Check out Episode Two of the Very Special Episode series.
Story by improv team Sad Jazz. Written, produced, directed, & edited by me, Nancy Melchert.
with Jason Spina, Steve Ward, and Matt Radlow.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Sunday, April 26, 2015
The Commute Email, Another in a Series
Sometimes I like to write you these emails on my commute as a coping mechanism. I grow weary of actually existing in the space and time of the commute on the A train.
I walked on and the guy who got on before me just stopped right when he stepped in and looked around like a lost child.
As I was walking through Jay St-Metrotech to get to the A train some dickhead was actively lighting up his cigarillo. I stared at him as he blew smoke in my face. "You can't smoke down here, man." I said. Nobody cared. Nobody else wants to confront him. There are no police or MTA officials. I'm not going to get in a fight with the guy, because he'd probably knife me and shove me on the tracks. And since, as I already stated, there were no police, MTA officials, or rule-caring humans around, he'd have gotten away with it.
I suppose someone would have started looking for me when I didn't show up for work today. But would they think to look for me bleeding out on the tracks of the F train at Jay St-Metrotech?! If I ever go missing, please tell detectives to look there. Hopefully a Debra Messing-type will be on the case and she'll believe you because you're smart and intuitive. She'll trust you and you'll solve my murder! You can tell her "she probably told someone they couldn't smoke in the subway station..." They'll fill in the details from there.
Now I'm waiting at 14th at for the C or E that may or may not come. There are no signs indicating it won't be here, but it might be one of those NY native things where people just know what weekends they don't run local; only the cool kids know for sure. The rest of us are left to wait around with our dicks in our hands.
I hope you're having a lovely day.
I walked on and the guy who got on before me just stopped right when he stepped in and looked around like a lost child.
As I was walking through Jay St-Metrotech to get to the A train some dickhead was actively lighting up his cigarillo. I stared at him as he blew smoke in my face. "You can't smoke down here, man." I said. Nobody cared. Nobody else wants to confront him. There are no police or MTA officials. I'm not going to get in a fight with the guy, because he'd probably knife me and shove me on the tracks. And since, as I already stated, there were no police, MTA officials, or rule-caring humans around, he'd have gotten away with it.
I suppose someone would have started looking for me when I didn't show up for work today. But would they think to look for me bleeding out on the tracks of the F train at Jay St-Metrotech?! If I ever go missing, please tell detectives to look there. Hopefully a Debra Messing-type will be on the case and she'll believe you because you're smart and intuitive. She'll trust you and you'll solve my murder! You can tell her "she probably told someone they couldn't smoke in the subway station..." They'll fill in the details from there.
Now I'm waiting at 14th at for the C or E that may or may not come. There are no signs indicating it won't be here, but it might be one of those NY native things where people just know what weekends they don't run local; only the cool kids know for sure. The rest of us are left to wait around with our dicks in our hands.
I hope you're having a lovely day.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
The Commute
Second in a series of emails to friends in the style of short stories.
Ugh. Faith.
The commute, the commute. Why can't we have teleportation? I didn't see any signs indicating there was construction, but apparently it's implied that there's probably going to be at least one guy with a hammer on the tracks to fuck up my commute.
The R train may or may not run. It might be on a schedule, but probably not. You'll wait for 20 minutes and get an N train that at first gives you hope but then you see is traveling via Whitehall so, no. You transfer at Atlantic because it makes the most sense to get either a D or a 4. The D is nowhere in sight so you hike over to the 4 platform. The 4 will be to you in 15 minutes. What you say? You have to wait another 15 minutes on a stinky rat-infested platform?! Can you go back to get the D? You'd think so, but the D came whilst you were hiking through the terminal so it's a lost cause now too. You wait it out. The 4 comes. It's packed. It's 5:10am and the 4 train is full of people who are mostly nodding off and taking up a lot of space. Except for the one guy who has dedicated this time to telling his friend his life story in loud broken Arabic-English.
You're at Fulton Street and you only have 20 minutes to get to Grand Central. It's tight because at this time the 4 runs LOCAL.
You had set your alarm for 3:30am. That seemed early. You hit snooze a couple of times—you were playing a game with the 3 alarms you set. You finally walked out of the apartment at 4:17am. That seems early enough. That gives an hour and a half to traverse what is normally a 37 minute commute. You think you might get there early and have the first coffee of the day. Now you're venting about the shitiness of the mta to a friend who already knows and is probably thinking "this is like when you talk about your dreams. Ugh." It's 5:28am and you're at motherfucking Spring Street.
