Queens of Comedy

Austin Film Festival's On Story

This week on On Story we’ll join queens of comedy Katie Dippold, Liz Meriwether, & Paula Pell for a conversation all about writing for laughs. Actress, comedian, and screenwriter, Katie Dippold, wrote for NBC’s hit comedy series Park and Recreation as well as the comedy films, The Heat, starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy, and the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot.

Liz Meriwether is a writer, producer and television showrunner known for creating the Fox sitcom New Girl, and for writing the romantic comedy film No Strings Attached. She also created the ABC sitcoms Bless This Mess and most recently, Single Parents

Paula Pell got her start working in the writers room at Saturday Night Live in 1995 where she wrote for nearly 20 years before also working as a writer and producer for 30 rock. You may recognize from her cameos as “Paula”, Pete Hornberger’s wife, or as Parks and Rec’s “Tammy Zero,” Ron Swanson’s mother and very, skilled drinker. She performed in the 2015 Oscar-winning Birdman and Anchorman 2. Her body of work also includes writing credits on Bridesmaids, This is 40, and The Heat as well as the Tina Fey & Amy Pohler comedy, Sisters.

Moderator Paul Feig sat down with this panel of writers at the Austin Film Festival.

Clips of Bridesmaids courtesy of Universal City Studios LLC

Clips of The Heat courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation