Mere hours before the first act takes the stage, I checked in with the man of the hour, , aka the guy accountable for keeping the SketchfestNYC dream alive and making the show happen this year.

As the new executive producer of SketchfestNYC this year, tell me about your day to day role in the fest?

I'm responsible for making sure the whole damn thing from pre to post-festival goes right. Whether that means delegating tasks or doing things myself, the buck stops at me and it just has to get done somehow, right? It's been a buttload of work but I love this kind of amorphous event and festival management work, especially when it pays $0.

What experience did you have coming into this and what's been the biggest challenge so far?

Well, among many years of producing independent comedy tours and shows (mostly improv), I also started a comedy festival in 2002 called in my native Austin, TX and since then I've executive produced it every year but the two I was in Chicago. That festival is actually much larger than SF NYC and has taught me a lot about the challenges and joys of running a festival. You have to be a master of all trades and a jack of none, and I'm hoping my time at both of these important annual events, OOB and SF, will only enhance my continued time at the other. The biggest challenge has been coming into an established scene and staff and finding myself up against some precedence and not knowing exactly how important some of that history is. But the staff, comprised of almost all veteran SketchFest staffers, has been amazing and very understanding of my trepidations. They put a lot of trust in me, even though some of them had never even met me, and that was totally badass of them and allowed us to put together an awesome lineup.

Which shows are you most excited for?

is going to be amazing. Anyone who has any interest in or respect for the craft of sketch comedy needs to shut and listen when the guy who wrote on SNL for nearly 30 years starts talking. All the other shows tie for second.

One of my favorite things about Sketchfest NYC in previous years has been the party atmosphere backstage. That's still happening, right? What's the beer and snack sitch looking like?

Pshsh, please. SketchFest is somewhat notorious for throwing tons of food and candy and beer at performers. This year will be no exception, believe me.