Misfit Pandemia

Failed Class Clown | Steve Kaplan - Comedy Expert

Steve Kaplan | Comedy ExpertI've been teaching and lecturing about comedy around the world for years. My first book, The Hidden Tools of Comedy is a best-seller in its field. I've also written, The Comic Hero's Journey: Serious Story Structure for Fabulously Funny Films and am currently working on a third, about writing comedy for television.In addition to having taught at UCLA, NYU, Yale and other universities, I 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, I've taught taught workshops at companies such as DreamWorks, Disney Animation, Aardman Animation, NBC's Writers on the Verge, and others.There are a number of people who teach screenwriting, but there are few who teach comedy. And most are teaching stand-up or improv. My course is one of the only places to learn about the art and science, the physics and philosophy of comedy: what it is, how it works, WHY it works, what's going on when it DOESN'T work, and what you can do to fix it.Dorothy Parker once described the ability to write comedy as being able to have "a sharp eye, and a wild mind." I'd add the perception to see the absurdities of the world we live in, the courage to include yourself as part of that absurd world, and the ability to share that truth with others. And the occasional bathroom humor.Unlike some, I teach principles, not rigid formulas. My equation for comedy—An ordinary guy (or gal) struggling against insurmountable odds, without many of the required skills and tools with which to win, yet never giving up hope—expresses not so much a formula but rather a metaphor that describes our existence in this world. We’re all just ordinary people, struggling to live our lives as best we can without super powers or unlimited resources. The main difference between comedy and drama is how we face that struggle. In comedy, no matter what, there is hope.As metaphor, this perspective invites creativity rather than stifles it, and it allows artists as divergent as Greta Gerwig and Oscar Wilde to still tell tales about human beings struggling to make sense of an absurd world. The best comedies avoid conventional structures—they create their own. Eschewing formula, the best artists hold true to the basic principle of comedy: telling the truth about human beings.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, Rio, Moscow and Mumbai. He's presently teaching online on Zoom. You can find out all about it at KaplanComedy.com.Order my books Hidden Tools of Comedyor The Comic Hero's JourneyFollow me on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/KaplanComedyTwitter at Twitter.com/skcomedy 

Don't Press Pause | Dan Zitt - VP, Content Production at Penguin Random House

Dan Zitt | Vice President, Content Production at Penguin Random Housewww.danzitt.comDan Zitt, Senior Vice President, Content Production for the Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group, has been on the front lines of the evolution of the audiobook industry.  During his twenty year career as a content creator Dan has been the creative catalyst for over two thousand audiobook productions, collaborating with bestselling authors, notable celebrities, and award-winning narrators.  Eighteen of his recordings have been nominated for Grammy Awards™, with three winning the award for Best Spoken Word Album.   Currently Dan oversees the production of over fifteen hundred audiobooks a year with his bi-coastal production team.  As an industry leader, Dan has developed content in cooperation  with companies like HBO, Dr. Seuss, Lucasfilm, and has helped to scale Penguin Random House's audio capabilities globally while maintaining the highest production standards in the industry.  He is also the creator of www.Ahabtalent.com, a casting website dedicated to the discovery of worldwide voice talent for the audiobook industry.

Embracing Unworthiness | Dallas Jenkins (Creator) and Alaa Safi (Actor) - The Chosen TV Series

Dallas Jenkins (Creator) & Alaa Safi (Actor) - The Chosen TV Serieshttps://watch.angelstudios.com/thechosen Dallas Jenkins first produced the independent feature Hometown Legend at the age of 25 and shepherded it to distribution by Warner Brothers. In the nearly 20 years since, he has directed and produced over a dozen feature and short films for companies such as Universal, Lionsgate, Pureflix, Hallmark Channel, and Amazon. He is now the creator of the largest crowd-funded media project of all-time, a multi-season series about the life of Christ entitled The Chosen.Alaa Safi was born and raised in France to Moroccan parents. At the age of 7, he starts practicing martial arts. At 18, he's the Tae Kwon Do World Champion. His fighting and acrobatic skills get him to work as a stuntman in Thailand, India and France. He studies acting in the Atelier International de Théâtre Blanche Salant & Paul Weaver. He starts taking on roles, and keeps studying with Jack Waltzer.Since he's 21, Alaa takes part in different film genres. But his performance as antagonist to Jackie Chan in Chinese Zodiac 12 paves his way to Hollywood. He's offered to play The Moor in Outcast with Nicolas Cage. He then joins Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen and Benedict Cumberbatch in Doctor Strange. He's directed by Michael Cuesta in American Assassin alongside Michael Keaton, by Kenneth Branagh in Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, and by Kevin Macdonald in The Mauritanian starring Jodie Foster, Tahar Rahim and Benedict Cumberbatch. His performances in Taureau Taureau and in his directorial debut Chrysalis earned him respectively the Best Male Actor Award at the Festival National du Film Hyères les Palmiers and the Cassavetes Award for Best actor at the Austin Arthouse Film Festival. He plays Simon the Zealot in the internationally acclaimed series The Chosen.

Beyond the Follower Counts | Heidi Dean - Social Media Marketing Expert

Heidi Dean | Social Media Marketing Expertwww.Marketing4Actors.comHeidi Dean is the industry’s top social media expert for actors and content creators. She’s a social media writer for Backstage Magazine and a frequent speaker at film festivals, conferences, SAG-AFTRA, AEA, podcasts and universities across the country.Heidi was a proud member of SAG-AFTRA & AEA and a working professional actor for over 20 years. Now she combines her years of industry experience with cutting edge social media strategy to help actors and content creators open more doors for their careers. Her clients include Emmy Award-winners, Broadway stars, recording artists, directors, producers, and filmmakers. Heidi turns social media rookies into ROCKSTARS!

We Run, We Don't Walk | The Growing Studio

THE GROWING STUDIO | Acting, Dance & Musical Theatre Classeshttps://thegrowingstudio.com/The Growing Studio (TGS) is the largest acting studio in the world with over 6,000 students annually in New York, London, Amsterdam, and more. We offer low cost workshops and classes and help actors further their careers and grow as artists along the way. For more info, please visit their website.