048 - Writer/Director Rob Cohen - Screenwriters Need To Hear This with Michael Jamin

This week, we have our first Podcast guest, Writer/Director Rob Cohen. Rob has written and directed for shows like The Simpsons, Wonder Years, The Ben Stiller Show, MAD TV, SNL, Just Shoot Me, Maron, Big Bang Theory & Black-ish. Join Michael Jamin and Rob Cohen as they discuss their careers, breaking in, and what it means to have a long, fruitful career in Hollywood.

*Show Notes:*
*Rob Cohen on IMDB* - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0169712/

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*Transcripts Are Auto-Generated*
Rob Cohen:
Just Shoot Me was in the nineties. And if you said NBC in the nineties had so many comedies, some were good and some were terrible. But now if you look at nbc, are they doing any comedies? Like maybe two?

Michael Jamin:
Yeah, maybe. Yeah.

Rob Cohen:
Yeah. So, so it's the same place, but it's the, the tide is clear. So for somebody to aspire to working on wacky old-timey NBC comedies, it's very foolish. However, if they are a self starter and and determine what their roadmap is, nobody will stop them. You can't guarantee success, but at least you've tried it and you might be successful trying it and pursue what you like.

Michael Jamin:
Right. You're listening to Screenwriters Need to Hear This with Michael Jam. Hey everybody, welcome to Screenwriters. Need to hear this. My name is Michael Jamin and Phil is not here with us today, but I have a special guest. This is our first time ever having a guest on, on our podcast. And I'm absolutely thrilled that it's, you know, in Hollywood. People say this is my good friend, My, but it's true. Rob, you're my good friend and thank you.

Rob Cohen:
You're my good

Michael Jamin:
Friend. Yeah. *Laugh*. And so it's nice to actually have a good friend kick off my guest on the show. So let me introduce you. This is Rob Cohen, Writer, Director, and I'm gonna scroll through some of your credits so people know who you are. And and I'm sorry, I'm, I'm only gonna do some of the highlights that I think I'm gonna leave out. Probably the someone's I, because you had, Rob has a huge resume and you're a writer and a director, but you started and

Rob Cohen:
Some of it is good.

Michael Jamin:
And for, for those of you wanna make a, a visualization. Rob also worked on one of your early jobs was The Simpsons and the character of Millhouse was Rob modeled after him. So Rob is picture Millhouse now older and sadder. So, and also Rob's Canadian. So I wanna talk about how a Canadian breaks into the business. Sure. The whole language barrier, how you learned English. Right. I wanna learn how we

Rob Cohen:
Figured out Yeah. How the machines work so we could Yeah.

Michael Jamin:
I know you drove a dog sled growing up and now, now you drive a car. So stuff like that. Thank you.

Rob Cohen:
Thank You

Michael Jamin:
Thank you. So let's begin. Rob's, I guess your first staff job, I guess, was the Naked Truth, your big one?

Rob Cohen:
No, my very first staff job full-time was the Ben Stiller show.

Michael Jamin:
Oh, right. Will you go back even further than that? Bend Stiller. Right. And you also did Mad tv. Hold on. Your credits are crazy good. Like you have a huge list of credits. Naked Truth work with me, I met you on, well I think I knew you before that, but just shoot me work. You work together, right? Bet, bet. Midler show. Yes. According to Jim. Mm-Hmm. *affirmative*, according to your credits, you are on, According to Jim. Right. the Jamie Kennedy experiment. Was that a show or an experiment? Rob?

Rob Cohen:
That was an experiment. That became a show on the wv.

Michael Jamin:
See Dots? I don't know what that is. It's

Rob Cohen:
Amazing, That was a pilot for NBC. Yeah.