Jon Stern has been part of some of the most exciting new comedy on television and the Web in the last five years. As the founder of Abominable Pictures, Stern has worked on the likes of “Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp” and “The Hotwives of Orlando.” His next project is a “teen drama comedy” with frequent collaborator Paul Scheer, due in 2016.
Why comedy? I worked in all sorts of different genres in the past. I produced dramas and thrillers, but when I did comedy, I didn’t feel like I was faking it—this, I actually get. It was clear that this was where I should put my focus. The real question is: Why doesn’t everyone want to do comedies? Spending your day laughing and smiling, it has to be good for you.
Do you have a specific taste in comedy? I make what I want to see. I hope that there are enough people who will share my taste and the taste of my collaborators. Look at “Wet Hot”: When it was first made, I loved it but a lot of people didn’t. Now, as a TV series, it’s seen as way more mainstream-accessible. The worry is if I keep doing this, 15 years from now I’ll be doing hack work but I won’t know because I’ll just keep
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