[CW-Grad] Guest Lecturers on Comedy Writing, Writers' Pitch Panic (Stage Fright) -- coming to my class on Monday, Oct. 24

[Robin Russin]

Dear screenwriters:

This should be fun. I have two guests coming to my THEA 066 class on Monday at 2:40 in Arts 335 (the Screening Room). Others are welcome to attend.

Robin




I Wrote, I Worried, I Pitched: (Pitching Comedy Scripts) Writers will learn tactics to hone their pitch and perform it fearlessly by learning to manage their stage fright. The presenters include insights from their book, “Show Me The Funny” interviews with Hollywood's greatest comedy writers…creators of iconic sitcoms and movies from Gilligan’s Island to There’s Something About Mary. This presentation combines comedy writing techniques and tips, pitching comedy and overcoming pitch panic.


Author Bios: Peter Desberg and Jeffrey Davis


One out of every 150 people in America bought a copy of a joke book that Peter Desberg has written. Unfortunately, Scholastic sold the most popular one for $1 each, so he still has to work. Counting his five joke books, he has had twenty books published. In addition to this lucrative writing career, he is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in the area of stage fright. He has worked with many top stand-up comedians, who are regularly confronted with massive cases of flop sweat. He also has been moonlighting as a full professor at California State University Dominguez Hills for over thirty years.


He has done extensive research on the psychology of humor and is a frequent consultant to business presenters on how to use humor persuasively. No stranger to media, for ten years he hosted his own cable TV show on technology. In the areas of humor and stage fright, he has done many radio and television interviews and is frequently quoted in national publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Reader's Digest, the Los Angeles Times, Psychology Today, and Cosmopolitan. He has to be a humor expert because he has a daughter who is about to turn twenty-one.


Jeffrey Davis's earliest memories are of sitting around the writers' table at Nate & Al's Delicatessen, where his father and his comedy writer cronies gathered over corn beef and Doctor Brown's Cream Soda, told war stories, and tried to fix third acts. He began his own career writing jokes for Thicke of the Night. Among his situation comedy credits are Love Boat, House Calls with Lynn Redgrave, Give Me a Break, Diff'rent Strokes, and Night Court. He has also written for such shows as America's Funniest People, America's Funniest Home Videos, and Small Wonder, and has had film projects developed by Bette Midler's All Girl Productions, among others.


He has written documentaries for A&E, Discovery, and the National Geographic Channel, and written a variety of corporate and informational videos. His plays have been produced in New York and Los Angeles . His most recently published play is Speed Dating 101. He is the Screenwriting Department Chair and associate professor of film and TV writing at Loyola Marymount University . His one night of stand-up at the Comedy Store convinced him that he should stay permanently seated at his desk.





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