Ever wondered what it’s really like behind the scenes at Saturday Night Live?
Well, you’re in for a treat because today I’m sitting down with SNL writer and comedian Ceara O’Sullivan—the brilliant mind behind the viral Domingo sketch. Ceara takes us inside the fast-paced world of late-night comedy, sharing what it’s like to write and pitch sketches for one of the most iconic TV shows of all time. From the grueling weekly schedule at SNL to what actually happens when a sketch bombs, Ceara gives us an inside look at a dream job that’s equal parts exhilarating and exhausting.
But this episode isn’t just about SNL—it’s about the hustle, the rejection, and the financial realities of being a creative. Ceara opens up about her journey from improv in Boston to TikTok during the pandemic, to finally landing SNL (on her second attempt!). We also get into the economics of being a comedian—how she manages money in a field with unpredictable income, when she knew it was time to become an S Corp, and how much it actually costs to build a career in entertainment. If you’ve ever been curious about what it takes to break into comedy, or you just want to hear some wild behind-the-scenes stories from SNL’s 50th season, this episode is for you. Let’s get into it.
Tl;DR
The Road to SNL: Ceara’s Unconventional Journey
Ceara didn’t take the traditional route to Saturday Night Live. She built her comedy chops through relentless performance—logging over 3,000 live improv shows in Boston—before moving to LA, where the pandemic forced her to pivot to TikTok. She shares how she initially bombed her first SNL showcase, only to take a huge risk by flying herself to another audition in New York—where she nailed it in front of Lorne Michaels. Her story is a masterclass in persistence, resilience, and trusting your own talent.
Inside the SNL Writing Process: From Pitch to Performance
Ceara breaks down what a week at SNL actually looks like, and it’s intense. Writers brainstorm ideas on Sunday, pitch to Lorne Michaels on Monday, and spend Tuesdays writing until 4 AM. By Wednesday, they’re rewriting and fine-tuning, all while navigating the chaotic world of last-minute changes. She shares how even high-production sketches can get scrapped at the last second, and how navigating the pressure of live TV is a weekly rollercoaster.
The ‘Domingo’ Sketch & the Art of Convincing Others Your Idea is Funny
One of Ceara’s most well-known sketches, Domingo, became a cultural moment—but getting it on air wasn’t easy. She explains the challenge of pitching unconventional ideas in a male-dominated comedy space and how writers have to sell their sketches, not just write them. She also talks about the sketches that didn’t make it—like multiple failed attempts at getting Love Is Blind or Golden Bachelor parodies on the show.
The Cost of Comedy: What It Takes (Financially) to Make It
Ceara pulls back the curtain on how expensive it is to pursue a comedy career. Between acting classes, headshots, flights for auditions, and managers taking a percentage of earnings, the industry favors those with financial privilege. She also discusses the business side of entertainment—when she knew it was time to incorporate as an S Corp and how she navigates an unpredictable income as a full-time creative.
How to Handle Rejection & Keep Going
In comedy (and life), rejection is constant. Ceara shares how SNL writers pitch ideas every single week and face rejection every single week. The key? Not getting too attached to any single idea and always believing your best work is ahead of you. She gives advice on how to stay resilient, own your creative voice, and keep pushing—even when your biggest idea flops.
Improv Lessons for Life: The Power of ‘Yes, And’
Beyond comedy, Ceara explains how improv’s core principle—saying “yes, and” instead of shutting ideas down—has shaped how she works and collaborates. Whether it’s writing a sketch or navigating professional relationships, being open to possibilities and supporting others’ ideas is a crucial skill. This lesson applies far beyond entertainment—it’s about how we communicate, adapt, and create opportunities in any career.
Notable quotes
“Your best idea is ahead of you, not behind you.”
“If you really, really have confidence in your own idea and other people aren’t seeing it—do it yourself.”
“I flew myself to New York for an SNL showcase that I wasn’t even invited to. They hadn’t asked to see me again, but I just texted the theater and said, ‘Throw me on the lineup.’ And that’s the night Lorne Michaels saw me.”
Episode-at-a-glance
≫ 01:19 Meet Ceara Jane O’Sullivan: SNL Writer
≫ 05:58 The SNL Audition Process
≫ 09:20 Life as an SNL Writer
≫ 23:32 The Infamous Duck Boat Sketch
≫ 26:43 A Week at SNL
≫ 34:42 The Magic of Pre-Tapes and Sketches
≫ 36:06 Handling Rejection and Moving Forward
≫ 37:49 The Importance of ‘Yes, And’ in Life and Career
≫ 40:22 Financial Realities of a Comedy Career
≫ 43:21 Managing Finances as a Creative
≫ 50:51 Navigating Personal Finances in a Relationship
≫ 56:42 Behind the Scenes at SNL
≫ 01:06:16 Advice for Aspiring Comedians and Writers
Ceara’s Links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cearajaneo/
Petty Crimes podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/pettycrimespod/#
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Meet Ceara
Ceara Jane O’sullivan is currently staffed as a writer for Season 50 of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. She also wrote on Seasons 48 and 49 of Saturday Night Live, for which she was nominated for 2 Emmys and 2 WGA Awards. Ceara performed as one of 9 performers in the 2022 JUST FOR LAUGHS: New Faces showcase in Montreal (previous “New Faces” include Jimmy Fallon, Ali Wong, and Kevin Hart). Ceara is the creator and co-host of “Petty Crimes,” a comedy podcast that was featured in Time Magazine and New York Times, as one of the top podcasts of 2023. An actor/character comedian from Syracuse, New York, Ceara is an alum of the Improv Asylum mainstage cast and ImprovBoston. She’s currently touring her live show “Trauma Blonding” with Jimmy Fowlie and has a feature film in development.
Transcript:
Tori Dunlap:
This episode has everything. John Mulaney references, SNL 50th anniversary, improvisational skits. It’s so good. One of the writers of SNL is talking about becoming a comedy writer, managing finances as a creative, and yeah, we’re talking about Domingo. That was my SNL voice in case it wasn’t obvious. Okay, let’s roll.
Hi, financial feminists, welcome to the show. I am thrilled to see you as always. Thank you for being here. Thank you for supporting Feminist Media. If you’re wondering where to get started on your financial journey, you can take my free quiz to get a free personalized money plan. Go to herfirs100k.com/quiz and we will send it straight to your inbox. Today’s episode was a really fun one, not only because I got to meet someone that I deeply admire and that I just am obsessed with SNL and pop culture, and I don’t get to talk about it a lot because I do money for a living, but it was just a great episode. We also got to meet in person. We got to hang out a little bit, and it’s a really, really fascinating episode, especially during the 50th year of Saturday Night Live airing.
Ceara Jane O’Sullivan is currently staffed as a writer for season 50 of Saturday Night Live. She also wrote on seasons 48 and 49 of SNL for which she was nominated for two Emmys and two WGA awards. Ceara performed as one of the nine performers in the 2022 Just for Laughs New Faces Showcase in Montreal. Previous New Faces include Jimmy Fallon, Ali Wong and Kevin Hart. Ceara is the creator and co-host of Petty Crimes, a comedy podcast that was featured in Time Magazine and the New York Times as one of the top podcasts of 2023. An actor/character comedian from Syracuse, New York, Ceara is an alum of the Improv Asylum main stage cast in Improv Boston. She’s currently touring her live show, Trauma Bonding with Jimmy Fowliey, who is a fellow SNL writer who’s also lovely and has a feature film in development. She and Jimmy, and we’ll talk about this as well, are also the creators of many SNL sketches, but the one is probably most infamous is the Domingo Sketch.
You know it. I know it. We know it. We talk about it. It’s very fun. Kristen’s dancing off camera. Special thanks to Spotify for letting us use their studios in New York City. This is a fun episode, especially to share with your friends. This is one I’m sharing with all of my college friends that I used to sit with every single Saturday and watch SNL. I just found this so fascinating, the behind the scenes of writing, how everything gets done every single week, but also how do you make money as a comedian? And Ceara has a bunch of really good advice and is also very financially responsible, which I was so excited to see. So without further ado, let’s get into it. But first a word from our sponsors. You are actually the perfect guest to have on to talk about this, which I fucking love. Okay. What do you do and why is it so important?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
What do I do and why is it so important? I am a comedian and a television writer. I write for Saturday Night Live.
Tori Dunlap:
Ever heard of it?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
And it’s important because the world needs to laugh now more than ever.
Tori Dunlap:
Really, really does. Okay, so do you remember the first time you watched SNL?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Oh, definitely. Definitely.
