Barnet Kellman ’69 is in the forefront of an academic initiative at the University of Southern California that will offer courses examining all aspects of comedy.
Kellman and two fellow USC professors were featured in a New York Times article in which they said the new program is the most extensive effort by an American university to examine and foster the manufacture of humor.
The initiative will be introduced at the three-day “Comedy@SCA” festival, which begins this Friday with a discussion between Steve Carell and the film director Peter Segal (Get Smart). Other sessions include Ivan Reitman (No Strings Attached), Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) and James Bobin (The Muppets), according to the Times.
Kellman, a professor of cinematic arts at USC, is regarded as one of the top directors of television pilots. He won two Emmy Awards and a Directors Guild Award for his work on the TV show Murphy Brown. His other pilots include Mad About You, starring Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser; the long-running series Suddenly Susan featuring Brooke Shields; My Boys on TBS; and The George Lopez Show.
He is now involved with The Middle on ABC. In all, Kellman has received seven Emmy and three DGA nominations for his television work.