Kate Villa
As seen in:
The New Yorker,
Real Simple,
Greatist,
Domino,
The Rumpus,
Splitsider,
McSweeney's,
Points in Case
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Articles by Kate Villa
Welcome to Venture Capital Comedy
Once you complete the class series and become an advanced improviser, you will receive “I.P.O.” (improv-performer opportunities). With I.P.O., you’re eligible to be headhunted to join an in-house team. (Note: We do not condone unionization efforts within in-house teams.) Now, let’s tell you a bit more about our method. Traditional improv teams solicit suggestions from the audience. This is an untested, non-standardized methodology that generates inconsistent results.
“Sesame Avenue”: Characters from the New Sesame Workshop Show for People in Their Thirties Original
Lulu the Estimated-Taxes Monster Every time Lulu shows up, she makes you guess how much you owe her. If you’re off, she makes you pay more in “late fees.” You don’t understand the game, but you still pay her. Mr. Mole Mr. Mole gives unwanted opinions on your moles, and whether or not they look suspect. He almost always suggests that you get them biopsied. Dowdy Bird Dowdy Bird is the little bird that encourages women over thirty to wear caftans.
Today’s Meeting of the Congressional Bipartisan A Cappella Coalition
“House Democrats called ‘f***ing useless’ for singing ‘God Bless America’ by Capitol after Roe ruling.” – The Independent 6/25/22 - - - Great job singing on the steps, everyone! I know it was a sad occasion, but you all really rocked it out there. Getting that performance together took all of our brainpower for the last several weeks and it totally paid off.
Creator Lab
Want to learn about late-night joke writing and up your packet game? This class will cover how to put together a late-night-style packet. We’ll deep dive into how to write jokes from the news, touch on working in a writer’s room and give students some insight into the submissions process. Students will complete a practice packet during the course of the class, which we’ll punch up as a room.
FUNNY WOMEN: Tailoring a Pitch Across Outlets
FUNNY WOMEN: Tailoring a Pitch Across Outlets Freelancing is about lancing for free. Beyond lancing, every successful freelancer must be able to personalize pitches such that each editor feels this piece was written for them, their audience, and no one else. Observe. *** Dear Science for Today editors, I have a story about how to prevent foot fungus. It includes interviews from eight scientists who are releasing their research this week.
I Was Birding Before It Was Cool
Wassup Northwest Maine Southwest Regional Birders, Welcome to our April birding newsletter, mothercluckers. It’s Paul, your birding president. The Peak Of The V, the alpha chicken. The pandemic has been a frickin’ dope year for birding since it’s the only safe activity in the entire world. Which also means it’s been a shitty year for everything else. Birding > everything. So punk rock. Just wanted to send a solid “wassup” to our 4000 new members who joined during the pandemic.
I Thought I Hated Shallots Until I Tried Them in This Salad Dressing
My family was always a “no raw onions” family. Those funky little alliums never had a chance. My parents ordered salads and burgers without onions, and I opted for the same out of some kind of sick anti-onion solidarity. We only ate onions cooked down to within an inch of their lives. But this was before I met the macerated shallot. Shallots were a semi-foreign ingredient to me. They felt fancy in a way I did not. They resembled onions, so I shied away from them.
Creator Lab
Late-Night-Style Packets 101 $220.00 Class begins: April 24, 2022 Want to learn about late-night joke writing and up your packet game? This class will cover how to put together a late-night-style packet. We’ll&n... View Class draft Storytelling Fundamentals $220.00 Storytelling is everything. Whether it’s inspiration for your next script to understanding how your story can create real change in the world, through...
Our New Business Plan: Go Viral
Good morning, EdenVirtual team! Today is an exciting day. We’ve finally finished our yearlong, extensive company review and we have the results. After some comparative analysis with other companies of our size and structure, we are ready to lay out a plan for the future that will keep EdenVirtual growing! The results were conclusive and specific. Our new business plan is: go viral. Our current processes will stay intact up to a point. When we get to Ethan’s team, things will change a bit.
Other Jeans Besides Mom Jeans
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Illustrations by Andrew Haener.
6 Things You Should Never Do on Your Work Computer
It's tempting to do these things on your work computer—especially, say, during your lunch break—but just don't. By Kate Villa April 04, 2018 The name says it all: Work computers are for work, though sometimes the lines blur just a little bit, and that can get you into hot water. Jena Booher (M.S. MHC; ACC) is the founder and CEO of Babies On The Brain, a management consulting company. She works with CEOs to bring women (particularly mothers) and diversity into the workplace.
'Derry Girls' Is the Show About Your Awkward Teen Years That You Need to Watch
If you loved Penelope in 'Bridgerton', you need to watch Nicola Coughlan as one of the raucous, rowdy Derry girls. Let's talk about Derry Girls for a minute: In the current, over-saturated TV landscape, the Netflix series cuts through the clutter. For those who are unfortunate enough to have not seen it yet, Derry Girls is a perfect high school sitcom about five friends attending an all-girls Catholic school during The Troubles in Northern Ireland.