Tori Dunlap:
Do you remember who the host was?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I remember when I broke my collarbone when I was 11, broke my collarbone, sprained my ankle was on a bike on rollerblades and I was on bed rest basically, because I couldn’t do crutches because of the collarbone and I couldn’t walk because of the ankle. And so I was on the pullout couch in the living room and I was watching a VHS tape, oops, I’m 32, of the best of Gilda Radner, who was an amazing character comedian, old school, old school SNL. And the SNL I grew up with was like Kristen Wiig. That’s my darling. She’s probably the reason I do comedy and do the kind of comedy I do. But I remember watching Gilda Radner and I was like … And my family was moving, so they were packing up boxes all around me to move to Michigan and I was on bed rest on the couch, on the pullout couch in the living room, and I was like, “My life effing sucks, but Gilda Radner’s really funny.”
Tori Dunlap:
Was that moment, the moment where you were like, “I must do comedy”?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I think a lot of comedians have a funny aunt or a funny uncle, and I feel like the moment I was like, “I must do comedy,” was when I saw how funny my aunt was and I was like, “Wow, my aunt Sarah’s really funny and she’s really owning the room right now.”
Tori Dunlap:
What was the draw? Was it like, “Oh, I love making people laugh and that feels very joyous”? Was it like being the center of attention? Because I have a background in theater and it’s like the center of attention thing, it’s kind of fun.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
It’s the making people laugh. It’s the hearing the laughter in the room.
Tori Dunlap:
I know when you did it?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah. My favorite person in the world to make laugh is my mother, just because when my mom … My mom’s very shy, but when she really, really laughs, it’s uncontrollable. And that, to me, that’s …
Tori Dunlap:
Is she a snorter, a crier? A wheezer?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
She’s like …
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. Okay.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
And she just like … I’ll keep going as long as I can.
Tori Dunlap:
I love that.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
That’s my favorite sound in the world.
Tori Dunlap:
That’s so lovely. You had a long road before writing on SNL and I think-
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I certainly did.
Tori Dunlap:
… most comedians, most actors, anybody in the arts, that’s a very similar path typically.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah. For sure.
Tori Dunlap:
Can you walk us through from when you started doing comedy all the way up to your SNL audition?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah, I can. Let’s see. So growing up you’re like, “Why are you starting with childhood?” Growing up, my dad worked in trucking, so we moved around a lot.
Tori Dunlap:
He was like a truck driver?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
No, he worked in the logistics of it.
Tori Dunlap:
I pictured Ice Road trucker. You know the show?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I wish.
Tori Dunlap:
Before they drive on the ice road and it’s really dangerous. Do you know what I’m talking about?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yes.
Tori Dunlap:
Okay. That’s what I pictured.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I’m like in the cab with him.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah.Near death experiences every single week.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
No, he just worked at trucking companies, but the trucking industry in the 2000s was really volatile because of the Middle East and gas prices. So we moved every year. I went to a different school in a different state for sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth grade.
Tori Dunlap:
That’s a lot of transition.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
It’s a lot of transition. I think that started to make me a little funny.
Tori Dunlap:
As a coping mechanism, a coping strategy? Yeah.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I think.
Tori Dunlap:
Well, you got to make friends at every single school, and so it’s like, “What’s the easiest way to do that?” Be funny.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
And it was a lot of people witnessing in different states and different places, and so I absorbed a little bit of that and then I went to college and I did improv and during my undergrad, I started doing sketch and improv professionally for … I had really some lucky situations with … I interned at a nonprofit comedy theater in Boston and they gave me a scholarship so I could take classes and then I saw a Facebook ad for another sketch and improv theater and I went and auditioned and I got cast and after graduation I found a PR job on Craigslist.
Tori Dunlap:
Super legit.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah, right? I literally would go, I would ride my bike 11 miles because I didn’t have a car and I didn’t realize where the job was.
Tori Dunlap:
This is in Boston?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
It’s in Boston. I was like, “Surely it’s in downtown Boston.” It was not. It was in …
Tori Dunlap:
You’re riding your bike in Boston winters.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I’m riding my bike. I’m stopping at the Star market a mile away to change into clothes and act like it’s not that far. Don’t worry about me when I get there. And then every night, I’m doing sketch and improv and then I’m doing comedy every night and that’s where my heart really is. Eventually the comedy started to outweigh the day job. I was working at Harvard getting my masters but …
Tori Dunlap:
What were you getting your masters in?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I got a masters in creative writing.
Tori Dunlap:
Cool. Do you feel like that was useful?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
It was useful.
Tori Dunlap:
Okay, good.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah, I wrote-
Tori Dunlap:
Because sometimes you get master’s degrees because it’s just like, “I guess they’ll go to school.”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah, it was useful, I think. Yeah. I actually feel like for comedians, all the experiences you can have outside of comedy are good and helpful. The wider your swatch of experiences can be for the sake of storytelling, the better. And that’s why I actually feel like comedians who’ve been comedians for a really long time, sometimes people over time are less in love with their material because it’s less about the world and it’s more about their insular comedy experiences. But anyway, the road to SNL, so I’m living in Boston, I’m working a day job performing comedy at night. This is years and years and years. There’s this basement theater in Boston where I probably performed, if I had to guess more than 3,000 shows.
Tori Dunlap:
Wow.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Because truly 10 a week for years. And I finally like, I’m 26, 27, I felt like the ceiling bumping against my head. I was like, “Am I going to just be a comedian in Boston who makes a living but doesn’t have a career? What’s my dream? What’s my goal?” I can be in ads for the MBTA and do local car commercials and every so often, hopefully Adam Sandler films a movie in Boston and I can have one line in it, but what do I want? And I actually didn’t have the cojones to do anything about it, but my boyfriend, Alex, who’s now my husband, was like, “I’m moving to LA,” and I was like, “I’m coming.” I was like, “Well, I love you, so I’m coming.”
Tori Dunlap:
I’m coming to LA too.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
And we roadtripped across the country and I was like, “This is perfect. I’m going to do the Groundlings because I’m a character comedian, and then my career is going to take off from there and it’s all going to be so amazing.” And then the second we move to LA, the pandemic happened. And so that is why I am on TikTok was because I was in LA quarantining, because I just left my job at Harvard, my tuition benefits rescinded themselves. So then I owed a bunch of money on classes I’d already registered for, and I was in LA and I mean, I was down bad. I was mad at Alex because I felt like he drug my ass to LA and now a pandemic and-
Tori Dunlap:
There’s nothing here.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
He’s like, “I could not have anticipated a global pandemic.” Respectfully understood that, came around, took me about a month, and so I just started posting old stage bits and stuff on TikTok and things started to pop off a little bit and got a manager, did Just for Laughs, made a short film with Powder Keg, which is Paul Feig’s production company. Things were percolating.
Tori Dunlap:
Paul Feig, for those who are not aware, Bridesmaids, directed many, many episodes of The Office. This man is the comedy director. Yeah.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yes. And one of my favorite directors of all time.
Tori Dunlap:
And also dresses in a full suit on set.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yes, he does.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yes, he does. He’s a handsome man.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah. And then eventually, SNL sent me an email called to my inbox and asked for a tape, and then they asked me to showcase at The Groundlings. So my first time ever performing at The Groundlings on stage and my first time on stage in over a year and a half because of the pandemic was showcasing for SNL.
Tori Dunlap:
Okay. When we say showcase, for the civilian, what does that mean?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
It means a five-minute set, your time. For a stand-up, they do their stand-up material. For me, I’m a character comedian, so it’s-
Tori Dunlap:
And it’s just you on stage?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Just you, characters and impressions. And there are different … I won’t get too in the weeds about it, but there are different ways to approach a set and I didn’t know anybody who worked at SNL. I didn’t have friends who worked there on the cast or on the writing staff, so I didn’t know you could slate your characters, which basically is introducing them.
Tori Dunlap:
So I’m doing Jennifer Coolidge gets caught in on train.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Exactly. Which is like, that’s the setup and then your character can be the payoff. I didn’t know you could slate. I did them like …
Tori Dunlap:
Well, it isn’t natural.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
No.
Tori Dunlap:
You would think, “No, I’m just going to do the impression and it should be so good that you know who I’m doing.”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
And also Just for Laughs is you don’t slate at all.
Tori Dunlap:
Right.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
You’re not allowed to, so whatever. Anyway, I’m making excuses for the fact that I bombed.
Tori Dunlap:
Okay. So one of my very, very good friends is a comedian as well, improv, sketch, all of that and as an actor as well myself, I can’t even imagine. We’ve talked about this, a year and a half not being on stage. The last time I’ve acted and not in my work is my senior thesis in college for my theater degree. So I could probably get on stage. Would it be good? Probably not, because it’s been fucking eight, nine years.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
It’s a muscle for sure.
