"Show Me the Funny" Challenge

How do Hollywood’s top writers from iconic comedy shows and films like Everybody Loves Raymond to There’s Something About Mary and Gilligan’s Island create ‘the funny’? 

Beyond mastering the craft of comedy writing, they know how to overcome “pitch panic” – a stage fright-like syndrome every writer must conquer to successfully pitch, and therefore, sell comedy scripts. To help writers nip their fears in the bud, Peter Desberg and Jeffrey Davis, authors of the book SHOW ME THE FUNNY!: At the Writers’ Table with Hollywood’s Top Comedy Writers will share the presentation “I Wrote, I Worried, I Pitched” at The Writers Store with a book signing on Thursday, October 27 at 7PM.

At the event, writers will learn tactics to hone their pitch and perform it fearlessly by learning to manage their stage fright. The presenters will include insights from their book, in which they interviewed Hollywood's greatest comedy writers…creators of iconic sitcoms and movies from Gilligan’s Island, Modern Family, Everybody Loves Raymond, Cheers, Frasier and more. This presentation combines comedy writing techniques and tips, pitching comedy and overcoming pitch panic.

In addition to the “pitch panic” portion of the workshop, motivated comedy writers interested in honing their pitching skills and seeking extraordinary publicity can further benefit by following up and responding to the same comedic premise assignment Desberg and Davis gave to the top 28 writers featured in Show Me the Funny!

Anyone who purchase the book before or at the event can submit their pitches within two weeks to the authors via email for consideration. The authors will select the top 5 pitches for publication on their website, and provide critique and comments to all submissions by December 1, 2011.