368 - Mike Reiss: Yes! You Should Take Chances with Your Career

Mike Reiss started writing for The Simpsons because NO ONE else would take the job. They didn’t know they were passing up the opportunity work on what would soon become the #1 animated series on prime time TV. Mike has tons of stories about TV writing, comedy, and creating something people love. His secret: “We said, ‘No one’s gonna watch this so let’s just make this for us.” In this episode, Mike tells me why he took a chance, why he wasn’t afraid, and how it became the most fulfilling career move he ever made.   Links and Resources Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons by Mike Reiss The Simpsons Follow Mike on Twitter My interview with Nancy Cartwright (the voice of Bart Simpson) The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson It’s Garry Shandling Show Not Necessarily the News National Lampoon Conan O’Brien James L. Brook Sam Simon Jake Hogan Carol Burnett The Flintstones The Critic Family Guy South Park Alf Itchy and Scratchy Aristotle Taxi (tv show) Chico and The Man Mary Tyler Moore Show Jim Brooks Louie Teen Angel Whoopi Goldberg Al Gene Mike Reiss’s speech at Havard Mark Twain quote “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter” Curb Your Enthusiasm Larry David Seinfeld Cheers Chevy Chase Richard Pryor Sabrina the Teenage Witch My interview with Nell Scovell Beavis and Butthead Frasier Psych Roseanne All In The Family Big Bang Theory Harvard Lampoon Rocky and Bullwinkle Citizen Kane Terms of Endearment Spotlight Thor Thomas Pynchon J.D Salinger Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon V. by Thomas Pynchon Tom Clancy Buzz Aldrin James Taylor Magic Johnson Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Veep Silicon Valley The Comedians Billy Crystal Josh Gad Poking the Dead Frog: Conversations with Today's Top Comedy Writers by Mike Sacks Sick in the Head: Conversations About Life and Comedy by Judd Apatow Born Standing Up by Steve Martin Even This I Get to Experience by Norman Lear The Hitchhiker by Charlie Lee   I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast. Thanks so much for listening! If you like this episode, please subscribe to “The James Altucher Show” and rate and review wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts Stitcher iHeart Radio Spotify   Follow me on Social Media: Twitter Facebook Linkedin Instagram ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to “The James Altucher Show” wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn