AKA "Participant"05/20/2006
Who loves ya, baby? Well, it’s finally done. The DiCaprio Code has finally come to and end with it’s seventh and finaly episode, “Clash of the Titans.”

But wait, that’s not all - The DiCaprio Code has won two Telly Awards! A real award handed out by a real organization to real people for things they’ve actually done! Seriously!

Pretty much how I feel about it at this point.The cartoon won two Tellys for Animation and “Use of humor.” That’s right, not for “humor” but, rather, its use. I can’t count the number of times I’ve watched a comedy and said to myself, “Say, that joke sure was ... employed.”

But now that the series is over and I’m “The Award-Winning Josh Knisely,” I think I’ll retire to my study and write something ... I dunno ... “worth while.”


Rock me, Oscar-Dais!04/29/2006
Cruise and Crowe: Flaming It won’t be long now. The penultimate episode of our seven-installment series The DiCaprio Code is now a thing of the past. Keep an ear out for co-writer Cory Nealy as the mysterious figure in the golden hall. Now that’s what I call acting!

Zzzzzzzip!We’re currently hard at work at episode seven where, somehow, magically, all plot-holes and loose ends will spontaneously become resolved... at least that’s what I’ll be hoping while hiding under a pile of coats.



from the left - Andrew (Cody Rivers), Cory, Stephen & Jon (Ten West), Terri, John, Mike (Cody Rivers), JoshIN OTHER NEWS, last weekend was the second week of Sketchingham, Bellingham, Washington’s addition to the ever-growing sketch comedy festival circuit. My own show, HYPNAGOGIA! featuring the lovely Terri Weagant and the irascible Cory Nealy, and teched by the rascible John McKenna, joined fellow avant gard comedy powerhouse Ten West, and our hosts, The Cody Rivers Show for a five-performance weekend; four of which sold out, and one of which was SketchingJAM, a one-time show written and rehearsed by all three groups over a 24-hour period, culminating in a show-stopping closing number which got the most immediate and enthusiastic standing ovation of this comedian’s career.

Alas, photos of the piece didn’t come out, but a video should be available soon. I’ll be sure to post it when it’s available.



Scary .MOV04/09/2006
Get Rich or TIE Fightin'Look, I’ll be the first to admit that the cartoon I’ve been working on for the past - oh, let’s say YEAR now - is a silly bit of fluff, but, well, the last episode of The Dicaprio Code, Flakes on a Plane was, well, kinda ... good.

Avenge me, SimbaI know, I know. I don’t mean to show any emotional cracks in my otherwise cynical facsade, but this one didn’t make me cringe. Maybe it was the action sequences, maybe the kick ass TIE Fighter and nuclear explosion sound effects engineered by your truly, maybe it was the fact that the plot’s loose ends are starting to come together, but - when looked at from juuuust the right angle - this episode seemed almost worth the ten minutes of touch-and-go download.

Tell me I’m wrong!
Oh, wait. I disabled this page’s comment feature. Forget it.


Spurious George04/04/2006
George Lucas wins fourteen OscarsThe fourth installment of Movies.com’s The DiCaprio Code, "Episode IV: Attack of the Phones" is online now.

This time around, our heros Tom Cruise and Catherine Zeta-Jones search for help, and find it ... in the form of eccentric billionaire George Lucas. Star Wars references abound in this episode that’s bound to make you say “Wow, that sure was written by white male thirty-somethings.”

VWING!Also, it appears this little project has landed us on IMDB. At the time of my writing this, they have yet to get my name on the page (should be up later this week), but I couldn’t help but note that thanks to a bit part in a local indie film, my cowriter Cory Nealy now has a Bacon number of three. Not bad, Nealy. Not bad at all.


Fleeing with the Stars03/12/2006
Is that a ... Sexkimo? Episode #3 of Movies.com’s The DiCaprio Code, "It’s the Oscars, Stupid" is now live.




Is that a ... naw, couldn’t beIn this episode, I get to flex my “brings nothing particular to the role” nuts by portraying Ben Affleck, as well as the voice of an alien chest-burster. Yes, that’s me.



