“In college, my teachers were usually after me for going after comedy too much, leaning too much in that direction.” ComedyToo MuchTeacherCollege Author:Mary-Louise Parker
“I did work at a mall in college - I think retail/customer service is just one of the most hideous jobs in the world. So I always try to be extra nice when I go into a store. But malls are part of our culture, if you watched any teen comedy in the '80s. it's clear that malls are where we live!” IfsThinkingWorldTryingJobsCultureClearComedyNiceCollegeCustomersStoresExtrasJust One80sHideousMallsRetail Author:Jayma Mays
“Josh Radnor is that rare thing: a writer-director who thinks like an actor but still knows how to create a comedy with shape and vision. Liberal Arts is the best movie about college I’ve seen since I don’t know what...Dryly affectionate and super-sharp. Elizabeth Olsen is every inch a star.” ThinkingKnowsArtStillsActorsStarsVisionKnow HowComedyCollegeShapesDirectorsArt IsInchesAffectionateJoshLiberal ArtsRare Things Author:Owen Gleiberman
“I came back to New York after college like any number of struggling performers, and you just find that niche where you can have some sort of impact. And for me that turned out to be comedy.” NumbersStruggleComedyNew YorkCollegeImpactPerformersNiche Author:Billy Eichner
“I started out with comedy in college, but had my major in Recreation Administration - which meant I wasn't going to get a real job - so I started doing a little standup.” LittlesRealJobsComedyCollegeMajorsAdministrationRecreationReal Jobs Author:Carlos Alazraqui
“When I first graduated college, I told my parents I'd try to pursue comedy for the first year or two, and if it didn't work out, I'd put my nose to the grindstone and try to find a job somehow. I went to UCB, and it clicked with me.” IfsTryingYearsFirstsTwoJobsParentComedyCollegeWork OutPursueNosesGrindstone Author:Ben Schwartz
“I always wanted to be a comedian. I loved comedy since I was a little kid, and while I was at university I started doing stand up shows. Once I realized that I was good at it I quit college and left although I had six months left. I went to England. I could have done the last six months but I realized that I was better at standup comedy than I was at singing opera.” LittlesDoneShowsKidsWantedLastsLeftComedyCollegeMonthsSixSingingEnglandUniversityI RealizedQuittingComedianOperaSix MonthsLittle KidI Quit Author:Jim Jefferies
“Basically, I was always very interested in comedy, but I was much more sort of academic. And then, after college, loaded with my art history degree, I decided to go work at Comedy Central as a temp.” ArtComedyCollegeDegreesDecidedAcademicLoadedArt History Author:Jessi Klein
“Once I was in college, I was actually trying to write a comedy screenplay and I wrote basically the worst movie ever and just threw it away and never showed anybody. Everyone needs to get that first bad screenplay out of your system before you start writing other stuff.” NeedsWritingTryingFirstsStuffComedyWorstCollegeScreenplaysWorst Movie Author:Scot Armstrong
“There was a male sketch group in my college. I was like why isn't there a female sketch group? So then I started doing sketch comedy and all that stuff. It just happened.” StuffComedyHappenedGroupsCollegeFemaleMalesSketch Comedy Author:Missi Pyle
“[At Boston College] I started working on the kinds of skills that you need for comedy. It's about being creative and learning to use your gift for being able to let loose and be very unself-conscious. It took me time though before I was really able to get comfortable doing that.” NeedsKindUseAbleCreativeComedyCollegeSkillsComfortableConsciousBe CreativeBoston Author:Amy Poehler
“It never seemed like that much of a mystery why shows I was acted in failed. When you're doing a show called Freaks And Geeks about young people in high school, and it's on Saturday nights at 8 and there's no promotion for it, it's not really hard to guess why no one's watching it. And when you're doing a college goofball comedy that premières three weeks after Sept. 11, it's not that hard to piece together why that's not the most important thing on the radar.” PeopleImportantHardShowsSchoolTogetherYoungNightThreeComedyPiecesMysteryWeekCollegeHigh SchoolImportant ThingsFreakSaturdayGeekPromotionSaturday NightRadarSept 11 Author:Seth Rogen