Tori Dunlap:
So a year and a half, especially if you were doing it, it’s like going to the gym every single day and then not lifting a weight for a year and a half and then getting on stage and trying to deadlift.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah. Yes.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
So anyway, I bombed and then a year went by, I’m still …
Tori Dunlap:
Oh, a year. Okay.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I’m still posting. I’m posting on TikTok. I’m like, “I guess I’m a content creator. I think I’m going to throw up. This is not what …” I love to perform. That’s what I … I don’t know. And then I was doing Just for Laughs and SNL was all set on me. They were like, “We’re good.” I submitted a writing packet.
Tori Dunlap:
How did that feel?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
It was funny because it was like the opportunity I thought had come at the wrong time because I was like, “No, no, no, no, no. You have to see me now. I’m really ready now.”
Tori Dunlap:
I’m good now.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I’m good now.
Tori Dunlap:
I was good then, but it was rusty.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I didn’t understand. I didn’t know the assignment, but now I know.
Tori Dunlap:
I can slate. That makes a big difference.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
But I was like, “I’ve been doing this character set around town in LA now for a year because things have been open again and I’ve got it. Come see my shit.” They were like, “We’re good. We’re good. We saw you, we saw you. We saw what you got, girl.”
Tori Dunlap:
And we don’t want it.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
We don’t want it. And SNL was doing a showcase in New York and my home comedy theater in Boston where I had logged those hours and hours of shows, they had just opened a New York space and SNL was coming and I texted them and I was like, “Can I do the New York SNL showcase?” And they were like, “You want to fly from LA and do the showcase? They haven’t asked to see you.” And I was like, “Can you just throw me on?” And they were like, “Yeah, you can go bullet.”
Tori Dunlap:
So is it auditioning for a Broadway show where there’s some people who get auditions and then there’s the cold call, cattle call where you’re just showing up and you put your name on a list?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
No.
Tori Dunlap:
Okay.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
The way it is, is they go to a few comedy institutions, Second City, Groundlings, UCB, and they see basically a show of comedians who all have five minutes of time.
Tori Dunlap:
And if someone at SNL is going to be there, do you know, do you want to know?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
You never know. You never know if they’re going to be there or not, and you might not even know who to look for.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah, okay. It’s not like Lorne is showing up and being like, “Well?”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Well, I flew my ass to New York to do this showcase for … I mean, I literally have no money. And I’m like, “They literally don’t want to see me. They literally already saw me and I literally did so bad.” And I’m going first, so I’m basically warming up the audience and I did great.
Tori Dunlap:
Yay.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
And I happened to be on the same showcase as Marcello and maybe some other people that they hired that year. I remember Marcello because we had done Just for Laughs together. I was ready to go and it happened to be that Lorne and Colin Jost and some writers and producers were in the crowd that night and a couple days later, I got a text that they wanted me to screen test for the cast. So I went and did that and then I interviewed and Lorne was like, “We’re hiring you as a writer.” And I was like, “That sounds incredible.”
Tori Dunlap:
If you are a writer, talk to me about how that is different than being in the cast, but maybe also writing?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yes. The cast does write a lot and a lot of them are incredible writers, so I would say the writing job is slightly less pressure, but still a shit ton of pressure.
Tori Dunlap:
We were talking about this before that it feels like … Well, maybe I’ll ask you, what is the pro of being a writer and what’s the con of being a writer?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
The pro is all you got to do is write and produce your sketches, and then the con is all you got to do is write and produce your sketches. So there’s really nowhere to hide.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. I think we were saying it’s like it’s weirdly less pressure because you’re not on screen. You don’t have to be professionally hot, but if the sketches bomb, that’s more on the writer honestly than it is on the performer typically.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
You know what? Here, this is what the answer is. The pro is your Sundays are better because if you’re on the cast, everyone’s blowing up your phone. Either they loved what you did, they hate what you did. As a writer, you have a little more anonymity, so that’s the better part. And then I don’t really know what the worst part is.
Tori Dunlap:
I think listeners of this show know, I’m a huge Mulaney fan, and so I know a lot about his work and of course, he says in one of his standups and the time he was pitching Mick Jagger and talked about how just his experience as a writer for people who came in who were absolute divas was just like …
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I’ve worked with Mick Jagger and I can tell you that anecdote is probably not exaggerated.
Tori Dunlap:
Okay. So I imagine that that can be a con of being like, “No, I’m actually good at my job and I need you to take my ideas, or I need you …” Like, “You don’t work here. I do.” I think I would get frustrated by that of, “Just trust me, this is going to go well.” I don’t know. Is that an experience you have or are you over it by now? You’re like, “Okay, they’re going to do what they’re going to do.”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
No, it’s such a good question and it’s a good point because part of the job is convincing people that they want to do your idea, but I always say whether they think they’re going to like it or not, once it goes well at the table read, then they like it.
Tori Dunlap:
Then they’re convinced.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
They like it when they hear that it’s funny. So you can try to schmooze and talk your way there, but I’m like, “It’s going to show itself.”
Tori Dunlap:
Totally. Is it pretty male dominated? The ratio from who auditions, who shows up, and especially white men? I think they’ve gotten better, of course, but I remember, what, early 2000s it was a lot of white people and Kenan Thompson.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah, I think there’s pretty good gender parity on the cast. I won’t speak to the diversity of the ensemble because everybody knows the ensemble and … On the writing staff, yeah, it’s like there’s definitely more fellas than gals.
Tori Dunlap:
And a lot of other industries comedy is very male dominated.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah.
Tori Dunlap:
I mean, you probably can’t tell specific stories, but are there times that you feel like your gender has been a disadvantage or … I think in corporate rooms, right? It’s often women with an idea gets shot down or man said same idea, it gets approved.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I definitely feel like-
Tori Dunlap:
How do I say this without getting fired?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
No, no. I definitely have had the experience of trying to convince the show that what I’m writing about is something people want to see a sketch about. Oh my gosh, my writing partner, Jimmy Fowlie and I, the number of selling Sunset sketches we have attempted, the number of Golden Bachelor sketches we have attempted.
Tori Dunlap:
Oh, those are so good.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I mean, the Love is Blind sketches.
Tori Dunlap:
Did you know Jimmy before? Because I met him at the … He was so nice.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
He’s the sweetest. We met at the show three years ago. I mean, trying to get a Traitors sketch on the TV.
Tori Dunlap:
Oh my. I would die.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
But those are more …
Tori Dunlap:
Who’s playing Boston Rob? That’s my big question.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
We cast Marcello.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah, I figured.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
So I sometimes have the experience of trying to get my pop culture girly ideas on the show, but in general, I feel like I oftentimes see my gender and my perspective as an advantage because I’m like, “Only I care to write about Love is Blind and the Traitors and Golden Bachelorette and the boys, that’s not within their purview.
Tori Dunlap:
That’s not even on their radar.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
So that’s actually like … can oftentimes be an advantage, but I just have to say, “Rather than trying to write the way the boys write or trying to write what the boys are writing, I just try to focus on what’s true to me.”
Tori Dunlap:
Totally. Well, and I think that’s great advice for anybody listening regardless of whether you write for SNL or not, and that’s how I feel about my work is there’s a reason my work, I think, is so successful and it’s because there were not a lot of voices that were especially very, very feminist and we’re like, “No, money is a form of protest and we’re going to talk about it like it is.” So I think that’s the reason I have the job I do is because it was like, “No, I’m not going to try to be a finance bro because gross.”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah, because then that woman wouldn’t need you.
Tori Dunlap:
Right, right, right. It’d just be like everybody else. Yeah. I would love for you to share, and I’m sure you’ve shared it on other shows, but for everybody listening, what does a week at SNL look like?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Oh, okay.
Tori Dunlap:
Because that’s just really helpful. Again, if you are not in this space, all of us are a little curious, little, little sneakies where we’re just like, “Oh, tell us what happens. What time are you waking up? What time are you going to bed?”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Okay. I can say too, if you want a more in-depth, they just did a documentary.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah, incredible documentary that you were also in.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I am.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
It’s a bad week for you, girl, I will say that, in the documentary. They caught me actually out of my biggest flop in my entire SNL career.
Tori Dunlap:
Can we talk about what that was?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Oh my god. Yeah. It was this horrible duck boat sketch where this-
Tori Dunlap:
Who was hosting?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Ayo Edebiri was hosting, the doc crew was there. They’re following us.
Tori Dunlap:
So again, for civilians, you’re going to pitch a bunch of stuff and you might not get any sketches that week or you might get 17, not literally, but a ton. So that’s every single week for a writer. It’s just we’re going to pitch stuff and it’s either going to go all the way to air or it’s going to go to dress and it’s going to get cut-
Ceara O’Sullivan:
It’s going to go to the table or it won’t make it to table or whatever.