Me and Ms. Zeta-Jones02/14/2006
Freeman, Cruise, Zeta-Jones: Two of these things are not like the otherMovies.com’s second installment of their animated satire The DiCaprio Code, "The Lyin', The Snitch and the Word-Code" is online now.

If you don’t know what The DiCaprio Code is yet, then ... um ... revel, sir, in thy normalcy.


March of the Pandering01/27/2006
*Blink blink*Actor Michael Douglas is gunned down by a hooded figure in Hollywood, leaving behind mysterious message. The only man that can solve the crime? Why, Tom Cruise, of course.

Yes, in a fit of drunken abandon, The Walt Disney Internet Group decided to hire a rag-tag group of Seattle comedians including myself, Cory Nealy and screenwriterguy to write an online cartoon satire of the book-turned-upcoming-movie, The Da Vinci Code.

Featuring Cory Nealy as Dakota FanningThe DiCaprio Code is directed by Mike Standish, animated by Michael Derry and features the voice talents of Troy Fischnaller, Kate Czajkowski, Cory Nealy, David Swidler, Dusty Warren, and myself as a mysterious figure with perhaps the worst accent ever committed to the medium.

The first of seven episodes, "Mann’s Chinese Theater ... of DEATH" is online now! Check it out, and keep an eye here for upcoming episodes!


Poster Boy10/24/2005
© myguayabera.com Yep. I’m a model now.
A few of Phyl and my wedding pictures ended up on the website for the company I bought my guayabera shirt from. Swanky.
Seriously though, if you like cuban/mexican style shirts, I recommend myguayabera.com; they’re slick and comfortable.

Speaking of slick, my latest show HP Lovecraft: Arkham is closing in two weekends. I’ll be there for the Haloween eve’s matinee (Sunday the 30th @ 4:00) with the other writers, cast and designers for a sort of “meet the creators” session that promises to be alot of fun. Check it out!

ARKHAM: Melty-faced grossnessThe Stranger’s Adrian Ryan called the show "very smart and scary and funny" and The Seattle University Spectator said it was an effective, disturbing bit of theater full of twists and turns ... the perfect Halloween treat.


"You’re Dead!" "Noooooo!"10/12/2005
Cthulhu F'taghn!  Gabba-Gabba Hey!Open Circle Theater’sHP Lovecraft: Arkham opened this past weekend, and it’s already getting good reviews! The PI’s Joe Adcock, who’s been rather kind to my work in the past, called the show "both silly and engaging."

I’m particularly pleased that he seemed to enjoy the character “Sil” from my piece The Shunned House (one of three short plays that make the show).

The show runs through the end of the month, and the Sunday, October 30th matinee will include a “meet the creators” panel with he adaptors, cast and effects wizards. Y'know, in case you’re interested in the drearily milquetoast process of playwriting. Milquetoast so scary it will melt your brain!!!


Stick a fork in it09/19/2005
Val, Josh, Heidita - friends 4 evr!Sketchfest Seattle '05 is done and gone. Hypnagogia! had a great reception (one out-of-towner was kind enough to name us his personal “Best in Show”), and the gang had a lot of fun seeing some of the newer acts. The Cody Rivers Show caught particular attention. This two-man act from Bellingham was just phenomenal, and I’d highly suggest catching their upcoming November run at the Rendezvous in Belltown.

Karen and Kevin - chips, beer and alley sittin'So, it’s time for Hypnagogia to rest for a time. We have other opportunities to tour coming early next year, but until then, I’ll be busying myself with a number of scripts, animations and pitches for forthcoming projects (more on those later).



... On the run09/01/2005
Movies On The RunLast night, members of Hypnagogia!, Flaming Box of Stuff and Champagne were asked to film bumper segments for UPN 11’s Movies on the Run as a promotional spot for the Seattle Sketchfest. It airs this Sunday (Sept. 4) at 2:00. I won’t be able to see it myself because I’ll be busy getting married that day. But if you’d like to see Val, Cory, Kirk, Dusty and I trying desparately to be funny, but simply not having enough energy having just gotten off work, this is the show for you.