“In college I was one of six males who auditioned for five male roles in a comedy play. I was the one rejected. At that moment I made up my mind never to place myself at the mercy of some pompous, goateed, black-turtleneck-shirted "should I yay him or nay him?" pantywaist ever again.” ShouldMindMadePlayMomentsBlackRolesFiveComedyCollegeSixMercyMalesThat MomentShould IRejectedPompousTurtlenecksYay Author:Emo Philips
“I saw this college team bowling championship. Each team had their own coach. What kind of strategy advice is a bowling coach giving? "You know what? This time Timmy, I want you to knock down all the pins." "You sure?" "Trust me. Just do it son!"” KnowsWantGivingKindFunnySawsComedyTeamAdviceCollegeSonStrategyCoachesI Want YouChampionshipTrust MePinsJust Do ItBowling Author:Jim Gaffigan
“All I knew is that I loved movies and comedy and TV, and I wanted to perform. I made a bunch of shorts and movies in college, and that was always fun too. I directed some plays in college. It was taking it all in and trying to immerse myself in as much of it as possible.” TryingMadePlayWantedFunComedyCollegeTvsBunchShorts Author:Ed Helms
“I don't do sketch anymore and sometimes I miss it. But I think what I really miss is that time in my life, it was kind of like college. No kids, no real responsibilities, just comedy, food and late nights.” ThinkingKindRealSometimesKidsNightResponsibilityComedyMissingCollegeLateLate Night Author:Alex Borstein
“I never really thought comedy was a career option, just something I did for fun. Suddenly I realised I was getting paid which was a bonus. I studied for a diploma with the London College of Music, and teaching was something I thought I might do but comedy intervened.” MightFunCareersComedyTeachingCollegePaidLondonRealisedBonusDiploma Author:Bill Bailey
“I remember reading Dave Barry for the first time and being like oh my God I can't believe you can do this. Watching Mel Brooks and Monty Python and SNL and all that stuff really informed me as a writer and then at high school I started a satire magazine and the college like The Lampoon really introduced me to like you know a lot of very like-minded people who really wanted to like comedy was the center of their lives.” PeopleKnowsFirstsBelieveI CanWantedSchoolRememberReadingStuffCan DoComedyCollegeLike YouHigh SchoolFirst TimeMagazinesSatireBrooksDaveBelieve You CanPythonSnlMonty Author:Nicholas Stoller
“And writing comedy and it really taught me how to kind of like craft jokes, it sounds like weird but really focus on crafting jokes and trying to make the writing really sharp. At the same time I did improv comedy in college, and that helped with understanding the performance aspect of comedy, you know, because it's different when you improv something vs. when you write it and they're both kind of part of my process now.” KnowsWritingTryingKindDifferentProcessUnderstandingSoundComedyFocusTaughtCollegeJokesAspectPerformancesCraftsWriting ComedyImprov Comedy Author:Nicholas Stoller
“So welcome 'Damsels in Distress,' an exhilarating gift of a comedy about college, the female intellect, the limitless male ego, inventing a new dance, and suicide prevention... This is the world as Stillman sees it, and to luxuriate for two hours in that retro bubble of sparkling wit is a pleasure not to be missed.” WorldTwoHoursPleasureComedyCollegeEgoFemaleSuicideMalesIntellectWitWelcomeBubblesDistressLimitlessInventingExhilaratingPreventionSparklingRetroDamsel In DistressMale Ego Author:Peter Travers
“I was a screenwriting major in college, and really wanted to do that after I graduated, but there are no job listings for that, as we all know. I had many classmates that made it in the business, but stand-up comedy was my way in, and my first film 'Sleepwalk with Me' was based on those autobiographical experiences.” KnowsWayFirstsMadeWantedJobsFilmComedyCollegeMajorsMade ItMy WayScreenwritingStand Up ComedyClassmatesWalk With Me Author:Mike Birbiglia
“When I was in college my improvisation troupe and I did a road trip to Chicago, and went to The Second City to see the classic 'Paradigm Lost' revue - with Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, Scott Adsit and Kevin Dorff. It blew my mind, and proved to me you can do sketch comedy like you're doing 'Long Day's Journey into Night.' We could treat it like theater.” MindLongNightLostCan DoCitiesComedyJourneyCollegeLike YouTreatsTheaterClassicChicagoParadigmImprovisationKevinRoad TripLong DayFeySketch ComedySecond CityTroupe Author:Mike Birbiglia
“I used to act in college, but always comedy. Didn't do [William] Shakespeare - did Ben Jonson.” UsedComedyCollege Author:Margaret Atwood