On this episode of The Story & Craft Podcast, Marc Preston goes behind the curtain with producer/writer Joel Church-Cooper (“Going Dutch”, “Brockmire”, “Future Man”, “Undateable”) to talk about how TV comedy really gets made and how the business has changed. Joel shares his Northern California upbringing, film-nerd roots in the video store era, and the comedy influences that shaped him (“Kids in the Hall”, “Mr. Show”). They dig into big studio comedies, as well as how algorithms and “second-screen” viewing are reshaping storytelling. Joel breaks down the origins of “Going Dutch” (including the real Army base that inspired it), the evolution of “Brockmire”, working with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. It’s an engaging chat about what it takes to create great TV!03:29 Film Nerd Origins04:56 Video Store Era Stories13:21 Comedy Influences and Sketch Classics17:24 Public Access and Media Power26:02 Going Dutch and Algorithm Notes28:54 What He Watches Now33:15 Kids Movies and YouTube Brain Rot41:57 Chasing Authenticity42:33 Brockmeyer Origins49:05 Baseball as Existential Comedy51:07 Future Man Writers Room57:39 Why “Going Dutch” was set in The Netherlands01:01:36 Culture Clash Comedy01:03:13 The Seven Questions