It's 5:29 and you're at Bleeker Street. That reminds you—Girl Meets World is on and takes place near this station.
It's 5:30am and you're at Astor Place.
As long as there are no delays you can make it. Oh no, you hope you didn't just jinx it. Fuck. Nobody better jump in front of the train.
It's 5:31am and you're at Union Square and you hope for a second that for no reason the train will go express. It won't.
23rd Street.
28th Street.
33rd Street.
Teleportation would bypass these stops. And hopefully it wouldn't have construction.
It's 5:38 when you arrive at Grand Central. You just made it. Now you make the coffee.
The commute, the commute. Why can't we have teleportation? I didn't see any signs indicating there was construction, but apparently it's implied that there's probably going to be at least one guy with a hammer on the tracks to fuck up my commute.
The R train may or may not run. It might be on a schedule, but probably not. You'll wait for 20 minutes and get an N train that at first gives you hope but then you see is traveling via Whitehall so, no. You transfer at Atlantic because it makes the most sense to get either a D or a 4. The D is nowhere in sight so you hike over to the 4 platform. The 4 will be to you in 15 minutes. What you say? You have to wait another 15 minutes on a stinky rat-infested platform?! Can you go back to get the D? You'd think so, but the D came whilst you were hiking through the terminal so it's a lost cause now too. You wait it out. The 4 comes. It's packed. It's 5:10am and the 4 train is full of people who are mostly nodding off and taking up a lot of space. Except for the one guy who has dedicated this time to telling his friend his life story in loud broken Arabic-English.
You're at Fulton Street and you only have 20 minutes to get to Grand Central. It's tight because at this time the 4 runs LOCAL.
You had set your alarm for 3:30am. That seemed early. You hit snooze a couple of times—you were playing a game with the 3 alarms you set. You finally walked out of the apartment at 4:17am. That seems early enough. That gives an hour and a half to traverse what is normally a 37 minute commute. You think you might get there early and have the first coffee of the day. Now you're venting about the shitiness of the mta to a friend who already knows and is probably thinking "this is like when you talk about your dreams. Ugh." It's 5:28am and you're at motherfucking Spring Street.
It's 5:29 and you're at Bleeker Street. That reminds you—Girl Meets World is on and takes place near this station.
It's 5:30am and you're at Astor Place.
As long as there are no delays you can make it. Oh no, you hope you didn't just jinx it. Fuck. Nobody better jump in front of the train.
It's 5:31am and you're at Union Square and you hope for a second that for no reason the train will go express. It won't.
23rd Street.
28th Street.
33rd Street.
Teleportation would bypass these stops. And hopefully it wouldn't have construction.
It's 5:38 when you arrive at Grand Central. You just made it. Now you make the coffee.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
How We Read
An excerpt from an email I wrote to a friend about my reading habits, and partially a review of Fight Club:
I started reading Fight Club. It reminded me of a conversation we used to have frequently—when can you let something go? I'm about a third into it, maybe a bit more, but not quite half. And I am just not into it. I'm not excited at the prospect of reading it. I do not care what the outcome of any of the characters are and I don't care for the style. I should apologize if you love this book. I know a lot of people do. The person who loaned it to me did so under the guise that it was his favorite book and was responsible for him being literate or something. But I'm not into it and it's a chore to read and often while reading it I think of the other things I could be doing that I would enjoy more—napping on the train, napping on the couch, napping at my desk. And of course it doesn't take me long to think there might be something wrong with me if I'm so incredibly bored by this book that a whole bunch of people love and that was revered enough to be made into a movie that a lot of people also love. I'm bored by a fight club. Am I dead inside? Isn't that actually the theme of the book? Shouldn't it speak to me more? Am I more dead inside than the guy who started a fight club to try to feel something? DOWNWARD SPIRAL!
If I recall, you were usually on the side of sticking with it. It was some sort of blend of tenacity, hope, and giving the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it would pull through in the end. I was wondering if this was right and if so if you've ever reconsidered? I lean towards giving up because there's so much more out there. At the same time, giving up makes me feel like a quitter. But if carrying this book around with me for months and reading like 2 pages at a time and in turn denying myself the joy of books I do enjoy is what tenacity looks like, then call me quitter!!
