368 - Mike Reiss: Yes! You Should Take Chances with Your Career
James AltucherJanuary 02, 202401:20:29

368 - Mike Reiss: Yes! You Should Take Chances with Your Career

Mike Reiss started writing for The Simpsons because NO ONE else would take the job. They didn’t know they were passing up the opportunity work on what would soon become the #1 animated series on prime time TV. Mike has tons of stories about TV writing, comedy, and creating something people love. His secret: “We said, ‘No one’s gonna watch this so let’s just make this for us.” In this episode, Mike tells me why he took a chance, why he wasn’t afraid, and how it became the most fulfilling career move he ever made.


 


Links and Resources


Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons (https://amazon.com) by Mike Reiss


The Simpsons (https://amazon.com)


Follow Mike on Twitter


My interview with Nancy Cartwright (the voice of Bart Simpson) (https://jamesaltucher.com/2017/09/nancy-cartwright/)


The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson


It’s Garry Shandling Show


Not Necessarily the News


National Lampoon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Lampoon_(magazine))


Conan O’Brien


James L. Brook


Sam Simon


Jake Hogan


Carol Burnett (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Burnett)


The Flintstones


The Critic (https://amazon.com)


Family Guy (https://amazon.com)


South Park (https://amazon.com)


Alf (https://amazon.com)


Itchy and Scratchy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Itchy_%26_Scratchy_Show)


Aristotle


Taxi (tv show) (https://amazon.com)


Chico and The Man (https://amazon.com)


Mary Tyler Moore Show (https://amazon.com)


Jim Brooks


Louie (https://amazon.com)


Teen Angel


Whoopi Goldberg


Al Gene


Mike Reiss’s speech at Havard (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL0E1xO-TlI)


Mark Twain quote “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter”


Curb Your Enthusiasm (https://amazon.com)


Larry David


Seinfeld (https://amazon.com)


Cheers (https://amazon.com)


Chevy Chase


Richard Pryor


Sabrina the Teenage Witch (https://amazon.com)


My interview with Nell Scovell


Beavis and Butthead (https://amazon.com)


Frasier (https://amazon.com)


Psych (https://amazon.com)


Roseanne (https://amazon.com)


All In The Family (https://amazon.com)


Big Bang Theory (https://amazon.com)


Harvard Lampoon


Rocky and Bullwinkle (https://amazon.com)


Citizen Kane (https://amazon.com)


Terms of Endearment (https://amazon.com)


Spotlight (https://amazon.com)


Thor (https://amazon.com)


Thomas Pynchon


J.D Salinger


Gravity’s Rainbow (https://amazon.com) by Thomas Pynchon


V. (https://amazon.com) by Thomas Pynchon


Tom Clancy


Buzz Aldrin


James Taylor


Magic Johnson


Who Wants to Be a Millionaire


Veep (https://amazon.com)


Silicon Valley (https://amazon.com)


The Comedians (https://amazon.com)


Billy Crystal


Josh Gad


Poking the Dead Frog: Conversations with Today's Top Comedy Writers (https://amazon.com) by Mike Sacks


Sick in the Head: Conversations About Life and Comedy (https://amazon.com) by Judd Apatow


Born Standing Up (https://amazon.com) by Steve Martin


Even This I Get to Experience (https://amazon.com) by Norman Lear


The Hitchhiker (https://amazon.com) by Charlie Lee


 


I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast. (https://jamesaltucher.com/2018/06/mike-reiss/)


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