129 - Comedy Guru Steve Kaplan

Want to get to the heart of comedy? Look no further than this week's episode, as host Gray Jones interviews comedy guru Steve Kaplan.

Steve Kaplan Bio:

For years, Steve Kaplan has been one of the industry's most respected and sought-after expert on comedy. His first book, "The Hidden Tools of Comedy," is a best-seller in its field, and his new book, "The Comic Hero's Journey: Serious Story Structure for Fabulously Funny Films" was recently published.

In addition to having taught at UCLA, NYU, Yale and other universities, Steve Kaplan created the HBO Workspace, the HBO New Writers Program and was co-founder and Artistic Director of Manhattan Punch Line Theatre. In addition to development projects for HBO, he has taught workshops at companies such as DreamWorks, Disney Animation, Aardman Animation, NBC's Writers on the Verge, and others.

In addition to private coaching and one-on-one consultations, Steve has taught his Comedy Intensive workshops to thousands of students around the world, including--in pre-pandemic times--Los Angeles, New York, Australia and Mumbai. He's presently teaching online via Zoom. You can find out all about it at KaplanComedy.com.

Follow Steve on Twitter: @skcomedy.

BUY STEVE'S BOOKS AND SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

Click on "The Hidden Tools of Comedy" and "The Comic Hero's Journey: Serious Story Structure for Fabulously Funny Films" to buy on Amazon.

Visit primary sponsor Script Anatomy on the web: scriptanatomy.com

Buying Final Draft screenwriting software? Use this link to support the podcast: tinyurl.com/BuyFinalDraft.

You can help with the ongoing costs of bringing these weekly podcasts to you by becoming a patron of the podcast – for as little as 25¢ per episode! There are many reward levels. CLICK HERE to find out more.

Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.

Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com.