Craig welcomes Alec Berg, executive producer of two current HBO comedies (Barry and Silicon Valley), to discuss balancing productivity and creative energy, “comedy geometry,” and identifying as a craftsman rather than an artist.

We also answer listener questions about committing to a genre, the necessity of act breaks, and how much writers actually get to keep of their paycheck.

Links:

* Thanks for joining us, Alec Berg! Check out his credits. * Barry is now on HBO! * Silicon Valley is in its 5th season on HBO. * Sharing your wifi password * The Last of Sheila by Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim, directed by Herbert Ross. Here’s the trailer. * The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide! * The USB drives! * Alec Berg on Twitter * John August on Twitter * Craig Mazin on Twitter * John on Instagram * Find past episodes * Outro by Rajesh Naroth (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.