Tori Dunlap:
Or no one’s going to say, “Yeah, you’re on this week.”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
So the doc crew came and the host was Ayo Edebiri, and I was like, “Oh, she’s a Boston girlie. I bet she’d like to do something like Boston kind of townie.” And that’s I have that-
Tori Dunlap:
That’s your bread and butter. Yeah, you got that.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Exactly, exactly. I did comedy in Boston for a decade, and so I was like, “Oh, maybe on a duck boat …” And Ayo really wanted to do it, but Lorne pulled me into the office and he was like, “The sketch you’ve written is not producible.” A good one. And …
Tori Dunlap:
Producible in terms of we can’t get the set for it? We can’t …
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah, exactly. It would be really involved, but they figured it out because she really wanted to do it, and what they did is they built an entire duck boat, which is like an amphibious vehicle that can go on land and in the water.
Tori Dunlap:
Which props to set, makeup, all of that.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Insane.
Tori Dunlap:
Insane. Every single week.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
They built an entire duck boat. They split it in half to put it on two separate green screen keys so that there could be the front of the duck boat and the back of the duck boat.
Tori Dunlap:
Oh my God.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I had to go on Google Maps, draw a picture of the Charles River in Boston, where I wanted a film crew to go to film footage of the river and its shores to go on the green screens behind the front and the back of the duck boat. I mean …
Tori Dunlap:
And your sketch bombed.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I bombed. It bombed. It bombed, it bombed, it bombed.
Tori Dunlap:
Okay. Do you feel guilty about that?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yes, of course. To this day, I carry the guilt. I carry the guilt.
Tori Dunlap:
You’re like, “I made you do all of this work.”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
It’s crazy.
Tori Dunlap:
Are you still proud of it though, or do you-
Ceara O’Sullivan:
No, no, I’m ashamed. They were right and I was wrong.
Tori Dunlap:
Okay. I think …
Ceara O’Sullivan:
We all thought it was going to look shitty but actually all the departments did an amazing job.
Tori Dunlap:
He’s like, “You didn’t do anything but the departments did their job.”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
No. The departments killed it. I never got the writing there.
Tori Dunlap:
That’s so funny too.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
It was terrible. And there was even a thing in the New York Times where a set designer was asked about the most arduous set they’ve ever had to build, and they were like, “Well, one time we had built a duck boat and split it in half.”
Tori Dunlap:
They’re like, “This fucking writer.”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
So this was my biggest flop, and it happened to be the documentary crew was there. I mean, thankfully, they gave me a really light touch on the edit. I’m actually putting myself on blast way more than they did. But yeah, if you want to see more about it, you can watch the documentary.
Tori Dunlap:
I don’t know if I’ve seen … I’m literally watching the duck boat sketch after here. When we come back, we’re talking about the grueling SNL schedule, how to overcome rejection, what Ceara has learned from improv and the finances of working as a professional comedy writer. Stay with us. Okay, my original question. Okay.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
A week at SNL.
Tori Dunlap:
Yes. So Sunday, what happens?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Sunday, you’re at the after party until 4:00 AM, so your Sunday’s a little bit of a wash.
Tori Dunlap:
Okay. Is that your recovery day?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
It’s your recovery day. In my case, it’s my trying to spend all of my time with my husband. I’m FaceTiming everyone on a loop that I haven’t talked to all week. I’m shaving my legs.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. Totally.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I’m trying to get outdoors. It may or may not happen. That’s my Sunday. Sunday afternoon, I start getting some texts and calls. Ideas are percolating for the coming week. I’m thinking about pitches. I’m sort of mentally already there.
Tori Dunlap:
You know who the host is couple weeks-ish out?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
It depends. But yeah.
Tori Dunlap:
Are there any times you are writing the previous week, let’s say we just came off of Timothée Chalamet hosting and who’s the host this week?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Nobody, because we’re going into the 50th.
Tori Dunlap:
Got it. That makes sense. Okay, so let’s say, I don’t know, it’s Adam Sandler this week.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah.
Tori Dunlap:
So are there any sketches even in the back of your mind that you are starting to write for Adam Sandler during Timothée Chalamet week?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
No.
Tori Dunlap:
Okay. You’re so present.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah. Not by choice, by necessity.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. Yeah.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah.
Tori Dunlap:
Okay. So Sunday night.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Sunday night, I’m thinking about Adam Sandler maybe for the very first time.
Tori Dunlap:
Got it. Cool. You’re like, “Who is this?”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Exactly. I might watch something. I might read some things. Kind of depends. Start to get percolating.
Tori Dunlap:
Watch one of his movies or watch …
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Exactly. Especially watch their latest project, something they’re excited about. Start thinking about archetypes, like parts they would be like, parts that would go against type. Start to be strategic. Monday, we go into the office. I normally get in around one or two. I don’t know why we don’t go to the office at 9:00 AM but we don’t.
Tori Dunlap:
Well, probably because for the rest of the week you’re up until three in the morning.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yes. Yeah. Okay.
Tori Dunlap:
Yes.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Could the whole schedule shift up? Sure. But I’m not the boss. So go in one or two. Eventually we go get called into … We have a topical meeting with all the writers. Talk about what’s going on the week, which celebrities are around that week, things we’re thinking about.
Tori Dunlap:
For guest starring?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah. They tell us the host can do accents. The host doesn’t want to sing. They’re a really good dancer.
Tori Dunlap:
So like the special skills at the bottom of the resume. They can juggle.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Exactly.
Tori Dunlap:
This is why actors, we put special skills at the bottom of our resume so that when we’re hosting SNL one day-
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Exactly.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. Okay, cool.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Then we go pitch in Lorne’s office, which means all the writers and cast sit on the floor in his office.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. That’s the infamous one, isn’t it?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
He says, this is Timothée Chalamet, and we all clap, and then we go around the room and we pitch a little joke, and it’s sort of their first impression of all of us. They see all of our faces and the host knows like, “I’m in good hands,” is the point of it.
Tori Dunlap:
Got it. Because they’re probably, especially if they’re first time hosting, it’s extremely nerve-wracking. And I think for most camera actors, obviously they’re not used to getting one shot, mom spaghetti. Theater actors are, but that’s a very different experience. And of course it’s SNL, so it’s like … Yeah.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah, exactly. And then Monday, you just hear all the doors in the hallway opening and closing. Everyone’s running around, start writing some sketches. And then Tuesday, really, we go hard. Tuesday, I get in around one and I normally leave around 4:00 AM.
Tori Dunlap:
Wow. Are you a night owl? Do you have to be a night owl to work at SNL?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I am a night owl, and thank God.
Tori Dunlap:
Because I’m a morning person. I can’t imagine this schedule. This sounds like my hell.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah. I mean, at one point during my first season, I was having a little bit of a health issue, and I went to the doctor and they were like, “You have night shift sleep disorder.”
Tori Dunlap:
What the fuck is that?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I guess it’s something that emergency room physicians get.
Tori Dunlap:
And you’re like, “I’m a comedy writer.”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah. Because your cortisol is supposed to be high when you wake up, and then it descends throughout the day, and then you go to bed when it’s low, and my cortisol is at its highest at nighttime. Anyway so maybe you want the job, maybe you don’t, but yeah, so Tuesday’s writing night, we go hard, write 50 plus pages of sketches. Wednesday …
Tori Dunlap:
Can I pause you for a second?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yes.
Tori Dunlap:
Okay. If you are doing a highly produced not live sketch, like a Lonely Island, or Please Don’t Destroy Sketch, at what point is that filmed? Because I would think you have to have that together … No.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
No.
Tori Dunlap:
Before the rest? No?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
No. It’s on the exact same timeline.
Tori Dunlap:
Oh my. Okay.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah, so you’ve written that on Tuesday Night Live pre-taped sketches, all getting written.
Tori Dunlap:
Wow.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Wednesday morning, you pop open your computer in bed, you polish things off, you hop on some Zooms, you get everything submitted by noon.
Tori Dunlap:
Are you writing it in a Google Doc?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
We’re using industry standard final draft. Yes.
Tori Dunlap:
I’m like … You’re just in there, Microsoft Word. You’re just like, “Okay. They say this.”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
It does have a funny SNL format that’s this similar. Because I write movies too, and I do have to remember like, “Wait, what’s the weird way we do it at SNL?” And then I take a shower, I lay naked on my bed with a towel wrapped around me, and then I go to the office at two o’clock and then start running around to the different cast members to tell them like, “You’re playing Anne Hathaway, but old school Anne Hathaway, like …”
Tori Dunlap:
Princess Diaries Anne Hathaway.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah, exactly. Do it like this, not like this. And then I make sure the sound cues and whatever tech I need before the table read is set. And then we all sit on the floor of the studio, HG for the table read from 4:00 to 8:00 PM.
Tori Dunlap:
Okay.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
And then we go up to our offices and we eat some pizza, and the host goes into a meeting with the producers and we wait for a little email with script picks, which means these are the sketches we’re going with, including the pre-tapes. And so if you’ve written a pre-tape, then you immediately are going into a production Zoom that night. Otherwise, you’re running around to the departments to say, “The set should look like this. These are the props we need. Here’s what we’re envisioning for the wigs. Here’s what we’re envisioning for the costumes.”
Tori Dunlap:
I am in such awe of all of you, first of all, but again, I don’t mean to harp on it, the makeup, it’s like that’s fucking insane.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yes, yes, yes. Especially-
Tori Dunlap:
We need a full alien costume for six people in three days with hair and makeup and prosthetics, and that’s insane.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Especially when we change things and we do.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah, yeah.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
On Friday, we go like, “Actually, it’s not in the 1960s anymore.” It’s the 80s. And they’re like, “Are you fucking kidding me right now?”
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah, I was going to say, do they get mad or are they just like, “Okay. Yeah. It is what it is.” You want to learn to be a Buddhist monk of just acceptance. You work at Set Design at Saturday Night Live.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
They definitely like to know things as soon as possible, and they get frustrated if they feel like …
Tori Dunlap:
You’re like, “We’re building a duck boat.” Okay.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah. But it is what it is kind of.
Tori Dunlap:
Sure, dude. We’ll do that for you.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
And then Thursdays are my favorite day of the week. We’re blocking, we’re shooting promos. The musician is coming in to try their music. We’re at rewrite tables, rewriting sketches, making them better based on the notes from Wednesday and whatever they need. And that’s my favorite day because it feels the most collaborative. We’re all on the same team rather than competing against each other. And our goal is to make these 10 sketches we picked, or 15 sketches we picked as good as they can be. And so that’s why I like it. And I just like pitching jokes. It’s the easiest.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. Friday, I’m assuming …
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Friday, if you have a pre-tape, you’re on set at 7:00, 8:00 AM and you probably have a 12 to 16 hour day on set at our studios on the Upper West side. Pre-tapes kind of rock. They’re a blast because it’s sick as fuck that a sketch you pitched on Wednesday, you walk on set on a Friday and you’re like, “What the hell? They built … What the hell?”
Tori Dunlap:
Right. So they’re just working around the clock. They’re working 24/7.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. Okay.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
And then otherwise, you’re blocking your sketches. You maybe are doing some tables for the update features, which is like characters that are going to happen on weekend update. Friday, you’re running sketches on camera, you’re doing more rewrites, everything’s getting polished and better. You’re checking in with the departments. Saturday, you go in at noon, run all the sketches again, and then dress rehearsal 8:00 PM, live show 11:30.
Tori Dunlap:
I guess I have to thank you for being up at 9:30, 10 to record this. I really appreciate it.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
This is my 6:00 AM.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah, I’m really sorry. Thank you. It’s so crazy to me. And it’s just a testament … Again, so even if, okay, all your sketches bombed, have some respect, people, online for how much work goes into this.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
That’s something I think about, which I’m like, “I don’t mind if people …” If people don’t like the comedy, that’s them being honest. It made you laugh or it didn’t, but you got to admit the set looks really good.
Tori Dunlap:
Sure, sure. The duck boat looks pretty good.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
But look at the wigs.
Tori Dunlap:
Right.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I mean, I get it. We didn’t get the jokes where they needed to. I respect that. You liked it or you didn’t, but come on, you have to appreciate the special effects.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah, totally. For someone who is listening, they are most likely not a writer at SNL, but I think we all have the experience of pitching an idea that we really, really care about and getting it shot down. How do you get good at just continuing to pitch, even if it was your baby and it gets shot down and also just being like, “Okay, we got to keep moving”? How do you not take it personally anymore? Or maybe you still do. I don’t know.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Such a good question. In my job, we pitch ideas and are shot down so frequently that you learn to not be attached. And so I think a gift you can give yourself is remembering that your best idea is ahead of you, not behind you. And sometimes people say no to you and they’re wrong, and sometimes people say no to you and they’re right. And that is a gift when people say no, when people are honest to you. But you know deep down, if that idea is worth something, so listen to yourself. But I think just remembering, don’t get precious about one single idea. Just keep going at it and remember your best idea’s ahead of you.
Tori Dunlap:
Well, and I think the vulnerability of continuing to show up anyway, because again, most people are not pitching this many ideas in a meeting all the time.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
A hundred percent.
Tori Dunlap:
But I think it’s very easy to, yeah, to get the courage to speak up in a meeting or to go to your boss and they’re like, “No, that’s not really going to work.” And then being like, “Okay, I’m never saying anything ever again.”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah. Yeah, totally.
Tori Dunlap:
That vulnerability is I think just really key. And I think the other thing I wanted to ask you too, before we talk about money is, again, I did some improv growing up. I have so many friends who do it. The yes and thing is so important. And also understanding that you’re on stage not actually to be funny. You’re on stage to support the other people on stage, to be present. How has that experience helped you in the rest of your career, in your life? For someone who’s not an improvisational or sketch comedian, how has that helped you be a better person?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I think it has helped me because I think sometimes when somebody can’t picture an idea, they just say no to it. And I try to find what piece of that idea we can make work, what part of something I can say yes to, even if it’s just a kernel of it. And I think also, I think saying yes to people and showing excitement about their ideas builds relationships, and it makes people want to be around you.
Tori Dunlap:
They feel seen.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
They feel seen and acknowledged. And so I try to show excitement whenever anybody shares something of themself.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. Again, it’s a very vulnerable thing and it’s like I’m doing something scary. I’m telling you what’s going on in my brain, and if you shut it down, I’m going to cry forever.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yes.
Tori Dunlap:
This is my transitional question, but-
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Hit me.
Tori Dunlap:
… I think one of the incredible learnings of comedy and improv is owning your choices.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah.
Tori Dunlap:
And many women in every field have, I think, a lot of trouble with that, both because society has told you do not own your choices, but also it’s just difficult. So how do you get comfortable with that? It’s kind of like a part two of like, “Okay, you know somebody’s going to shoot you down,” how do you actually double down and say, “No, I know this is going to work?”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I have a couple different ways I can think of answering this question. One thing is if you really, really have confidence in your own idea and other people aren’t seeing it, do it yourself.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. That’s how most especially female or people of color comedians have gotten their projects produced.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yes.
Tori Dunlap:
They just did them themselves.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yes. You know deep down when an idea is good. You know. Trust your instinct and also ask somebody else.
Tori Dunlap:
I know what you’re thinking. Yeah. We’re going to talk about the Domingo sketch, but we’re also getting ready to dive into the expenses of a professional comedy career, including how she knew it was time to become an S Corp, managing finances when you don’t make the same paycheck every month. And I give Ceara some advice on her financial situation with her partner. Stay tuned. So something I think many people ignore about people in creative fields, whether actor, writer, comedian, whatever, is that there’s a lot of expense occurred in just training and learning how to do that. So going to the acting or improv classes, flying yourself to New York so you can audition.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yes.
Tori Dunlap:
Can you talk about some of those expenses and also how do you determine what does feel worth it versus what doesn’t?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah. It’s such a good question, and I think it’s so important to talk about, and it explains why there is so much privilege in the industry.
Tori Dunlap:
Because you can afford the acting classes or afford to fly across the country for auditions. Yeah.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
And you have a safety net.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah. I mean, acting classes can cost a thousand bucks.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. Like intensive, one-day intensives or …
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah. I mean-
Tori Dunlap:
A thousand bucks easy.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
So it can be really, really financially draining. And it’s especially hard when you are doing your struggle job and you’re spending, spending, spending, I mean, headshots are expensive.
Tori Dunlap:
Managers are going to take 10, 20%.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
10%. Yeah. I mean, an agent makes 10%, a manager takes 10%, A lawyer makes 5%. People that are more successful than I would have a business manager, they would also take 5%. It can be really, really costly.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. Do you feel like the industry is still swayed by … I mean, let’s talk about the nepotism thing first, but also where did you train or who did you train with? Or again, yeah, were you at the Groundlings? Were you at UCB versus maybe a secondary theater?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I think people shouldn’t worry too much about that. From my perspective, if you’ve got it, you’ve got it. And I think people worry about, did I go to the right institution? Did I go to the right conservatory and get the training or did I take … People will try to sell you on these programs and maybe they’ll help you, and maybe it’s what you need, but if you feel like you don’t need it, don’t do it because you’ve either got it or you don’t.
Tori Dunlap:
But the bonus is you get to write all of that off.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yes. Yes. That’s right.
