Two Stags turned late-night dreams into careers at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Becky Krause ’09 kickstarted her career as a sketch writer at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2016 after gaining experience as a production assistant and writer for MTV Promos. In her role at The Tonight Show, she works closely with Fallon and all departments to make the show’s on-air sketch comedy come to life. Krause described sketch writing as highly creative, team-oriented, and, of course, filled with laughter. “I’ll write a script, and we riff together: ‘What if we did this?’ or ‘What if this happened?’ Then, I go back and rewrite the script. It’s very collaborative,” she said.
Krause has written and produced segments for recurring bits including “Mad Lib Theater,” “Classroom Instruments,” and “What’s Behind Me?” Enthusiastic about her involvement in the entire process — from the initial idea to witnessing the audience’s enjoyment — she gave an example of a sketch she wrote called “Grab and Chat,” based on a personal encounter. While sitting with a fellow writer, the two had experienced an awkward yet humorous moment when the conversation began fading, so they grabbed someone walking by and asked, “Hey, what do you think of this?” to rekindle the dialogue. Two days later, a sketch based on the interaction came to life on the show. “One of the most exciting parts is that something in your brain could be written and then on the show that night, in front of millions of people,” said Krause, “performed by the most talented actors, singers, or comedians.”
In 2019, as a first-year student, Rebecca Walsh ’23 saw a flyer posted on campus for a trip to tour NBC Studios in New York City. Curious, she boarded the bus to 30 Rock. There, she was excited to find multiple Fairfield University alumni in the NBCUniversal Page Program, a competitive learning and development program for earlycareer professionals that offers rotations in different areas of the media industry. “Initially, when you’re thinking, ‘I’d love to work for The Tonight Show,’ you never really believe it could happen,” said Walsh. “But seeing people who went to the same school as me, I started to believe ‘I can do this too.’”
Inspired, Walsh immediately began working with Steph Gallo, the director of career planning for the College of Arts and Sciences, whom she had met during the trip. As a former employee of NBCUniversal herself, Gallo offered invaluable insight and guidance. Walsh began taking courses in film and television, eventually declaring communication as her major with minors in music and film, television, and media arts.