A day with MEAT and Elephant Larry:<br />
L to R - Stephan, myself, John, Biz, Mary, Jeff, Geoff, MarnieIn other news, the Best of the Best Sketchfest was a blast. It is, as it states, the best sketch comedy in the country. Hypnagogia! had a great show, and we had a lot of fun hanging out with our comrades from TROOP!, MEAT, Elephant Larry, Fearsome, and of course The 3rd Floor. Alex from Elephant Larry put together a slideshow of the weekend here.

Heather naps in the greenroomDon’t forget, Hypnagogia! will be playing for two nights at the Seattle Sketchfest. See the dates and times below.


SketchFest ... Fest08/09/2005
HYPNAGOGIA! has been accepted to perform at both Sketchfest Seattle and the Best of the Best Sketchfest in Portland! If you’re in either of these epic hubs of American comedy, come on by and check us out as we continue our 2005 US Tour!

Best of the Best Sketchfest


HYPNAGOGIA @ The Best of the Best Sketchfest
Friday, August 19th, 8:00
Best of the Best Sketchfest


HYPNAGOGIA! @ SketchFest Seattle
Thursday, Sept. 17th, 10:00
(With the Cody Rivers Show!)
Friday, Sept. 18th, 8:00
(With Fresh Meat NYC!)


Drawn & Quartered07/24/2005
Alki: By and by
A few weeks ago the Seattle Times asked readers to draw or describe what they thought the new Washington State Quarter should look like. I banged something out in a few minutes and emailed it to them for the hell of it. On Friday, I was taken aback to find my design in the header of the front page. Wadda ya know.


Seeing how we “made it” there, logically it follows that ...06/14/2005
Cory & Beer = ComedyHypnagogia! has finally returned from the New York Sketchfest - and what a fest it was! Not only were the Sketchfest staff and groups cool, professional and fun to hang out with, but rarely in my six years of touring the sketchfest circuit have I seen so many consistently funny groups.
We kicked off the fest ourselves on Thursday night. 7:00 on a sunny June weeknight isn’t exactly great for pulling audience, but what audience did arrive (maybe half the house) was ecstatic! We were much plied with sweet, sweet praise, and we quickly became one of the talks of the festival. Then when our sister group Flaming Box of Stuff performed to a packed house and standing ovation that Friday, members of both groups were barraged with questions like “why is Seattle comedy so fresh and inventive?” etc. That last question came from a rep from HBO, by the way.
No question about it - Seattle was a dominant force.
Twain AgainSo yes, it was a great weekend. An online review even said that my show was “more Bertolt Brecht than Saturday Night Live.” Whew! Strong stuff!
Video clips from the show should be appearing shortly on StoryPipe.com, and DVDs are forthcoming.
So now, with that behind us, I’ll begin applying the show to other festivals, get to work on a script for Open Circle Theater’s annual H.P. Lovecraft show, and generally try to relax in the few short months before Phyllis and I finally tie the knot.
C'est la vie.


"...And I hope we passed the audition."06/08/2005
Well, the Seattle run of HYPNAGOGIA! has closed, and not without critical acclaim ("Ingenious and Kooky" ~ The Seattle P-I).
But instead of sitting on our laurels, we leave tonight for New York City, where we’ll be performing at the legendary Upright Citizens Brigade Theater as a part of the first anual Sketchfest NYC. We’ll be the opening act for the festival - 7:00 on Thursday. In addition to comedy-ravenous New Yorkers, there will be industry there - including representatives from The Onion and the Aspen Comedy Festival, so wish us luck. Be sure to come see the show if you’re in the tri-state area!


HYPNAGOGIA! is coming ...04/07/2005

Click Here
HYPNAGOGIA! is my first full length show of strange, funny, avant garde sketch. It stars myself, the unflappable Heather Hughes and the very often flapped Cory Nealy. We open on Friday, May 6th at Belltown’s Rendezvous and run for four weeks. Then, in June, it’s off to New York where we’ll be performing with Sketchfest NYC at the famous Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. Check us out before we take off! Visit the show’s webpage, sign up for the official email list, and get the whole poop!


The Ego Has Landed ...04/04/2005
www.JoshKnisely.com will be up and running soon. Many of the subsequent pages have yet to be populated, but the hard part - getting the template in place - is finally done. Look forward to plenty on content soon!
~jd