Life In Comedy

Mark Malkoff is a comedian, writer, and podcaster. As a teenager growing up in Hershey, PA, Mark would regularly make the drive into New York City, where he would attend tapings of Late Night with David Letterman , Saturday Night Live , and Late Night with Conan O'Brien . He befriended SNL cast members, and developed close relationships with people like Robert Smigel. Mark is also a life-long fan...

Andy Richter is best known for his work on Late Night with Conan O'Brien , The Tonight Show , and CONAN on TBS. Andy also starred and created the acclaimed TV shows Andy Richter Controls the Universe , and Andy Barker P.I. He has also appeared in movies like Cabin Boy , Talladega Nights , and Madagascar . Andy came up in the Chicago improv scene, performing at The Annoyance Theater, as well as Imp...

Jimmy Pardo is a stand-up comedian, actor, and host of the podcast Never Not Funny. Jimmy grew up in Chicago, where he performed at Second City, and worked in the music business. He was encouraged to first try standup by a young Bob Odenkirk, and came up in the Chicago comedy scene. Jimmy then moved to Los Angeles, where he became a regular at The Improv, as well as the original Largo location wit...

Jackie Clarke is a prolific comedy writer, producer, and director. Her credits include much beloved shows like Happy Endings and Superstore. Jackie was also a fixture at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in NYC, where she performed on house teams Respecto Montalban, and Death by Roo Roo. Jackie and Will talk about the 22nd Street days of UCB, and how she was able to persevere to become a succes...

David Pasquesi is a legendary improvisor, and accomplished actor. A Chicago native, he studied with Del Close, and performed at Improv Olympic and Second City, as well as the Annoyance Theater. He has acted in films like Groundhog Day, and TV shows like Strangers with Candy and Veep. He and fellow Second City alum T.J. Jagodowski currently perform together as TJ and Dave, which is widely considere...

The Sklar Brothers started doing stand-up together as adolescent twins in St. Louis. A fortuitous encounter with Andy Kindler during college encouraged them they were on the right track. They came up in New York during the rise of the alt comedy scene, and performed at Eating It at Luna Lounge, and other venues like Surf Reality and Collective Unconscious on the Lower East Side. They have been sta...

Michael Delaney is one of the most accomplished improvisers to come out of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York. He was a member of The Swarm, the legendary Harold Team formed by Amy Poehler, as well as The Stepfathers. He also directed the Naked Babies, and performed in seminal shows like Delaney & Dave, Pile Driver, and Nailed Down. Michael and Will talk about the early days of U...

Madeleine Smithberg is best know as co-creator and executive producer of The Daily Show, which she ran for seven years, spanning the Craig Kilborn and Jon Stewart eras. The list of people Madeleine hired during her tenure includes Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, and Ed Helms. She spent six years as a talent coordinator and producer on Late Night with David Letterman, after beginning he...

Seth Morris is one of the most prolific performers to come out of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. His sketch group Naked Babies (with John Ross Bowie, Rob Corddry, and Brian Huskey) was a juggernaut. Seth also performed in classic long-running improvised shows like Feature Feature and Facebook. He was the first Artistic Director at UCB Franklin, worked at Funny or Die, and has acted on shows...

Many people know Bobby Moynihan from his nine seasons on Saturday Night Live, but his formative years as a comedian were improvising at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York, where he was a member of house teams Police Chief Rumble and The Stepfathers. Will talked to Bobby about the old UCB days, as well as his time on Saturday Night Live, Human Giant, and Derrick Comedy. Bobby also dis...

Colton Dunn has been a stalwart of the improv and sketch comedy scene since the late 90s. Will first met Colton when they were in the same Level 1 class at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in its early days in New York. Since then Colton has performed at Boom Chicago in Amsterdam, been a writer on madTV and Key & Peele, and played the much-loved character Garrett on Superstore (NBC). Colto...

Introducing Life In Comedy, a podcast about comedians hosted by Will Becton (former engineer of Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend). In this clip, Will talks to Colton Dunn (Key & Peele, Superstore) about discovering the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York. Recorded at Jett Road Studios. ------------------ LIFE IN COMEDY Instagram JETT ROAD STUDIOS Website Instagram YouTube