Hasan Minhaj is a comedian, actor, correspondent for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, and now the star of "Homecoming King", a one-man show he wrote that's running at The Cherry Lane Theater in New York City thru November 15, 2015, and hopefully even longer than that. Oh! And he was also in a Pizza Hut commercial! I mean, this guy is killin' it. In this episode, Hasan and I talk about "Homecoming King" - where the idea came from, how he turned it into a one-man show, and the people who helped him put it together. I know it's a one-man show and all, but you still don't do this kind of thing without a lot of help. Hasan speaks very openly - as he does in the show - about racism and human judgment, two things he's been battling his entire life. And we talk a lot about one of the main themes of the show, "Log Kya Kahenge", which is Urdu for "What will people think?" It's a hell of a question. This is a good one, BlocHeads. Don't put it off... put it on!

"Over The Edge" is a 1979 movie about teenagers who rebel against the monotony of their planned suburban community and the adults who force them to live there. It's not the most famous movie you'll ever see. It's also not the best movie you'll ever see. But it got 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is pretty damn good, it was Curt Cobain's favorite movie, and it stars a 14-year-old newcomer named Matt Dillon who, as we all know, went on to have sex with Neve Campbell and Denise Richards in a pool. Not a bad career progression. Anyway, it happens to be a big favorite of WBP, episode 50 guest, Mike Sacks, so Mike and I decided to get together one more time to tell you all why we like it so much. Hint: is has a lot to do with the fact that we both grew up in the 70's and at least one of us lived a very similar life to the characters in the movie. Also, it's a surprisingly solid movie. Enjoy.

Mike Sacks might know as much about comedy writing as almost anybody. Why? Because he's interviewed dozens of the best comedy writers on television for his books, "And Here's the Kicker" and "Poking a Dead Frog". But wait! There's more! Mike also co-wrote the hilarious "Sex: Our Bodies, Our Junk" with several other writers including Bob's Burgers writer and producer, and Writers' Bloc alum, Scott Jacobson (episode 20). Mike has also written for literally piles of publications including The Washington Post, The New Yorker, GQ, Men's Health - the list goes on. Currently, Mike is a writer and editor for Vanity Fair who enjoys laughing and taking long walks on the beach. He didn't actually tell me that. I just assumed it. Mike and I talk about the importance of having many and varied influences, and he shares a few tricks he's learned to help him become a better writer himself. We also talk briefly about Mike's fascination with the 1979 cult hit "Over the Edge", a fascination I now share. But more on that later. Much more. For now, thank you for joining my conversation with Mike Sacks.

Sarah Pappalardo is the co-founder of Reductress, the first and only satirical women’s magazine. Reductress is a hilarious website conceived, developed, and run by Sarah and her co-everything, Beth Newell. Sarah tells Writers' Bloc all about how she and Beth took an idea and made it into an actual product, and trust me, there's more to it than meets the eye. So it's good that you'll mainly be using your ears from here on out. We also get into a welcome and substantive conversation about women in comedy and some of the challenges they face that aren't always understood or even recognized by their male associates. It's long overdue on Writers' Bloc and I think you're going to enjoy hearing it. Sarah has also produced a small handful of documentary shorts, including Reverence , which was featured in IFC Theater's DOCNYC this year. And she's written several plays including Cold, which was produced at the Plays and Players Theater last summer in Philadelphia. I hope you'll be as pleased with this episode as I am. And, as usual, if not - your money back. (WINK!) Now get to listenin'! Or, if it suits you better, you can listen on iTunes. See if I care!