Tori Dunlap:
One of my favorite things about you is that you shared that you have an S corporation.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
That’s right.
Tori Dunlap:
Which is so smart, and anybody who runs their own business, and that’s what you do, can have an S Corp. But I don’t think a lot of creatives realize that you can do that or that …
Ceara O’Sullivan:
No, and I think people should because it’s actually very little maintenance.
Tori Dunlap:
It really, really is.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
And take it from me-
Tori Dunlap:
And you get to write so much shit off.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
You get to write so much shit off. And I’m actually, I’m really a messy gal. I’m not particularly organized. I’m a creative person.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. You hand it to an accountant.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah. You hand it to an accountant, you put it all on a card, and then somebody does your taxes.
Tori Dunlap:
Yes. Yeah. Can you walk me through when you figured out it was time to put everything under an S Corp, and then how does that help you better manage everything?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
It’s so interesting. In my industry, it’s very feast or famine with projects.
Tori Dunlap:
Totally.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
You might book a big commercial or you might book a big punch up job, or you sold a movie, you’re taking a TV show out to pitch. You staffed on SNL, and then you don’t know when your next job is coming. So you have to make smart money moves and you don’t want to because you just want to be like, “I’m a comedian. I don’t even know what a credit card is.” But it’s like, “Girl, learn.”
Tori Dunlap:
I never loved you more. Oh my God. Now this is what I talk about is I’m like, and it’s my biggest pet peeve is because I have the right brain creative and I’m also extremely left-brained. And so I have so many friends who are creatives and they’re like, “Oh, but it’s complicated, and that’s not what I’m good at.” I’m like, “I don’t care if it’s not what you’re good at.” You need to find the bare minimum to do-
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I’m not good at driving-
Tori Dunlap:
… to protect yourself. Right. You do that anyway.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
But I got a driver’s license.
Tori Dunlap:
Yes. And in New York too. That’s incredible. It’s the thing that drives me so insane is I’m like, “You don’t get to opt out.” Especially when there’s so many people that I see get absolutely taken advantage of because a business manager comes in and they’re like, “Oh, honey, I’ll manage your finances for you.” And they’re like, “Okay.” And then they take 25, 30%, they invest them and they invest their money into super risky things or the in sync shit where somebody was getting paid the entire time. And so no, it drives me crazy.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah.
Tori Dunlap:
This is part of the job. You can’t just say, “Oh, I’m creative,” and opt out. You can’t do that.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
No. Once I was at SNL for a year, I formed my S corp.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. Yeah. So are you a 1099 contractor at SNL? Are you W2?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah.
Tori Dunlap:
You’re W2 at SNL?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah. Contract employee for NBC.
Tori Dunlap:
Okay. So then anything that’s coming outside, so movies, you doing shows you’re getting paid, your podcast, that all falls under the business.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
All of it.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. Okay.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
And everything.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. So you almost have a side hustle and then the full-time job.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. If we’re going corporate language of it.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. Okay. So you got the W2, and then you’re handling everything under the S Corp.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Everything.
Tori Dunlap:
Okay. So are you investing your money you’re getting through SNL?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I do it all myself.
Tori Dunlap:
Okay. So you’re opening retirement accounts as a self-employed person too.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
And I maximize my contributions.
Tori Dunlap:
Atta girl.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
And I tell all my co-workers to do the same. I literally go into my field, especially my younger co-workers because there’s some amazing writers there, like Auguste White, Asha Ward who are in their early mid-twenties, and I go into their office and I close the door and I go, “Are we investing?” They’re like, “Who is this?”
Tori Dunlap:
I’m going to literally cry. I was like, “Yay.”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
They’re like, “Who is this 32-year-old woman?” They’re like, “I’m fine.”
Tori Dunlap:
They’re like, “She’s a fucking millennial telling me to put my money in an ETF.”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
They’re like, “I’m going to have a long, wonderful career.” And I’m like, “Of course you are. You’re far more talented and incredible than I am, but I don’t care. Put your money in the accounts.”
Tori Dunlap:
You really do. That’s one of my biggest things with women who are making money, is just like, “I need you to have something to show for it.”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yes.
Tori Dunlap:
I need you to have something to show for all this hard work because yeah, something might dry up or you might get injured or you can’t work for a period of time. And it’s also the industry you’re in is so fickle.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yes. And that’s how I think about it. I’m like, “I’m making my money now, but I don’t look around and see a lot of 55-year-old female comedy writers.”
Tori Dunlap:
Unfortunately.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
And I hope that that changes, but ageism is really real. So I’m making my money now, and I actually feel kind of old in my industry sometimes.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. I mean, SNL, just the schedule is a young person’s game.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
That’s fair.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. As soon as your back starts hurting, you’re like, “I’m too old.”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I’d love to staff on a sitcom at some point where it’s like the office people go in from 10 to four.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah, totally. And I think also, again, any entrepreneur can take this advice. You are going to have crazy seasons, and then you need to survive on times where you know it’s not going to be as crazy. And we have a pretty dependable business income at HFK, but there are, I know January is going to be really good for us because it’s New Year, New You vibes, and I know December’s going to be terrible because no one’s thinking about money because they’re spending it all on Christmas stuff.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Interesting.
Tori Dunlap:
So December, especially since we shut our business down for at least a week, every quarter, and we do that to take care of people. And so we know, okay, when we shut it down in February, February’s probably going to be a lower month just because we’re not doing active work. So me as a business owner, it’s my responsibility to go, “Okay, how do I make sure I make payroll? Not just the months we’re doing great, but for the rest of the year.” And it sounds like that’s what you’re doing too.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yes. Definitely. Because also crazy things happen like the writer’s strike happened.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. Can we talk about that for a second?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah.
Tori Dunlap:
You just added … What happened?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I was on the picket line, baby.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Couldn’t work.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Pencils down, went in to pitch for Pete Davidson on a Monday, and at midnight, the strike happened.
Tori Dunlap:
So how do you survive during that time?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I was really grateful that I picked an apartment in New York with really low rent. I do ascribe to the idea that … I try really hard not to have lifestyle creep, although I actually have learned that I sometimes need to let my lifestyle creep a little bit because …
Tori Dunlap:
You do.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I moved to New York and I picked the cheapest apartment I could possibly-
Tori Dunlap:
Like a cockroach apartment.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Literally because a fifth floor walk up in Hell’s Kitchen on Ninth Avenue. I lived above Blazing Saddles, and I was like, “They’re going to fire me in a week, so I need an apartment I can afford when I’m working at Old Navy in Times Square.”
Tori Dunlap:
Oh, no.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
But then I realized-
Tori Dunlap:
Are you still there?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
No.
Tori Dunlap:
Okay, good.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I actually just moved.
Tori Dunlap:
Oh, congratulations.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
To the Upper West Side.
Tori Dunlap:
Oh my gosh. Lovely.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
At a certain point, I looked around and I was like, “I cannot be working the hardest I’ve ever worked in my life and living in the shittiest place I’ve ever lived.”
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. It’s not conducive to …
Ceara O’Sullivan:
No.
Tori Dunlap:
That’s the other thing I wish people understood is I am not the finance expert that’s like, “You can’t spend money.” There are some times where in order to make more money, you need to be … I’m not saying … There’s people out there who are like, “Book a first-class ticket you can’t afford because then you experience what it’s like to be in first-class.” And I’m like, “No, we’re not doing you a badass bullshit.” We’re not doing that. But I do think, yeah, where you live, what you eat, do you go to the gym? Are you going to go to the gym if it’s slightly nicer? That is worth the money.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Totally.
Tori Dunlap:
Because you show up different for your work where you make money.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yes.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. You keep your finances separate from your partner?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I do.
Tori Dunlap:
Talk to me about that. Again, I’m obsessed.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Tori, I think I need advice, honestly.
Tori Dunlap:
Okay.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
So I try to do a good job of I do my accounts. I try to maximize all that kind of shit.
Tori Dunlap:
And you’re married, right?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
And I’m married, and we both are in the same industry.
Tori Dunlap:
Okay. Is he a writer as well?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
He is a writer comedian. He’s in a very funny comedy band, Tall Boy Special, and we just don’t talk about money that much.
Tori Dunlap:
In a way that feels bad or good? Does that make sense? People don’t talk about money sometimes because they’re ashamed or they don’t want to be honest. And sometimes it’s like we’re doing fine. We don’t need to talk about it all that much.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
It mostly feels like that.
Tori Dunlap:
Okay.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
But we don’t have a prenup. So sometimes I’m like …
Tori Dunlap:
You do actually, you know that.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
What do you mean?
Tori Dunlap:
Did you get married in the state of New York?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah.
