremy interviews actor / comedian Johnny Pemberton. On this episode Jeremy and Johnny talk meeting on the set of WEIRD, Riley Gale of Power Trip, Upright Citizens Brigade, They Might Be Giants, Minnesota, Beastie Boys, learning bass guitar, stand up vs improv, Good Morning Vietnam, Saturday Night Live, acting class, being starstruck, voice acting, his podcast "Live to Tape", playing Thaddeus on the show “Fallout" and so much more!!! SUBSCRIBE TO THE PATREON for a bonus episode where Johnny answered questions that were submitted by subscribers! Follow the show on INSTAGRAM and TWITTER Want some First Ever Podcast merch? Click here!
Carly Ann Filbin is a multifaceted entertainer, celebrated comedian, storyteller, and the visionary force behind Written in Brooklyn. With a degree in Directing from Marymount Manhattan College, Carly brings a wealth of expertise to the art of crafting compelling stories, refining intuition, and bringing visions to life.Her debut solo show, Validate Me, enjoyed a sold-out run at The People's Improv Theatre and garnered acclaim at the Cincinnati Fringe. This Doesn't Mean I'm Your Boyfriend, her second solo venture, made its mark at the renowned Upright Citizens Brigade before securing a summer residency at Carnegie Stage. Carly's most recent solo production, Coke Ass, premiered at Upright Citizens Brigade and concluded its successful run at Caveat Theatre.The North Coast Podcast is a Musical Comedy podcast featuring interviews, improvised hip-hop songs, and long-form improv from New York City's long-running hip hop-improv team, North Coast. From conversations with comedians, hip-hop artists, and other exciting creatives, you can now bring the infectious energy of a North Coast show into your headphones with this brand new podcast. Produced by Douglas WidickNorthcoastnyc.comNorth Coast - @northcoastnycRj Williams - @rjron.williamsMichael Crisol - @TheDoctorBrickMel Rubin @melrubin2Billy Soco @bsocoDouglas Widick @douglaswidickLuke Miller @lukemillerfakeWith a cast of improv comedy veterans in New York City, North Coast's explosive performances have been packing comedy venues, universities, and festivals nationwide since 2009. Built around a single suggestion from an audience member, the show's improvised scenes escalate into full-blown hip-hop songs, facilitated by resident beatboxer, Doctor Brick. With their seamless melding of comedic timing and freestyle rapping abilities, North Coast frequently blurs the line between comedy show and concert, drawing audiences from the comedy, hip-hop, and theater communities for an experience that has been hailed as “mind-blowing” and “next level” by critics and audiences alike.Named one of the “Top Ten Best Comedy Shows” by Time Out New York, North Coast has been featured on Vh1, in Slate's Podcast The Gist, The Village Voice, and The New York Times Comedy Listings.The North Coast Podcast is a Musical Comedy podcast featuring interviews, improvised hip-hop songs, and long-form improv from New York City's long-running hip hop-improv team, North Coast. From conversations with comedians, hip-hop artists, and other exciting creatives, you can now bring the infectious energy of a North Coast show into your headphones with this brand new podcast. Produced by Douglas WidickNorthcoastnyc.comNorth Coast - @northcoastnycRj Williams - @rjron.williamsMichael Crisol - @TheDoctorBrickMel Rubin @melrubin2Billy Soco @bsocoDouglas Widick @douglaswidickLuke Miller @lukemillerfakeWith a cast of improv comedy veterans in New York City, North Coast's explosive performances have been packing comedy venues, universities, and festivals nationwide since 2009. Built around a single suggestion from an audience member, the show's improvised scenes escalate into full-blown hip-hop songs, facilitated by resident beatboxer, Doctor Brick. With their seamless melding of comedic timing and freestyle rapping abilities, North Coast frequently blurs the line between comedy show and concert, drawing audiences from the comedy, hip-hop, and theater communities for an experience that has been hailed as “mind-blowing” and “next level” by critics and audiences alike.Named one of the “Top Ten Best Comedy Shows” by Time Out New York, North Coast has been featured on Vh1, in Slate's Podcast The Gis...