Matthew Diffee is a very funny man and an excellent artist, which makes him perfectly suited for the world of cartooning. Matt has been contributing cartoons to The New Yorker since 1999 and he now has a fantastically entertaining book out called “Hand Drawn Jokes for Smart Attractive People.” We start, as usual, at the beginning, discussing the mutual love of art and comedy that eventually "drew" Matt to cartooning. (See what I did there?) Matt talks about an early attempt at stand-up comedy that proved he could write jokes, but didn't seem equally capable of telling them, so he made the adjustment. We find out what influenced his decision to pursue cartooning and how he eventually landed a contract with the The New Yorker. It's worth noting that Matt is also the editor of volumes one and two of “The Rejection Collection: Cartoons You Never Saw and Never Will See in The New Yorker” and is the recipient of the 2013 National Cartoonist Society’s Silver Reuben Award for single panel cartooning. But for now, he's simply "Writers' Bloc Podcast Guest #48".

Arthur Meyer is a writer and performer on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" and the proud co-author of the fake menu "FUDS" which he, Dan Klein and Kelly Hudson lovingly crafted into the book, "FUDS: A Complete Encyclofoodia". BUY NOW! Arthur and I somehow manage to shove aside the obvious sexual tension and get to know each other on a personal and professional level. We talk about early jobs, performing in clubs, and stalking major league umpires - all the usual stuff. But most importantly, Arthur gives us some quality first-hand knowledge of what it takes to get a book not only written, but actually published. It ain't easy, but if that's your goal hopefully this episode will help you accomplish that. In addition to his Tonight Show job, Arthur continues to write and perform with the sketch comedy groups Pangea 3000 and Two Fun Men, but his biggest credit will always be as a member of the 3-sibling Wilmette, Illinois living room-based sketch comedy show "Meyer Kids' Night", performed to his parents weekly. (Sorry. No link to that one.) Listen on iTunes.

In an earlier phase of his life, Ted Alexandro was a music teacher, an experience he used to help co-create the web series "Teacher's Lounge" which recently won best Best New Comedy Web Series at the Cynopsis Awards. Ted and I talk almost exclusively about creating the web series and what it takes to bring a project like this together on both the creative side as well as the business side. Ted got his start writing and performing sketches with his writing and performing partner, Hollis James. One of their earlier short films, "Nobody's Dummy: The Horace and Huey Story", wasn't nominated for an Academy Award, but admit it, that would be pretty awesome if it had been. Time Out New York called Ted "One of the top comedians working today". He has appeared on David Letterman multiple times, Conan, Jimmy Kimmel, Craig Ferguson, The View, and he's taped two half-hour specials on Comedy Central. Ted is also serious about the business side of show business and was the driving force behind the New York Comedians Coalition which successfully negotiated a pay raise with the notoriously under-paying New York comedy clubs. Pencils ready, everyone. It's Ted Time!

Jessi Klein is the Executive Producer and Head Writer for "Inside Amy Schumer" which is all an intelligent BlocHead such as yourself should need to know to just go ahead and start listening. She was also a development executive at Comedy Central which means she knows the business as well as the creative side of comedy writing and she's got a few thoughts about that that are well worth hearing... so just go ahead and start listening. Jessi also wrote for SNL for a short time (we don't talk about that) and several other shows (which we also don't talk about) mainly because we're busy the whole time talking about her influences, her journey to comedy writing, and, of course, "Inside Amy Schumer" which is hilarious... so just go ahead and start listening. This episode was taped live at Fontana's Bar on the Lower East Side of Manhattan as part of New York Podfest 2015. If you missed it this year, look for it in 2016. As Podfests go, it's definitely one of the best. And don't miss Season 3 of "Inside Amy Schumer" starting April 21st. Now will ya just go ahead and start listening already?! Jeesh!!

Eric Drysdale is a man of many talents not the least of which is the writing of materials suitable for inclusion in the category of televised comedy/variety. On Thursday, December 18th Eric and his co-scribes ended their long run writing for The Colbert Report on Comedy Central and with any luck he'll will soon be employed at the network that for some odd reason has a weird eye as its logo. Eric's life in comedy began at an early age. He seemed destined for creating comedy in one form or another and he's fortunately been able to test those waters in many forms. From movies shot on film as a teenager to an actual paid comedy writing job for a Canadian TV show just one year out of high school to a European "walkabout" to The Daily Show and then to Colbert, Eric's journey has been long, exciting and fruitful. And now he's a guest on Writers' Bloc! Talk about moving up!! I'm happy to have him as a friend and thrilled to have him as a guest on the podcast. Hear it with your ears asap! Listen on iTunes.

