Our final Career Tracker of 2018! We check in with Marla Black, Ben Marshall, Mehdi Barakchian and Nic Stanich to see what they’re working on, how they feel as they look back on the year, and what goals they’re setting for 2018. Sean Weiner (UC

Maker Book Club – Director's Six Senses

Dec 12th, 2017 54m 26s

The Maker Book Club is back in session! This week Nate Russell sits down with UCB Comedy writer/directors Tessa Greenberg and Matt Starr, and actor/producer Sam Klemmer to break down everyone's thoughts on the chosen filmmaking guide, The Direc

Perfecting The Edit

Dec 3rd, 2017 29m 27s

Editing should never be an afterthought. This week we bring you a compilation of our favorite clips about the editing process, each one illustrating the ways in which every perspective of a production can have some connection to the edit, be it

Jonathan Furmanski – Communicating Your Vision

Nov 26th, 2017 52m 16s

Jonathan Furmanski is the DP on all your favorite comedies: Delocated, Search Party, Inside Amy Schumer, and more. This week he’s sitting down with Nate to chat about how he rose through the ranks from assisting, how his approach changes betwee

Michela Smith and Lucien Flores – Making Short-Form as a Duo

Nov 19th, 2017 44m 21s

Michela Smith and Lucien Flores are a two-person production team often known as Loose Seal Productions. This week they're in the studio to chat with Nate about how they divide their work as creative partners, how they've found a home in the New

Zack Phillips and Madalyn Baldanzi – Writing a Pilot

Nov 14th, 2017 52m 58s

Writer/comedians Zack Phillips and Madalyn Baldanzi are in the studio to talk about their recent fellowship in the Made in NY Writers Room, a program organized by the mayoral office of New York City and the Writer's Guild of America East. Zack

Patrick Cotnoir – Talent Booking

Nov 4th, 2017 37m 12s

Our guest today is Patrick Cotnoir, talent booker extraordinaire for The Chris Gethard Show and formerly The President Show, as well as cherished UCBT stage shows like Asssscat 3000 and The George Lucas Talk Show. Patrick explains his method fo

Career Tracker Week 28

Oct 30th, 2017 1h 19m

It's the fifth installment of our Career Tracker series! What did our four makers – Ben Marshall, Marla Black, Mehdi Barakchian and Nic Stanich – accomplish in the last seven weeks? How did their lives change? Joining Nate in-studio to chat thr

Making A Web Series That Works

Oct 23rd, 2017 29m 27s

This week, we've dug into the UCB Digital archive to bring you the best tips, tricks and nuggets of wisdom for making a successful web series. Host Nate Russell looks back at the best of our web content-creating guests: Jonathan Braylock, James

Hayley Kosan – Jack of All Trades

Oct 9th, 2017 52m

Hayley Kosan is in the studio this week to chat with Nate about what motivates her work as a multi-talented director, DP, producer and actor. Hayley was an associate producer on The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, and directed the sketch comed

Dylan Marron – Comedy for Social Justice

Sep 30th, 2017 1h 3m

This week we're excited to have performer, writer and activist Dylan Marron in the studio to chat with Nate about his work for Seriously.TV and his podcast project Conversations with People Who Hate Me. Dylan explains the ideas behind his most

Ally Pankiw – Bi-Coastal Directing

Sep 25th, 2017 56m 54s

Canadian director Ally Pankiw stops by the studio this week to chat with Nate about her work as a director in not one but two cities: Toronto and Los Angeles. Ally was a writer on the series Schitt's Creek with Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara,

Ally Pankiw – Bi-Coastal Directing

Sep 25th, 2017 56m 54s

Nate Dern – From Screen to Page

Sep 18th, 2017 51m 42s

Nate Dern is the senior writer of Funny or Die and the former Artistic Director of the UCB Theatre. He's now also a published author with his book of essays, Not Quite a Genius, available in stores now. He stopped by UCB Comedy to chat with Nat

Career Tracker Week 21

Sep 12th, 2017 1h 34m

A new installment of our Career Tracker series! At week 21, our four makers are facing new challenges, successes, and some unexpected twists in their career paths. Join host Nathan Russell and filmmaker Alden Ford as they check in with our subj

Dan Erickson – Making an Indie Movie

Sep 3rd, 2017 54m 9s

Dan Erickson (UCB, Blue Bloods) is in the studio this week! Dan recently completed his first full-length independent feature and as a follow-up to our book club, he's chatting with Nate about his process in comparison with Reed Martin's guide t

The Maker Book Club

Aug 28th, 2017 1h 1m

UCB Digital presents its first-ever Maker Book Club episode! We read The Reel Truth: Everything You Didn't Know You Need To Know About Making an Independent Film, by Reed Martin. In this episode, Nate sits down with members of the UCB Comedy te

Ryan Spears – Short Form Editing

Aug 22nd, 2017 1h

This week Nate Russell sat down with freelance film editor Ryan Spears about his time editing digital shorts for SNL and leading the post-production team at Above Average. Ryan's now a freelancer and explains how he made contacts in the comedy

Alyssa Limperis - Seizing Your Goals

Aug 14th, 2017 34m 39s

Writer, Performer and Stand-up Comedian Alyssa Limperis (Conde Nast) chats with host Nate Russell about how her father's recent passing motivated her to pursue her career goals. Alyssa produces video content for Conde Nast's digital platform, T

Rachel Roderman - Being Nimble

Aug 7th, 2017 55m 41s

Producer Rachel Roderman (Bustle) joins Nate Russell in-studio to chat about her UCB Digital team Brinkman and their latest and final release, Trolls. She explains how working for an ad agency has made her a better producer, and describes ways

Lee Chin - Connecting Your Crafts

Aug 1st, 2017 42m 37s

Writer, performer and editor Lee Chin joins host Nate Russell in-studio to chat about his departure from The Flama, how his work as an editor influences his pitches and timing as a performer, and his latest project for digital outlet Mas Mejor.

Career Tracker Week 14

Jul 24th, 2017 1h 10m

This week is our latest Career Tracker check-in! Host Nathan Russell sits down with writer, editor and talented multi-hyphenate Megan Stein to discuss her work and chat about the journeys of our filmmakers: Nic Stanich, Mehdi Barakchian, Marla

Trevor Williams - Freelance Directing

Jul 17th, 2017 55m 8s

Trevor Williams is a director, filmmaker and actor, and one third of New York-based production company Pig Apple. His credits include ESPN, MTV, Comedy Central, IFC, and Nickelodeon. This week he and host Nate Russell chat about freelance direc

Kelley Quinn and Chris Burns - Where Values Meet Comedy

Jul 10th, 2017 49m 4s

Chris Burns and Kelley Quinn (UCB) are the creators and stars of the web series Straight Marriage. This week they sat down with Nate to chat about how they've infused their personal values into the production process, how they see the series ev

Announcing: The Maker Book Club

Jul 3rd, 2017 6m 49s

Happy Fourth of July! We're excited to announce our brand new Maker Book Club. Over the summer we'll be reading The Reel Truth by Reed Martin, and we're inviting you to join along with us from home so we can break it down together via livestrea