Zach Woods got his start at the Upright Citizens Brigade doing improv. Brandon Gardner followed a similar path, eventually shifting to playwriting and sketch. The two continued to share work and support one another as they moved from New York to Los Angeles. For their latest collaboration, In the Know, where they're listed as co-creators with Mike Judge (Office Space, Silicon Valley), the story follows Lauren Caspian, the third most popular host of an NPR-like interview series, who happens to be a stop motion puppet. As improv veterans with similar taste, the collaborative writing process somewhat follows the classic “yes, and” structure. “I think it's easy for me to think where it can go positively before I'm critical,” says Gardner. “It's not a partnership where I'm nervous to have an idea.” The casual and polite interaction can go one of two ways: “I'm very trusting of his taste. Do you like this? If he says ‘yes,' I'm 100 percent confident in the idea. If he says ‘I'm not sure,' then I'm also confident in knowing there's another way.” The writers describe the UCB approach to improv as “playing everything to the top of your intelligence,” continues Gardner. “Why is the character doing that? It's not to be funny. To them, it makes sense, so how do you treat the character respectfully?” (Paul Rust made a similar point in the interview for Love). Woods adds, “Even if I have an idea that doesn't feel right, if we have divergent impulses, neither of us wants to win. We want to figure out where those impulses intersect. We take each other's reservations and confidence very seriously.” Want more? Steal my first book, Ink by the Barrel - Secrets From Prolific Writers right now for free. Simply head over to www.brockswinson.com to get your free digital download and audiobook. If you find value in the book, please share it with a friend as we're giving away 100,000 copies this year. It's based on hundreds of interviews here at Creative Principles. If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It only takes about 60-seconds and it really helps convince some of the hard-to-get guests to sit down and have a chat (simply scroll to the bottom on your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!
This episode features a conversation between host Carrie Rollwagen and Michael Greene, co-owner of Faraway Theater. They discuss the origins of Faraway Theater and improv group Gladys, Michael's journey through the improv world, the group's approach to teaching improv and fostering a community, the business aspect of running the theater and the different courses and benefits it offers. Michael delves into how improv skills are beneficial in all walks of life. They stress the importance of keeping an audience engaged during performances and share information on how to attend shows or enroll in improv classes. For more details on classes, performances, or corporate retreats, Michael directs listeners to visit farawaybham.com or follow their social media handles. Website and Socials Faraway Website: https://farawaybham.com/ Faraway Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farawaybham/ Gladys Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gladysimprov/?hl=en Mentioned in this episode: Who's Line Is It Anyway: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKg_ZFByYTINckLG76cjUEg Wess Gregg of Sanctum Tattoos & Comics on Localist: https://carrierollwagen.com/podcast-episodes/making-a-career-from-what-you-love-with-wess-gregg-of-sanctum-tattoos-comics/ Vacant Manifesto: https://www.youtube.com/c/VacantManifesto derrick comedy: https://www.youtube.com/derrickcomedy Upright Citizens Brigade: https://ucbcomedy.com/ Peoples Improv Theater: https://thepit-nyc.com/ IO Chicago: https://ioimprov.com/ Groundlings: https://groundlings.com/school/online-classes?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2PSvBhDjARIsAKc2cgN_LJPnW4N-A0ekQ79iHRzVePFyS1Hnop9HGBxibuUnfy-1x9acS8IaAisaEALw_wcB Ugly Baby: https://www.instagram.com/uglybabyimprov/ Harold form: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_(improvisation) Faraway Website: https://farawaybham.com/ Faraway Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farawaybham/ Gladys Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gladysimprov/?hl=en Improv for corporations: info@farawaybham.com
Robbie traveled to LA to sit down with actor and comedian, John Ross Bowie. Bowie has over 100 credits in TV and film, including: “The Big Bang Theory,” (11 seasons as Barry Kripke) “Speechless,” (3 seasons as Jimmy Dimeo) “Fresh off the Boat,” “Episodes,” “Brooklyn 99,” “House of Lies,” “Heroes," multiple "CSIs," Jumanji: The Next Level, He's Just Not That Into You, and What the Bleep do we Know? He is also an incredibly talented improv comedian, as you will see. In 2022, he published No Job For A Man, his memoir titled after a quote from his father about making money from the arts. He has been performing at Upright Citizens Brigade theater since 1998, and can often be seen in SUPERMARRIED, the two person improv show with his wife, Jamie Denbo. Bowie also quit drinking and that was fun to discuss as well.
Vid here Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral! That's right, Ray Harrington is returning his homeland of Ireland! As he prepares to stay in a literal castle in Ireland with his wife and son, we jump into Ray attacking the pledge of allegiance without mercy, and brings some new bad characters to the table. The boys talk about the Comedy Central half hours of the late 90's/early 2000's along with Upright Citizens Brigade, Kids in the Hall, and more! But - Ireland. IRELAND! How is Ray's trip going to go? IS he frightened to travel there because of a centuries-old feud between his family and another storied Irish family? WILL he be allowed back into the US after our border patrol hears his anti-pledge of allegiance rants? Find out! Video edit by Craig Depina @funbearablepod / funbearablepod.com #ireland #podcast #funny #friends #comedy
An American comedian and actor. He is best known for his role as Mike McLintock in Veep for which he received two Primetime Emmy Awardnominations. He is a founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch comedy troupe, with which he co-starred in its original television series and the 2015 reboot. He also previously starred in short-lived comedy programs such as Dog Bites Man and Players, and was a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He has also appeared in films such as Road Trip (2000), Bad Santa (2003), School for Scoundrels (2006), Role Models (2008), The Hangover (2009), and The Do-Over (2016).
This week the Bayer siblings are thrilled to welcome their friend, writer, actress and comedian Jessica St. Clair! They're talking about all of their favorite shows from growing up, from the simple yet enviable lifestyle portrayed on "The Flintstones" to the more exclusive one we'd watch on "Beverly Hills 90210" (obvi we relate more to the former.) Plus, we talk about how much Vanessa loved having The Rock host her last episode of SNL, and the time Jessica had a beautiful Kardashian run-in when she least expected it. And speaking of celebrity encounters, we dish on The First Todd being recognized recently while getting his car fixed! And if that isn't exciting enough, we also get into the time Jessica appeared on one of Vanessa's favorite tv genres, a soap opera, and was not asked back. Finally, in a rousing game of CONGRATULATIONS, YOU BAKED YOURSELF, we ask ourselves if we're most excited about the return of Pear Salad, Cracklin' Cornbread, or Pumpkin Chiffon Pie. You Yabba Dabba DO need to listen to this fantastic episode!!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"Hot babes and wolves" ... what more could you ask for!? Amanda and Ann dive into Lake Tahoe with the Vanderpump gang (Tom Sandoval has re-joined the group ... yikes). We've got a derpy wolf, we've got a bee sacrifice, we've got deeply uncomfortable pre-Tahoe shopping trips, but do we have accountability from Sandoval? That is the question.Then the gals interview Raiza Licea (Artistic Director at Upright Citizens Brigade, former assistant to Juanes) and Milagro Morales (ceramicist, current assistant to Raiza Licea) about the comedy and improv community at UCB, hot takes on VPR, Drake's [redacted], and their experiences as Latina artists in Los Angeles. Beware of extreme silliness.To finish us off, Ann and Amanda share their Real Housewives taglines (spoiler alert: may contain beans).Check out:Spanish Aquí PresentsRaiza's play - YBOR CITYRaiza's InstagramMila's CeramicsBrown Girl TravelsMila's coffee shop recs - Picaresca, Café Santo We dare you to subscribe and double dog dare you to turn on automatic downloads. Do it, bitch. If you're feeling WILD leave us a review but, in the words of Robby Hoffman and Rachel Kaly, "It should be good. 5 stars only!!!"Follow us on instagram @wesignedannda @mikiannmaddox @liffordthebigreddog so you can slither in our DMs with constructive feedback, but please, for the love of god, don't cyberbully us. We're fragile :-/If you're picking up what we're putting down and want even more Ann and Amanda comedy content, support us on Patreon. You have no idea how many times we've said "Wait, this is too batshit.....we'll put it on Patreon." Our cover art was made by America's sweetheart, Maddy Weinberg, and our theme song features parts of "Kawaii Til I Die" by Starjunk 95 Developed & produced in association with Paradiso Media