Doug Abeles is one of the cockiest comedy writers in the business, or more accurately, whatever the opposite of "cockiest" is. Those of you in your late 20's or later might be inspired to hear that Doug is a successful, Emmy Award winning comedy writer who didn't even start trying to get into the business until his early 30's. And even then, he still had to go through the ups and downs common to the life of pretty much any comedy writer. But he made it through! He made it through the rain! Glory be to persistence!! Doug and I talk about getting your foot in the door by submitting jokes to your favorite shows, moving out to L.A. to work on a show that lets you go after just 5 weeks, and bouncing back from that letdown to find more work. Eventually, Doug landed at Saturday Night Live where he wrote for the Weekend Update segment for 10 years. He shares some great stories about that experience including an extremely unusual "meeting" with Norm Macdonald. Like every episode of Writers' Bloc, this one has it all! Listen on iTunes.

(undisclosed number of) years, so I was thrilled to find out he was not only working but also willing to talk to me about it. His latest gig was writing for a new sketch show called "Friends of the People" that will air on Tru TV starting in October. Hugh shares that experience with me as well as what it's been like for him to chase work and find work and then chase work again and find work again and then chase work yet again and find work yet again. He hustles. That's what he does. And, equally as important, he's talented and fun to be around. Hugh's resume varies wildly including stints at "Chocolate News", "Wildnout", "Vibe", "Best Damn Sports Show", and now "Friends of the People" as well as the cartoon "Black Dynamite" on Adult Swim. He's also a great comic and performer who often appears on the show's he writes for including one particularly funny bit he did on "Vibe" called "Shy Tony". We talk about all of this in between almost constant and highly entertaining reminiscing.

Jason Ross is a writer for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, but here's the rub - he lives in L.A. even though the show tapes in New York City. What what?! We discuss how a writer living 3000 miles away from what you would imagine would be his office can, 1 - do his job, and 2 - get his job. Both answers are great stories. Before moving to L.A., Jason spent 11 years writing for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and he shares what made him finally pack it up and head west. We talk about taking meetings in L.A. (do the words "seduced and abandoned" mean anything to you?) and what it's like to pitch an idea without realizing the studio you're pitching it to is already working on a "very similar project". Lesson: they have very little interest in an idea they already have. Jason also offers up some very interesting insight on the writing process in general and we close it out with a laugh-filled discussion of his wide range of early comedy influences. Lend me your ears, BlocHeads! I swear I'll give them back.

Chris Regan is a comedy writer who won five Emmys during his seven seasons on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He talks with us about leaving a lucrative (potential) career in advertising to chase a very potentially un-lucrative career in comedy writing. It turned out well. We talk about the early days at TDS and what it's like to leave a secure, high-profile job in entertainment because you're pretty sure you've got something else going on that it turns out you actually don't really have going on. Then we move on to how you bounce back from that. Short answer: hard work and talent. Chris currently writes for Fox’s long-running animated hit Family Guy, and previously worked on The Jeselnik Offensive, The Burn with Jeff Ross, and Lopez Tonight. He also contributed to the best-selling America: The Book, was the author of Mass Historia: 365 Days of Historical Facts and (Mostly) Fictions, and co-authored the humor book “Shatner Rules” with William Shatner. He recently had the great honor of delivering the commencement address at the Ithaca College Class of 2014 graduation ceremony.

