I live a strange life, in that I live in New York, but work (for the most part) in Los Angeles.
I always knew I wanted to live in New York. So I went to NYU (from Cleveland) in 1987, lived a dozen apartments over the next 24 years, but never left the city. In fact I've never lived outside of Greenwich Village.
But as time has gone by, it seems that the work opportunities have increasingly come from L.A. And one by one, most of my creative collaborators have made the move. The majority of The State, my producing partners, my manager - they all started in New York and are now in L.A.
So I've gone back and forth. Never had a place in L.A., but I've spent at least half of the last 12 years on various couches and guest rooms all over Southern California.
Ken Marino and I wrote the first draft of Wanderlust in a week together at his house in L.A. Then spent many, many months over two years rewriting and rewriting on separate coasts over Skype.
I spent most of last spring in L.A. casting, then prepped and shot in Georgia from August to November. Then all winter it's been editing in L.A. I considered editing in New York, but schedule coincided with the Childrens Hospital Season 3 shoot, which involves both my wife and me, so we brought ourselves and our son out west for the winter, had another son in January, and now we're all finally back home.
The cliche is true: the energy in New York is different and I prefer it. I walk to work, stopping at a coffee shop (where I am as I write this) for breakfast. I run into friends on the street. I'm connected to L.A. via Skype and email during the work day, then when I shut down, work (and Hollywood) is 3000 miles away. The pace of postproduction on this movie has been brutal, so having this moment to breathe in New York is life saving for me!
This weekend I'm going to see Craig Wedren (moved to LA a few years ago from NY) perform at City Winery, Book of Mormon on Broadway, take my kids to the park.
ALAS, the reason I'm here is NOT because the movie is finished. Far from it. The process is ongoing, but I'm just taking needed week or two working remotely here in the city to recharge my batteries.
Kathryn Hahn doing some ADR voice recording, her son in tow.
Late night music recording session with Craig Wedren
at the legendary Ocean Way Studio in Hollywood:
Day off at the beach with Kerri Kenney
Okay I also came to NY for one night in March for my summer camp reunion.
Here's Alan Klein, Craig Wedren and Me posing with our younger selves.
And if your'e interested in bloody whacky and insane animated fun,
the long awaited second season of SUPERJAIL is now on the air!
That guy in the purple hat is the Warden.
It's my voice and they drew him to look sort of like me.
Every Sunday at midnight on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim,
and/or there are a bunch of clips here
