Tight Five

I talk with The Onion's head writer Mike Gillis about how he got started in comedy writing, some of The Onion's new initiatives like their TikTok channel, and what he’s learned over his time working for the satirical publication. He also shares an interesting fact about how nachos are strangely related to Nazis. Mike is hilarious and really insightful about comedy writing. Follow Mike on Instagram (gillisesque) and check out his website to see more of his work (michael-gillis.com). I hope you guys enjoy this episode. Sorry for the muffled audio on my end!

My guest today is Anthony Farrell. Anthony has written for The Office, The Thundermans, and Little Mosque on the Prairie. We talk about how he got his start in comedy, his time on The Office and what he learned from Greg Daniels, and some of his more recent projects. 

My guest today is stand up comedian and actor Gianmarco Soresi. Gianmarco just had a great set released on Comedy Central in the Fall of 2021. We talk about how he got his start in performing as an actor and then transitioned into comedy. He gave a lot of really helpful tips on both stand up and auditioning. We also talked about jokes from his Amazon special shelf life and working with Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish on the 2021 comedy Here Today. Follow him on Twitter @GianmarcoSoresi and check out his podcast The Downside. 

My guest today is former SNL and Last Man Standing writer Claire Mulaney. If that last name sounds familiar, it's because Claire is the sister of stand up comedian John Mulaney. We talk a little bit about her relationship with her brother. It was super fun to talk with Claire about how she started comedy in Chicago, her time at SNL, and everything she's learned about sketch comedy at the show. We also talk about her time on Last Man Standing and what she’s learned about writing for scripted half hour comedy. You can follow Claire on twitter at @clairemulaney. 

My guest today is SNL head writer Anna Drezen. This was a really fun conversation. Anna is so funny, I’m a diehard SNL fan, and I think this new season is soooo good. This was recorded in March of 2021 and it’s taken a little time to get this episode out. I talk with Anna about her work at Reductress, writing comedy from a place of anger, how she got her job at SNL, and what she’s learned progressing through the ranks of the show. Follow her on twitter @annadrezen.

My guest today is Daniel Kibblesmith. We talk about how he got his start in comedy in Chicago, working at clickhole in the early days of the website, writing comedy for BuzzFeed, and what he learned writing for the Late Show. Check out his children's book Princess Dinosaur. 

My guest today is Maytha Alhassen, who writes for Hulu’s Ramy. This episode is a little different from previous episodes in that Maytha does not have a typical comedy background. She started out in academia and has a PhD in American studies, she’s done theater, written poetry, and she’s worked as a journalist covering the refugee crisis. I found it really fascinating to hear about her varied professional background and how those collective experiences informed her work on Ramy.

My guest today is Michael Rubens, who is a correspondent for Full frontal with Samantha Bee and a former producer for The Daily Show. We talked about what he learned about making field pieces at the Daily Show, writing novels, what it was like working on the first season of Last Week Tonight, and highlights from his time at Full Frontal including interviewing President Obama. You can follow him on twitter @michaelsrubens.

My guest today is Groundlings Sunday Company member Chelsea Pope. You’ve probably seen Chelsea's hilarious videos on Twitter, most notably her amazing Jan Psaki impression where she frequently rips into Pete Doocy. Chelsea and I talked about how she got her start in comedy, working through the groundlings hierarchy, and comedy during the pandemic. I really admired Chelsea’s foresight and the fact that she really took the time to make sure she was prepared before advancing to the next level, and not just rushing into opportunities she wasn’t prepared for.

My guest today is Second City performer Atra Asdou. I first saw Atra over two years ago when I visited Chicago and saw a Second City ETC show. I was really excited to talk to her about how she got her start in comedy and how she worked her way through the second city system. We talk about some of the cool improv shows she’s worked on and what it’s like to develop a sketch show for the ETC stage.

My guest today is SNL Director Paul Briganti. We talk about how he got into comedy, learning the basics of directing at College Humor, and how he got SNL. He talks about some of his favorite moments at SNL like working with Eddie Murphy and directing the famous joker sketch. We also discuss how COVID impacted the SNL production process.

My guest today is writer and performer Langan Kingsley. We talk about how she got started in improv, working through the UCB scene, her work at Funny or Die, and her experience working in sitcoms like Corporate and The Goldbergs.

My guest today is writer and director Katy Yeiser. Katy was the former video director at The Onion and was one of the creators of the acclaimed A Very Fatal Murder podcast. She then went on to direct commercials and work on the Team Coco hit audio drama Frontier Tween. We talk about Katy's early interest in comedy growing up and her short career as an education reporter during which she broke a real scandal that led to a greedy superintendent getting fired. She talks about getting a job on the Onion News Network and working her way up through The Onion, the process of creating a Very Fatal murder and what it’s been like the past few years directing and working in audio drama.

I apologize for the late upload, I’ve been super busy these past few weeks, but I have a ton of exciting guests, like my guest for today’s episode Conan writer Skyler Higley (@skyler_higley) We talk about how Skyler got his start in comedy, what it was like growing up black and Mormon, his time at The Onion and at Conan.

My guest today is Tonight Show writer Becky Krause (@beckyyk). We talk about her unconventional path to the Tonight Show, her love of making videos, her favorite tonight show segments and what she’s learned during her years at the show. 

My guest today is improviser and actor Thomas Whittington (@tommy_chi). For the 20 or so of you who listen to this podcast regularly, you probably listened to my interview with Thomas’s wife Jen Spyra. I discovered Thomas on YouTube by watching clips from his character reels. I really loved the darkness and absurdity he brought to his characters. We talk about how he got his start in improv and what it was like working his way through the Chicago comedy scene, then moving back and forth from LA back to Chicago and then finally to New York. He talks about the various characters he worked on in preparation for his Just For Laughs audition, how he approaches doing impressions of famous comedians like John Mulaney and Pete Davidson, and his work in voiceover on Our Cartoon President.

My guest today is Onion staff writer Matt Crowley (@MatthewPCrowley). We talk about how he got his start in college writing short comedic plays, how he got his position at The Onion and how he was able to move up the ladder from apprentice to staff writer. We also talk about what it was like working at The Onion in the insane time that was the Trump presidency and the ongoing pandemic, as well as his expectations for the Biden presidency.

My two guests today are Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw, a writing team for the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. They’ve also written stuff for McSweeney’s and The New Yorker. We talk about how the two met in college and became a writing team and their viral speech before Hillary Clinton spoke at their graduation. Ben and Rebecca have a really interesting experience breaking into the industry because they got to navigate meetings and packets as a team. We also talk a lot about their time at Fallon, some of their favorite sketches,  the celebrities and politicians they got to work with, and how quarantine affected production. You can follow Ben on twitter at @benkgold and you can follow Rebecca on twitter at @RebeccaBShaw.

My guest is former Late Show writer Jen Spyra (@jenspyra). Jen is so funny and in addition to The Late Show, has written for The New Yorker, McSweeney’s and The Onion. She also has a new short story collection coming out on Tuesday, March 16th called Big Time. We talk about how she got her start in comedy through improv, the reasons to pursue a graduate degree in the arts, what it was like writing for The Onion and Colbert, and her process for writing her book. Go buy Big Time on Amazon!

I talk with Naima Pearce (@naimapearce) about her unconventional path to comedy, starting out working in cable news. This is hands down one of my favorite episodes. It was so fascinating to hear Naima talk about the frustrations and flaws of cable news and how she's able to satirize them at Tooning Out The News. We talk about how she slowly made her way over to comedy, working on shows like Patriot Act as a researcher before getting to her current job. We talk about the behind-the-scenes of TOTN and some of the most memorable moments during her time there. 

I talk with Jocelyn (@jocelynrichard) about her first internship in late night at Craig Ferguson, how she got her foot in the door at The Onion, what she learned at The Onion and advice on packets. We also talked about her many incredible professional experiences working @midnight and often being paired with Tiffany Haddish and Doug Benson, what it was like working with Sarah Silverman, and working with her comedy hero David Letterman.

I talk with clickhole editor Steve Etheridge (@stetheridge). We talk about how he got his start in comedy freelancing as a high school student, how he got his foot in the door at The Onion, and how he got started at Clickhole. Steve talks about how the site has evolved over the years, how they've gone about covering politics in the Trump era, and how Clickhole has changed after being bought by Cards Against Humanity. 

I talk to Moss Perricone (IG @mossperricone) about his time working on Patriot Act. We talk about how he got his job on Patriot Act, his favorite memories from the show, working with Hasan Minhaj, favorite bits that never made it to air, and what it was like when the show was cancelled. He also talks about working on the Beavis and Butthead reboot and general advice on how to break into the comedy industry. 

I talk with senior Onion writer Matt Spina about his academic background in history, how he got started in comedy, practicing writing in The Onion's voice, covering Trump, some of his favorite headlines, and what he's learned throughout his years at The Onion. Follow him on twitter @MR_spina. 

I talk to Grace Perry, a super hilarious satire writer and author. I talk with Grace about her love of 30 rock, how she got started in comedy, freelancing for satire sites, writing about identity, and what she learned writing her very first book. Follow her on twitter @perryjetaime.

Follow the podcast on twitter @tight5comedypod and on Instagram @tightfivecomedypodcast. 

I talk with Liz Anderson about her time working on the Howard Stern show and how she got her start in comedy in the Chicago comedy scene. Liz talks about the importance of making connections when trying to pursue a career in comedy. We also talk about her time in The Onion writers room and her work at Jackbox Games. 

I talk with Shelby Enlow about how she got her start in comedy through improv, navigating the voice of satirical publications like Reductress and Clickhole, and her time working as an assistant on shows like The Good Place and Sunnyside. 

I talk with Maureen Monahan about her time working at the animated satirical show Tooning Out The News. She talks about what it was like developing the characters of the animated news anchors who host the show, what it was like to interview prominent guests like Rudy Giuliani, and the challenges of tackling Trump and COVID. She talks about her time working at The Onion and headlines she wrote that drew the attention of famous people like Clay Aiken and even Monica Lewinsky.  We also discuss how she started out in comedy at Second City and her sketch duo Spooky Dooky, which she performs in with Claire McFadden. 

In the first episode of Tight Five, I talked to Late Show writer Django Gold. We talk about his time working at The Onion, how quarantine has affected his creative process, his favorite sketches he's written for Colbert, and his expectations for how political comedy will change once Biden takes over. If you want to send a question for a future guest or share your progress in comedy writing, email tightfivecomedypodcast@gmail.com. Follow me on twitter @krahman333 and check out my published work at Reductress: https://reductress.com/author/khaleel-rahman/.

Tight Five is a comedy podcast that features weekly interviews with comedy professionals.  You can start listening today!