About the USC Comedy Festival, Vol. 5

The 5th Edition of the USC Comedy Festival comes after a year of unprecedented social isolation and demands for social justice. Staring at screens or out in the streets, we learned why we still needed comedy and discovered new ways to make each other laugh in spite of everything. Affiliated with the USC Comedy track at the School of Cinematic Arts and the Jack Oakie and Victoria Horne Oakie Foundation, the festival will honor legendary performer, impressionist, and character-ologist Bill Hader. Over the course of three days, panels will feature well-known guests such as Aidy Bryant, Demetri Martin, Lisa Kudrow, Lindy West, Matt Besser, Patton Oswalt, and Ramy Youssef; capture new voices exploding onto the scene; and celebrate the work of our newest generation of USC Comedy students.

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Calendar of Events

CLICK ON EVENT TITLES TO RSVP FOR SPECIFIC PROGRAMS.

Friday, April 9th, 2021

5:00 PM: FIRST LOOK 2021 COMEDY SHORTS SNEAK PEAK - PROGRAM 1

Each year FIRST LOOK, and SCA Industry Relations, through the generosity of Marcia Lucas’ Ohana Foundation, showcases current student work. The USC Comedy Festival is delighted to collaborate with First Look to bring you this preview of student films competing in this year’s Comedy Category. Films in Program 1 will include: Unmothered, Get Kissed or Die Brian, Jurassic Punk, and Spit it Out, Margot.

7:00 PM: CAN COMEDY BE TAUGHT?

Before COVID, half the people you knew were taking improv classes. The other half were teaching them. Was the whole thing a scam? Can comedy be taught? Should it be? Our panel of experts will discuss the problems and possibilities of the comedy curriculum. For free.

Joining Professor Wayne Federman will be improv legend, UCB founder, and host of the podcast Improv4humans Matt Besser;  Groundling, portrayer of both Buffay twins, and current star of Netflix’s Space Force Lisa Kudrow; and stand-up comedian, Overthinker, Ice Bear, and author of If It’s Not Funny It’s Art, Demetri Martin.

Saturday, April 10th, 2021

9:30 AM: FIRST LOOK 2021 COMEDY SHORTS SNEAK PEAK - PROGRAM 2

Each year FIRST LOOK, and SCA Industry Relations, through the generosity of Marcia Lucas’ Ohana Foundation, showcases current student work. The USC Comedy Festival is delighted to collaborate with First Look to bring you this preview of student films competing in this year’s Comedy Category. Films in Program 2 will include: No Small Talk, Hardcore Halbert, and Time Again.

11:00 AM: OAKIE MASTERS OF COMEDY LECTURE SERIES - BILL HADER

The Jack Oakie & Victoria Horne Oakie Masters of Comedy Lecture Series presents Emmy-winning Actor/Comedian Bill Hader (Saturday Night Live, Barry, Documentary Now!) in conversation with USC Professor Wayne Federman. As part of the event, Bill Hader will also receive USC Comedy's 2021 Oakie Award.

2:00 PM: WOMEN CREATING COMEDY

A Panel Discussion hosted by the Women of Cinematic Arts, featuring Chelsea Devantez, Ziwe Fumudoh, London Hughes, Jana Schmieding, and Rachel Sennott, moderated by WCA Board Member and SCA Alumna Shannon Hardy.

5:00 PM: Spotlight on Netflix's BIG MOUTH

A Conversation about the Netflix Original Series, featuring Andrew Goldberg (Co-Creator, Executive Producer), Mark Levin (Co-Creator, Executive Producer), Jennifer Flackett (Co-Creator, Executive Producer), and Kelly Galuska (Co-Executive Producer), moderated by SCA Professor J.D. Connor, Ph.D.

7:00 PM: Spotlight on FX's WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS

A Conversation about the FX Original Series, featuring Paul Simms (Executive Producer, Writer, Showrunner), Stefani Robinson (Executive Producer, Writer, Showrunner), and Sam Johnson (Co-Executive Producer, Writer), moderated by SCA Professor Chris Marcil.

