What is the sound of late night women laughing? If the recent panel discussion moderated by Allison Silverman, former Executive Producer and writer for The Colbert Report at The Paley Center for Media in New York is any indication, it’s rather raucous.
Hi-larious doesn’t begin to describe these behind-the-scenes big laughs originators, who have won majors awards for their wit (including Emmys) and written for some big boys of comedy: Michael Moore, David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart.
Full disclosure: given the topic of the event — the dearth of female writers in late night television — I expected the night to be a bit of a bummer. Yet every time the conversation swung around to the down-low, one of the women on the panel cracked a joke, showed a clip, or displayed some dazzling chutzpah about navigating their career. Depressing? Hardly. Upbeat is way more accurate.
Sure, the evening was inspired in part by a challenging numbers game in an industry dominated by the guys. This was highlighted by recent pieces in the New York Times by Bill Carter and Nell Scovell in Vanity Fair, which shot across the blogosphere and Twittersphere last fall. Despite the assumptions about the hostilities of the boys’ comedy locker room, these panelists radiated a love of what they do and in the day-to-day were largely undeterred by their minority status as females.
The best part of the event was the screened collection of clips penned by the panelists from The Daily Show, The Colbert Report and The Jimmy Fallon Show, among others. My head went “wow” as I realized that I’d viewed many without knowing a woman had written them, especially Stephen Colbert’s Crisis Garden segment, scripted by Meredith Scardino, a recent classic. Hallie Haglund’s piece on Chatroulette for The Daily Show created a lot of buzz when Stewart unbuckled his pants… to the tune of over 600,000 online views!
So what gives? If all of these ladies are so funny and the world has given way to some big girl powerhouses in the world of comedy, why are there still so few female writers on the late night scene? According to Jill Goodwin and Hallie Haglund who started as writers assistants it’s again in the numbers, but with a twist. The truth is, four times as many packets and pitches from the aspiring writers pool come from men. So, yes, the late night shows are hosted by men, and yes we need to break that ceiling at some point, but if you want to write for David Letterman, or Stephen Colbert or Jon Stewart, send your jokes in. Don’t just think about it. Do it.
Here are some tips from the pros:
1. Target the show you want to write for and memorize it inside and out. (Several of the panelists admitted to having every season of their target shows archived.)
2. Create a streamlined packet with your best material. “Pretend like you write for the show and give it to everyone you can think of…” (Meredith Scardino)
3. Some shows don’t require an agent to represent you. (Including The Late Show with David Letterman, The Colbert Report and The Daily Show). Assistants read the slush pile and do recommend great material when they find it. (Jennifer Goodwin)
4. Do stand up comedy. Open mics, whatever. While you may not be the best performer out there, it’s a way for your jokes to be heard and seen. It may lead to writing for a big comedian. Plus it’s a great way to network. (Morgan Murphy)
5. Post funny clips on YouTube and canvas your friends to view them. Repeatedly.
6. Publish comedic pieces in magazines or on blogs. You never know who might be reading, or where it may lead. (Hallie Haglund)
7. Take entry level jobs at comedy shows. Internships, receptionists, pages. Three of the panelists started this way.
8. Envision yourself as the head writer of a late night show. It never hurts to dream big. Plus it’s funny. Read Hallie Haglund’s piece on finally meeting Conan O’Brien.
9. Check out the clip from the event.
Bottom line, some other numbers are in our favor. Women are culture mavens. They buy more books, and they watch more TV than men. Women engage in social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter more than men do. And they blog more. So what’s stopping the funny ladies from stepping forward and find audiences? If the Paley Center response is any indicator, the laugh track is there to guide them.
After the panel, I switched on a freshly DVR’d episode of 30 Rock. Another hilarious round of my own version of Late Night.
Additional Reading//Viewing:
Here’s a YouTube clip of Morgan Murphy (The Jimmy Fallon Show) doing stand up.
Letterman Show Hires Female Writer, Jill Goodwin
Stephen Colbert Interviews Allison Silverman for Elle
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Kathleen Sweeney is the author of Maiden USA: Girl Icons Come of Age. She currently teaches courses in Media Studies at The New School, New York on pop culture, superheroes, social media and comedy. Twitter: @wavemaven
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“8. Envision yourself as the head writer of a late night show. It never hurts to dream big.”
I think this is one cultural weak point for women. Most of us absorb the “lesson” that it’s enough for us to be the facilitator to making a splash in this world (rock/comedy/whatever star) or making this world a better place that we don’t sell ourselves well. I know part of it is the still scarce networking/mentoring opportunities, but most of us (I include myself here) still feel it’s unseemly to toot our own horns.
Thanks for the tips. Great post.
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