Charlie Grandy was a writer on The Daily Show without Jon Stewart. He was also a writer on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and was on staff with me when we won our first Emmy. Good times. We talk about those years, the difference between the “Jon” and “non-Jon” writing processes, and what it’s like to get a job where you feel like the least qualified writer in the room. After The Daily Show, Charlie moved over to Weekend Update at SNL and within a couple of years was running that department. It’s Writers’ Bloc’s first in-depth look at the process at SNL and it’s a good one. We also talk about his first sitcom writing job at a little sleeper show over on NBC called “The Office” and what it’s like to get your own show on the air only to have your own show taken off the air. Ouch! But don’t worry. Today, Charlie is writing for The Mindy Project and he still has all of his hair… which is nice.

Lesley Arfin was one of the growing number of fantastic people I'd never met before talking to them on the podcast. Fortunately, we hit it off nicely and had a great conversation about her work as a writer on Girls, Awkward, Portlandia, and Brooklyn 9-9. As you might imagine, these are all very different shows which means very different styles of writing, and though Lesley herself admits it wasn't always the best fit, it was always a good experience, or at the very least a learning experience. We also talk about smoking crack by accident and how good writing staffs consist of people with different strengths although it never hurts to be strong at everything. Did I mention the "smoking crack by accident" thing? In addition to her work in television, Lesley wrote for Vice Magazine as well as numerous other publications, and her book, Dear Diary, though according to Lesley is full of "bad writing" is still very entertaining. Currently Lesley is not working on anything she wants to talk about because she might believe in jinxes. Too late!

Damien Fahey is a writer for Family Guy on FOX. We discuss that. He also voiced two episodes of Family Guy called, “Peter’s Daughter”, & “I Dream of Jesus”. We forgot to discuss that. In addition to writing for the TV box, Damien has also appeared on it, first as the long-running host of MTV’s flagship program, TRL, then as the guest host of The Late Late Show on CBS, then as the co-host of I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here on NBC. We talk about all of those things and much, much more including how Damien's focus and work ethic allowed him to continue finding work even when work wasn't looking for him. And we also discuss the far less common flipside of that, which is what it's like when work seems to track you down. Never one to let a single job keep him happy, Damien also writes for Someecards.com and regularly performs improv comedy with his group "Triggerfinger" and sketch comedy with "Top Story Weekly" at iOWest. Once, in 2006, Damien went almost 6 minutes without checking his iPhone.

Rebecca Drysdale grew up in Versailles, France and Vancouver and Montreal, Canada, which makes her sound more like a line of designer clothing then a comedy writer, but comedy writer she is! For the fantastically funny Key and Peele show on Comedy Central. Rebecca attended Sarah Lawrence College for a minute, where she met her writing partner, none other than Jordan Peele himself, and subsequently moved to Chicago to pursue sketch comedy and improvisation. Rebecca is an Alum of Boom Chicago in Amsterdam, and The Second City Chicago, and in 2005 she won the first ever "Breakout Performer Award" at the Aspen Comedy Festival. Fortunately, she was willing to talk about all this and more as she takes us through her unique and what seems like exhausting path to her current state of being which includes the writing gig at Key and Peele as well as on screen appearances in the film Enough Said, Kroll Show, Key and Peele, and the upcoming season of Orange Is the New Black (a great show!) As if that wasn't enough, Rebecca also owns and runs the Clubhouse, an independent improv theatre in Hollywood. So go there! (listen on iTunes)

In this episode we talk to Mike Royce (executive producer of "Enlisted", Fridays at 9 on Fox) about the intricacies of transitioning from comedian to staff writer to executive producer and showrunner, which is not as easy as it sounds, and it doesn't even sound easy. We also discuss different shooting styles and writing styles and the benefits of getting a scene shot the way you wrote it and then allowing the actors to improvise in the event they can think of something far better than you struggled for hours to think of, which, unfortunately, they often do. Mike grew up in Syracuse, New York, and graduated from film school at Ithaca College. From there he moved to New York City to try his hand (and mouth) at stand up comedy eventually appearing on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien". In 1999, Mike joined the writing staff of “Everybody Loves Raymond” winning Emmy Awards in 2003 and 2005 for "Best Comedy". Mike was the executive producer and showrunner of HBO's “Lucky Louie” starring Louis CK, and is currently the executive producer of “Enlisted". So watch it! (It's really good.) Enjoy!