I started reading Fight Club. It reminded me of a conversation we used to have frequently—when can you let something go? I'm about a third into it, maybe a bit more, but not quite half. And I am just not into it. I'm not excited at the prospect of reading it. I do not care what the outcome of any of the characters are and I don't care for the style. I should apologize if you love this book. I know a lot of people do. The person who loaned it to me did so under the guise that it was his favorite book and was responsible for him being literate or something. But I'm not into it and it's a chore to read and often while reading it I think of the other things I could be doing that I would enjoy more—napping on the train, napping on the couch, napping at my desk. And of course it doesn't take me long to think there might be something wrong with me if I'm so incredibly bored by this book that a whole bunch of people love and that was revered enough to be made into a movie that a lot of people also love. I'm bored by a fight club. Am I dead inside? Isn't that actually the theme of the book? Shouldn't it speak to me more? Am I more dead inside than the guy who started a fight club to try to feel something? DOWNWARD SPIRAL!
If I recall, you were usually on the side of sticking with it. It was some sort of blend of tenacity, hope, and giving the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it would pull through in the end. I was wondering if this was right and if so if you've ever reconsidered? I lean towards giving up because there's so much more out there. At the same time, giving up makes me feel like a quitter. But if carrying this book around with me for months and reading like 2 pages at a time and in turn denying myself the joy of books I do enjoy is what tenacity looks like, then call me quitter!!
Sunday, January 18, 2015
I Am Not A Stupid Woman Webseries
My webseries is done! Check it out here. Turn on "couch mode" and watch the whole thing!
I Am Not A Stupid Woman Vimeo Album
Or if you were caught up, here's the most recent ep:
I Am Not A Stupid Woman Vimeo Album
Or if you were caught up, here's the most recent ep:
I Am Not A Stupid Woman Episode 6: Experiment Lazy Susan from Nancy Melchert on Vimeo.
Saturday, August 23, 2014
Bed Forget It Goodbye
This is the video I directed for Brooklyn-based punk band Forget It. Goodbye.
Enjoy.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
"I Am Not A Stupid Woman" Episode 3 -- The Perfect Taco
I Am Not A Stupid Woman Episode 3 The Perfect Taco from Nancy Melchert on Vimeo.
Check out the third episode of "I Am Not A Stupid Woman."
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Friday, July 19, 2013
The Passage of Time is Hard to Deal With
It's been almost 4 months! What? I don't even understand what I was doing for almost 4 months. Cool stuff, I'm sure. Stuff that was so cool I didn't think the internet could handle it.
Truth is, it's the same as it ever was. Well, it's the same and it's always changing and it's the same because it's always changing and there's that parable / adage about never stepping in the same river twice. I've been busy and happy and lazy and sad and all of the emotions people have. But I was scrolling through Oliver and I thought "man, 2011 was a busy year." 2011 was the year with over 200 posts. I posted almost every day. In fact, I remember making a point of it. I would pick a topic every day and I would write something about it--a movie I just saw, a book I read, a guy on the subway, or a word Mary said. I used anything for inspiration and I spun a tale. How fun. And for a brief moment I was nostalgic for it. There are some gems in there. I re-laughed-out-loud at some of them. And I started feeling guilty for not keeping up with it.
Of course, things were different then. I was in a different city with a different job and a different every thing. It's so easy to come back to this and say "oh, I loved this. I'm going to commit to it again." But let's be honest with ourselves--we're not recommitting to anything. Commitment is tough.
So I'm not going to lie to you or to myself and say I'm going to start making an effort to write more in Oliver. I'm not. I might wander over sometimes, but I'm not making an effort. I have other new things to put effort into without bringing the past into it.
Also, the title of this post is a throw back to my admittance that I have real cognitive difficulty with understanding what present moment we're in. If I see an advertisement for an event that takes place in September I have to really hunker down and think about what month it is now and if September is in the future or in the past. It sounds like I'm a moron, but actually, I really super advanced. It's because I'm a time traveler.
