Selected Work

This shoot unbelievably has happened! I can’t wait to see it!

Audible Original “The Present” by Jay Martel Now Available To Order

I am so excited my Audible Original “The Present” is out there! It’s a very personal story for me involving time travel, siblings grossing each other out, aliens, adults embarrassing themselves, a squirrel, and a tear in the fabric of reality — in other words, everything you need in a comedy! Order now only at @audible! adbl.co/thepresent

AGC Studios Unwrap ‘The Present’

Producing-Directing, Writing for Screens

I’m very happy to announce that I’m partnering with AGC to make a movie based on a story that’s very close to my heart. Click on the link below to read more…

Alternatino with Arturo Castro

When I returned last year from nine months in South America with my family, one thing was clear: I needed a job. Cue “Alternatino,” a Comedy Central project that had already piloted and been greenlit for ten episodes. In some ways, it was a dream situation: I stepped into a show that was already defined, already (by virtue of the amazing pilot) successful. I worked with the star/creator Arturo Castro and the director Nick Jasenovec to hire some of my favorite (available) writers and we were off and running.

Alternatino with Arturo Castro on Comedy Central

Key & Peele: Obama Luther Farewell Address

After Trump’s election, I felt that Obama (or, in this case, Luther) needed to have the last word. I directed from a script written by Jordan and myself.  

Channel Blue

Alien TV executives are planning a disastrous finale for their “Big Brother”-style show, in which we’re the stars. In just three weeks, their show will go out with a bang. The trouble is, so will Earth.

“Skip the blurbs and start reading this very funny book.”
— Michael Moore

Teachers: School Sweet School

One of the episodes I wrote for Teachers, co-written with Ian Roberts.

Mr. Spinnoli on Teachers

I adore playing Mr. Spinnoli on Teachers — so beleaguered and so broken (see Kevin in the Unscripted presentation for another specimen of this genus).

Get Hard

When millionaire hedge fund manager James King (Will Ferrell) is nailed for fraud and bound for a stretch in San Quentin, the judge gives him 30 days to get his affairs in order. He turns to Kevin Hart for help.

Key & Peele: Obama Shutdown

Most of the writing I did on Key & Peele was rewriting, but there are a handful of sketches that I worked on from inception to air. Here’s one of them.

Key & Peele: Racist Bartender on “Apologies” Sketch

White bar patrons try to make their feelings about racism as clear as possible.   This was the genesis of my typecasting as a racist bartender. (My part’s at the very end, but the sketch, by Rebecca Drysdale, is well worth sitting through.)

Red Nose Day: Storytime with Tracy Morgan & Scary Guys

Working on Red Nose Day is always an adventure — you never know when you might be directing Steve Buscemi on a merry-go-round next to the East River.

The Moth: Head of Clay

I went onstage and told my story about reluctantly inheriting a 40-pound statue of my teenaged self. Unfortunately, I still have it.

The Awful Truth: Gun Crazy and Sibling Rivalry

For a season, I was a correspondent on “The Awful Truth.” I can’t believe the things we were able to get away with in pre-9/11 America. (That’s Rob Huebel inside the gun suit.)

Unscripted Presentation

I directed this presentation in one weekend. It features the brilliant Heather Anne Campbell, a flame-throwing performance by Ian Roberts, and a hilarious turn by Eddie Pepitone. I’m less funny as a beleaguered editor.

Terrorists

This small, no-budget film was inspired by post-9/11 craziness and features great performances from Ian Roberts, Jessica St. Clair, Jason Mantzoukas, Zach Woods, Rob Riggle, and many more.   It went on to win a Special Jury Prize at the Ft. Lauderdale Film Festival and the Audience Award at Cinequest.

Halfway Home

Yes, that’s Oscar-winning Octavia Spencer. In retrospect, I’m sorry I convinced her to put snails on her face.  

TV Nation: The Oppressed White Male

I’ve worked with Michael Moore on many projects — why single out this small, unassuming piece? I guess because having the inspiration to turn a bunch of interview footage nobody knew what to do with into a nature mockumentary was one of those exciting moments that makes being a writer worthwhile.   And I enjoyed channeling my inner “Masterpiece Theater” host for the voice-over. Also, the piece is even more relevant now than it was two decades ago.   

Strangers with Candy: Captain Stack

When writing and producing became more reliable sources of income than acting, most of my parts came from the shows I was writing/producing on.

Fahrenheit 911: The Coalition of the Willing

I was brought in to work on “Fahrenheit 911” with editor Kurt Engfer while Michael Moore was shooting elsewhere. The movie changed substantially after my tenure, but this is one small piece that survived intact (as did Kurt’s scratch VO).

Don’t Just Sit There

Here’s a small sampling of the roles I played on the Nickelodeon show “Don’t Just Sit There” from 1989-91. I began as an actor in bars, performing sketch comedy for people more interested in drinking and eating. This partly explains a style that could be charitably described as “attention-getting” and less charitably as “scenery chewing.” It only took two decades to tone this down (an ongoing process).

Warning: Parental Advisory

For years I was trying to write a comedy that explored the true motivations behind political power (see the play “Death in a Landslide” in Writing for Pages for another example). This is the VH1 version of that: The story of how the PMRC tried to censor music in the mid-80’s. Starring Griffin Dunne as Frank Zappa, Dee Snider as himself, and Jason Priestly as a lobbyist (for more on Jason, see the cover story I wrote on Beverly Hills 90210 in Writing for Pages).

Cartoon in Blake Shelton’s Christmas Special

This gleefully subversive cartoon was cut from the special after its first showing, but was included in the script that won all the show’s writers WGA Awards.   Blake and Larry the Cable Guy go deer hunting and accidentally shoot Rudolph.

Escape from “It’s a Wonderful Life”

My idea was to recut the holiday classic as a kind of Truman Show, in which George Bailey is trying to get out of doing the movie again. The Upright Citizens Brigade (their first TV gig) was hired to help me write it and do the voices. (I’m George.)

Death in a Landslide