Elevate your comedy writing skills in this 6-week course taught by comedy writer Carlos Greaves in Charlotte, NC.
Class Curriculum
Wednesdays, September 18 - October 23
Week 1 — What Makes Something Funny?
Topics: A brief history of comedy, scientific theories of humor, sketch structure (UCB model, heightening), types of sketches
Week 2 — Creating Memorable Characters
Topics: Tropes vs. Stereotypes, SNL characters (Stefon, Debbie Downer, Tina from Temecula) and why they work
Week 3 — Writing a Repeatable Sketch Series
Topics: Why some premises never get old
Week 4 — Production Values
Topics: Recording audio, 3-point lighting, 180 degree rule
Week 5 — Exploring the Medium
Topics: Making sketches for IG vs. TikTok vs. YouTube, pushing the boundaries of the form
Week 6 — Making Promotional Sketches
Topics: Basics of advertising, NBC Soccer Promo
Who is Carlos Greaves?
Carlos Greaves is an Afro-Latino electrical engineer turned comedy writer. He is a contributor to The Onion, The New Yorker, and McSweeney’s, and wrote for Kevin Hart and Keenan Thompson’s TV special, Back That Year Up, in 2023. He also writes a weekly humor newsletter, Shades of Greaves, and his debut book, Spoilers: Essays That Might Ruin Your Favorite Hollywood Movies, was highlighted in Vulture’s “Best Comedy Books of 2023.”