B.J. Novak of The Office on Creative Process, Handling Rejection, and Good Comedy
“I find that being in a good mood for creative work is worth the hours it takes to get in a good mood.” – B.J. Novak
This episode covers principles and tactics for creating amazing careers, comedy, writing, and much more. Hilarious stories weave it all together.
My guest is B.J. Novak (@bjnovak), best known for his work on NBC’s Emmy Award-winning comedy series “The Office” as an actor, writer, director, and executive producer. He has appeared in films such as Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds and Disney’s Saving Mr. Banks. He is also the author of the acclaimed short story collection “One More Thing” and the #1 New York Times Best Seller “The Book With No Pictures” (great Christmas gift), which has more than one million copies in print. Last but not least, he is co-founder of The List App.
In other words, he does a lot and does it well. What are the habits, tools, and routines that help him to do this? That’s what we explore in this conversation.
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Want to hear another podcast from a comedian? — Listen to my conversation with Whitney Cummings. In this episode, we discuss turning pain into creativity (stream below or right-click here to download):
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QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: In this episode, we discuss how a good mood impacts productivity. What situations do you find most difficult to overcome, and what techniques have you tried to reestablish a positive mindset? Please let me know in the comments.
Scroll below for links and show notes…
Enjoy!
Selected Links from the Episode
Download the li.st app and follow BJ Novak
B.J. Novak’s suggested podcasts:
The Great Debates | Intelligence Squared
Learn more about the Harvard Lampoon and The Princeton Tiger
Seeking contact information for celebrities in Los Angeles? Check out Creative Artist Agencies (CAA)
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls by Peter Biskind
Learn more about Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist
The Big Book of New American Humor by William Novak and Moshe Waldoks
The Big Book of Jewish Humor by William Novak and Moshe Waldoks
Daily Rituals by Mason Currey (Check the audio book)
“How Do People Get New Ideas?” by Isaac Asimov
Want to record ideas like B.J. Novak? Get the same pen and notebook he uses
Check out Scrivener for book writing
Watch the movie Memento
Two Toasters, the app development company
The Oxford Book of Aphorisms by John Gross
Make your bar fancy with big ice cubes via Tovolo Ice Cube Trays
Favorite documentaries from this episode:
Tim: Man on Wire | Project Nim
BJ: Catfish | To Be and To Have | The Overnighters
Examples of great comedy writing, The Grinder and Season 4 of Mr. Show
The Sandman by Neil Gaiman
Follow BJ Novak
Show Notes
Why do so many people migrate from Harvard to Hollywood? [6:42]
What happened the year after B.J. Novak graduated from Harvard [13:07]
How B.J. got Bob Saget booked for his event, and how it opened the door to Hollywood [14:12]
Stories and tips for getting started as a stand-up comedian [21:52]
On becoming a writer-actor [29:07]
The tipping point for when The Office became a success [31:12]
Lessons learned while working on The Office [33:37]
The experience of working with Steve Carell [35:47]
The writing process for The Office: Blue Sky Period [36:42]
How to maintain positivity and other creative productivity advice [40:15]
Note-keeping habits and the creative process [44:12]
What B.J. Novak’s freshman seminar at Harvard on comedy writing would look like [49:12]
What B.J. Novak’s freshman seminar at Harvard on screenwriting would look like [54:32]
Why B.J. wanted to create an app [58:42]
Describing the li.st app [1:02:12]
Top lists [1:08:22]
Rapid fire questions:
Who comes to mind when you think of the word successful? [1:13:32]
What was your senior thesis? [1:13:52]
Most gifted books [1:14:37]
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? [1:15:37]
Do you have any bad habits that you’re working on? [1:16:22]
Are their words or phrases that you overuse? [1:17:05]
Best purchase that you’ve made in recent memory for less than $100 [1:18:52]
Favorite documentaries [1:19:36]
How to ‘power up’ in the morning [1:21:47]
Is there a particular time of day when you do your best writing? [1:24:00]
Examples of good comedy writing TV shows [1:24:42]
What historical figure do you most identify with? [1:25:15]
Advice to an aspiring comedy writer [1:27:02]
Advice to your 30-year-old self [1:29:47]
People Mentioned
Bob Saget
Jonathan Katz
Greg Daniels
Steve Carell
Blake Ross
P.J. O’Rourke
Zach Galifianakis
Demetri Martin
Matt Witheiler
James Franco
Benjamin Franklin