Truth is, it's the same as it ever was. Well, it's the same and it's always changing and it's the same because it's always changing and there's that parable / adage about never stepping in the same river twice. I've been busy and happy and lazy and sad and all of the emotions people have. But I was scrolling through Oliver and I thought "man, 2011 was a busy year." 2011 was the year with over 200 posts. I posted almost every day. In fact, I remember making a point of it. I would pick a topic every day and I would write something about it--a movie I just saw, a book I read, a guy on the subway, or a word Mary said. I used anything for inspiration and I spun a tale. How fun. And for a brief moment I was nostalgic for it. There are some gems in there. I re-laughed-out-loud at some of them. And I started feeling guilty for not keeping up with it.
Of course, things were different then. I was in a different city with a different job and a different every thing. It's so easy to come back to this and say "oh, I loved this. I'm going to commit to it again." But let's be honest with ourselves--we're not recommitting to anything. Commitment is tough.
So I'm not going to lie to you or to myself and say I'm going to start making an effort to write more in Oliver. I'm not. I might wander over sometimes, but I'm not making an effort. I have other new things to put effort into without bringing the past into it.
Also, the title of this post is a throw back to my admittance that I have real cognitive difficulty with understanding what present moment we're in. If I see an advertisement for an event that takes place in September I have to really hunker down and think about what month it is now and if September is in the future or in the past. It sounds like I'm a moron, but actually, I really super advanced. It's because I'm a time traveler.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Dividing My Attention
It's possible to love two things, right? It has to be, because I'm doing my darnedest to make this work. I rededicate myself to work and comedy every day. And it occurred to me recently that I'm actually pretty damn lucky. There are way worse problems than having too many things to care about in your life.
In an amazing and weird way, work and comedy are connected. In an ideal, perfect, dream world, comedy would be my work and they would be connected because they would literally be the same thing. That hasn't happened yet. And it may not and I have to be ok with that. I'm going to keep trying though. In the meantime, I have these two amazing things I enjoy and am passionate about and that's effing lucky.
I was talking about invocation with a teammate of mine the other day. If you don't know, invocation is an opening for a Harold used to generate ideas for the scenes that will follow. I love doing an invocation. Sometimes, doing the invocation is the most fun bit of it for me. I separate myself and watch the team doing it from the outside and am in awe of how in 3 minutes we went from "flower" to "I Am the Cure for Childhood Cancer." (That's funny in context, really.) We got there as a team because we all worked together and built on one another's ideas and didn't deny or judge anything. And then when we look back at how we got there, we see the thread; we can find our roots from "childhood cancer cure" to "flowers." And we do all of this in about 45-seconds. It's amazing. I love it.
I'm also reading "Onward" by Howard Schultz. He's an inspiring person; he must be, really, to get to where he is today. He talks a lot about connecting to our roots at the same time as looking forward. "Onward" talks about the struggles Starbucks went through in 2007 and the subsequent economic downturn. He didn't use the same words, but so much of what he described reminded me of an invocation. He had a vision to move the company forward while maintaining the thread that led him back to his roots.
During the Harold, we rarely go back to just the suggestion. This isn't a hard and fast rule; we do do it. But in general, we build on all of those other things we created in 3 minutes. We don't just live in the past (the past here is 3 minutes ago at the initial suggestion), we move forward. We build using a few guiding principles we've been taught in our improv courses. And that's what Howard Schultz was doing too. He didn't want to live in the past. He wanted to stay connected to the past (Pike Place Market and the whole lot) while building something using a few guiding principles that he put forth as a Mission Statement.
Nurture the Human Spirit. The common thread through Starbucks' mission and through performing improv is that it nurtures the human spirit. It happens one cup and one game move at a time.
In an amazing and weird way, work and comedy are connected. In an ideal, perfect, dream world, comedy would be my work and they would be connected because they would literally be the same thing. That hasn't happened yet. And it may not and I have to be ok with that. I'm going to keep trying though. In the meantime, I have these two amazing things I enjoy and am passionate about and that's effing lucky.
I was talking about invocation with a teammate of mine the other day. If you don't know, invocation is an opening for a Harold used to generate ideas for the scenes that will follow. I love doing an invocation. Sometimes, doing the invocation is the most fun bit of it for me. I separate myself and watch the team doing it from the outside and am in awe of how in 3 minutes we went from "flower" to "I Am the Cure for Childhood Cancer." (That's funny in context, really.) We got there as a team because we all worked together and built on one another's ideas and didn't deny or judge anything. And then when we look back at how we got there, we see the thread; we can find our roots from "childhood cancer cure" to "flowers." And we do all of this in about 45-seconds. It's amazing. I love it.
