New York Comedy Festival Panels

Forget moving — I should’ve just made my blog into a shrine dedicated to my love of comedy writer panels.

Again this year, the New York Comedy Festival is making me downright giddy with its selection of afternoon panels at the Paley Center For Media. They are:

Keeping It Fresh: Television Writing in the Internet Age
Friday, November 6, 2009, 6:30 pm
Featuring: Rory Albanese (Executive Producer, The Daily Show), Jim Downey (Writer, Saturday Night Live), Al Jean (Executive Producer, The Simpsons), John Riggi (Co-executive Producer, 30 Rock)

Writing for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: The Writers of NBC’s Late Night Discuss Their Process and Look Uncomfortable
Saturday, November 7, 2009, 2:00 pm
Featuring: A.D. Miles (Head Writer), Wayne Federman (Head Monologue Writer), Amy Ozols, Gerard Bardford, Bashir Salahuddin, Diallo Riddle, Anthony Jeselnik, Jeremy Bronson, Mike “Deetch” DiCenzo, Ali Waller

The Truthiness Behind the Lines: An In-Depth Look Behind the Scenes with The Colbert Report Writers
Saturday, November 7, 2009, 5:00 pm
Featuring: Barry Julien (Head Writer), Peter Grosz, Max Werner, Peter Gwinn, Glenn Eichler, Jay Katsir, Rob Dubbin, Michael Brumm, Frank Lesser, Opus Moreschi, Meredith Scardino

EDIT: Contrary to the Paley website forwarding to a buggy ticketing page, tickets are NOT currently on sale. Tickets will be available to Paley members October 9, and to the general public October 16. (Paley memberships start at $70, and in my opinion well worth the money if you’re a NY or LA resident/visitor.)

About the Author

Sharilyn Johnson is the author of the book Bears & Balls: The Colbert Report A-Z. Called "one of the city’s most discriminating comedy critics” by NOW Magazine, Sharilyn has been covering comedy for longer than she cares to admit. She served as the comedy reporter for Winnipeg's Uptown Magazine for five years, and was the host of the radio show Laugh Tracks for three seasons. Her work has also appeared in the Toronto Star, the Winnipeg Free Press, The Apiary, and on CBC Radio's national comedy programs LOL and Definitely Not the Opera.