John and Craig welcome back writer, director, and comedian Mike Birbiglia (Don’t Think Twice, Sleepwalk with Me) to take a look at several true news stories and ask, how would this be a joke? Stories include run-club haters, a conflicted bone marrow donor, and the coyotes roaming San Francisco.

We also look at how Mike developed his new Netflix special, The Good Life, and answer listener questions on taking an idea from a podcast and knowing when you’ve broken a story.

In our bonus segment for premium members, Mike walks us through how he’s able to market his work without it feel like marketing.

Links:

Mike Birbiglia
The Good Life on Netflix
Mike’s previous episodes: 121, 168, 261, 427, 443, and Working it Out: Screenwriting Advice You’ll Actually Use
Episode 660 – Moneyball
Ira Glass on Mike’s podcast Working it Out
Elizabeth Gilbert TED Talk
The Run Club Haters by Melissa Dahl for Curbed
I Hadn’t Heard From My Dad in Over a Decade. Now He’s Returned With a Brazen Request. I’m Actually Considering It. from Slate’s Care and Feeding
The Coyotes of San Francisco by Heather Knight and Loren Elliot for NY Times
Coyote Vest
Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney
Chris Fleming
Blue Prince
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Craig Mazin on Instagram
John August on Bluesky and Instagram
Outro by Nick Moore (send us yours!)
Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt with help from Sam Shapson. It’s edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

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