Lisa Ann Walter is, and always has been, a very busy woman. Known for stand-out roles in features such as The Parent Trap, Bruce Almighty, War of the Worlds, Killers and Shall We Dance, Lisa also co-created, produced and starred in several half-hour sitcoms including Life’s Work for ABC, and she's the creator and judge of Dance Your Ass Off for the Oxygen network. I get tired just thinking about all of it! But wait! There's more! Lisa is also the co-creator, writer/producer and director of the hit action web-series, Gonzo Girlz as well as The Naughty Show – All-Girl Comedy Review, as well as hosting The Fabulous Lisa Ann Walter Show on KFI Radio. Still not enough? Walter’s book of comedic essays, The Best Thing About My Ass Is That It’s Behind Me was #12 on the NY Times Comedy Bestseller List. But most importantly, Lisa is a great friend and a wealth of advice and valuable information for people who strive to be as busy as she is. WARNING: this episode contains dangerous levels of genuine fun.

To say Chuck Tatham's resume speaks for itself... is ridiculous, mainly because resume's don't have the power of speech. They're inanimate objects. The very concept is absurd. As resume's go, however, Chuck's is very impressive to look at: 22 years in the business as a writer and producer at 15 different shows including "Arrested Development" and most recently "How I Met Your Mother" - season finale on March 31st! And all while suffering from a debilitating banana allergy, or at least as debilitating as a banana allergy can be. For our purposes, however, the important thing is that Chuck has learned from many of the biggest names in sitcom creation, production and writing and he willingly shares much of that knowledge for our benefit. Plus we finally get to hear a few stories about "Arrested Development"! It's the total package, so what are you waiting for? Rip it open!

Bill Persky is a veteran Emmy Award winning comedy writer who started, like so many other comedy writers of his era, as a gag writer for established comedians not all of whom, as it turns out, were terribly funny people... until Bill helped them out of course. He soon moved on to writing for Variety shows for the likes of Sid Caesar, Bob Hope and Bill Cosby, then moved on to sit coms eventually co-creating the breakthrough show "That Girl" starring Marlo Thomas. One of Bill's more recent contributions to the comedy world is his book "My Life is a Situation Comedy" (http://amzn.to/1jPSMuj). You should buy it and then read it... preferably in that order. Bill's got hilarious stories and amazing insight not just on the shows he wrote for, but also many of the classic shows of his time as well today's most popular sit coms. He's an amazing guy, an inspiration to all comedy writers, and a saint for putting up with me for nearly an hour. Please enjoy this very special episode. Listen on iTunes.

Wyatt Cenac joins me for a live taping at NYC PodFest 2014. Wyatt won 3 Emmy Awards during his time as a writer and correspondent for The Daily Show, but did you know that Wyatt was also a writer for the hilarious animated series, King of the Hill? And do you know how he got that job? Did you know that Colin Quinn almost got him a job writing for SNL? All this and much more is just a click away. Make sure you stick around 'til the end for a great story about Wyatt's first appearance on The Daily Show. Currently, Wyatt is an immensely popular staple of the New York City (Brooklyn in particular) comedy scene. Every first Thursday of the month he hosts Shouting at the Screen at IndieScreen in Williamsburg. Every Monday night he hosts the comedy show Night Train at Littlefield. And sometime in March he'll be releasing his latest comedy album (exact date and title unknown as of me typing this.) But before you enjoy all those things, enjoy this...

