Jacob Reed on directing Jimmy Kimmel Live - a podcast by Steve Whiteley

from 2020-10-16T15:45:49

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In this conversation I chat to writer/director/improviser Jacob Reed (http://jacobreed.net).

Jacob has directed for Jimmy Kimmel Live, Comedy Central, Funny or Die, Nickelodeon and BuzzFeed. Over the past decade Jacob has also worked as a teacher and performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. His two man improv group Tremendosaur has had multiple show runs at the UCB and been featured in The Hollywood Reporter, New York Magazine and The Wall Street Journal. As a creative director for BuzzFeed, Jacobs videos received hundreds of millions of views. Jacob was also the co-host of the Before You Were Funny Podcast.

Jacob kick things off describing what life is like as a new Dad during a pandemic and how not having free time is keeping him focussed.

How it feels having such a long break from performing improv and why Jacob is trying to be less goal driven and strategic in his approach to his art. He breaks down how his improv experience has informed his style of directing and helped him develop a more collaborative approach. We talk about his improvised short film that recently got accepted into Raindance.

Jacob describes time working as BuzzFeed's creative director, overseeing 18,000 pieces of content and how he tried to balance that with his own projects. He explains the 50/50 formula when crewing up on new shoots and the challenge with being a creative, writing a script and then handing it over to a director. Jacob talks about why he regrets following peoples expectations of what they perceive him to be in the entertainment industry and explains why not to put yourself in a box.

He also breaks down what it was like directing Jimmy Kimmel live and how he’d given up on having a career as a director, before he got the call about the job. He also describes the working process on the show, what it's like working in Hollywood, why he loves teaching improv & loads more!

If you like this episode please do rate and review the podcast on Apple.

Happy listening :)

Steve - @offkeysteve


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