I'm also reading "Onward" by Howard Schultz. He's an inspiring person; he must be, really, to get to where he is today. He talks a lot about connecting to our roots at the same time as looking forward. "Onward" talks about the struggles Starbucks went through in 2007 and the subsequent economic downturn. He didn't use the same words, but so much of what he described reminded me of an invocation. He had a vision to move the company forward while maintaining the thread that led him back to his roots.
During the Harold, we rarely go back to just the suggestion. This isn't a hard and fast rule; we do do it. But in general, we build on all of those other things we created in 3 minutes. We don't just live in the past (the past here is 3 minutes ago at the initial suggestion), we move forward. We build using a few guiding principles we've been taught in our improv courses. And that's what Howard Schultz was doing too. He didn't want to live in the past. He wanted to stay connected to the past (Pike Place Market and the whole lot) while building something using a few guiding principles that he put forth as a Mission Statement.
Nurture the Human Spirit. The common thread through Starbucks' mission and through performing improv is that it nurtures the human spirit. It happens one cup and one game move at a time.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Help Support Me
My kickstarter is live! Please visit the link, check it out, donate, and then pass it on to every person you know. Thanks!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/925201579/i-am-not-a-stupid-woman-webseries
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/925201579/i-am-not-a-stupid-woman-webseries
Thursday, February 21, 2013
I'm Writing A Show About It
Sketches are taking shape. I'm super excited about two sketches that are taking shape right now--one for each show. In the first one, I get to eat a lot of pancakes and syrup on stage. In the other, there will be a lot of Jell-O smashing. Seriously, life is pretty amazing right now.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Something Old is New Again
Yesterday I saw a tumblr post with a few gifs from "I Love Lucy." I immediately said "man, I want to take some time off work and just watch 'I Love Lucy'." Then today, I walked into the UCB Training Center and what do I see but the entire series on DVD just waiting to be checked out. How serendipitous!
I didn't get to watch the show live when it first aired--obviously--and I only sort of remember watching the reruns in the middle of the day when I was a kid. "I Love Lucy" is largely considered the first great comedy, and especially the first great female-led comedy. This is more than just TV; this is history.
Oh Lucy. This will be quite a lesson in the evolution of women in television. Breaking barriers while still fitting in the mold. This will be like a master's class for me, and hopefully I'll be able to get through the whole series in about a semesters' time.
I didn't get to watch the show live when it first aired--obviously--and I only sort of remember watching the reruns in the middle of the day when I was a kid. "I Love Lucy" is largely considered the first great comedy, and especially the first great female-led comedy. This is more than just TV; this is history.
Oh Lucy. This will be quite a lesson in the evolution of women in television. Breaking barriers while still fitting in the mold. This will be like a master's class for me, and hopefully I'll be able to get through the whole series in about a semesters' time.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Meeting with Beers
Show Journal cont...
Deadlines are hard, especially when they're self-imposed. The team set a date for our next meeting and we all promised to have at least one new sketch and one rewrite. For me, these deadlines are hard because they seem easy at first. Oh, I have two weeks to write all these things! That's so much time! Then I stare at a blank page for 13 days. And then shame seeps in.
Cribbage We learned to play cribbage. An essential element that we're working on is this abstract group mind concept. We're not forcing it; luckily we like spending time together anyway. So at our last meeting, Dan brought over his cribbage board and taught us all how to play. So now we all have that in our back packets. If we're ultimately not very funny, we can play cribbage together.
A Director We got ourselves at least a part time director. We weren't quite sure what the appropriate time to bring in a director was, but we took a shot and went with now. And maybe we'll take a little time sans director to work on things and then bring him back when the show is closer to complete. But it was successful because it got us all on the same page and brought in an outside view--someone who was not so emotionally connected to the material--to say yes, no, that works, that doesn't, what the hell, and yeah, more abortion jokes.
Two Shows We're still working on two shows at once. This is ill-advised, but fuck it, we like both of them too much to put one on hold for now. As we move forward, one may emerge as the more immediate show. When that time comes we'll pour all of our energy into that. And then when that one is as awesome as it can be and successful and gets a full run, a sitcom, and a movie spin off, then we'll come back and give the second show the same treatment.
A Name We need a name. This will take weeks and week and about 300 emails in a chain before we settle on one. But it's a fun process.
