So it begins
I graduated from college in 2002. I spent several months of my senior year sending daily postcards to Jay Leno. Each weekday, I’d write a postcard about the previous night’s monologue, highlighting my favorite jokes and also suggesting other topical jokes I would have made.
My goal, of course, was to convince Jay that my hilarity, dedication, and quickness would be good reason for him to hire me as his newest staff writer. After a few months, I got a phone call from someone on Jay’s staff. She kindly, patiently explained that a) Jay’s writing staff had been with him for approximately 300 years; b) there was never any turnover; and c) he wasn’t hiring. In other words: “Thanks, but shut the hell up.”
Fast forward seven years. Jay’s moving to 10pm, and he works in LA, while I’ve since moved to New Jersey. Jimmy Fallon, on the other hand, is just starting his new Late Night, and of course broadcasts from New York City. Jimmy’s pretty plugged in — he Twitters, posts stuff from his show online, etc. So I can save money on postage for the postcards, and write my daily missives to Jimmy here instead.
What’s my goal? To gain Jimmy’s attention, for one. And then, even more importantly, to get a job working for him. It’s been a lifelong goal of mine to be funny for a living. And while I’ve come close from time to time, I’ve never had a full-time job doing comedy. I’m hoping to impress Jimmy enough that I can finally achieve my goal.