In this first episode of the podcast, I reached out to my long-time friend CeCe Pleasants (@CeCePleasants), a successful comedy writer who’s worked with Arsenio Hall, Ellen DeGeneres, Carlos Mencia, Paul F Tompkins, and others. She’s currently writing for a new Bill Nye show coming to Netflix. CeCe and I have known each other since we were teenagers growing up outside Richmond, VA, so she was a slam-dunk for my first episode. (I’m definitely setting the bar high here, people.)
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During the chat, we discuss;
- Where TV is headed and the impact of Netflix on entertainment
- What it’s like to transition from performing to writing for the entertainment industry
- How she evolved from having a show not picked up on basic cable to head writing for a huge network prime-time hit
- How technology and the internet have changed the world for creatives in the past 20 years
- How she and a friend got their first big break performing comedic skits on subways in New York
- How the decline of mass media is good for artists
- Why artists can find their own audience, no matter the size
- The constant hustle involved in writing for television and how that impacts personal projects
- How every artist still feels like a fraud, no matter the success
- Why it’s essential for artists to stay motivated
- How she defines success (Hint: it’s not money or awards)
- Why getting fired is not always a bad thing in Hollywood
- The importance of risk taking when you don’t know anything
- An insane dream she had involving her dog, a clown, and medical tubing on the corner of Hollywood and Highland
You can find a complete list of CeCe’s projects on her IMDB page.