"I came back from vacation and Learney was dead. It was winter-time, and I think the windows were left open. I had assumed the gerbil had just died when I found him, so I attempted to give the gerbil CPR," said Slocum, who ended up putting dead Learney in the freezer for years of keeping.
Despite the gang's shenanigans, or possibly because of them, Slocum said that he learned everything he knows about comedy and performance from is time in Recess.
"There is no better education," Slocum said.
Having done commercials and acting for five years now, Slocum dubbed himself the second most-successful former Recess member.
"Hilary Winston is probably doing the best of all of us," Slocum said.
Winston said she enjoys her job as a writer for a hit NBC show.
"I have the best job in the world and I know I wouldn't be here if I hadn't done Recess," said the 1998 graduate who now works as a writer for the hit NBC show "My name is Earl."
After working for NPR, NBC, FX, Warner Brothers and various television programs, Winston landed her dream job writing for the comedy sitcom.
"It was my favorite pilot script that I had read, ever. I knew I wanted to write for that show," she said. "I got really lucky that the first show I got on was so successful. I'm lucky our writing staff is a family, and that's what Recess was."
Winston started work on the "My Name is Earl," which is in its third season, as a story editor and now does both behind-the-scenes writing and on-set work during the episode shooting process.
"Everything goes back to Recess," Winston said. "It was such a creative thing. In our heyday we rehearsed from 10 to 12 every night, and had a brand new show every Friday. It really became our lives."
Coming in as Slocum's pick for third most-successful Recess graduate, TJ Miller moved to Chicago to do improv comedy after graduation. After touring with The Second City comedy troupe for two years, becoming one of the advertising faces for Quaker Oats and making a career out of stand-up comedy, Miller caught his big break in Aspen at HBO's U.S. Comedy Arts Festival.
It was here, Miller said, that he "scored sweet management" with 3 Arts Entertainment, the company that also represents Tina Fey.
"The HBO Aspen Comedy Festival - they look at thousands of comedians and accept about 20. Really, nobody has gone out of Chicago to the festival, but this year four people got callbacks. I was the only one to make it into the festival," Miller said.
Miller will be in the area in April for the D.C. Comedy Festival, which he participates in every year. For this organization, like Learney the gerbil, the success of Recess alumni is a long-standing tradition.
Despite the gang's shenanigans, or possibly because of them, Slocum said that he learned everything he knows about comedy and performance from is time in Recess.
"There is no better education," Slocum said.
Having done commercials and acting for five years now, Slocum dubbed himself the second most-successful former Recess member.
"Hilary Winston is probably doing the best of all of us," Slocum said.
Winston said she enjoys her job as a writer for a hit NBC show.
"I have the best job in the world and I know I wouldn't be here if I hadn't done Recess," said the 1998 graduate who now works as a writer for the hit NBC show "My name is Earl."
After working for NPR, NBC, FX, Warner Brothers and various television programs, Winston landed her dream job writing for the comedy sitcom.
"It was my favorite pilot script that I had read, ever. I knew I wanted to write for that show," she said. "I got really lucky that the first show I got on was so successful. I'm lucky our writing staff is a family, and that's what Recess was."
Winston started work on the "My Name is Earl," which is in its third season, as a story editor and now does both behind-the-scenes writing and on-set work during the episode shooting process.
"Everything goes back to Recess," Winston said. "It was such a creative thing. In our heyday we rehearsed from 10 to 12 every night, and had a brand new show every Friday. It really became our lives."
Coming in as Slocum's pick for third most-successful Recess graduate, TJ Miller moved to Chicago to do improv comedy after graduation. After touring with The Second City comedy troupe for two years, becoming one of the advertising faces for Quaker Oats and making a career out of stand-up comedy, Miller caught his big break in Aspen at HBO's U.S. Comedy Arts Festival.
It was here, Miller said, that he "scored sweet management" with 3 Arts Entertainment, the company that also represents Tina Fey.
"The HBO Aspen Comedy Festival - they look at thousands of comedians and accept about 20. Really, nobody has gone out of Chicago to the festival, but this year four people got callbacks. I was the only one to make it into the festival," Miller said.
Miller will be in the area in April for the D.C. Comedy Festival, which he participates in every year. For this organization, like Learney the gerbil, the success of Recess alumni is a long-standing tradition.
