This conversation, between host Michael Blieden and writer-performer Brandon Johnson, comprises one episode of our innovative, highly acclaimed comedy series for Cinemax/HBO. For more episodes go here (or in HD on YouTube!), for more information, see this post.

Listed as “MAX 1000 Words” in their schedule, our innovative and hilarious tribute to pure storytelling has finally started to roll out interstitially and on Cinemax on Demand this week. The show, which is hosted by Michael Blieden, centers on the “personal essay”, a written-word performance format currently booming in stand-up circles. Five talented writers perform stories they have written in an intimate “salon” setting and then discuss them with Mike. We guarantee you’ve never seen anything like this on TV before. And if you think the stories themselves are funny, check out the “Conversations”!

We taped the original 15 segments, starring (in alphabetical order), Andrew Daly, Brandon Johnson, Jen Kirkman, Matt Price and Elizabeth Warner, about a year ago. And, yes, they are all 1000 Words (or less)!

More info on the roll-out coming soon!

CAST & EPISODES

Blieden is in every episode.

Andy’s episodes:
•”The Worst Party in the World” - Fifty weird, uninvited guests come to Andy’s first party in Hollywood.
•”How I got Into College” - How to turn a combination of punk rock, electrocution and mental retardation into a college career.
•A Conversation with Andrew Daly (in a Hollywood driveway)

Brandon’s episodes:
•”Token” - A eulogy for the phenomenon of the “Token Black”.
•”Katie” - “She wasn’t black, but she KNEW someone black.”
•A Conversation with Brandon Johnson (over breakfast in Mike’s old apartment).

Jen’s episodes:
• “Jen” - How writing your name on a Starbucks cup can lead to an identity crisis.
• “The Plane Gang” - Jen tackles her fear of flying in a self-help-group at Logan Airport.
• A Conversation with Jen Kirkman (on the way to LAX).

Matt’s episodes:
• “Kiss On My List” - In case his plane crashes, Matt makes an unlikely “kiss-list”.
• “Join the Jam” - Astronomy, Billy Joel, and the most annoying piano-man in the world gang up on Matt at a remote B&B.
• A Conversation with Matt Price (over Mexican)

Liz’s episodes:
• “The Mule” - The most unlikely pot-dealer in the world.
• “Carbon Dating” - After a painful breakup, Liz decides to make things more so by going home.
• A Conversation with Elizabeth Warner (with cigarettes, wine, and a trumpet).

Click here for detailed bios of the cast.

Late last month Lucky 8 wrapped photography on its first television pilot, a “written word” performance show for “Max”, HBO’s reinvention of its own venerable Cinemax, launching in the new year. The show, which is hosted by Michael Blieden, mixes footage from an intimate performance of personal essays (that’s Matt Price reading one above) and conversations between Blieden and the essayist in question (see image below). Besides Price, the essayists in question are: Andy Daly, Brandon Johnson, Jen Kirkman and Elizabeth Warner. The “Personal Essay” is a burgeoning art form rapidly gaining popularity in the alt. comedy scene and elsewhere. As Andy Daly puts it, because it originates on the page, the essay “Lets both the performer and the audience off the hook and they can just have fun”. Interestingly this does not reduce the energy of the insuing performance — it fairly crackled off the page during our taped reading as well as during Mike’s probing and hilarious conversations with the writers, comics and radio personalities in our cast. The format promises both retro and future sophistication. As well as being a throwback to the era of the “Paris Salon” (we staged the readings in a Bohemian style Hollywood living-room), because it is text-based, the show is ripe for the kind of multi-platform (read: web) content exploitation so popular of late. Expect updates, examples, and exploitations, right here in the near future!

“This will either be interesting. Or pretentious”
– Host, Mike Blieden (from his introduction)