Opus Moreschi is a classic Hollywood triple threat: a writer, performer and mammal. He also happens to be the head writer of The Colbert Report and a close personal friend of mine... as far as he knows. I've been promising a Colbert writer for a long time now and I'm happy to "report" that it is now a reality. Opus and I cover just about everything you'd ever want to know about writing for Stephen and writing for Jon and how they differ and how they're the same and what they have for breakfast... and we do it all in under an hour! It's a Hanukkah miracle!! Opus is a graduate of Emerson College (smart!) who has written and performed comedy at I.O. West and the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater (funny!). He's also a multiple Emmy Award winner - we talk about that a little as well.

Travon Free is a comedian, actor and Emmy nominated writer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart from Compton California... and that's where our journey begins. After some astonishing twists and turns and shootings and two-on-one street fights and a high school basketball championship and a bunch of other amazing stuff, the journey ends at The Daily Show. It's a unique and inspiring lesson in hard work, focus, and not being a dick. In addition to his recent success at The Daily Show, Travon has also been featured on Tosh.0, Chelsea Lately, and the hit web series “The Gentlemen's Rant". His debut comedy album "Undefeated" can be found on iTunes and you can catch him on various tour stops with international stand-up comedy giant Russell Peters. But, of course, most importantly, he's on Writers' Bloc. Looks like you made it, Travon!

Mike Drucker is a stand-up comedian and staff writer for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, not necessarily in that order. Before landing his "dream job" at Late Night, Mike was a contributing writer for The Onion and Saturday Night Live as well as a localization writer for Nintendo... whatever the fuck that is. He's appeared in comedy festivals around the world including the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival where he was featured in the fancy "New Faces" showcase. Now he joins J.R. to share many fantastic comedy writing insights and thoughts and methods and feelings and tricks and even a few treats. It's the bird's eye view of what it's like to be Mike Drucker that you've been looking for all your life! Mike currently lives in Brooklyn with more than 200 video games and a woman who is real.

Despite his stern and intimidating stare, David Stassen is a very pleasant man. And why not? He has a job writing for The Mindy Project - one of the best sit-coms currently airing on the TV box. Before that he used to bus tables at a sandwich shop in Chicago and would sleep in the booths when his mean boss wasn't around. I probably skipped a few things that happened in between but you can fill in the blanks. David sat down with me back in September when I was in Los Angeles for the Emmys, but I don't blame him for what happened. At least not to his face. We talked about our early influences, the excitement of being on set during tapings, and why you can't ever trust the tour guide at Universal Studios. Keep your eyes peeled for David and writing partner Ike Barinholtz's episode titled "Mindy Lahiri is a Racist" which airs sometime in November.

Hallie Haglund (@HallieHaglund) and Dan McCoy (@dankmccoy, @theflophousepod) are responsible adults with good jobs and healthy eating habits. Also, they have Emmy Awards for writing comedy-based material for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Together we give our unsolicited opinions of sitcom premieres I didn't get around to in Part 1 including The Crazy Ones (or one), The Michael J. Fox Show (what does the Fox say?), Bobs Burgers (delicious!), Eastbound and Down (thumbs up), Hello Ladies (willing to go on a second date) and Super Fun Night (average fun night). This is the thrilling conclusion to Part 1, a.k.a. Part 2!

Zhubin Parang and Daniel Radosh are Emmy Award winning writers for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. In this ground-touching episode we band together to review several of this seasons new sitcoms including Dads (ugh), Brooklyn Nine-Nine (yea!), Mom (meh), The Goldbergs (sure, why not?), and Back in the Game (a solid single). For good measure, Zhubin and Daniel and I also review a few established shows - New Girl (adorkable), Modern Family (unbeatable), South Park (dependable), and Two Broke Girls (unwatchable). This is a detailed breakdown of what makes sitcoms either great, good, predicable or infuriating... in our humble opinions of course. Get your pencils ready, BlocHeads. An excessive amount of useful information is just a click away. (So click it already!) (Jeesh!)

Despite the distinct lack of matching uniforms, Annie Mebane and Steve Basilone are a writing "team". They met in college, kept in touch, wrote a script together, sold it, started looking for work, and found it, ultimately landing at The Michael J. Fox Show. Now they're on Writers' Bloc to share their experience with (the portion of) THE WORLD (that listens to the podcast.) How did they find each other? How do they work together? What is their combined roll at the MJF Show? Which one of them got a "handie" in the back of a movie theatre when they were in 8th grade? Okay, that last question is a bit of a giveaway. But the answers to the other questions including "How do you make Parkinson's Disease funny?" are all right here. Listen and learn, and then watch The Michael J. Fox Show. You'll be glad you did?

Tom Ruprecht was a writer for The Late Show with David Letterman for 12 years before he jumped ship to pursue a career in looking for work. Also, he wanted to write some books, which he did! His latest is called This Would Drive Him Crazy: A Phony Oral History of J.D. Salinger, and it's exactly what it sounds like. After leaving The Late Show, Tom also wrote an episode of How I Met Your Mother and worked as a writer for The Goodwin Games. In this episode Tom and I discuss the rigors of writing for a daily comedy show, and the slighty-to-very different rigors of writing a book on your own time. We even discuss writer's block! As usual, this episode has it all.

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 "The Office". And he co-created the animated show “The PJs” with Eddie Murphy and the award winning "The Bernie Mac Show." In this jam-packed episode, Larry discusses all of those experiences as well as giving away a few of his formerly best-kept secrets on successfully pitching to networks. There's gold in this here episode, and I command you to dig it!

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 sense of humor. His new show, "Low Winter Sun" on AMC, premieres after "Breaking Bad" at 10 p.m. on August 11th. Chris not only shares his experiences working on these shows but goes into fantastically informative detail about pitching his latest show and eventually getting it on the air. Get your notepads ready. This is Writers' Bloc at it's most useful.

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, he has built up quite a resume for directing music videos for artists including The Babies, Dinosaur Jr., and Nick Lowe. This episode is chock full of "things you'd like to know but probably didn't already know" which is quickly becoming a Writers' Bloc trademark. Scott Jacobson, Bob's Burgers... eat up!

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 perfectly comfortable home and eventually went to Harvard. This episode is actually more about writing books than writing for television but it's definitely still about writing comedy, and the best part is it's a laugh a minute... and-a-half. (I timed it). Take it away, listener!

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," (@ApocalypseHow) and his Kindle Single, "The Future According to Me". Both also make great gifts. Okay, good gifts.

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 Comedy". This was a HUGELY entertaining interview for me... so what are ya waitin' for!?

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 the time) NBC's Community, she jumped at the chance. Three years later Megan moved on to the writing staff of one of my current favorite shows, Modern Family and that's where she is today. In short, Megan is awesome, and episode 16 of Writers' Bloc is your proof.

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 Writers' Bloc. Most recently Neal directed several sketches for Inside Amy Schumer and he also continues to perform all around the country.

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 for success, which is basically hard work+talent+not being a dick. A rare combination indeed.

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. Everything you need to know about Lewis Black can be found at lewisblack.com - except his address. That you have to pay for.

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 Phil Rosenthal's already, rest assured you will be within the next hour. And as soon as you're done here, buy his book, "You're Lucky You're Funny", and watch his documentary, "Exporting Raymond". You'll be glad you did.

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 online comedy channel JASH, a partnership with comedians Tim & Eric, Reggie Watts, and Michael Cera. This episode is chock full of Sarah's amazing insights regarding the inner workings of the industry as well as an impromptu phone call from my wife and kids. Dig it, y'all!

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 you did.

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, "Tales of Moronica." It's just 99-cents on Kindle. How do you beat that?

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.

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 on...

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 share with us. Dig it...

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.

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. Thanks for tuning in.

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 Jimmy create his then new talk show. The rest is history. And a lot of that history is included in this wildly informative and funny episode.

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!

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.

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 alike and I can’t think of a better way to kick off The Writers’ Bloc Podcast.