How to Write a Joke with Cassidy Kulhanek

Cassidy sits down with her most ridiculous guest yet to discuss writing, creative crop rotations, and being silly for the art of it all. A big thank you to Michael Salles Holtzman for creating the music for the pod, a huge thank you to John O'Neill for editing the pod, and the biggest thanks of all to The Lincoln Lodge, where this episode was produced and recorded.   

Cassidy sits down with writer and comedian Andrew Nadeau to discuss writing for social media, the challenges of writing a one-liner, and not being invited to search parties. A big thank you to Michael Salles Holtzman for creating the music for the pod, a huge thank you to John O'Neill for editing the pod, and the biggest thanks of all to The Lincoln Lodge, where this episode was produced and recorded. 

Cassidy sits down with comedian Adisa Williams (@runoftheschmill on Instagram) to discuss characters, music, and never telling yourself no. A big thank you to Michael Salles Holtzman for creating the music for the pod, a huge thank you to John O'Neill for editing the pod, and the biggest thanks of all to The Lincoln Lodge, where this episode was produced and recorded. 

Cassidy sits down with comedian and actress Maggie Winters of the Righteous Gemstones (@saggiesplinters on all socials) to discuss her writing process and learns a lot about how to convert an experience into a joke. A big thank you to Michael Salles Holtzman for creating the music for the pod, a huge thank you to John O'Neill for editing the pod, and the biggest thanks of all to The Lincoln Lodge, where this episode was produced and recorded. 

Cassidy sits down with comedian Kristi Durkin (@krustigirl on instagram) to find out how their chaotic mind works and what makes them so notorious. Chicago comedians mentioned in this episode include Joey Bednarski, Brigid Broderick, Kerry Stevens, Beckett Kenny, Matty Merritt, Sam Otter (who is now a New York comic, but still), and Max Shanker. A big thank you to Michael Salles Holtzman for creating the music for the pod, a huge thank you to John O'Neill for editing the pod, and the biggest thanks of all to The Lincoln Lodge, where this episode was produced and recorded.   

Cassidy sits down with comedian Kristen Toomey (@kristentoomey on Instagram) to discuss her approach to writing and her improv roots. A big thank you to Michael Salles Holtzman for creating the music for the pod, a huge thank you to John O'Neill for editing the pod, and the biggest thanks of all to The Lincoln Lodge, where this episode was produced and recorded.

Cassidy sits down with comedian Ian Abramson (@ianabramsons on Instagram, @ianabramson on X) to discuss his chaotic approach to comedy and learns just how disciplined and organized chaos can actually be. A big thank you to Michael Salles Holtzman for creating the music for the pod, a huge thank you to John O'Neill for editing the pod, and the biggest thanks of all to The Lincoln Lodge, where this episode was produced and recorded. 

Cassidy sits down with comedian and director Niles Abston (@thenilesabstonshow on Instagram and @NILES100 on X) to learn about his writing process, or.. lack thereof? The two talk about storytelling, reading as writing, and—perhaps most importantly—Bill Hader. A big thank you to Michael Salles Holtzman for creating the music for the pod, a huge thank you to John O'Neill for editing the pod, and the biggest thanks of all to The Lincoln Lodge, where this episode was produced and recorded. You can watch Niles' standup specials "Girls Don't Twerk to Jokes" and "Household Name" on Youtube, where you can also find his Comedy Central set. SPOILER: In this episode we wrote a joke to completion, and Niles used it in a show that night... and it worked! He's recording another special soon, so let's keep our eyes peeled and fingers crossed that we see this joke again...

Cassidy sits down with comedian Skyler Higley (@skylerhigley on all socials) to discuss his writing process and learns a little bit about what it's like to write as a full-time job. The two discuss what it actually means to be "killing it," how confidence in a joke can defeat failure, and what the perfect joke about Taylor Swift might look like. A big thank you to Michael Salles Holtzman for creating the music for the pod, a huge thank you to John O'Neill for editing the pod, and the biggest thanks of all to The Lincoln Lodge, where this episode was produced and recorded. In this episode we reference Skyler's "legendary" Jesus Christ joke, which you can see him tell as his closing joke in his Just For Laughs set viewable here: https://youtu.be/BKa6zGlPYr8?si=kGKbBKgg3XQeV4IX    

Cassidy sits down with comedian Diya Basrai (@diyabasrai on Instagram, @diyacomedy on X) to discuss his writing process and discovers the value of writing on a typewriter, the exercise of being spontaneous (even if it means saying the wrong thing), and the glory of bombing—and how to do it productively! Today's episode was edited by John O'Neill, theme music for the podcast was provided by Michael Salles Holtzman, and recording was done with the help of Deanna Ortiz at the beautiful Lincoln Lodge Theater in Chicago, Illinois. You can watch Diya's recent standup special "The Yard Presents: Diya Basrai" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_IceD5ij1o