Michelle Nader (Shifting Gears)
And Thrilling Adventure Hour hits the road!
Show Business
I both cannot believe and am utterly unsurprised that the live show and podcast I created with my writing partner, The Thrilling Adventure Hour, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. It feels like yesterday that we began the show in a 100 seat supper club in Hollywood. And yet, it feels like I’ve been doing this show forever! Some of the best times I’ve had and some of the best friends I’ve made are through this show, and I’m thrilled to be celebrating this milestone with these talented people.
And hopefully with you too!
We’re taking the show on the road this year, visiting San Francisco (this weekend!), a hometown show in LA, then shows in Chicago, New York, and (for the first time) London!
Join Paul F. Tompkins, Paget Brewster, Marc Evan Jackson, Busy Philipps, Joshua Malina, Janet Varney, the full cast and special, surprise guests for these special anniversary shows. They’re going to be a blast.
ALL DATES ARE NOW ON SALE HERE.
We have two live Zoom Q&As planned for February!
The first is with Scott Beck & Bryan Woods, the writers/directors of last year’s really fun Heretic and the original writers of A Quiet Place. That will be a weekday Q&A on Wednesday, February 5, at 3pm PT/6pm ET.
Then, on Sunday, Feb 16, at 11am PT/2pm ET, we’ve got a Q&A with Lise Muse Bryant, a terrific writers who’s been at it on shows like A Man on the Inside, Blackish, Primo, The Thundermans, and more. Should be another great one.
The only way to attend the Zoom Q&As and ask your questions of these pro writer, or to listen to the recordings, is is to become a paid subscriber. You’ll also be supporting my work in the podcast and in this newsletter!
Shifting Gears
Today’s Writers Panel is a good one. Michelle Nader (showrunner of Shifting Gears and Deli Boys; writer on Caroline in the City, Spin City, 2 Broke Girls, and more) discusses relationships with actors, including her "avatar" Kat Dennings, writing yourself out of your low points, how growing up in the mob prepared her for a career in television, and more.
Get the podcast via Apple or Spotify or Acast or your favorite podcast app.
How are you feeling about the future of our industry? How is your writing going? Please chime in!
I know she's super busy, but if at some point Michelle was available for a Q&A about comedy, that would be super neat.
The conversation about comedy made me so sad - but also, we're living in the darkest of times, comedy has to make a big comeback in some form, for our collective survival, right?
And the conversation about knowledge transfer - its absence, because of the current state of the industry, is something that I think about a lot, as someone whose training is in information and knowledge management. And also why I value your podcast so much: what you're doing is a form of oral history. It doesn't replace experience or mentorship, but it's a very accessible way for anyone interested to learn so much!
Should I seek out mobsters? You know, for training.