Writing Comedy: Three Ducks Walk into a Bar…

May 24, 2015

Event Date: Saturday, June 13, 2015 || Speaker: Kiff VandenHeuvel , Kara Lee Burke, Brandee Stilwell, Tim Pollock & Jeff Hodsdon || Check-in: 12:30 pm ||

The panel will be more about craft and process than how to get started (who to contact sort of stuff). Comedy isn’t just a skill you just start writing for but you train and develop tools to get stronger and that’s the thrust of it.

**The deadline has passed and REGISTRATION is now CLOSED for this event. Please view our calendar for upcoming events.

Kiff VandenHeuvel is originally from Grand Rapids, MI and is an alumni of The Second City comedy theatre in Chicago, Detroit, and Los Angeles. Kiff not only performed and wrote there, but he continues to teach comedy writing and frequently directs. Beyond Second City, he has performed on film and TV in projects ranging from NBC’s PARKS AND RECREATION, HBO’s BEHIND THE CANDELABRA, Netflix’s popular children’s series, RICHIE RICH, NIGHTCRAWLER (with Rene Russo and Jake Gyllenhaal), DANNY COLLINS (with Al Pacino) and the upcoming BATMAN VS SUPERMAN: THE DAWN OF JUSTICE.

Kiff has appeared in hundreds of TV and radio commercials and is well known in the video game community as the voice of Zachary Hale Comstock in Bioshock: Infinite, Walter in The Walking Dead video game series, Disney Infinity, MidnightClub 3: DUB Edition, and most recently in The Evil Within.

Kiff lives in LA with his wife and daughter.

Kara Lee Burk – Kara Lee began writing while working with sketch comedy troupes in Detroit and New York City. She then moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in television. Her spec of The Sarah Silverman Program got her chosen as one two comedy writers for the Warner Bros. Television Writers Workshop. Since completing the WBWW she has been staffed as a writer on Romantically Challenged (ABC), Melissa & Joey (ABC Family) and The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show (coming to Netflix soon!) . She has also written for multiple webseries, a videogame, and is constantly writing new pilots for staffing and development. You can also check out her show MY GAY HUSBAND at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in June.

Brandee Stilwell – Born and raised both Quaker and Cherokee in the number one fly over state of Kansas, Brandee moved to Los Angeles so she wouldn’t become another statistic of being a divorced mother of three by the age of 19 or perhaps any time in at the local state pen. Her parents are proud! Her resume includes Mad TV, American Dad and Family Guy (not as a writer). She has worked on various other shows for the Fox Network where she’ll no doubt pay with her soul, somewhere very warm after she passes. She has written several things that she promises you’ve never heard of or is currently out of print. She produced and was responsible for bringing back the comedy, theater concept of “Hollywood Hell House” in 2007 with Bill Maher as Satan and Dermot Mulroney and Kato Kaelin as Jesus (depending on what night). She’s a proud pet parent of six, three alive, three dead. Her preferred color is blue, she adores singing out of key while dancing to Euro 80’s music and her favorite food is Mexican, even though sometimes it doesn’t love her back. Brandee can currently be heard in the monthly podcast “That Voice Over Improv Thing.”

Tim Pollock and Jeff Hodsdon (writers/show runners and E.P.s for Netflix’s Richie Rich). Prior to that both of them have significant comedy writing credits including A.N.T. Farm, Suite Life with Zack and Cody, and Suite Life on Deck for Disney Channel.

A native Los Angelino, Tim Pollock graduated from University of Michigan and began a career in television writing. After years conducting ride-alongs with various units of The N.Y.P.D. as the researcher for NBC’s Third Watch, Tim made the natural progression to writing for Disney Channel’s The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Since then, along with his writing partner, Jeff Hodsden, he has written over forty episodes of shows such as The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, The Suite Life on Deck, A.N.T. Farm, and Richie Rich, which Tim co-created and executive produced for Netflix.

After starting his collegiate career playing football in Colorado, Jeff Hodsden moved to Las Vegas, where he became interested in writing and directing, and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Broadcast from UNLV. Upon his graduation in 2000, Jeff received an intern position at the television show, Dharma and Greg (ABC). He continued on his path writing for The Jamie Kennedy Experiment (WB), The Suite Life of Zack and Cody (Disney), The Suite Life on Deck (Disney), and A.N.T. Farm (Disney), having written over 30 episodes with his writing partner, Tim Pollock. Jeff most recently was the Co-Creator/Executive Producer of Richie Rich (Netflix Original).

Join us on the Second Saturday every month at:

**Same location, New Name**
Sidetrack Creative Studio
5723 Auckland Ave.
North Hollywood, CA 91601

SidetrackCreative.com
contact: [email protected]
818-823-9888

As this is a professional event, we ask that you please arrive prior to the event start time.

Meeting Timeframe: 1:00 pm to approximately 3:00 pm

Free Parking!

Please remember to bring a picture ID and your SWN Membership Card!

Any questions, email us at [email protected].