The Eight Characters of Comedy
A Guide To Sitcom Acting And Writing


The definitive book on TV Comedy for Actors and Writers.
Used as a textbook in colleges and universities. Read by television networks & studios. Implemented by TV Comedy Actors, Producers, and Writers. A bestseller among Acting books! The only how-to comedy book on the market.

The Eight Characters of Comedy is a Hollywood “How-To” guide for actors and writers who want to break into the world of situation comedy.

Renowned acting coach Scott Sedita will teach you how to break down a comedy script, identify different types of jokes and deliver them with comedic precision. You will learn about sitcom history, specific sitcom auditioning techniques and how to market yourself in this competitive industry. 

Most importantly, you will be introduced to The Eight Characters of Comedy, eight specific character archetypes that will help you discover your niche in half hour comedy.

 

BUY THIS BOOK AND PEOPLE WILL LAUGH AT YOU!

 

 Industry Praise

“Scott Sedita has written an incredibly informative and entertaining book that every actor, writer and comedy lover should read … no … make that, memorize!"

- Rob Lotterstein, The War At Home, Executive Producer

“Sedita’s keen insight and analysis of The Eight Characters of Comedy is amazing! There has never been anything like this in print before. AND IT WORKS! I have seen his acting students create wonderful characters from this astute understanding of sitcom characters.”

- Mary Lou Belli, Emmy-Award Winning Sitcom Director.

“In sitcom casting, the guy who gets the most laughs wins. Understanding how to build realistic, complex, yet funny characters is vital to getting those critical laughs in the room. Scott’s unique and fascinating book is a fun starting point for any actor or writer hoping to break into comedy.” 

- Patrick Baca, CSA, Board of Governors, Casting Society of America


Video Clips
Are you funny? Scott talks with Judy Kerr about the book and what it takes to work in comedies and sitcoms.
Scott coaches everyday people to fulfill their dreams in the USA Network series, CHARACTER FANTASY: ep. Sherman Klump
Scott (with Keesha Sharp from Girlfriends) talking with Gregory Mantell about his book and how to make it in the business.
CHARACTER FANTASY:
Audrey Hepburn
CHARACTER FANTASY:
Catherine Zeta-Jones
CHARACTER FANTASY:
Music Video


About the Author

Scott Sedita, winner of BackStage West’s 2008 Acting Teacher of the Year, is one of the most well respected and busiest acting coaches in Hollywood.

He has starred as the Acting Coach on VH1’s “New York Goes To Hollywood,” the E! series “Fight For Fame”, USA Network’s “Character Fantasy,” Fox Sports Network’s “Helmets Off, ” and MTV’s "Adventures in Hollyhood" starring Three 6 Mafia. He is also the author of two bestselling books, “The Eight Characters of Comedy, A Guide to Sitcom Acting and Writing,” and “Scott Sedita's Guide To Making It In Hollywood: 3 Steps to Success, 3 Steps to Failure.

A graduate of Boston University’s Film and Television program, Scott has more than 25 years of experience in the entertainment industry. He began his career in New York as a talent agent, where he helped to launch the careers of many of today’s top stars, including Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Christopher Meloni, Dylan Walsh, Jerry O'Connell, Vincent D’Onofrio and Teri Polo, just to name a few.

In 1990, Scott relocated to Los Angeles where he worked as a sitcom writer for Howie Mandel, Bobcat Goldthwait and others. In the mid-90s, Scott worked as a casting director for Danny Goldman Casting until launching his Scott Sedita Acting Studios in 1998.

Today, Scott and his staff teach the craft of acting to the hundreds of actors who walk through his doors on a weekly basis. Scott has coached and taught many hot new stars such as Josh Duhamel (Las Vegas), Jennifer Finnigan (Close To Home), Chace Crawford (Gossip Girl), Brandon Routh (Superman Returns) and many others who have appeared in film, soaps, prime time dramas and sitcoms.

Scott's bestselling comedy book, “The Eight Characters of Comedy,” not only has become the ‘must read’ book for actors, it’s also becoming a valuable resource for comedy writers and producers, as well as a textbook taught in colleges and universities. Scott has been hired as a Comedy Consultant on sitcoms in the United States and Canada. Scott's new book, “Making It In Hollywood,” is also becoming an essential guide to motivating actors to achieve success.
Scott can also be heard on radio stations around the world as the “Hollywood Expert.” He’s been featured in such publications as; Soap Opera Digest, Inside TV, BackstageWest and TV Soap to name a few. He has also appeared on numerous TV Magazine and reality shows such as “Extra,” “Starting Over” and “Faking It.” KTLA Channel 5 did a story on Scott entitled “Where Young Hollywood Goes and Studies” and referred to him as “one of the hottest coaches in town.”
 

