Comedy is one of the most saleable types of story – be it a screenplay, short story, graphic novel, web series or animation. No one does it better than Hollywood’s Steve Kaplan’s Comedy Intensive.
8 Great Reasons to Attend Steve Kaplan’s Comedy Intensive!
1. Steve Kaplan does what they say can’t be done.
I actually came to the seminar because I had been seeing and hearing about your intensives for years and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I literally came with the attitude of ‘what can he possibly teach me about comedy that I don’t already know?’
With the few successes I’ve had as a writer and my current studies at Second City and The Groundlings, I figured I already had my comedy bases covered, so to speak. But, to my pleasant surprise, your intensive turned out to be exactly what I’ve always wanted out of these types of seminars. I’ve taken classes on comedy that use terms and over explain concepts to the point that you walk away thinking nothing is funny anymore.
Your intensive, on the other hand, offered simple terms and had a whimsy to it that made any new concepts palatable. I had a blast and learned a lot! I now find myself using your terms and seeing things through the filter of the concepts you presented, which help me not only breakdown and understand why I find something funny, but also helps me create the funny and fix existing ideas that weren’t working
Wayne Colbert, Actor
2. Learn useful tools!
It was wonderful! I came back to new pages on a greenlit script at (unnamed big studio) and used what I learned this weekend to understand why the comedy wasn’t working. And based on our lessons, I immediately knew how to make it better. I received tools I’m applying to every project – regardless of genre!
Nikki Levy, Film Producer
3. Experience an “Aha!” moment.
“The material he covered confirmed some things we had only guessed at and also opened new doors. There were several moments when his observations rang bells, lit bulbs, threw switches. Simple human truths are often like that. We slap our foreheads and say, ‘I knew that – why did I never think it?’ Wise men like Kaplan tell us things written in our DNA.” Tim Ferguson – Writer/ Producer,”Circle Work” and Author of “The Cheeky Monkey.”
4. Helpful for Professionals as well as beginners!
“Thank you so much for letting me attend your Comedy Intensive. I got so much out of it, enjoyed every minute. In fact, I’m sitting down to type up notes I took and… well, I seem to have taken about 60-70 pages of notes. Great, now it’s like I have a job to do. I have always had an instinct for comedy, and have been lucky to have made a living at it, but understanding the mechanics through your comedy tools are a real game changer.”
– Laura House, Stand-Up/Writer, “MOMS”“Your course was so needed. And timely. I took courses and read books on screenwriting but I think it would be easier to stuff spaghetti up a wildcat’s butt than find someone who can teach comedy writing to screenwriters. I was a helicopter pilot and I learned in a 100 hour course. After 60 hours I was frustrated and feeling lost because it felt like I wasn’t getting it and I couldn’t imagine succeeding and being a pilot.
Around 66 hours, it all changed. Everything came together with a snap and every hour in the air after that was fun. I passed my flight test when it was so windy that the rest of the base was shut down. Your course made me feel like you just walked me up to the 66 hour mark. Now I can see being a writer. You didn’t just sell me a product. You helped me to make my life better, more optimistic. I hope you never lose your sense of awe when you see how you make a difference in other people’s lives. – Marcus Pidek
5. Recommended by Industry Professionals.
“Steve Kaplan has discovered, refined and sustained more stand-up, playwrighting, TV and Film writing careers — and without any of the credit he deserves — there simply is no God if he doesn’t receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, himself. God, are you listening? Oh well. Steve: Thank you for discovering me and being responsible for launching my career. Everyone else: TAKE THIS CLASS.”
– Will Scheffer, Co-Creator and Executive Producer of HBO’s BIG LOVE and GETTING ON
6. Pass it along
Steve: Your classes in London were a tremendous hit and your Hidden Tools were a big part of it. Thanks to taking your intensive, I had a terrific framework to build my class around. I came to your intensive to see if comedy could be taught, and learned; and I came away with the assurance that it can. I now have so many valuable tools that will forever effect my teaching, directing and performing. I don’t look at comedy the same way anymore, and because of you, I am a better artist.
Peter Michael Marino – Writer/Director
7. And There’s a Book!
Thank you so much for the wonderful presentation! And thank you again for writing such a wonderful book. I was serious about how much it helped me as I’ve been going through the development process on my pilot. I have read dozens of screenwriting books, and yours really stands out. I’ve been recommending it all over the place
– Allison Kiessling, writer/producer
8. It’s in Toronto
Hey, it’s here in Toronto. Usually presenters of classes of this calibre limit themselves to LA, New York or London, England. Don’t miss out! This is a great place to meet and connect with talented like-minded writers and entertainment professionals. You’ll improve your comedy game and if expanding your professional network is on your to-do list, this is a great place for it.
