Comedian Lessons | Give The Joke A Chance!
Tweet One of my classes just had their graduation showcase at the world-famous Comedy Store. A student-comedian was not happy with his set. Some of the jokes worked and others didn’t. He was wondering...
View ArticleComedy Class | Don’t Use ‘I’ or ‘Me’?
Tweet Got an email from someone and I thought it would be best addressed in my comedy-blog. Read on: "I have a question which has been messing with me when writing my premise or setup. i find myself...
View ArticleComedian Lesson: Paralyzed By Analysis
Tweet Trying to make a decision on whether or not to try stand up comedy or whether or not to get into stand-up? It’s not an easy decision. As humans our ability to think about the modeled world is...
View ArticleIMPORTANT! Patton Oswalt’s Keynote Address at JFL
Tweet Patton Oswalt is a comedian, an actor, a writer and a voice talent. He’s done all of what we comedians strive to do and more. Basically, Dude rocks! He was recently keynote speaker at the 3rd...
View ArticleComedy Class | Need A Laugh? Tell The Truth!
Tweet Hmmm? What’s that you say? Tell the truth? Why do I need to waste my time telling the truth when I’m busy trying to be funny? One of the best things about comedy is that almost anything goes,...
View ArticleComedy Class | Getting Your Time Cut
Tweet We had our combined showcase this Thursday at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank, for our . . . → Read More: Comedy Class | Getting Your Time Cut
View ArticleTom Hanks Drops An “F Bomb” on G.M.A.
Tweet Well, I’ve been saying it for years… ‘Good Morning America and Elizabeth Vargas could use a good F*ck." That would definitely help with the ratings! And what better person to deliver it than the...
View ArticleThe Key To Comedy
Tweet One of the most common questions I get as a stand up comedian, writer and now coach is: What is the key to comedy? And although there are too many variables for me to even suggest that I have all...
View ArticleA Comedian Tip From Danny Zuker
Tweet If you don’t know who Danny Zuker is, you should. He’s an Emmy-award winning writer and co-Executive Producer for the hit series ‘Modern Family,” one of the best shows on television, in my humble...
View ArticleJerry Seinfeld Intends to Die Standing Up
Tweet If success leaves a paper trail, then Jerry Seinfeld could be hit with a littering fine. Comedians; both aspiring and veteran should take a couple of notes from his interviews, especially this...
View ArticleHow to Write A Joke – Jerry Seinfeld Style
Tweet This is cool! As you might already know about me, I’m a huge fan of Jerry Seinfeld. I studied him when I was first starting comedy right alongside two of my other heroes, George Carlin and...
View ArticleNot Everyone Peaks in Their Twenties
Tweet About six years ago, I was at the famous Friars Club in Beverly Hills. It was showcase night. One of the main bookers from the Montreal Comedy Festival was in L.A. to scout comics for “Just For...
View ArticleComedy Clinic Student Wins CA Funniest Female!
Tweet You know it’s a beautiful Memorial Day weekend in Burbank, California when the smell of barbecue overpowers and masks the usual combined Burbank stench of of smog and Glendale. And while most...
View ArticleInspiring Your Creative Muse with a Regular Routine
Tweet Having trouble getting inspiration for material? Of all the questions I get from the writers and comedians I work with, by far the most common relates to inspiration. “I haven’t ‘felt’ like...
View ArticlePatton Oswalt: “I stole a Joke. Not consciously.”
Tweet In a recent blog post about joke-thieving, I posted that Howie Mandel allegedly caught a comedian named Greg Wilson “stealing” a joke on America’s Got Talent. It generated a lot of comments; some...
View ArticleComedy Class | Burbank | Saturdays
Tweet WE DEVELOP COMEDIANS! “WINNER” – 2013 CALIFORNIA’S FUNNIEST FEMALE PAULINE YASUDA “WINNER” – 2011 L.A.’S FUNNIEST COMIC (UNDER 2YRS) JC MORGAN . . . → Read More: Comedy Class | Burbank |...
View ArticleWhy Did They “Boo” Bill Maher on Letterman?
Tweet Bill Maher Gets ‘Boo’d’ on Letterman One of my students sent me an email that asked if I could do an analysis on this video of Bill Maher getting “Boo’d” on Letterman. I love walking through...
View ArticleDoes All Comedy Need to be Based in Truth? [Video]
Tweet There seems to be a misconception out there when it comes to theories behind developing and writing comedy. One of the most popularly espoused by many comedy instructors is: your comedy must be...
View ArticleHow Developing Habits Makes You A Better Comedy Writer
Tweet How do you start your day? How do you end your day? I bet that if you walk through the motions, step-by-step, you can pretty much rubber-stamp habits like preparing for bed or waking up to go to...
View Article5 Reasons to Use Imitation and Emulation to Learn Stand-up Comedy
Tweet From the time we are toddlers, we learn by watching and imitating. That’s how we learn to walk, to talk, to express ourselves. Imitation is the ‘stem-cell’ of our learning ability. So why not...
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