“Humor can be dissected like a frog, but it dies in the process (...) You can’t poke around in humor for a long time. It eludes you with ease.” Alvin Brooks White The author of this book, Mike Sachs, does not try to “butcher” comedy “to death”, like a poor frog. No, he only carefully goes through all its components, respecting this fragile art. Here you will find 15 exclusive interviews with the industry's best. The creators of The Office, Parks and Recreation, Monty Python, Saturday Night Live, New Girl, The New Yorker, and more reveal their stories and secrets. You will learn not only how they manage to make complete strangers laugh, but most importantly, why they do it. These people broke the canons of humor so many times, not meeting anyone’s expectations and rules, that they eventually became role models themselves. For convenience, direct advice that may be useful to a comedy writer is presented in separate sections in the book. They are written concisely, clearly, without fluff and will help not only beginners, but also those who want to improve their skills.