Justin & Jordan Shipley (Wrecked, Deadbeat) sold the first thing they ever wrote together. Then they had to figure out how to make a whole season of it. Writers rooms, sets, budgets, locations, time frames - the brothers admit they were out of their element at first. We talk about everything they learned from that first season, the mistakes they made and how they pushed through them, how they write together, and the importance of soft focus.

The Need to Fail with Don Fanelli

Episode 98: The Shipley Brothers

Jesse David Fox (Vulture, New York Mag) admits that he was not a good writer for years. We talk about the ins and outs of his podcast, his biggest writing regret, and how his desire to be heard outweighed his desire to be good at first. 

Episode 97: Jesse David Fox

Alex Fernie (Children's Hospital, Do You Wanna See a Dead Body) had six different pilots in eight years fall through. We chat about his blind spots as a director, the frustration of seeing projects he's directed sit in purgatory, and how listening to loud music when he works is the only way that he can get out of his head. Of course we nerd out over some improv at the end.This episode is brought to you by Honeybook! Get 50% off your first year with promo code: FAIL!

Episode 96: Alex Fernie

Mitra Jouhari (Big Mouth, High Maintenance) felt herself tanking her producer's session mid-audition for a big pilot. We chat about how her bad days are filled with a sense of desperation, the genesis of Three Busy Debras, and how putting on a staged reading of some previously passed on material helped to prove that she could write solo. This episode is brought to you by Helix Sleep!For $125 off any mattress go to www.helixsleep.com/failThis episode is brought to you by The National University MFA ProgramGo to www.nu.edu for more details!

Episode 95: Mitra Jouhari

Life is Short with Justin Long finds the actor sitting down with some of the funniest and most intriguing people of today, like Dax Shepard, Olivia Wilde and Neil Patrick Harris. No topics are out of bounds, and no questions are too personal. Subscribe to Life is Short with JustinLong and start listening at wondery.fm/lifeisshort

Introducing Life is Short with Justin Long

James Adomian (Trump vs. Bernie, BoJack Horseman) tells his biggest bomb story - opening for Joan Rivers. We chat about how he approaches his impressions, why he likes mistakes and not over-polishing anything, and how he would have never have tried standup if things had worked out for him earlier in his career. CONNECT W/ THE NEED TO FAIL & DON FANELLI ON TWITTER:https://twitter.com/theneedtofailhttps://twitter.com/donfanelliAND PLEASE SUPPORT TN2F ON PATREON FOR BONUS EPS & MORE:https://www.patreon.com/theneedtofailSUBSCRIBE/RATE/REVIEW TN2F on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.THE NEED TO FAIL IS A FOREVER DOG PODCASThttp://foreverdogproductions.com/fdpn/podcasts/the-need-to-fail

Episode 94: James Adomian

Jonathan Braylock (Black Men Can't Jump pod, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) takes us through a series of setbacks - from thinking he booked a pilot to realizing his sketch duo was over when his partner booked a tv show to getting lines cut from a movie after inviting a bunch of his friends to go see it. We chat about how giving himself space and reevaluating where he is at every year helps keep him focused and on track. This episode is brought to by Honeybook! Go to honeybook.com and use promo code FAIL for 50% off your first year!

Episode 93: Jonathan Braylock

Life is Short with Justin Long finds the actor sitting down with some of the funniest and most intriguing people of today, like Dax Shepard, Olivia Wilde and Neil Patrick Harris. No topics are out of bounds, and no questions are too personal. Subscribe to Life is Short with Justin Long and start listening at wondery.fm/lifeisshort

Blair Socci (Ladylike, Just for Laughs) lived nine lives before trying to pursue comedy as a career. We talk about seeing her costars' careers skyrocket after her show was cancelled, the endless jobs she's had to keep her afloat, and how some rough relationships led her to Al-Anon which completely changed her life.

Episode 92: Blair Socci

Michael Hartney (School of Rock, Throwing Shade, Current AD of UCB) talks about crushing it at Just for Laughs but failing to be seen for SNL. We chat about oscillating between self-confidence and delusion after being dropped by an agent, the amazing journey to School of Rock and some subsequent performance oopsies, and how he develops a character. 

Episode 91: Michael Hartney

Brandon Scott Jones (Isn't It Romantic, The Good Place) had a pilot he wrote and shot passed on by a network. We chat about how his competitiveness as an adult is waning due to a childhood of intense athletics, the plethora of odd jobs he's had over the years (from Chuck-E-Cheese to AI at Microsoft), and the serendipitous moment that pushed him to sign up for classes at UCB. 

Episode 90: Brandon Scott Jones

Eva Anderson (You’re the Worst, Briarpatch) had three projects fall through last year. We talk about how not having an agent when everyone else on her sketch team did put her in her head, the productiveness of getting to her writer's room early and meditating, and we take a deep dive into her creative rituals and how she uses Capes Coaching methods to break down her goals.

Episode 89: Eva Anderson

Joanna Bradley (SNL, The Break with Michele Wolf)  took a really long time to process the feeling of not being asked back to SNL. We chat about the pros and cons of not having a brand, feeling emotionally unsafe in the entertainment industry, her deep fear of the suburbs and why writing is like watching yourself throw up. 

Episode 88: Joanna Bradley

Jackie Johnson (Natch Beaut, Fresh Off the Boat) regales us with hilarious stories from her time as a background actress. From staring into the camera to squirting grease on her cocktail dress to accidentally tripping down a flight of stairs in a packed arena to uproarious laughter. We also chat about the crossroads she faced as an actress and comedian, the bleakness of commercial auditioning, and the many jobs and rejections that led to her creating her Natch Beaut podcast. 

Episode 87: Jackie Johnson

Joel Kim Booster (The Other Two, Shrill) performs on gay cruises and doesn't give a shit what you think about it. We chat about the difficulty of being an earnest person in this industry, how he started doing standup because he was a failing as an actor, and how he dealt with working on the pilot he sold for over two years only for it to get passed on. 

Episode 86: Joel Kim Booster

What do all of your favorite comedians, actors, writers, and artists have in common? At some point, they’ve all completely failed. Comedian Don Fanelli sits down with folks at the top of their game to talk about the times their dreams felt more elusive than ever. These hilarious, heartbreaking, and incredibly relatable stories remind us that failure is not only necessary when pursuing a dream, but ultimately the inspiration that keeps us moving uncompromisingly forward. New Episodes Tuesdays.

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The Need to Fail with Don Fanelli

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