There are a handful of people in this business who can do it all and Larry Wilmore is one of those people. He has not only created successful shows on his own, he has written for every genre known to television comedy, acted on "the TV" and in "the movies", written a book with another one on the way, and... he can sing! (I think. Not totally sure about that last one.) His impressive list of TV writing credits include “In Living Color,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air”, “The Jamie Foxx Show", and "T...
Aug 15, 2013•55 min
Chris Mundy is one of my more talented friends. Just ask my other friends. More importantly, Chris is a classic "nice guy" (except for the "finishing last" part.) He started his writing career at Rolling Stone (link to one of his cover stories) before venturing out to TV. His first job was at the final season of Chicago Hope where he ended up co-writing the series finale. Chris also wrote and executive produced "Criminal Minds" which is the funniest show on television depending highly on your se...
Jul 30, 2013•51 min
Scott Jacobson is not only a friend to man and beast alike, but also the co-producer of Bob's Burgers which happens to be one of my favorite shows. Before that he took the typical route through the slightly lower echelons of the entertainment industry writing for various shows on Adult Swim which is actually a great place to watch full episodes of Bob's Burgers you may have missed. Scott also wrote for The Daily Show for a few years and has at least one Emmy Award to show for that. More recently...
Jul 17, 2013•48 min
Don't let the earnest headshot fool you - David Javerbaum (pr. "Javerbaum") is the author of the hilariously funny book, "The Last Testament: A Memoir by God". He also wrote the equally entertaining "What to Expect When You're Expected: A Fetus's Guide to the First Three Trimesters". He also wrote the lyrics for John Waters' "Cry Baby" on Broadway. And, let's see... oh yeah! He was also the Head Writer and Executive Producer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Not bad for a kid who grew up in a ...
Jul 03, 2013•51 min
Rob Kutner was my fellow writer and officemate at The Daily Show with Jon Stewart for six and a half years. Before that prison sentence he wrote for Dennis Miller Live, and in 2009 he left TDS to board the unsinkable Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien! Unfortunately, that show sunk. Fortunately, Rob retained his writing job at Conan on TBS and has been working on their monologue team ever since. He wrote a couple of things on his own that you should read - his book, "Apocalypse How," (@ApocalypseHo...
Jun 19, 2013•55 min
Meet Gene Perret, writer for Love American Style, All in the Family, Three's Company, The Carol Burnett Show, Welcome Back Kotter - do I really need to go on? Okay, I will. Gene was also Bob Hope's head writer for 12 years! And he has graciously brought his vast experience and wealth of knowledge to Writers' Bloc. Gene shares some brilliant personal stories about some of the biggest names in show business and we discuss a few choice details from his comedy writing book "The Ten Commandments of C...
Jun 05, 2013•51 min
Megan Ganz is a 28-year-old comedy writer whose resume reads like someone who's been working her ass off since she was 12... which she has. After writing for the satirical newspaper The Michigan Every Three Weekly at The University of Michigan, Megan was asked to join the staff of The Onion. She quickly moved her way up to Editor and that's when TV came a callin'. Megan's first gig was at Important Things with Demetri Martin but when the opportunity to write for her favorite show (at least at th...
May 23, 2013•56 min
Neal Brennan is a writer, director and stand-up comedian with some high profile credits well worth mentioning, particularly that he was the co-creator and Executive Producer of Chappelle's Show on Comedy Central and the co-writer - along with Dave Chappelle - of the movie Half Baked. Neal's comedy-origin story is an unusual one and a lesson in focus, confidence, and hard work. He also has a tremendous amount of experience with the business side of comedy writing and shares all of this with Write...
May 08, 2013•50 min
This is the interview fans of Rob Corddry have been waiting for - it's my interview with Rob Corddry! The co-creator and star of the ridiculously hilarious Children's Hospital on Adult Swim is living proof that really-super-crazy talented people can make it in Hollywood. Who knew? Rob is a fortunately busy man who's been in so many movies in the past few years it's a wonder his IMDB page doesn't collapse under the crushing weight of his credits. The topics run the gamet including Rob's recipe fo...
Apr 24, 2013•48 min
Taped in front of a live audience at the University of North Carolina! Lewis Black is a two-time Grammy Award winning stand-up comedian and regular contributor to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart for the past 17 years. (That's not a typo.) He is also an author, a playwright and a mensch in disguise. We discuss all of these things and more including Lewis's closing bit his first ever time on stage. It involved a dog sitting on his lap, but you'll have to listen to the episode to find out the rest....
Apr 08, 2013•51 min
Whoever came up with the phrase "nice guys finish last" never met Phil Rosenthal. The creator and Executive Producer of the 70-time Emmy Nominated "Everybody Loves Raymond" invites me into his home to discuss sitcoms, books, movies, and insane interviews with huge superstars. Phil has an amazing talent for clearly explaining otherwise complicated ideas. He is honest, straightforward, informative, entertaining, and an invaluable resource for writers of every level. If you're somehow not a fan of ...
Apr 01, 2013•54 min
Sarah Silverman (seen here with monkey) is a popular American actress/comedian perhaps best know for being awesome. She created and starred in "The Sarah Silverman Program," was wildly hilarious in her concert movie "Jesus Is Magic" (Netflix the shit out of that thing!) and most importantly is a fine person and an excellent friend. Soon Sarah will be hitting the road to prepare for an upcoming HBO comedy special, which is great news for the entire world. Sarah has also recently launched the onli...
