Media Page
AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW
CONTACT JOE: joetoplyn-at-twentylanemedia-dot-com
Joe Toplyn: Emmy-Winning Writer/Producer, Author and AI Entrepreneur
Joe Toplyn [TOP-lin] is an accomplished comedy writer/producer with a career spanning decades in television and beyond. A four-time Emmy Award winner, Joe has written for some of the most iconic late-night shows in history, including Late Night with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. His career also includes staff positions on sitcoms, sketch shows, and the comedic detective show Monk.
Joe’s passion for making the creative process more widely accessible led him to author the popular book Comedy Writing for Late-Night TV, a definitive how-to guide for comedy writers. His experience and insights into the craft of comedy have made him a respected authority who is regularly invited to speak at industry events, educational institutions, and research conferences.
Joe is also founder-president of Twenty Lane Media, LLC, a startup dedicated to reimagining creativity. As one of its first products, Joe invented, patented, and launched Witscript, a groundbreaking web app that blends AI tools with his own joke-writing techniques to write original jokes automatically.
Joe’s innovative approach to combining AI with his professional comedy expertise positions him at the forefront of the evolving comedy landscape. His work at the intersection of comedy, computational creativity and generative AI makes him an ideal guest for interviews on topics ranging from comedy writing to using AI in the fundamentally human task of creating humor.
Joe Toplyn is available for interviews and podcasts by phone, by video chat, and in studios in the New York City area.
Sample Interview Questions for Joe Toplyn
1. How did you go from writing comedy for television to inventing an app that writes jokes?
2. What does Witscript do?
3. How does Witscript work?
4. What makes Witscript different from other AI tools that tell jokes, like ChatGPT?
5. How can Witscript write funny jokes consistently when humor is so subjective?
6. Who do you think would benefit from using Witscript?
7. How funny are Witscript’s jokes?
8. Do you think AI will ever be able to write jokes as funny as the funniest humans?
9. Should comedy writers feel threatened by Witscript?
10. What are your plans for Witscript?
11. How can people find out more about Witscript?
To schedule an interview, contact Joe:
joetoplyn-at-twentylanemedia-dot-com
Click to watch Joe talking with Intercom about teaching chatbots to crack jokes (23:05)
I’ve been working on my one-liners and jokes! I’ve found that I’m really good with writing one liners. This is one I wrote recently.
This is the joke that I wrote: ‘My friend suggested I get more storage bins. I said I didn’t need to. I had plenty on my computer.’ This was a play on how I didn’t need physical storage bins due to the amount of storage space on my computer.
Over the last couple of weeks, I got pretty serious about joke writing which is what led me to improve a lot. Just lots of practice, patience and a whole lot of revision. And if my joke doesn’t sound right the first time, I re-write it. I basically approach joke writing as if I were writing an essay for an important assignment that required more than one revision.
Hi, Zoe,
I’m glad you’re enjoying joke writing, and that you know how important it is to revise jokes until they’re as funny as possible. My 12 Joke Maximizers can help you turn a good joke into one that gets a big laugh.
Have fun!
Hey, Joe! Just wanted to give a shout. I read/used your book for a late-night packet I recently put together. it was a HUGE* help. I’m also a stand-up comic and your writing tips have helped me with my own jokes, too. Bravo and thank you.
*I’m now thinking we as a country need to retire the word “HUGE.” But the book was very helpful.
Hi, Marian. Thanks very much for your message. I’m really glad to hear the book has been so helpful, believe me. (Maybe as a country we should also retire the sentence “Believe me.”) Good luck with your packet and your adventures in comedy.
Hi Joe,
I love the book. When are you teaching a class New York next?
I would love to take it!!
-Amy Carson
Hi, Amy–
Thanks for buying my book, and for your interest and enthusiasm.
I don’t know when I’ll be teaching my late-night TV comedy class again. I’m waiting to hear what’s going on with a TV project that might tie up my schedule.
Please let the Peoples Improv Theater know that you’d like to take my class and they’ll tell you when dates are set for it. A link to the PIT is in one of the sliders on my home page.
Meanwhile my book will give you a head start on the material.
Have fun!
I love your book. I do stand up and I am not sure that I want to write for late night tv. I just want to become more fluent writing for my stand up comedy. Looking forward to coming to your workshops. Thank you.
-Nancy Haman
Thanks, Nancy! I’m glad you like the book. You’re right…it’s not just for people who want to write for late-night TV. It’s a practical, how-to manual for anyone who wants to write short-form comedy, comedy pieces under about ten minutes long. That includes everything from jokes to remotes to sketches, so it definitely includes stand-up comedy. Hope to see you in class!