“Persistence and resilience are essential for breaking into the industry of writing for television and movies,” said writers from Saturday Night Live to UNC students April 14 as part of CUAB’s eighth annual Carolina Comedy Festival.
Bryan Tucker, a 1993 graduate of UNC, has visited his alma mater during the comedy festival five out of the last six years to talk to students about television writing. He brought his colleague Colin Jost with him this year. Tucker and Jost are in their sixth year of writing for Saturday Night Live.
“Talent is very important, but persistence is even more important,” said Tucker on the difficulty of breaking into the industry.
“Just try. Just get out there and try,” said Tucker. “You’ll never make it unless you put yourself out there.”
Tucker said that the number one question he usually gets is how someone from North Carolina can become a writer for television or films. Ultimately, Tucker said, you have to move to New York City, Los Angeles or Chicago to be a writer in the entertainment business, but that is not to say that you cannot begin in North Carolina.
Tucker and Jost emphasized the importance of finding a group of fellow writers and performers on or around campus. They mentioned groups such as CHiPs, an improv and sketch comedy group on campus; Bounce Magazine, a UNC submissions-based humor magazine; and the Dirty South Improv Comedy Theater in Carrboro. They also commented on how useful the Internet, specifically YouTube, can be for marketing your material.
“The best way to really get started is to go out there and try and find a place where you can try,” said Tucker. “It’s so important to get your writing validated by others, to have people laugh at it, to have people hear it.”
Tucker recalled how he got started doing standup with his friends. His first show was at a Morrison Dorm talent show. He and his friends formed a group on campus and eventually began traveling around the state doing sketch, improv and standup.
After touring around the country with the group for about five years, the group broke up, and Tucker moved to New York City where he had to start all over again. Tucker said he thinks the time he spent performing in North Carolina was valuable because he became more comfortable doing standup, and when he got to New York City, he was ahead of all the beginners.
Tucker formed a reputation as a good writer once in the city, and in 1999 he got a job writing for the Chris Rock Show. He proceeded to work for MADtv, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, Chappelle’s Show and then Saturday Night Live.
“It took a long time, but I was always out there doing it,” said Tucker.
Jost and Tucker gave advice on how to get hired such as learning how to write in another person’s voice and not just your own; they emphasized that writers have to emulate cast members’ voices and write jokes that fit those voices.
Making connections and finding a support group are also important tactics for breaking into the entertainment writing industry.
“The more you hang out in those communities, the more you hear about opportunities,” said Jost.
Jost and Tucker repeatedly returned to the tip that writers have to be patient and keep writing, knowing that they will face rejection at times.
“Comedy is usually put into two ruthless categories: funny or not funny, and it’s completely subjective as to which is which,” said Tucker.
With a smile, Jost told students, “If you want to be a writer, you write all the time.”
Sources:
SNL: Edogo.com, http://saturday-night-live.edogo.com/index.php/about/
Bryan Tucker (photo): Comedy Central, http://comedians.jokes.com/bryan-tucker/videos/bryan-tucker—marketing
Colin Jost (photo): Broadway World, http://broadwayworld.com/viewcolumnpics.cfm?colid=101319&photoid=88030
DSI Comedy Theater (logo): Ignite Durham, http://ignitedurham.com/