"For Robert Carlock '95 and Tina Fey, success in comedy requires a combination of "benign grandiosity and imp of the perverse." In other words, it takes a little snark and a lot of confidence to survive such a competitive industry. But when it comes to their decades-long creative collaboration, from "Saturday Night Live" to "30 Rock" and "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," both agreed the real secret is mutual respect."
"'That recognition, very early, of like, 'Oh, she is competitive and fierce and wants to win, I'll see you on the ice,' I didn't see that in a lot of other comedy writers all the time,' Carlock told the audience that packed Sanders Theatre on Friday to hear the dynamic comedy duo speak about their creative process. 'I think it's kind of necessary. 'We're both going to work as hard as we can, and let's see if we're any good at this.'"
"Carlock and Fey, whose latest collaboration, the sports sitcom "The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins" premiered last month, kept the audience laughing while discussing their time on SNL, learning from failure, and how they work together to build a joke from the ground up. The sold-out event, hosted by the Office for the Arts at Harvard, marked the 50th anniversary of the Learning From Performers program, an initiative that brings professional artists to campus for events and workshops with students."
"At first glance, the "Mean Girls" creator and "Bossypants" author appeared to be wearing a Harvard T-shirt underneath her blazer, until she revealed - to the audience's delight - that it was actually the words "damar varnish." The shirt, a tongue-in-cheek design by screenwriter Meredith Scardino, inspired the name of a "Kimmy Schmidt" character played by rapper Black Thought."
Tina Fey and Robert Carlock emphasize that success in comedy requires "benign grandiosity" and an "imp of the perverse," combining snark with confidence. They credit mutual respect and early recognition of each other's competitive drive for the longevity of their collaboration. Their joint projects include Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and the newly premiered sports sitcom The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins. They described working together to build jokes from the ground up, learning from failure, and testing material through hard work. The sold-out Sanders Theatre event celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Learning From Performers program and included a playful anecdote about a "damar varnish" T-shirt. The evening mixed anecdote, craft insight, and laughter for a campus audience.
Read at Harvard Gazette
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