30 Under 30: Sam West, Comedy Writer/Director
Today marks the release of our sister publication, The L Magazine‘s “30 Under 30″ feature and we thought we’d highlight a few of the people featured by running Q&As with them. One of these people is comedy writer and director Sam West. If you’ve ever found yourself watching a not-quite-infomercial in the wee hours of the morning on Adult Swim, than you’re probably familiar with the work of comedy writer and director Sam West, who worked on bits like the hilarious “For-Profit Online University” and the toilet technology start-up “Smart Pipe.” West, the former head writer of The Onion‘s YouTube channel, also helped create the reality show spoof “Sex House” and the TED talk-aping “The Onion Talks.” (Like TED Talks, only “instead of a good idea, it will be a ludicrous one,” West explained to the New Yorker.) Currently, he’s on the writing staff of the new Cartoon Network show starring Jack McBrayer and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog ; he also appears semi-regularly at UCB and at the monthly Hearth Gods series at Jimmy’s No. 43 in the East Village (though if you ask West what he’s up to he’ll say, not exactly accurately, “pathetically clutching the coattails of far more talented writers”).
Has it ever been challenging to be taken seriously because of your age?
Not really. My more accomplished elders are generally willing to give me the benefit of the doubt because of the way older generations are shouted down and told to take their cues from energetic young people with no experience and bad ideas. When I make a mistake they don’t correct me, they just assume that the world has changed and quietly acquiesce.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Futuristic Mirror lol I’m talkin flying mirrors smdh