Mar 25, 2013•58 min
Part 2 of "The Writers' Bloc 'The Simpsons' Mini-Marathon"! Mike Scully is a longtime writer and producer for 'The Simpsons' who also wrote for 'Everybody Loves Raymond', 'Parks and Rec', the list goes on. This is a seasoned professional with willing to share his experience with BlocHeads around the world. Mike is also helping develop 'Dads' a new Seth MacFarlane-produced live-action sitcom for Fox coming this Fall. Stick around til the end for a big Writers' Bloc announcement. You'll be glad yo...
Mar 18, 2013•56 min
Mike Reiss has written for "The Simpsons" since DAY 1 -- 22 years ago! -- and Writers' Bloc is thrilled to have him. Mike and J.R. talk about the show's humble beginnings - from an un-air-conditioned trailer parked on the Fox lot to the longest running primetime show in television history. Mike's endless string of stories and anecdotes about the show make this one of the most entertaining episodes yet. And when you're finished listening, don't forget to buy Mike's 18th & newest kids' book, "...
Mar 04, 2013•52 min
The Oscars are coming up and what better way to pre-celebrate than to listen to two people who've been there tell you what it's like to write for the Academy Awards? Rory Albanese is the Executive Producer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart having worked his way up from his start as an intern for The Late Show with David Letterman. He's also a great comedian and a perfectly suitable friend. We both wrote for the Oscars in 2008 and this... is our story.
Feb 18, 2013•56 min
No guest this time around, just little old me talking about my experience doing an AMA (Ask Me Anything) for the website Reddit. I really had an amazing time but believe it or not feedback on the internet was mixed. What!? Seems I didn't adequately "A" some of the "Q's", but all that is about to change. Plus you'll find out what comedy legend I dressed up as for Halloween when I was 8. And be sure to stay tuned to the very end for some exciting WBP announcements about upcoming guests. Oh, it's o...
Feb 05, 2013•41 min
Ed Helms is... well, he's Ed Helms. Among other things he's an actor best known for almost everything that he does. Yes, The Hangover was a particularly big hit and yes, The Hangover 3 is coming soon to a theater near you, but Ed's talents go far beyond simply starring in record-breaking blockbuster comedy hits. He is also an accomplished musician, an above average singer, and an excellent writer who's experience on the screen has helped refine his writing in provoking ways he is kind enough to ...
Jan 21, 2013•59 min
Brendan Hay is a self-proclaimed geek who's been lucky enough to write for The Simpsons, Robot Chicken (Emmy nominated!), and The Mighty B! Before that, he was a headline producer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and a contributing writer to America: The Book. Currently, he is the head writer on Star Wars Detours, a new animated comedy from Lucasfilm Animation. He also wrote an original graphic novel titled Rascal Raccoon's Raging Revenge for Oni Press which was recently optioned as a movie....
Jan 07, 2013•52 min
It's episode 4! We made it past the originally planned trilogy! And it's a good one, with Jo Miller, writer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Jo and I get into every day operations at TDS as well as what it was like to work on Earth: The Book while we were doing the show at the same time. (Spoiler Alert: it was a lot of work.) Jo also talks about how her education in Medieval History actually comes in handy in her career as a comedy writer. Who knew!? Hope you enjoy this one, BlocHeads. Thank...
Dec 19, 2012•55 min
Jon Bines is a better comedy writer than he is a self-portrait photographer. He's also a brilliant, hilarious guy who writes for Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Writers' Bloc Podcast has him! Jon began his getting-paid-for-writing career at Comedy Central's "Turn Ben Stein On" which he happily left behind to work with Kimmel at "The Man Show" which, according to Jon, was not nearly as misogynistic as you may have thought it was. After a 2-year stint at The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he left to help Jim...
Dec 10, 2012•55 min
Rachel Axler is a former Daily Show writer whose longing to write more dialogue and story motivated her to become a staff writer at NBC’s Parks and Rec and eventually move on to write for Bored To Death, New Girl, and The Goodwin Games. She shares the similarities and differences of working at these shows and we work together to write the funniest tweet ever written about the Petraeus scandal, though that’s admittedly subjective. Rachel also has a graduate degree in playwriting… so take that!
Nov 29, 2012•58 min
Elliott Kalan is an Emmy-winning writer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and co-host of the podcast The Flop House. He's also written for various magazines and Marvel Comics. But more importantly, he helped me kick things off with this "Very Special Bonus Test Episode". It doesn't include us writing a joke together but it does include us almost constantly going off topic in hilarious fashion. And, as usual, loads of advice and "learny" moments.
Nov 15, 2012•51 min
Co-creator and former head writer of The Daily Show and Air America Radio co-founder, Lizz Winstead, is one of the top political satirists in America. She also has dogs that like to bark and eat their own poop – a fact confirmed DURING this podcast. Lizz and I eat pistachios (loudly) and discuss what she was looking for when she was hiring The Daily Show’s original writing staff. Lizz’s experience and insight into the creative process is invaluable to aspiring and established comedy writers alik...
Nov 15, 2012•1 hr 1 min
