Welcome my Prosers.

I’m on #18 in my current chunk of 20 submissions, and I got three acceptances, so my ratio still holds true. By episode 44, I should be on a new Chunk of 20. One of those “yesses” is my clip on National Lampoon last week.

Shout-out to former BTP guests who have recent clips including Elana Rabinowitz who has another Metro Diary in The New York Times: “Mugged on Pizza Night.”

In this episode, we’re venturing into the land of humor. I discovered actress, singer, and writer Gilli Messer during my daily reading.

I loved her piece on McSweeney’s Internet Tendency: “Young Couple Finds Love And Happiness Amidst State-Sponsored Chaos.”

We talk about how she landed her first clip on a major humor site and nailed the voice of the New York Times wedding beat writers.

In this episode you’ll also learn:

·      How an anthropology degree at Barnard College helped Gilli become a better writer

·      The great new term for your day job

·      How to use the question “what if” to write a humor piece

·      How to wrangle inspiration onto the page

Listen below or subscribe on iTunes.

Gilli Messer, writer, performer, actress

ABOUT GILLI MESSER
Gilli Messer is a writer, performer, and unfortunately, a millennial. She is a summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa (that’s Latin and Greek for “nerdy”) graduate of Barnard College, Columbia University, where she studied Anthropology (super useful!). She grew up in Los Angeles by way of New York City and Tel Aviv, Israel. As a writer, Gilli was recently featured in both the 2016 and 2015 ABC Diversity Showcases in Los Angeles and New York, respectively, where her work was performed for the network. The Drunk Lonely Wives Book Club, a web series set in the early 1960s that Gilli created, wrote, and starred in, was directed by Emmy-award winner Mary Lou Belli. Gilli’s romantic comedy short film, Dog Park, is currently on the festival circuit and was just screened at the 2017 London International Film Festival, where it was also nominated for Best Comedy Short and Best Actor. Another one of her short films, The Tutor, made the semi-final round of the esteemed BlueCat Screenplay Competition as one of the top 30 scripts out of over 1,600 submissions. Comedy sketches that Gilli wrote and acted in screened at the 1st and 2nd Annual Funny Women Festival at iO West, and many of her comedy sketches can be seen on FunnyOrDie. She is a regular editorial contributor on PYPO.com, a platform focused on female-driven comedic content founded by Stephanie Laing, Executive Producer of HBO’s Veep. Gilli’s humor writing has also been featured on McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. As an actress, Gilli was a semi-finalist in ABC’s Make Me A Star Competition, and her network television credits include roles on Jessie, 2 Broke Girls, American Housewife, About A Boy, and How to Rock, in addition to numerous regional theatre productions, web series, music videos, and national commercials.

Follow her on Twitter: @NetflixandGil