Tori Dunlap:
The New York state decided what’s going to happen with your money. That’s what I wish people understood. If you get married in any state, unless you decide differently, the state decides how your money’s going to get split up should you separate. So Washington State, it’s 50/50. So unless you specifically say, “We want 75/25, we want a different thing,” and then you sign that … Now you can get a post-nup if you want and that’s going to change it a little bit. But that’s the interesting thing is prenup is such a dirty word for people, and I’m like, “You already have a prenup. You understand? You have a prenup already.” So whatever Washington or New York state, I don’t know their laws off the top of my head, but …
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Well, 50/50 sounds good, so that’s no problem.
Tori Dunlap:
Okay, great. Yeah, as long as you’re cool with that, then great.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
And we’ll be together forever so it’s going to be fine. But yeah, I just haven’t gone to the trouble, I guess, of … We don’t share credit cards. We don’t have joint accounts.
Tori Dunlap:
Does it work for you?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
It does, but I wonder … I’m all about not leaving money on the table, so I’m wondering are there benefits to being married and being more intertwined financially?
Tori Dunlap:
I mean, tax wise, yeah.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
We do file together.
Tori Dunlap:
Then yeah, that’s probably the biggest one. I mean, what I recommend for couples is, one, you should never, ever completely combine your finances. That is my number one rule, especially for women. I’m like, “I don’t want you in a relationship. You can’t leave because you don’t have the money to leave.”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Got you.
Tori Dunlap:
And I want you to be able to have some of your own money, so you should never completely combine. If you want to keep them completely separate, that’s totally fine. I think the happy medium is shared account for joint expenses, but again, if it works for you, great. As long as you’re not completely combining, I don’t have a problem with it and it works for you, then great.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah. It just one thing I like is that we never fight about money because he has his money and he’s spending it the way he wants. And I make-
Tori Dunlap:
That’s one of the reasons I’m like don’t completely combine them.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
My money, I’m spending it the way I want.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. Are you saving for shared goals together? I don’t know. New York probably is not buy a house. But do you want kids or do you want to take vacations every year somewhere?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
No, we each save independently of each other and we sometimes talk about it.
Tori Dunlap:
Okay, great.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I don’t know why.
Tori Dunlap:
I think you’re overthinking it. It sounds like it’s very, very healthy.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Okay, good.
Tori Dunlap:
Do you talk about how you’re splitting things? Let’s say you do go on vacation. Let’s say you go to Mexico or something. Do you talk about, “Oh, I’ll pay for the hotel and you pay for the flight?” Or how does that conversation happen?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
It’s all very random.
Tori Dunlap:
Okay. But it feels good. You don’t feel resentful or he doesn’t feel resentful?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
No, it all feels good.
Tori Dunlap:
Dude, you’re fine.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Except the other day, I was-
Tori Dunlap:
You’re like, “Except for this one time, and it was really big.”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
No, the other day I was like, “Pay for dinner. I want you to always pay for …” I was like, “I want you to pay for dinner when we go out to eat.” And he was like, “Okay.” Because we have a …
Tori Dunlap:
That sounds like some shit I would do. Just out of nowhere, “Stop. No. You’re paying for my dinner tonight.”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah. I have a Citi card, like a Costco credit card, and the benefits on it are pretty good. So we put a lot of stuff on the Citi card.
Tori Dunlap:
I love that you’re a Costco … I’m such a Costco girlie because I’m from the Pacific Northwest. If Costco called me and they’re like, “We need kidney,” I’m like, “Which one?”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Which one?
Tori Dunlap:
Which one do you want?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
No problem.
Tori Dunlap:
That was our activity growing up. I’m an only child. My dad still is like, “Hey, your mom and I are going to Costco, see if we need anything.” He’s like, “I need bananas for my protein smoothie and I’m going to see if I need anything else.” That was the activity.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
And would you hit up the free samples?
Tori Dunlap:
Oh, absolutely. And then the pizza, which is like $2 for a slice. Insane.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Can’t beat it.
Tori Dunlap:
I love it.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Cannot beat it.
Tori Dunlap:
You can book vacations at Costco and rental cars. This is the shit I wish people knew. You can buy a car, you can buy a tires, you can buy … This is now an ad for Costco. I don’t fucking care. Not like they need it. You can buy household appliances, you can buy blinds. You need window treatment? Costco.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Costco.
Tori Dunlap:
Anyway, so Citi card.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah, so we put a lot of shit on the Citi card. And then-
Tori Dunlap:
Because you get that Costco cash back?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah, because we get that Costco cash back, which is great. Except I decided, I was like, “When we go out to dinner, I want you to pay for it.” And he was like, “Okay.”
Tori Dunlap:
Like, “Weird stance, but okay.”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah, but you have to understand, you’ve already heard about my SNL schedule, so you got to assume sometimes when I’m saying something, it’s just coming from a fatigued woman under duress.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. Yeah.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Sometimes I’m stressed from work and I just am picking fights.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah, great. And he’s like, “I’m over this. I’m not engaging with you.”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I will pay for dinner.
Tori Dunlap:
Did any of my advice about partnerships and finances surprise you? If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave us a comment and let us know how you manage your shared finances. When we come back, we’re talking more fun SNL stories and behind the scenes, including, yes, Domingo. I could talk to you for literally so much because I love SNL. I love comedy. This is some of my favorite stuff. Okay.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I love that you’re such an expert.
Tori Dunlap:
That’s nice.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
You know everything.
Tori Dunlap:
Oh, I don’t, but no, I’ve watched it for a really long time, especially in college. I was like, that was the thing I did with my friends. And then I watched every single sketch on YouTube, the ones that were getting a bunch of buzz and the ones that weren’t.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Who was your favorite?
Tori Dunlap:
My favorite cast member?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Cast member.
Tori Dunlap:
Oh God. It’s like pick a favorite child. Oh God. I think Cecily Strong is so underrated.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah.
Tori Dunlap:
I love Kate, but Kate got all the buzz when Cecily Strong was there, and I feel like she was just so consistent every single time.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Cecily can do anything.
Tori Dunlap:
And just especially the Broadway chops that she has too. I love her. Aidy Bryant is fantastic. She was at the party too, and I was like … I’m trying to think who else. I know as soon as I get out of here, I’m going to remember 62. I mean, Bill Hader is a classic. Yeah, mine was, I think the first episode I saw, because I was not allowed … I grew up in a pretty, “You don’t watch PG-thirteen movies until you’re 13 plus.” So the first episode of SNL I ever saw was like, oh gosh, it was a Timberlake Fallon duel episode. Do you know what I’m talking about? Around Christmas time, because I was home for the holidays, I think from my first year of college. And I had seen a sketch here or there, and that was the one that actually, because I watched it live, and then that’s around where they do the Christmas, all the Christmas, and I was like, I got super into Lonely Island. Probably Andy Samberg is like …
Ceara O’Sullivan:
The man. The best.
Tori Dunlap:
I love that man so much. Yeah. So I got super into Lonely Island obsessively so and still am. And so yeah, and then I, again, Mulaney’s huge for me, but [inaudible 00:58:54].
Ceara O’Sullivan:
The best.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. And I think that was … I have sketch questions too. Okay. I’m going to try to … I’m not going to keep you here for six more hours. Okay. One last thing before I talk to you about sketches is the writers versus cast. I think that, again, for most cast members are going to walk down the street, get recognized. There’s something about being a writer, especially the ones that aren’t necessarily on camera all the time or on camera at all. There is that sort of anonymity that is kind of nice, but do you also ever get bitter about it? You don’t get to take as much credit, at least to the general public.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
What’s nice about being a writer is you can have as much anonymity as you’d like. You can not have a social media, and that’s okay. I personally, I do have a social media because I have a podcast. Petty Crimes, you should listen. So I like to take a little bit of credit because it’s helpful for my career just because I am a writer performer. I don’t ever feel bitter, except maybe when people have the misconception that these sketches write themselves or that … I will see occasionally people commenting things like you can totally tell that line was improvised.
Tori Dunlap:
Which is in a way the highest compliment actually.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Sure, yeah.
Tori Dunlap:
Of like, “Oh, it felt so authentic and genuine,” but it’s also like, “No, I wrote that.”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
And maybe it means you wrote for the cast member well, so it sounded really natural or something, but I think as long as people know that they’re writers, I’m good.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. Correct me if I’m wrong. I think your most famous sketch to date is probably Domingo.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yes.
Tori Dunlap:
Okay. Did we know that was going to be insane? Is there sketches where you’re like, “This is going to do numbers”?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
No, I don’t always know.
