Applications are now being accepted for the Winter 2026 workshop.

Comedy writing, demystified—create, workshop, and leave with a portfolio.

Want to write for shows like Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show, The Black Lady Sketch Show, I Think You Should Leave, Watch What Happens Live, Fallon, Key & Peele, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Kimmel or Colbert? This course pulls back the curtain on how the best comedy is made—and gives you the tools to do it yourself.

Taught by Emmy-nominated writer and veteran instructor Holly Wortell (WGA and Television Academy member), the course blends analysis of classic and current material with hands-on writing, discussion, and feedback. You’ll study the formats that dominate sketch and late night —monologues, satire, parody, character sketches—and learn how to craft them with a strong point of view and comedic voice.

What You’ll Gain:

• The ability to generate fresh marketable material daily from headlines, trends, and personal experience.
• A toolkit for structuring jokes, sketches, and talk-show pieces using proven patterns like “the game in the scene.”
• Practice developing original material through in-class writing, clip analysis, and peer/professor feedback.
• A complete comedy writing packet and portfolio tailored to your goals, plus a plan to build visibility online.

In each class, current and classic clip examples are viewed and analyzed, written or visual homework is shared live with feedback given from the group and professor as we dissect what makes a successful sketch or talk show piece, breakdown the format and learn how to create pieces to shoot yourself to gain an online presence.  

By the end of the course, you’ll not only understand what makes a sketch or monologue work—you’ll have created a professional portfolio that positions you to pursue writing opportunities in today’s comedy landscape and steps to move forward.

This workshop is limited to 12 students.

This workshop is only available online.

Students must be 21 or over to participate in this workshop.