Today we’d like to introduce you to Eileen Mary O’Connell.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Eileen Mary. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
I was born in Chicago (the accent comes out when I’m hungry) and raised by a very, very funny family. The O’Connells are always laughing. You have to be funny just to keep up, so I already had a pretty good head start at this comedy thing.
When I was in middle school, Second City started offering summer classes to teens, and I absolutely ate that up. I did their improv and sketch boot camps every single summer and performed in their Teen Ensemble during the school year. My very last show was the week before I left for college. I went to Loyola Marymount University and majored in theater with a focus on playwriting.
By the time I graduated in 2007, I was too in love with Los Angeles to ever leave. After I graduated, I started getting involved at UCB, iO West, The Improv Space, The Miles Stroth Workshop (now the Pack Theater), and so much more. I like being busy. My first LA comedy family was Top Story! Weekly, a weekly topical sketch show at iO West (RIP). I started as a writer, then became a segment producer and cast member.
I owe every professional opportunity I’ve ever had to TSW. It taught me how to write fast, how to write for myself, and how to navigate a writer’s room. That’s also how I learned how to craft monologue jokes. Writing jokes never came naturally to me like improv or sketch did, so I made it my mission to get good at it. I write 50-100 jokes every day, rain or shine, and it’s easy for me now because I spent so much time building that muscle.
Has it been a smooth road?
It’s not easy being a woman in comedy. I’ve been harassed, stalked, and yelled at until I’m numb. I’ve been told, “You write like a man” as if that’s a compliment, then called the c-word for not taking it as a compliment.
I’ve also seen men get asked to submit packets to the major late-night shows when they’ve never written a monologue joke in their life, and wonder why I’m not being asked.
But there’s absolutely no room to be bitter about that kind of stuff. Everyone’s journey is different, and being bitter isn’t going to make me a better comedian. Putting in the work is what makes me a better comedian.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I’m a comedy writer and content creator. I tweet about Space Jam, talk about the Muppets on podcasts, and curate funny content for a millennial women digital brand owned by the makers of AFV (we’re called BGL, and we’re awesome, please follow us!) On a personal level, I like to describe my voice as “optimistically dead inside.” I love whimsy, but I also love being self-deprecating. It’s a very fine line, and I’m toeing it.
I’m on two improv teams that are very dear to my heart. Townies, an improvised play which performs the 1st and 3rd Thursdays every month at the Pack Theater at 8 pm. And Murder Murder, an improvised murder mystery that performs the 3rd Saturday every month at The Clubhouse at 7 pm. Genre-based narrative improv is my niche because I love sticking with a single character throughout the whole set.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
There’s a shift happening, and I’m excited to see where it takes us. Shows like Pen15 make me more excited than ever about being in this field, and platforms like IGTV and Twitch make me very curious where content is going. But most of all, I just want a thousand more Captain Marvel films.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/eileenmaryoconnell
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/eileenmaryoconnell
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/i_Lean
Image Credit:
Justin Baker, Eileen Connors
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