Let's delve into the economic impact of laughter. A new research report from Oracle Fusion Cloud Customer Experience titled "The Happiness Report" reveals that while people want brands to make them smile and laugh, business leaders are afraid of using humor in customer interactions. The report includes insights from over 12,000 consumers and business leaders across 14 countries and highlights that people are searching for new experiences that can make them smile and laugh. Brands that embrace humor are rewarded with customer loyalty, advocacy, repeat purchases, while those that don't, lose customers. Other key findings from the report are as follows: • 88% of people are looking for new experiences to make them smile and laugh • 91% of people prefer brands to be funny and 72% would choose a brand that uses humor over the competition • 95% of business leaders fear using humor in customer interactions Leanne Linsky, founder, and CEO of Plauzzable is a passionate entrepreneur with a background in comedy. She is on a mission to bring people together with laughter. Leanne earned a B.S. in Business Management from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a Master of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of California, Irvine. She also holds a Professional Coaching Certification (PCC) with the International Coaching Federation and CoachVille, Center for Coaching Mastery. Additionally, Leanne studied comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade, the Magnet Theater, The Second City, and IO Chicago. She wrote, performed, and produced her critically acclaimed one-woman show, produced and hosted a comedy open mic, and produced and hosted a weekly stand-up show in New York City and California. In our interview, Leanne shares more about her journey and how she aims to spread joy through comedy. For more information https://plauzzable.com/
She's no Southern belle ... She's just very, very talented. "She" is Allison Summers – and she's the next guest on this episode of A Tight 45 with Tabari McCoy!An actress and filmmaker who can be seen in both commercials and performing in sketches and with improv groups, Allison Summers is also an accomplished stand-up comedian. Earning her BFA from University of Maryland, she studied at The Second City in Chicago, the Upright Citizens Brigade and The Annoyance Theater. A person who values her sobriety, she has also taught improv and stand-up to people in recovery and women in prison. She's even got several entries on her IMDb page!On this episode of A Tight 45, Tabari talks with Allison about the similarities and differences between stand-up and sketch, how people seem to be getting married earlier and earlier as well as why there are few things funnier than people tripping and falling. Check out this episode and others you may have missed at https://atight45.buzzsprout.com/or wherever you get your podcasts today! For more on Tabari or ask a question, be sure to visit www.tabarimccoy.com or email tabari@tabarimccoy.com.
On today's new episode, the Bayer siblings welcome their delightful friend, writer and actor Zora Bikangaga! They ask whether their childhood selves would have found their adult selves cool? (Spoiler alert: They can stay up as late as they want and eat candy whenever they want, so...) Plus, they get into the ways they tried to act cool as kids i.e. one overall strap down, enormous pants that made it hard to walk, etc. Along those lines, Zora gets into a prolonged prank he did in college that years later ended up making him a perfect fit for the "I Love That For You" writers room! Plus Jonah reminisces about his childhood days of listening to NYPD Blue like it was on the radio, and they dig into the controversy of showing Dennis Franz's bare butt on TV (Which obviously Jonah couldn't see, but could hear?) Finally, in a rousing game of CONGRATULATIONS, YOU PLAYED YOURSELF: PRODUCT EDITION, the trio discusses what they will miss most out of the recently discontinued Starry Soda, McDonald's McCafé baked goods or—the only one most of them remember—Fruit Striped Gum. So be cool and listen to this episode!!