Sunday, April 11th, 2021

11:00 AM: Spotlight on Hulu's SHRILL

A Conversation about the Hulu Original Series, featuring Executive Producer/Star Aidy Bryant, Executive Producer/Showrunner Ali Rushfield, and Executive Producer/Author Lindy West, moderated by SCA Professor Mary McNamara, Pulitzer Prize-winning TV Critic and Cultural Editor for the Los Angeles Times.

1:00 PM: Spotlight on Hulu's WOKE

A Conversation about the Hulu Original Series, featuring Co-Creators Keith Knight and Marshall Todd, and Executive Producer/Director Maurice Marable, moderated by Desa Philadelphia, SCA Communication and Development Writer.

3:00 PM: Spotlight on Hulu's ADULT ANIMATION

A Conversation with the creatives behind Crossing Swords, Marvel's M.O.D.O.K., and Solar Opposites, featuring John Harvatine IV (Co-Creator, Crossing Swords), Tom Root (Co-Creator/EP, Crossing Swords), Jordan Blum (Co-Creator/Showrunner, Marvel's M.O.D.O.K.), Patton Oswalt (Co-Creator/Star, Marvel's M.O.D.O.K.), Josh Bycel (Co-Showrunner/EP, Solar Opposites), and Mike McMahan (Co-Creator/Co-Showrunner/EP, Solar Opposites), moderated by Brian DeAngelis, USC Comedy's Oakie Fellow.

4:45 PM: FROM PITCH TO PEABODY

A Conversation with Billy Rosenberg, Vice President, Hulu Originals, Head of Comedy and Ramy Youssef, Creator & Star of Hulu's Ramy, on the nuts and bolts of how comedy is developed, moderated by Deana Nassar Fernandez, Program Director - Middle East Media Initiative (MEMI).

About USC Comedy at the School of Cinematic Arts

In 2010 USC became the first university in the nation to offer a program dedicated to training filmmakers in the art of comedy. USC Comedy at the School of Cinematic Arts offers instruction in the writing, directing, production as well as the history and theory of comedy. Students work with a distinguished, award-winning faculty of comedy professionals to discover and develop their comedic voices, while getting unrivaled access to the field through workshops, internships, demonstrations and screenings and festivals.

USC Comedy boasts an award-winning faculty that includes Jack Epps Jr. (The Secret of My Success, Legal Eagles, Top Gun), Barnet Kellman (Murphy Brown, Mad About You, George Lopez), David Isaacs (Cheers, Frasier, M*A*S*H*), Robert Townsend (Diary of A Single Mom, The Parent Hood), Rob Schiller (The King of Queens), Andy Cadiff (Last Man Standing, Spin City) John Bowman (Saturday Night Live, In Living Color), Dave Goetsch (The Big Bang Theory), F J Pratt (Sullivan & Son) and Tim Marx (Young Sheldon), to name just a few.
 
Our students benefit from the expertise and participation of SCA Comedy Alumni such as Jay Roach (Austin Powers, Meet the Parents), Tim Story (Barber Shop, Ride Along), Judd Apatow (Girls, Superbad, Knocked Up),  Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, Spy), Peter Segal (Tommy Boy, Get Smart), Gabe Sachs (Freaks and Geeks), Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air), Nahnatchka Khan (Fresh Off The Boat), and Prentice Penny (Insecure), among many other luminaries and industry professionals.

For more information, visit: http://cinema.usc.edu/comedy

About USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative

Visions and Voices is a university-wide arts and humanities initiative that is unparalleled in higher education. The initiative was established by USC President C. L. Max Nikias during his tenure as provost in order to fulfill the goals set forth in USC's strategic plan; to communicate USC's core values to students; and to affirm the human spirit. Emphasizing the university's commitment to interdisciplinary approaches, the initiative features a spectacular array of events conceived and organized by faculty and schools throughout the university. The series includes theatrical productions, music and dance performances, conferences, lectures, film screenings and many other special events both on and off campus. Each program invites students to dialogue and interact with artists, writers, professors and special guests. These interactions provide a dynamic experience of the arts and humanities and encourage active exploration of USC's core values, including freedom of inquiry and expression, team spirit, appreciation of diversity, commitment to serving one's community, entrepreneurial spirit, informed risk-taking, ethical conduct and the search for truth.

Visit the Official Visions and Voices Website: https://visionsandvoices.usc.edu/
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