NBC's Trailblazing Program for Emerging Diverse Late Night Writers Names 2018 Class

Now in its sixth year, NBC's trailblazing program for emerging diverse late night and sketch comedy writers has named its 2018 class of writers. Alyssa Feller, Jonathan Giles, Michael Hartney, John Mahone, Cameron Smith, Natasha Vaynblat and Bryan Yang were chosen to be the new class of the network's annual Late Night Writer's Workshop, the industry's only initiative dedicated to discovering and developing late night and sketch comedy writers of diverse backgrounds. Chosen from 1,000 applicants, the new class will participate in an intensive six-day program this month that will ready them to be staff writers on late night and sketch comedy shows.

Created in 2012, NBC's Late Night Writer's Workshop has a proven track record of discovering and developing emerging late night and sketch comedy writers. Alumni of the program are producers and writers on top late night and sketch comedy shows, including Chelsea Davison ("The Opposition with Jordan Klepper"), Jenny Hagel ("Late Night with Seth Meyers" who also appears onscreen in the "Jokes Seth Can't Tell" segment), Kate Sidley ("The Late Show with Stephen Colbert"), Nedaa Sweiss ("The Late Late Show with James Corden") and Will Storey ("The Opposition with Jordan Klepper").

"In the six years since its inception, our Late Night Writers Workshop has changed the landscape of late night and sketch comedy by infusing fresh, new diverse voices into the writers' rooms," said Karen Horne, SVP, Programming Talent Development & Inclusion, NBC Entertainment and Universal Television. "Since late night and sketch comedy use the cultural zeitgeist and world events to drive their humor, it's especially critical to have inclusive writers' rooms that reflect the diversity in our world."

During an intensive six-day program at NBC's headquarters in 30 Rockerfeller Center, the Late Night Writers Workshop participants will get an in-depth look at a late night show including attending a monologue rehearsal and getting a behind-the-scenes tour. Guest speakers from across NBCUniversal's late night shows as well as Late Night Writer Workshop alumni will lead intimate conversations with the writers about their experiences working in late night and sketch comedy. This year, they will hear from 2015 StandUp NBC winner Dulcé Sloan, who is the newest correspondent on "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah," former "Late Night with Seth Meyers" and "Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell" writer Aparna Nancherla as well writers on "Watch What Happens Live," "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee" and "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." They will also attend a live taping of "The Opposition with Jordan Klepper."

Each day also consists of writing instruction, insightful feedback, and collaborative assignments that mirror the late night comedy writing experience. The writers will leave the program with new sketch material and insight into the dynamics of a late night writers' room.

Following the program, NBC continues advocating for the writers including putting them up for open staffing positions on the network's late night shows and helping them secure representation.

The 2018 class feature an array of talented writers, from various diverse backgrounds:

Alyssa Feller: Feller's passion for comedy and writing started at a young age when she won a local student theater competition in high school for her comedic one-act play "State v. Gold E. Locks." After finishing her undergraduate degree at the University of Central Florida, she wrote an original pilot "Dreamland' that was selected as one of two finalists at the 4th Annual Los Angeles Scripted Comedy Festival. Since moving to Los Angeles in 2016, she has frequently written and performed in Late Night with Jimmy Fallopian Tubes, an all-female live late night show at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre where she is also an advanced student in improv and sketch comedy. She was previously a freelance writer and researcher for Cracked, a popular humor site, and she is currently an executive assistant at Legendary Digital Networks.

John Mahone: Mahone has been writing, producing and performing comedy for more than 12 years. He began his stand-up career in college at Wesleyan University before moving to New York where he was accepted into the New York Comedy Festival and hosted "Ms. Show," a stand-up show he created to give a stage to underrepresented comedic voices. He moved to Los Angeles in 2016 where he has been an active member in The Second City community as a writer-performer for the house sketch team, Cuddle Puddle, and the host of his own late night style talk show, "Last Chance with Derek Chance." Additionally, he is the first winner of the Second City Los Angeles Diversity in Comedy scholarship that gave him one-year of classes in improv and sketch comedy writing at Second City Hollywood.