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“If I had just focused on this one thing, I wouldn't have gotten the opportunity to experience the life that I've had, which has been pretty sick.” -- Jordan Kai Burnett In this episode we discuss… Agism in the industry Is there a French Woods and Stage Door competition? Humping dogs! Are we ever too young to do a show in youth theatre? Allowing yourself to be a theatre nerd! What happens to your personal life when you open yourself up to new artistic experiences. Paying your bills based on your art. Checking off boxes. Maintaining family expectations. How acting has taken a backseat in performances today. JKB just finished the sold-out run in the world premiere production of Gene & Gilda, playing their comedy idol – Gilda Radner. They just returned from their Las Vegas debut starring as the Emcee for Channing Tatum's Magic Mike Live which played at both the Hard Rock and legendary Sahara Hotel & Casino. They were featured in the same role for Finding Magic Mike on HBOMAX. Favorite credits include: Romy & Michele: the Musical - Heather Mooney (5th Avenue Theater, Seattle - Gregory Award Nom, best supporting actress in a musical) Found - Denise (West Coast Premiere, IAMA Theater Company directed by Moritz Von Stuelpnagel.) Scissorhands: The Musical as Scissorhands, in Los Angeles. Was lucky enough to work side by side with Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo on their Romeo & Juliet Project as Benvolia. Co-creator of Daisy & Jordan's Sunday Brunch of Shame with comedy partner, Tony Award winner, Daisy Eagan. A graduate of Emerson College and a student of both The Groundlings and the Upright Citizens Brigade. @JkaiB jkaib.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode, Blaire and Molly pal around with their comedian friends Kate Zelensky and Cody Lindquist. They exchange knock-knock jokes, lament about times they bombed with their kids, and discuss a certain compelling performance of "Memory." Kate Zelensky started a career in comedy in 2006 at The Upright Citizens Brigade having finally figured out that she wasn't so good at musical theatre (though Molly disagrees, as we discuss in the episode!). Kate taught, performed, wrote and directed all around that joint for a dozen years. She dabbled in TV and Internet humor content but is best known for a Chuck E. Cheese commercial in which she played a mother of two pre teens - one of whom barfed pepperoni pizza all over the place because he refused to use the spit bucket. Kate got married and had two babies and now works full time as a vending machine for them. Cody Lindquist is an actress, voiceover actress, and comedian. She is the co-host of the podcast Two Beers In: A Tipsy Political Roundtable and the mom of two tiny New Yorkers. Links to resources mentioned in the episode: Dru Sefton for The Washington Post: "How Families Share a Sense of Humor" Kate's heart-wrenching rendition of "Memory" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of KAJ Masterclass LIVE, join the laughter-filled conversation with Leanne Linsky, a comedian turned entrepreneur and the founder of the online Comedy Club Plauzzable. Discover why humor is a vital asset in both business and life, as Leanne shares insights on navigating challenges with a smile. From workplace humor dos and don'ts to finding common ground, this episode promises a delightful exploration of the power of laughter.
Comedian, writer, raconteur, director and fellow podcaster Jake Fogelnest joins me to talk being new fathers, stating SQUIRT TV on public access at age 14 before taking it to MTV, rebuilding after rehab, TIMES SQUARE, Upright Citizens Brigade, our shared obsession with RSO Records & Filmworks, LADIES & GENTLEMEN THE FABULOUS STAINS, Jake's podcast and much more. Head over to https://www.patreon.com/CraigAndFriends Snatch up ad-free & early versions of these episodes, exclusive bonus episodes AND get in early on Movie Clubs. Add your questions, comments (and maybe be directed to certain places where certain films might be) while supporting the show Get into Fogelnest+ https://www.patreon.com/jakefogelnest?utm_campaign=creatorshare_fan Twitter / Instagram @jakefogelnest
When a UCB show (called Fucking Identical Twins) becomes A24's first musical, it's safe to expect the unexpected. Joined by actor, writer, and comedian Drew Droege, the gang takes an intimate look at Dicks, followed by a quiz about body parts in what is surely our most mature episode to date.What's GoodAlonso - Phaidon's The Christmas BookDrea - NailtiquesDrew - Bret Easton Ellis, The ShardsIfy - spooky season, Hop WaterITIDICJohn Woo's Upcoming Silent Night Might Represent a Dialogue-Free Movie TrendDrea Called It: 2012 Doc “Queen of Versailles” Getting Narrative Treatment…as a MusicalGuillermo del Toro never saw the sequel to Pacific RimStaff PicksAlonso - The Royal HotelDrea - Little Shop of HorrorsDrew - Dyke HardIfy - Freak DanceMore about TitaniqueFollow us on BlueSky, Twitter, Facebook, or InstagramWithIfy NwadiweDrea ClarkAlonso DuraldeDrew DroegeProduced by Marissa FlaxbartSr. Producer Laura Swisher