 Backstage West
Review, March 30, 2006

This may be one of the most interactive books I've ever had the good fortune to pick up! Sure, it starts off relatively didactic, with author Scott Sedita taking you by the hand and leading you through sources of comedy and the genesis of the modern sitcom formula. This takes only a dozen pages, though. The next 200 or so are peppered with examples of comic writing that are impossible not to read aloud. The initial ones serve to impress upon the actor/writer the importance of every word and punctuation mark in "finding the funny" (and it's remarkable the difference one spot of ink can make); later chapters are illustrated with snippets from a wealth of sitcoms, extant and no longer in first run. As you read along and pick up the rhythms, a little voice starts making itself heard in the back of your head. It's saying, "God, I'm good."

But back to the book itself. It's nicely laid out, with nothing extraneous and lots of helpful sidebars. Although reducing the world of comedy to eight stock characters may seem a bit, well, mechanical, there is plenty of elbow room within each classification. And they are, for the record: The Logical Smart One, The Lovable Loser, The Neurotic, The Dumb One, The Bitch/Bastard, The Womanizer/Manizer, The Materialistic One, and characters who are In Their Own Universe. Each label comes with a full definition, profile, motivations, copious examples of characters, and, on occasion, helpful suggestions when it comes to physicalizing such comic types. Sedita, a respected acting coach, closes out with a handy guide to "finding your comedic note" as well as a thorough glossary to the terminology of the land of chuckles. The back cover promises, "Buy this book and people will laugh at you." But it's more likely, by the time you've finished the book, you'll be laughing at yourself and wondering how the sitcom world has muddled through without you for so long.

 

“In his new book, Scott Sedita has dissected comedy archetypes in a way that is revolutionary, insightful and great fun to read. This secret weapon should be part of any aspiring actor’s or writer’s arsenal.”

- Jed Seidel, The Ghost Whisperer, Executive Producer


BUY THIS BOOK !

 Industry Praise 

“This will be another bible for actors as they are preparing for auditions and creating a comedic character. It will help them to keep focus on what each of the eight characters wants and needs in order to stay true to the parameters of the character they have chosen. … I insist that all of the actors who study with me take Scott’s one-day comedy intensive class, and now I will have to insist they have this book.”

- Judy Kerr, Sitcom Dialogue Coach

"Scott Sedita is a comedic genius when it comes to teaching actors what it takes to understand the theory, techniques and fundamentals of breaking down the basic characteristics of comedy.”

- Mara Santino, Agent, Kazarian-Spencer & Associates

BUY THIS BOOK !

LEARN ABOUT SCOTT SEDITA'S EIGHT CHARACTERS OF COMEDY....

  • Who is normally cast as The Logical Smart One? 
      

  • Why do we love The Lovable Loser? 
      

  • Why is The Neurotic such a fun character to play? 
      

  • How can you play The Dumb One smart? 
      

  • Who are the biggest Bitches and Bastards? 
      

  • What drives The Materialistic One? 
      

  • Why is The Womanizer / Manizer so popular?
      

  •  How can you realistically play someone In Their Own Universe?

The Eight Characters of Comedy answers all of these questions and more! After reading this book, you WILL be ready to work in the exciting world of situation comedy.



BUY THIS BOOK !

“Nobody has given me more confidence when it comes to comedy than Scott. He is THE ‘must-see’ comedy coach, and this is THE ‘must-read’ comedy book.”

- Jennifer Finnigan, Actor (Committed, Close to Home)

"Every Actor auditioning for sitcoms should read this book!"

                         - Collin Daniel, Greenstein/Daniel Casting. Los Angeles

 Industry Praise

“’A House Built on Sand Will Not Stand.’ And that’s what Scott Sedita’s ‘Eight Characters of Comedy’ gives the actor; a rock … The Character … as the foundation for a great performance. As Scott dissects the core building blocks inherent in each character, he allows the actor to completely free himself to create a spontaneous, free-form and truthful portrayal. And, as most ‘insiders’ know, truth makes the ultimate comedy.”

- Peter Kluge, CEO, Impact Artists Group

“With his ‘Eight Characters of Comedy,’ Scott Sedita shows why he is a top comedy coach. His informative and unique approach serves as a blueprint for actors who want to understand half hour television and what it takes to become a sitcom star.”

- Stew Strunk & Tracy Steinsapir, presidents, Main Title Entertainment

“A clear technique for mastering comedy. This book is for the actor who wants to understand how to deliver a professional comedy performance."

- Steven Nash, Arts and Letters Management

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