Sharpen your comedy writing, directing and performance skills with the industry’s top comedy instructor!
Are you serious about comedy? Are you writing a comedy screenplay, working on a sitcom script, or producing or directing a comedy film or television series? If you want to understand comedy from the inside out, then Steve Kaplan’s Comedy Intensive in Toronto November 16/17th is a must for you.
You’ll Learn the Hidden Tools of Comedy!
This seminar and workshop offers proven and practical methods and principles that help you understand comedy from the inside out. Find out more about the course.
Kaplan has consulted for such companies as DreamWorks, Disney, HBO and his students have written on Ugly Betty, Everybody Loves Raymond, Will and Grace, Friends and more!
Read Steve’s bio >HERE<
“I wrote…my best, funniest sketches thanks, in no small part, to the lessons I learned from Steve Kaplan’s comedy classes. Steve breaks the fine art of comedy down…that helps the unfunny become funny, and the funny become funnier.”
David Fury Emmy–Winning Writer/Producer for The Tick, Lost, Buffy the Vampire Slayer :
Long considered a “must attend” workshop, Steve Kaplan’s Comedy Intensive attracts top writers, producers, directors and executives from such companies as DreamWorks, Disney, Aardman Animation, NBC, Touchstone, ABC and more.
Event Details
What: Comedy Intensive Weekend
When: Toronto, Saturday/Sunday 16/17 November 2018 from 10 am – 5 pm each day
Where: Daniels Spectrum – 585 Dundas St. E. Toronto
Book online >HERE<
What they are saying
“Everything you need to be a comedy writer except the searing self-doubt, crippling anxiety, and suffocating social awkwardness.”
– Chad Gervich, author: Small Screen, Big Picture
“My brother Pete and I get asked all the time by young writers about our philosophy of comedy. We usually just say “try to make your comedy funny”. But from now on I’ll just tell those annoying little suck-ups to read your book. It’s all in there.”
– Bobby Farrelly, There’s Something About Mary
“Steve Kaplan was a very important influence on me as a young performer and writer. Many of his techniques for analyzing a comedy scene I still use to this day. Although, I make sure I never give him credit.”
– Steve Skrovan, Writer/Producer for Everybody Loves Raymond
“Great job! Everybody really loved your seminar! You’ve completely made a whole new group of friends here at DreamWorks.”
– John Tarnoff, VP at DreamWorks
“I really enjoyed this weekend, thank you. I thought I was going to hate it because I’ve always thought no one can teach how to do comedy, I was wrong.”
– Josh Thomas, Just Like Me
“I’ve always been told – and have told others – funny can’t be taught. After reading Steve Kaplan’s thoughtful, informative and yes, funny book – I stand corrected. A great read for anyone wanting to break into the comedy game. And for those already in the game, a breezy, welcome jolt of education and inspiration.”
– Peter Tolan, Larry Sanders Show, Rescue Me
Steve Kaplan’s Comedy Intensive Weekend
Did You Know?
- Raindance Film Festival is considered one of the top fifteen film festivals in the world?
- Raindance Film School London offers HND, BA and MA in Filmmaking and Screenwriting?
- Let Raindance guide you on your filmmaking pathway. call +44 (0) 207 930 3412 or email filmschool@raindance.ac.uk
- Raindance members support indie film, and enjoy a range of benefits
Photo Credit: Bertie Watson
I founded Raindance Film Festival in 1993 because the British film industry was closed, polite, and congratulating itself while shutting new filmmakers out.
I co-founded the British Independent Film Awards in 1998 because British indie film deserved more than a shrug, a pat on the head, and a Tuesday night screening.
Raindance didn’t start as a brand. It started as a rebellion: film training without gatekeepers, a festival without permission, and a community built by filmmakers who weren’t waiting to be invited in.
Later, we took it global: Toronto, Vancouver, New York, LA, Berlin, and Brussels, because independent film doesn’t belong to one city, one class, or one accent.
I’ve produced 700+ short films and seven features, including Deadly Virtues (2014) and ALICE, which won the SXSW Grand Jury Prize (2019) not because someone “discovered” us, but because the work earned its place.
I’ve written three books used by filmmakers worldwide because too many courses taught compliance instead of survival.
In 2009, I was awarded a PhD for services to film education, ironic, given that most of my career has been about tearing down the rules that education insisted you follow.
I don’t believe in waiting for permission.I believe in making work, building systems, and forcing the industry to catch up.
Specialties: Independent Film (the real kind) · Producing · Writing · Film Education · Festivals · Breaking Broken Systems
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