Jason Chin is busy these days. He is directing a new incarnation of The Movie at iO, shooting a pilot for NBC's new online tv network, creating a new improv message board, and continues to improvise with iO house team MetaFive. The Bastion caught up with Jason via email over the last couple of days. Here are his thoughts about some of the projects with which he is involved.

KYLE IN A COMA:
"Whirled News Tonight is very proud to be working with NBC/Universal to create a web-based comedy series. We're writing, directing, and starring in a show we created!

"NBC/Universal did a nationwide search and asked several comedy (sketch & improv) groups to pitch wepisodic series ideas. Whirled News Tonight pitched several ideas and they liked Arnie Niekamp's black comedy of 'Kyle in a Coma.' The Whirled News Tonight cast is writing, starring and directing the series. John Glynn is going to be our first director, then I'll do some and then other cast members as well. We just shot our first 'pilot' and it should hit Dotcomedy.com around the end of the month! We're very excited about this project."

Arnie Niekamp, the apparent originator of the Kyle in a Coma concept, wrote about the surreal shooting experience on his blog A Year of Working .

According to NBC's press release, the premise of the show is that "Kyle is in a coma -- and many of his friends are dedicated to spending a lot of time in his hospital room until he comes out of it. Boredom sets in pretty quickly, and people fall prey to the same wacky stuff they normally do. The only problem now is that they're doing it next to the body of their comatose friend."

The focus of the programming on the new channel will be original, web-exclusive material developed specifically for DotComedy. NBC says that in addition to in-house content, there will be an opportunity for user-generated viral submissions. The site will also feature classic comedy shows such as "Coach" and clips from "Saturday Night Live."

THE MOVIE:
The improvised movie began as an elective class taught by Chin at iO, and is now enjoying a Tuesday night run of shows in The Cabaret.

"The Movie was a huge part of iO when I first started. The form has a tendency to become very self-indulgent and egocentric. The group I'm working with, 'Our Feature Presentation,' is devoted to using the form techniques to heighten OTHER people's moves and characters, and to further the story instead of just doing movie-based bits. We added a Booth Person who manipulates the lights and underscores with pop tunes (a la Wes Anderson, Tarentino, etc.). Also, there's free popcorn. Come see if we're successful on Tuesdays at 8pm at the iO theater."

THE NEW MESSAGE BOARD:
What was the impetus?

"I have had an online improv news and/or journal for almost 9 nine years. I was the initiating force behind
the creation of the CIN board; I gathered the original creators (Dave Gilley, Chris McAvoy, Jeff Griggs, Steve Gadlin) and together we started it. I left the administration of that board over some admin and creative differences. To paraphrase Roger Ebert (who, I believe was paraphrasing someone else) 'The best
response to a movie you don't like is to make your own.'"

FAVORITE THINGS and THINGS TO COME:
"I prefer performing with small casts with longer running times. I'm doing MetaFive right now, which typically is only 3 or 4 people for 40 minutes. I'm looking to do more projects with 4 or less people.

"I'd have to say I'm very proud of just about everything [I've done]. The work I did at iO as Director of the Training Center, overseeing the explosive growth in the early 2000s, adding the iO Annex, managing the sea change between teaching generations.

"Dinner for Six is an improvised romantic comedy that espouses slow, relationship-based scenework and will be returning soon. Whirled News Tonight has been improvising satire for three years straight! I was very proud of my recent scripted Halloween shows. I better stop here. Otherwise I'll just keep naming stuff. I'm very proud."

Deservedly, Jason Chin.

-Mackenzie Condon