Matt was quoted in a story in the LA Times today about the freelance work he does for Letterman and SNL.
That doesn’t daunt Matt Little, an unemployed comedian who spends hours each day scouring news websites in his Brooklyn apartment, crafting one-liners that may never air. The 28-year-old got his joke-writing start while working as a page at the “Late Show,” where he persuaded the head monologue writer to let him submit material.
Little still remembers what it felt like the first time Letterman used one of his jokes. The quip: “It was so hot out today that Rupert Murdoch bought Dairy Queen.”
“I was in the balcony paging that day, and I had to run off in the corner where it was really dark and kind of jumped around, trying not to scream like a little girl,” he recalled.
For each of the 15 or 20 jokes that he’s gotten on the air, he’s received a check for $75 from Worldwide Pants, Letterman’s production company. In the memo line, it reads “one joke.”
“You pour so much time into this,” said Little, who also submits material for the “Weekend Update” segment of “Saturday Night Live.” “And you don’t find out until the show airs if you got a joke on or not. I like to say that it’s like you’re holding your lottery ticket in your hand, hoping that the words match up.”
No photos of the bunny, though.