Fun. The band. No, not really. But this all very fun, even though it's hard work. WE keep working towards something and that's food. We're not aimless and that has been the most rewarding part. Having new material and even rehashing old material and getting everyone in on the same joke and being able to pitch half-ideas and watch them blossom into fully formed sketches that we all champion because it's a part of all of us is amazing. Maybe this is how having a non-bratty child feels, but less drunk.
Beers We met with beers and pizza and chips and guacamole. This might be unprofessional. Or, it might be exactly what a writer's room is supposed to look like. I've heard the advice "perform like you're one beer in." I assume this extends to writing as well. And that it should be expanded to two beers.
Deadlines are hard, especially when they're self-imposed. The team set a date for our next meeting and we all promised to have at least one new sketch and one rewrite. For me, these deadlines are hard because they seem easy at first. Oh, I have two weeks to write all these things! That's so much time! Then I stare at a blank page for 13 days. And then shame seeps in.
Cribbage We learned to play cribbage. An essential element that we're working on is this abstract group mind concept. We're not forcing it; luckily we like spending time together anyway. So at our last meeting, Dan brought over his cribbage board and taught us all how to play. So now we all have that in our back packets. If we're ultimately not very funny, we can play cribbage together.
A Director We got ourselves at least a part time director. We weren't quite sure what the appropriate time to bring in a director was, but we took a shot and went with now. And maybe we'll take a little time sans director to work on things and then bring him back when the show is closer to complete. But it was successful because it got us all on the same page and brought in an outside view--someone who was not so emotionally connected to the material--to say yes, no, that works, that doesn't, what the hell, and yeah, more abortion jokes.
Two Shows We're still working on two shows at once. This is ill-advised, but fuck it, we like both of them too much to put one on hold for now. As we move forward, one may emerge as the more immediate show. When that time comes we'll pour all of our energy into that. And then when that one is as awesome as it can be and successful and gets a full run, a sitcom, and a movie spin off, then we'll come back and give the second show the same treatment.
A Name We need a name. This will take weeks and week and about 300 emails in a chain before we settle on one. But it's a fun process.
Fun. The band. No, not really. But this all very fun, even though it's hard work. WE keep working towards something and that's food. We're not aimless and that has been the most rewarding part. Having new material and even rehashing old material and getting everyone in on the same joke and being able to pitch half-ideas and watch them blossom into fully formed sketches that we all champion because it's a part of all of us is amazing. Maybe this is how having a non-bratty child feels, but less drunk.
Beers We met with beers and pizza and chips and guacamole. This might be unprofessional. Or, it might be exactly what a writer's room is supposed to look like. I've heard the advice "perform like you're one beer in." I assume this extends to writing as well. And that it should be expanded to two beers.
Friday, January 25, 2013
It's Live!
I Am Not A Stupid Woman is live on the internet!
I Am Not A Stupid Woman -- Episode One from Nancy Melchert on Vimeo.
I'm happy and proud and beaming like a new adoptive parent!
I Am Not A Stupid Woman -- Episode One from Nancy Melchert on Vimeo.
I'm happy and proud and beaming like a new adoptive parent!
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
New Things
New things are great. I finally got my new ChromeBook. I've only had it for about 17 minutes, but it's already fantastic. It makes me feel like I can get more done. Rationally, I know this is untrue. But fuck rationalism. I CAN GET MORE DONE! Thanks, Google.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
A Show Journal
My writing partner Dan turned me on to the idea of show journals. There are several different formats out there; there is no right or wrong way to do it. The idea is simply to journal about the creative process. And in this case, we're journaling on the internet, where everyone can read it.
The beginning: We formed a team. I just said Dan is my writing partner, and that's not entirely true. Dan and I are on a team with great aspirations. We met in Sketch 101 class. We fell out of touch, but then back in touch. We would get together with a few other aspiring sketch writers and drink coffee, read sketches, eat burgers, drink beers, and laugh it up. It was all very nice.
Right after the beginning: I had a hand full of sketches that were all pretty taboo. I loved them dearly, but there was clearly a pattern developing. At one point someone brought up the idea of a writing a show. We feigned to love the idea but we knew we didn't have the material. Then, about six weeks ago, I said "you know, I'd like to alienate about 12 people for 32-minutes with a show all about abortions." Dan, Sara, and Patrick were all on board. This kind of support feels amazing, by the way.
