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Breaking Into TV Comedy Writing

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Breaking Into TV Comedy Writing

WHEN
Thursday, August 3
6:30-9:30 pm

WHERE
mediabistro.com
494 Broadway
(Spring & Broome)
New York, NY 10012

WHO
Ideal for anyone interested in writing comedy for TV

PRICE
$65 ($50 for )
more info

Course Details

First, a couple of questions: Do friends always say you're the funniest person they know? Do you spend more time carefully constructing funny emails than doing your job itself? More importantly, do you watch TV and think, "I could write this crap?" If you answered "yes" to any of those questions, congratulations. You're ready to translate your talent to TV.

From late night network programming to comedy on cable, you'll learn how to hone your writing style to make your mark as a television comedy writer.
 
In this three-hour seminar, you can expect to learn:

  • The fail-safe formula for creating a solid sketch
  • The two types of sketches
  • Methods for creating comic characters
  • Techniques on writing late night monologue jokes
  • Ways to create "desk bits"
  • Where to look for your first job, and how to land it

Instructor Bio

Alan Cross's Courses

TV Writing: Sketch Comedy – New York (Class starts March 19)
Writing Comedy for TV – New York (Class starts February 9)
Writing Comedy for TV – (Class starts February 10)

Alan Cross
Alan Cross is a former head writer for VH1's Pop-Up Video, where he was nominated for three Emmy Awards. He was a freelance contributor for Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update" for four years. Other credits include MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch and 3-South, VH1's Name That Video, the WB's Ultimate Muscle, and Comedy Central's The Man Show. Currently, Alan is writing and producing a syndicated radio program for Paul Shaffer from The Late Show with David Letterman; he was also a senior writer for Carson Daly. He co-wrote/produced "Video Shmideo", a winner at the 2007 New York TV Festival. In 2004 he published his first book (with writing partner Paul Fourie), What Would W Do? His political humor has also appeared in Slate.com, Cracked Magazine, and Nylon for Men. Alan has appeared in national voiceover campaigns for McDonalds, Mercedes, Priceline.com and others; as an actor you saw him during the 2006 Superbowl in an ad for Sprint, a spot that Adweek called "one of the ten funniest."

Testimonials


"Alan is more than a teacher; he motivates. Since I started using his methods, I've been creating quality material at a blistering pace. His critiques are direct, comprehensive, and honest. Ambitious writers will find a mentor figure in Alan. The skills I learned in this class will benefit me throughout my career." -- Jonathan Cohen

Alan went above and beyond in this course, helping us whip our comedy into shape for a real, live show. As a result, our sketches got a lot of laughs when the actors performed them in front of an audience. -- Tom Carter

"Alan definitely knows the field of comedy writing, especially the little ins and outs that are virtually impossible to discover on your own. The class was definitely worth my time and money!" -- Laurel Brown

"Alan is a witty and welcoming instructor who truly wants his students to get their fingers good and messy in the many different pies available to those looking to write comedy for TV." -- Paul Hagen

"I found Alan refreshingly easy-going, encouraging, supportive, helpful, and honest. Some of the material that was provided was real news headlines that we were encouraged to develop into jokes. Imagine my surprise and pleasure at seeing some of those exact headlines used in last Saturday's Saturday Night Live Weekend Update! Receiving timely info like that and seeing it come to life rocked!" -- Jennifer Anderson

"Alan covered the basics of joke writing to give everyone confidence, and then explained how to use this ability to break into a business that seems very intimidating. This was all new to me, and I found the class very rewarding and inspiring." -- Eric Kabakoff, research manager, ABC

"Alan is a gifted comedy writer as well as an equally gifted instructor. His enthusiasm for his craft is contagious! Alan's instruction and encouragement have provided the impetus for what I'm hoping will be an effective career transition." -- Matt Nelko, Broadcast Producer, CBS New

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