Tori Dunlap:
Because it felt like a David Pumpkin sketch where it was just kind of like, “This is so funny and weird, but it works so well.” Maybe David Pumpkins is a little more avant-garde but …
Ceara O’Sullivan:
No, I know what you’re saying. I definitely did not know. I mean, sometimes I wrote a pre-taped digital short that was a horror movie about taking pilates, and Kristen Wiigwas in it, and I was like, “I think women are going to like this.” And it was like a lot of people did like it, but not like Domingo. This was its own thing.
Tori Dunlap:
And I think it was because the sketch was so good, but then social media got a hold of it. TikTok got a hold of it. And that’s, I think, where it was really interesting.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Sometimes there just has to be a little bit of extra secret sauce or a little bit of magic. And I think in this instance, the secret sauce was Ariana Grande singing poorly.
Tori Dunlap:
(singing)
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I mean, she’s one of the best singers in the world.
Tori Dunlap:
And it’s very good, bad singing.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
It’s perfect.
Tori Dunlap:
It’s shockingly good. And as anybody who is a singer knows, that’s actually really, really difficult.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
And we showed her a video of bridesmaids singing badly at their Sister’s wedding.
Tori Dunlap:
Have you seen the New York Times article recently?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
It’s not them.
Tori Dunlap:
I’m sorry. That’s so funny. Okay, so the New York Times just did this huge write-up of … I think they saw you and Jimmy in the interview and so this bridesmaid was like, “Oh my God, I’m the inspiration for the sketch.” And the New York Times was like, “She’s the inspiration for the sketch.”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
No, she’s too good of a singer.
Tori Dunlap:
Oh, funny. Because they did Hamilton, right?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah. But I mean, people are in my DMs being like, “It’s me. It’s me. I’m the Hamilton rap that inspired Domingo.”
Tori Dunlap:
And you’re like, “None of you are.”
Ceara O’Sullivan:
None of them are yet.
Tori Dunlap:
Wow.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Okay. None of them are yet because they’re all too good.
Tori Dunlap:
That’s so funny. That’s so good.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah. Ariana just got it. She just got it.
Tori Dunlap:
If she wasn’t Ariana Grande, she would’ve been the perfect SNL cast member.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Oh God. Yeah.
Tori Dunlap:
Her impressions are so good.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Her comedic timing.
Tori Dunlap:
It’s very good. And then she can obviously sing her ass off and so.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. Oh, okay. A sketch that you wish got more love, that you were like, “Oh, this could be Domingo, “but it was not Domingo.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Oh, like a sketch that I wrote?
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. Or that you didn’t write, but you were put some respect on the name of this sketch.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
That’s a good question. A sketch that I was a part of, this sketch called Actor’s Journey with Adam Driver. It was cut for time, but SNL put it on YouTube and it’s like an actor’s talk back series, and the actor’s kind of giving that classic actor spiel. It’s Andrew [inaudible 01:03:42] saying, “When I first started in this industry, I lived in this crappy apartment.”
Tori Dunlap:
The cockroach apartment.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah. And there were cockroaches. And I stuck with it and I made it happen. And then Adam Driver stands up in the audience and is like, “Oh, yeah, that crappy apartment you’re talking about, that’s my apartment. I’m the landlord, so thanks a lot for talking crap.” And then basically takes … And it’s just like an accelerating game of Andrew inadvertently mentioning somebody from his past and then cutting the audience. And that person is-
Tori Dunlap:
It was almost like Slumdog Millionaire.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah. And it’s just a very dumb sketch, but I think it’s-
Tori Dunlap:
That’s very funny.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I think it’s cute. And Adam Driver’s really, really good in it.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah. Is there a sketch from any time at SNL that you were like, “God, I wish I wrote that”?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Oh, when Alex English and Gary Richardson and Michael Che wrote Lisa and Ego Nwodim wrote Lisa from Temecula, which is where Ego does this bit, where she’s cutting a really tough steak and the entire table is shaking. When Ego did-
Tori Dunlap:
Didn’t the fork break?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Everything broke. It was awesome.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
And there was this guy-
Tori Dunlap:
And she didn’t break, if I remember. She was the one, or maybe a little bit.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
She mostly didn’t.
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
But I mean-
Tori Dunlap:
She was the only thing at the table that didn’t break.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yes. When she did that sketch at table read with a steak, it crushed so hard. And the bit is so simple, cutting a tough steak, the whole table’s shaking. There’s different departments that make different things. There’s a monkey boy, that’s what they’re called under the table, shaking the table with his back. And when she did it for the first time at table read, I remember thinking like, “Damn, I wish I wrote that.” Because it was that good and that simple and that perfect. I think that those are the kind of sketches that get me really excited like, “Wow. It was that simple. And you found it.”
Tori Dunlap:
It reminds me of the Bill Hader plays an old guy and a hover round, and Cecily Strong on his lap. And of course, I don’t think this was supposed to happen, but they just completely knocked the set over. And again, Cecily Strong who never breaks is barely holding it together. And she’s like … It’s so funny. But they’re doing nothing. They’re doing nothing.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah.
Tori Dunlap:
Oh, it’s so good. Oh my God. Okay. You have other things to do, like go write. Okay, last question.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yep.
Tori Dunlap:
If you could go back in time and give yourself any advice, what would it be?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I think I would tell myself to be less competitive with other women. Yeah.
Tori Dunlap:
It’s going to make me a little teary. Yeah.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
I think I might tell myself …
Tori Dunlap:
They’re not your competition.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah. I think I just … and I still struggle with having a scarcity mindset when it comes to opportunities.
Tori Dunlap:
Again, with how competitive the industry is. It’s kind of hard not to.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Yeah. But I think I would try to tell myself that, and I might tell myself not to drink alcohol, but …
Tori Dunlap:
Yeah.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
But maybe those two. Oh, and get an OtterBox for your cell phone. That’s it.
Tori Dunlap:
I did drop mine coming out of a cab, and it’s fine because I think this is an OtterBox, so there you go.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Again. Costco, OtterBox.
Tori Dunlap:
Costco. Thank you. Thank you, Costco. This episode is sponsored by Costco. Thank you. Thanks for being here. Where can people find out more about you?
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Thank you for having me, Tori.
Tori Dunlap:
Yay.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
You can find me on social media if you want to. I’m Ceara Jane, C-E-A-R-A Jane O on Instagram, TikTok, but mostly listen to Petty Crimes. It’s a true crime comedy podcast I host where we investigate just petty drama every week, and it’s episodic. It’s easy listening. If you love reality TV and just gossip, you’ll like it.
Tori Dunlap:
Amazing. Thank you.
Ceara O’Sullivan:
Thanks, Tori.
Tori Dunlap:
Thank you so much to Ceara for joining us. You can listen to Petty Crimes, her incredible podcast, wherever you get your podcasts. You can watch SNL every single Saturday night. You can also follow her at CearaJaneO on IG. That is C-E-A-R-A J-A-N-E-O on Instagram. Thank you for sharing this episode. Thank you for listening. Thank you for supporting our show, as always, Financial Feminist, and we’ll see you back here very soon. Bye.
Thank you for listening to Financial Feminist, a Her First $100K podcast. Financial Feminist is hosted by me, Tori Dunlap, produced by Kristen Fields and Tamisha Grant. Researched by Sarah Sciortino. Audio and video Engineering by Alyssa Midcalf. Marketing and Operations by Karina Patel and Amanda Leffew. Special thanks to our team at Her First 100K, Kailyn Sprinkle, Masha Bakhmetyeva, Taylor Chou, Sasha Bonar, Rae Wong, Elizabeth McCumber, Claire Kurronen, Daryl Ann Ingram and Meghan Walker. Promotional graphics by Mary Stratton. Photography by Sarah Wolfe. And theme music by Jonah Cohen Sound.
A huge thanks to the entire Her First $100K community for supporting the show. For more information about Financial Feminist, Her First $100K, our guests and episode show notes, visit financialfeministpodcast.com. If you’re confused about your personal finances and you’re wondering where to start, go to herfirsthundredk.com/quiz for a free personalized money plan.
Tori Dunlap
Tori Dunlap is an internationally-recognized money and career expert. After saving $100,000 at age 25, Tori quit her corporate job in marketing and founded Her First $100K to fight financial inequality by giving women actionable resources to better their money. She has helped over five million women negotiate salaries, pay off debt, build savings, and invest.
Tori’s work has been featured on Good Morning America, the New York Times, BBC, TIME, PEOPLE, CNN, New York Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, BuzzFeed, and more.
With a dedicated following of over 2.1 million on Instagram and 2.4 million on TikTok —and multiple instances of her story going viral—Tori’s unique take on financial advice has made her the go-to voice for ambitious millennial women. CNBC called Tori “the voice of financial confidence for women.”
An honors graduate of the University of Portland, Tori currently lives in Seattle, where she enjoys eating fried chicken, going to barre classes, and attempting to naturally work John Mulaney bits into conversation.
