How I got hired at Comedy Central

ComedyCentralLogo People ask me this a lot. Here's the short version.

I did stand-up and freelance journalism in NYC for four years.

I got annoyed that no one knew about great comedy shows that my friends ran.

I approached the Village Voice about doing a weekly post highlighting these shows. They said "let's try it".

I did weekly posts for 2 years. I called it Cheap Laughs. I handed it off to Amy Hawthorne recently. She's great.

One person who's show I recommended was very grateful and became a friend.

6 months later, out of nowhere, that person recommended me for a job at Comedy Central.

I had four interviews.

After that, a great guy called Bob Salazar said "come in and write copy for us for two weeks".

That turned into a month.

That turned into three months.

That turned into a year.

So, that's a totally un-replicable career path. But it seemed to work for me.

'Another Period' is going to be so great

ap_s1_star_f_cover_04a Another Period is a Downton Abbey-esque parody of Rhode Island's idle rich in the 1910's. It stars Natasha Leggero and Riki Lindhome, produced by Ben Stiller's company Red Hour, and premieres on Comedy Central next week (June 23, 2015). It's a genuinely hilarious show. I wrote these tabloid headlines as part of our social media promo push.

Nightly Show jokes 6.15.15

THE PRESIDENT OF A LOCAL NAACP CHAPTER IS A WHITE WOMAN WHO PRETENDS TO BE BLACK.IT’S ALL VERY STRANGE, BUT LET’S SALUTE THE ONE HERO IN THIS STORY: HER HAIR STYLIST.

THE PRESIDENT OF THE SPOKANE NAACP IS A WHITE WOMAN PRETENDING TO BE BLACK. THE WIDER BLACK COMMUNITY IN SPOKANE SAID HE WAS OUTRAGED.

THE CASE OF THE NAACP PRESIDENT WHO PRETENDS TO BE BLACK. IS SHE REALLY WHITE, OR IS THIS JUST THE WORST CASE OF ASHINESS WE’VE EVER SEEN?

JEB BUSH HAS A NEW CAMPAIGN LOGO, BUT IT DOESN’T FEATURE HIS LAST NAME. HIS TEAM MUST FEEL LIKE BIKINI WAXERS. THEY'RE REMOVING ALL TRACE OF BUSH.

Bye, Jon

The greatest compliment to Jon Stewart isn't the dismay of his fans, or the sadness of his employer. It's the huge relief of venal politicians, who - though they would never admit it - will be glad to see the back of him.

Jokes I wrote today

It’s #NationalBirdFeedingMonth: put out some breadcrumbs, grab those binoculars, and see if your hot neighbor is changing by the window. It’s #NationalBirdFeedingMonth. This is a real thing, and in no way a money-making scheme cooked up by “Big Breadcrumb”.

It’s #NationalBirdFeedingMonth. Feed all of your feathered friends! Except pigeons, who we all hate. Because everyone is bird-racist.

It’s #NationalBirdFeedingMonth. Brought to you by Old Widow Breadcrumbs: “because he’s not coming back, but birds will if you feed them”.

It’s #NationalCannedFoodMonth. How to celebrate: 1) Find that one can of weird food in the cupboard. 2) Think about eating it. 3) Put it back.

It’s #NationalGrapefruitMonth. Some people think the Pomelo is a grapefruit. They’re worse than Hitler.

It’s #GreatAmericanPieMonth. Here are some of the many ways to celebrate: 1) Eat a pie. 2) See step 1.

February 11th

It’s Thomas Edison’s birthday. Fun fact: he hated candles on his birthday cakes, and insisted they be wired to carry light-bulbs.

It’s #NationalMakeAFriendDay. Go out an make a new pal. But don’t tell them why you’re doing it. You’ll sound very weird.

February 12th

It’s Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. Celebrate the freedom he cherished by doing whatever you want today. Maybe not the theater, though.

It’s Charles Darwin’s birthday! Every year we celebrate in almost the same way, but with small changes to slowly make it better over time.

Heeeere's Johnny

The best thing about working at Comedy Central: you get to make a hyperlapse Shining tribute video for Labor Day. Watch til the end.All work and no play makes Tom a dull boy.

http://instagram.com/p/saK6W7lT6Y