Jonathan Giles: Jonathan Giles writes and performs sketch and stand-up comedy. He has performed at the San Fran Sketchfest, and was named a finalist in the Jack Rollins Talent Breakthrough Competition. In 2017, Giles was a performer at the NBC's Breakout Festival. An ATLANTA native, Giles lives in Los Angeles.

Michael Hartney: New York-based comedian Hartney started his comedy career at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre after graduating from SUNY Buffalo. He later landed the roles of the Stanley and Mr. Williams in the original Broadway production of "School of Rock The Musical" where he also served as the understudy for the lead role Dewey. He expanded to television writing, serving as a staff writer on TVLand's late night show "Throwing Shade" and co-creating IFC's digital sketch series "Unique New York." He has also appeared on "30 Rock" and in the film "Small Time." He can be seen next in the upcoming Netflix children's sketch series "The Who Was Show." Hartney is repped by APA and Brillstein Entertainment Partners.

Cameron Smith: After graduating from the University of Virginia, Smith moved to New York to kick start his comedy career. He has taken improv and sketch classes at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, and currently works as a freelance writer for MTV where he developed a late night pilot and wrote for seasons 10 and 11 of "Nick Cannon Presents: Wild 'N Out."

Natasha Vaynblat: Russian-born Vaynblat was previously a high school teacher in New York before pursuing comedy full time. She has co-written and starred in two original series for IFC's Comedy Crib in addition to writing and performing two solo shows, "The United Federation of Teachers" and "Self Help Yourself, Help!," at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. Her writing has also been featured in McSweeney's, Reductress, and Funny or Die News. Most recently, she completed the MADE IN NYC Writing Fellowship at the Writers Guild of America, was a writer-producer on MTV's "Girl Code," and was named one of the "Nine of the Funniest Women in NYC Right Now" by women's lifestyle site PureWow. Vaynblat currently freelances for TruTV, WeTV, BirdBrain and Big Energy Productions. She is repped by Brillstein Entertainment Partners.

Bryan Yang: Sacramento native Yang began his comedy career in his hometown before moving to New York. Since then, Paste Magazine has featured him in their online video series "Stand-Up at the Paste Studio, and he was named one of Buzzfeed's "Top 14 Comedians You Should Be Paying Attention To." Yang has performed at some of the best comedy clubs and festivals across the country including the Sacramento Punchline, Bridgetown Comedy Festival, San Francisco Punchline, Limestone Comedy Festival, Cobb's Comedy Club, The Comedy Attic, New York Comedy Club, Gotham COMEDY CLUB and the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.

About Late Night Writers Workshop (NBC Talent Infusion Programs)

NBC's Late Night Writers Workshop is the only annual initiative from an entertainment company dedicated to discovering and developing late night and sketch comedy writers of diverse backgrounds. Founded in 2012, the multi-day program focuses on exposing talented sketch and comedy writers to NBCUniversal's late night and alternative line-up and readying them for a staff writer position. The selected writers create new sketch material and gain insight into the dynamics of a late night writers' room, as well as receive feedback on their material. Writers also interact with key writers and producers from across NBCUniversal's late night and alternative shows. Alumni include Chelsea Davison ("The Opposition with Jordan Klepper"), Jenny Hagel ("Late Night with Seth Meyers" who also appears onscreen in the "Jokes Seth Can't Tell" segment), Kate Sidley ("The Late Show with Stephen Colbert"), Nedaa Sweiss ("The Late Late Show with James Corden") and Will Storey ("The Opposition with Jordan Klepper"). The Late Night Writers Workshop is one of the tentpole initiatives within the NBC Talent Infusion Programs (NBC TIPS) that promote and encourage people of diverse backgrounds to become the next generation of storytellers. For more information, visit the NBCUniTIPS.com.

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