How '90s political comedy, Dick, used crimped hair and cookie recipes to show teen girls their power
Never google “Watch Dick Online.” The first result is not the Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams‘s 1999 classic, Dick, as you hoped it might be. But when you finally sift through pages of garbage and clear all the viruses off of your computer, you’ll find the perfect political comedy on Amazon Prime… Or you could just go straight to Amazon Prime. Whichever.
Melissa Joan Hart helps plan our Halloween party and explains how "tough love" on the Sabrina set helped her grow
As I prepared for my phone call with Melissa Joan Hart—the woman whose TV show, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, helped me get through some of the toughest years of my life—I did what any self-respecting girl freaking out would do: I called my mom. My mother calmed me down, and as a reporter with hundreds of interviews under her belt, she gave me the pro-tips I needed.
Why "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" Was My Best Friend
As a young, pimple-faced wannabe high school theater club president, I never felt like I fit in. I never said the right thing to the boys I liked. I wore skirts over jeans (I leaned into ’90s fashion just a little too late for it to be hip, and a little too early for it to be Juno). I couldn’t play any sports. To sum it up, I wasn’t cool.
On Leslie Knope's birthday, we remember why the Pawnee goddess is a gift to us all — especially right now
January 18th is the birthday of the fictional government heroine, Leslie Knope of “Parks and Recreation.” We are eternally grateful that Leslie Knope, portrayed by Amy Poehler, was birthed from the minds of some truly amazing writers and comedians. This is a woman who says what she believes, loves her friends and coworkers so sincerely, and breaks down the toughest barriers that try to stop her from making a difference in Pawnee. It’s easy to love Leslie – how could you not root for her?
Meditations for Major American Cities
Find a relaxing place Whatever that means to you A chair or pillow or snowbank will do Begin to breathe Think about Target And how great Target is Did you know that your great state is the home of Target? Whatever that means to you Take that in Have you ever pronounced it Tar-jhay? Very French Very sophisticated Let your body melt into the snowbank you’ve chosen Breathe in through your nose Take in the air that’s coming off all those lakes How many lakes are there?
"The Mindy Project" showed us that successful women aren't one-dimensional
Like any breakup, when you lose a beloved TV show, you grieve. Earlier today, it was announced that Season 6 of The Mindy Project will be its last. It’s a sad moment when you realize that you won’t see Dr. Mindy Lahiri every week (which is weird because who has ever WANTED to see their OB/GYN every week…). The Mindy Project was different from other TV comedies in recent history, bringing a Mary Tyler Moore-esque character into the present. Dr. Mindy Lahiri was career-oriented in a big city.
Why rom-coms are becoming less "romantic"
The world of rom-coms has often portrayed true love with standing-ovation-worthy kisses complete with fireworks in the background. That seems to have shifted, with the ultimate act of love now frequently presented as characters understanding that someone else, in their depressed haze, needs them. It blossoms from a drunk hookup, or an awkward first encounter, into something no one wants to define. Love returns to Netflix for a second season on March 10th.
Why I have a complicated relationship with makeup
Should I wear red? Is that too sexy for work? Maybe bright pink? A little boy on the street pointed out my bright pink lips to his mother the other day — so I guess not the pink. I’ll just wear something neutral, some makeup that makes it look like I’m not wearing any makeup at all. And that’s how people will expect that I look when I roll out of bed: Fresh-faced and dewy. Hint: I do not. I look tired. Really tired. Really really tired.
Why we need to ask for what we deserve at work
Generally, I’m someone who asks for what she wants. I’m relatively assertive and I’m pretty forthright (my friends reading this are probably rolling their eyes — this is a gross understatement). My parents have instilled in me that I must be my own best advocate, because no one else will do it for me — but in my first few years out of college, I’m learning that’s not always the case. In the last few months, I’ve come up against some roadblocks.
Why it is the "Broke Girl" era of TV comedy, and what that means for today's young women
I throw my bag on the floor, text my mom, order a pizza, and shoot Netflix onto the TV from my computer. It’s a typical Friday. I tell my parents “nothing is going on in New York tonight.” (Something is always going on in New York tonight.) I spread out on the couch, almost reciting the words alongside Liz Lemon. “Somebody bring me some haaaaam!” I sit on my ultra-comfortable pillow thinking, “This is what my 20s should be, right?” I look at the screen and cheers Liz. She understands.
John Cena, Comedy Role Model
When I talk to other comedians and they talk about their role models, it’s all Tina Feys and Amy Schumers, but no one can explain why. “They’re funny.” Yeah. We got that. But one of the reasons they’re so loved is because they each do something unique really well. Tiny Fey’s self-deprecating humor has been the Holy Grail for young comedians who only go on bad dates and really just want to stay home making sweet love to mac & cheese and Friends reruns.
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