I rattled through the abortion sketches I already had and put a few new pitches in my back pocket. Off to the writing board for me. That very same day Dan presented an idea for his show. Sara, Patrick, and I were all on board. Yes, we believe we can write two very different shows at the same time.
Where we're at now: I'm working on broadening the world of my show. It gets "repeaty" and "samey;" it needs a stronger theme. Choices? Empowerment? Women's rights? Reproductive rights? I'm the head writer for this show, so I need to figure this part out before our next meeting.
Dan's show has morphed from "Curious, MO" to "Pancake Day." I'm thinking of a few pitches for this show as well. Dan is the head writer for his show, so we'll see if he likes any of these ideas. He sent us the program from the real Pancake Day, and it was amazing and thought churning. First of all, the program was 16 pages long. There's a pitch growing from that fact right now.
Next steps: We have a meeting after the new year. We've set goals for ourselves and we better damn meet them. Personally, I'm convinced it'll all come together when I get my new Chromebook. So come on Google, get to making more so I can finally be productive.
EDITED TO ADD: 1. Email chains are amazing. 2. I like that Dan consistently starts with the poster and tagline of a show/sketch/idea and then works backwards.
The beginning: We formed a team. I just said Dan is my writing partner, and that's not entirely true. Dan and I are on a team with great aspirations. We met in Sketch 101 class. We fell out of touch, but then back in touch. We would get together with a few other aspiring sketch writers and drink coffee, read sketches, eat burgers, drink beers, and laugh it up. It was all very nice.
Right after the beginning: I had a hand full of sketches that were all pretty taboo. I loved them dearly, but there was clearly a pattern developing. At one point someone brought up the idea of a writing a show. We feigned to love the idea but we knew we didn't have the material. Then, about six weeks ago, I said "you know, I'd like to alienate about 12 people for 32-minutes with a show all about abortions." Dan, Sara, and Patrick were all on board. This kind of support feels amazing, by the way.
I rattled through the abortion sketches I already had and put a few new pitches in my back pocket. Off to the writing board for me. That very same day Dan presented an idea for his show. Sara, Patrick, and I were all on board. Yes, we believe we can write two very different shows at the same time.
Where we're at now: I'm working on broadening the world of my show. It gets "repeaty" and "samey;" it needs a stronger theme. Choices? Empowerment? Women's rights? Reproductive rights? I'm the head writer for this show, so I need to figure this part out before our next meeting.
Dan's show has morphed from "Curious, MO" to "Pancake Day." I'm thinking of a few pitches for this show as well. Dan is the head writer for his show, so we'll see if he likes any of these ideas. He sent us the program from the real Pancake Day, and it was amazing and thought churning. First of all, the program was 16 pages long. There's a pitch growing from that fact right now.
Next steps: We have a meeting after the new year. We've set goals for ourselves and we better damn meet them. Personally, I'm convinced it'll all come together when I get my new Chromebook. So come on Google, get to making more so I can finally be productive.
EDITED TO ADD: 1. Email chains are amazing. 2. I like that Dan consistently starts with the poster and tagline of a show/sketch/idea and then works backwards.
Friday, December 14, 2012
This is why.
I tried to be unpolitical for a while. Or at least just quietly political like my aging republican parents taught me. And then it just wore me down. I will unfriend you if you are pro-gun. My tumblr explains why.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
My Web Series
I wanted to chronicle the making of my web-series as I was doing it, but a huge part of the idea was how all consuming it because, which means chronicling real-time was impossible. I still want to document it though; I want to cover all of those steps and lessons learned and relive the great moments.
Like that moment. I enjoy that moment. It's really just me, breaking. And then I put it on a loop because I'm an egomaniac.
Like that moment. I enjoy that moment. It's really just me, breaking. And then I put it on a loop because I'm an egomaniac.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Whoops, I let a month go by
A whole month. And let me tell you, it was a crazy month. A lot has happened, I should have documented all of it. I tried--there are several drafts in the the draft folder for this thing. I swearsies, though I guess there is no way to prove it.
Things that happened, a list:
Things that happened, a list:
- Moved to Bay Ridge
- Produced first episode of web series
- Hurricane Sandy
- improv shows
- Snowstorm Athena
- trip to the ER
- unpacking woes
- Pick up shots
- Panic attacks
- Heart-to-hearts
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)