Episode 209: Michael Colton and John Aboud Interview

As we continue to celebrate ten years of Dead Pilots Society, we bring you this month’s after show with Michael Colton and John Aboud, writers of Weekly World News, which was featured on last week’s episode.

The two longtime collaborators take a look back at their path from journalism to founding the early-internet comedy magazine Modern Humorist, becoming VH1 talking heads on Best Week Ever and I Love the ’80s, and eventually building a career writing for television and film.

Colton and Aboud talk about their work on Penguins of Madagascar, their time working in animation, Home Economics, and the many pilots and projects that never made it to the screen. They also discuss the mysterious death of National Lampoon creator Doug Kenney, and how it became the inspiration for A Futile and Stupid Gesture, a film the two co-wrote and produced, starring Will Forte and directed by David Wain

The conversation digs into what drew them to the bizarre world of Weekly World News, how they approached turning the tabloid into a TV workplace comedy, and the advantages of combining familiar genres in unexpected ways.

Dead Pilots Society Comes to Brooklyn!

Tickets are now on sale for the first-ever Dead Pilots Society live show in New York City! The show takes place Sunday, October 25th at The Bell House in Brooklyn, featuring two brand new dead pilots from two incredible writers: Allison Silverman (Russian Doll, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Colbert Report, Portlandia) and Chris Kelly (Saturday Night Live, The Other Two).

A star-studded cast will be announced soon. Andrew Reich and Ben Blacker will both be there, so New Yorkers and fans throughout the tri-state area can finally experience Dead Pilots Society live. Follow Dead Pilots Society on social media for cast announcements.

Click this link for tickets! https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/3000651E456BB0C6

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots

Episode 208: Weekly World News by Michael Colton and John Aboud

Dead Pilots Society celebrates 10 years with Weekly World News, a comedy pilot from Michael Colton and John Aboud  based on the popular newspaper tabloid, Weekly World News is about the reporters who bring us the amazing but true stories of ghosts, aliens, and mutant freaks.

Colton and Aboud created and ran ABC’s Home Economics for three seasons, were showrunners on HBO Max’s animated series Close Enough, and have written for Acapulco, Leverage, and Children’s Hospital. They also wrote and produced the Netflix feature A Futile and Stupid Gesture, directed by David Wain and starring Will Forte, and wrote Penguins of Madagascar for DreamWorks Animation. Before moving into television and film, the duo worked as journalists, launched the online comedy magazine Modern Humorist, and became familiar faces as VH1 talking heads on shows including Best Week Ever and I Love the ’80s.

Andrew was especially excited to bring this one to Dead Pilots Society, having been a fan of Weekly World News as a kid.

The pilot features an incredible cast, Rich Sommer (Mad Men), Fred Melamed (Barry, Gail Doughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass), Jackie Tohn (Nobody Wants This), Courtney Pauroso (Ruthie Joins a Death Cult, Jackass Forever), Jessica Lowe (Minx), Alex Moffat (SNL, Bad monkey), Zac Oyama (Dimension 20), James Adomian (Comedian), and Stage direction by Andrew Reich.

MaxFun members can watch the full table read, along with all of the Dead Pilots Society video and bonus content from the past decade, for as little as $5 a month at maximumfun.org/join.

Dead Pilots Society Comes to Brooklyn!

Tickets are now on sale for the first-ever Dead Pilots Society live show in New York City! The show takes place Sunday, October 25th at The Bell House in Brooklyn, featuring two brand new dead pilots from two incredible writers: Allison Silverman (Russian Doll, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Colbert Report, Portlandia) and Chris Kelly (Saturday Night Live, The Other Two).

A star-studded cast will be announced soon. Andrew Reich and Ben Blacker will both be there, so New Yorkers and fans throughout the tri-state area can finally experience Dead Pilots Society live. Follow Dead Pilots Society on social media for cast announcements.

Click this link for tickets! https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/3000651E456BB0C6

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots

Episode 207: Claudia Lonow Interview

Here is the after show for Fan Girl, featuring Andrew's interview with Claudia Lonow. Claudia has created four television shows: Rude Awakening, Good Girls Don't, Accidentally on Purpose, and How to Live With Your Parents (For The Rest of Your Life). She's also an actor and director, most recently directing and acting in the indie movie D(e)ad.

Claudia and Andrew go way back, not only as friends, but as co-workers. She previously appeared on Dead Pilots Society in Episode 13, where she was interviewed by Ben Blacker. This time, Andrew goes further back, getting into Claudia's early acting career and the unlikely chain of events that landed her a television series almost immediately after becoming a writer.

They also talk about her lifelong love of science fiction, where the idea for Fan Girl came from, and why loving the thing you're parodying makes all the difference.

It's a conversation about an unconventional route through Hollywood, a pretty incredible first writing job, and some very good Claudia Lonow stories.

The next Dead Pilots Society live show is at the Elysian Theater in Los Angeles on  Sunday, September 13th, featuring pilots from  Alex Herschlag ( Will and Grace, Modern Family, Arrested Development), and  Katie Greenway (Welcome to Flatch). Go to https://www.elysiantheater.com/ to get your tickets.

Dead Pilots Society is also heading to New York City for the first time ever, with a live show at The Bell House in Brooklyn on Sunday, October 25th.

The show will feature two brand new dead pilots from two incredible writers: Allison Silverman (Russian Doll, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Colbert Report, Portlandia) and Chris Kelly (Saturday Night Live, The Other Two).

Tickets will be available soon, so keep an eye on Dead Pilots Society's social media for details. And if you're in Los Angeles, don't forget about the upcoming show at the Elysian Theater on September 13th!

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots