• Presented by Hopkins at Home •
• Featuring Luke Kelly-Clyne, A&S '10, Josh Ruben, and Mark Swift, A&S '93 •
Join us this Halloween-season for a spirited exploration of how creators use fear and funny to make horror-comedy work.
Why do we love to scream and laugh—sometimes in the same breath? This panel brings together creators who live at the crossroads of fear and funny to unpack why these genres are natural partners and how to make the blend work. Emmy and NAACP Image Award–winning producer Luke Kelly-Clyne (A&S ’10), Head of Studio at Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat, moderates a craft-forward conversation with filmmaker Josh Ruben (Scare Me, Werewolves Within, Heart Eyes) and veteran screenwriter Mark Swift (A&S ’93; Freddy vs. Jason, Friday the 13th). They’ll explore the shared DNA of horror and comedy—surprise, tension, release—and how tone, timing, and character turn a jolt into a laugh (and back again).
Expect candid stories from set and writers’ rooms; practical tips on building set-ups and payoffs; guidance on pitching horror-comedy in today’s market; and reflections on working across platforms—from studio features to streamers and podcasts. We’ll also touch on ratings and audience expectations, collaborating with actors and effects teams, and the business of positioning a project so it’s scary enough for genre fans and inviting enough for comedy lovers. Come curious, bring your questions, and leave with tools you can use on your next script, short, or pitch.
About
Luke Kelly-Clyne, A&S '10Luke is an Emmy and NAACP Image Award-winning producer, writer, director, and Head of Studio at Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat. He oversees all of the company’s film and TV projects, including Netflix’s “72 Hours,” Roku’s Emmy and NAACP Image Award-nominated, and WGA Award-winning “Die Hart” series, Netflix’s NAACP Image Award-nominated “Kevin Hart & Chris Rock: Headliners Only,” Cannes Golden Lion-winning documentary “Group Therapy,” Hulu’s WGA Award-nominated “Prom Dates,” E!’s “Celebrity Prank Wars,” Peacock’s Emmy-winning “Olympic Highlights with Kevin Hart & Kenan Thompson,” and many more. Before joining Hartbeat, Luke served as President at Propagate Content’s comedy studio, Big Breakfast, where he was Executive Producer of the company’s slate of unscripted and scripted feature, TV, and digital projects including: Paramount’s “Out Of Office” and “Cursed Friends," HBO Max’s Critics Choice Award-nominated “Million Dollar Wheels,” truTV’s “Double Cross with Blake Griffin,” Comedy Central’s “Loafy,” Facebook Watch’s Telly Award-winning "I Want My Phone Back," NAACP Image Award-winning “Daring Simone Biles,” Roku and MotorTrend’s ”Kevin Hart’s Muscle Car Crew,” and Pop TV's "Hot Date,” on which he also served as showrunner. From 2013-2016, Luke ran Native Content at CollegeHumor where he created and ran several of the brand’s most successful digital series. During this time, he was also a Freelance Contributing Writer to Weekend Update on "Saturday Night Live.” He authored the long-running Vulture column, "Funny Videos of the Month" and hosted the HeadGum podcast, "I'm Still Right.” Luke is a guest lecturer in the Film and Media Studies department at Johns Hopkins University. He is a member of the Writers Guild of America, the Producers Guild of America, and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. He was named on NextTV’s 2024 40 Under 40 LA list.
About
Josh RubenJosh Ruben is an award-winning writer, producer, actor & director. His critically acclaimed directorial debut, SCARE ME, premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. His second feature, WEREWOLVES WITHIN premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival and won a Midseason Hollywood Critics Association Award for “Best Indie." Both films were distributed by IFC. For Netflix, Josh directed segments of DEATH TO 2021 starring Lucy Liu, Cristin Milioti and Joe Keery. Ruben also directed (and cameos in) all 10 episodes of Funny or Die & Spotify's narrative podcast series, THE LAST DEGREE OF KEVIN BACON starring Rob Reiner, Kyra Sedgwick, Lamorne Morris, and Bacon as himself. He directed all six episodes of Kevin Hart's HART TO KILL starring J.K. Simmons, Kathryn Hahn, Natahlie Emmanuel, and Hart as himself, which garnered several Emmy nominations. As an actor, Josh is known for his appearances on Dropout TV’s popular MAKE SOME NOISE. He’s also acted in several SHUDDER originals, including Travis Stevens’ A WOUNDED FAWN, which received rave reviews after its 2023 TriBeCa Film Festival premiere, Noah Segan's BLOOD RELATIVES, and season one of THE CREEP TAPES opposite Mark Duplass. Josh’s studio feature film, HEART EYES, from the producers of SCREAM and M3GAN, broke box office records on its second weekend in theatres and is now streaming on Netflix. He has several films in development for Sony, Mattel, Lionsgate, and others.
About
Mark Swift, A&S '93With over 25 years experience as a working screenwriter, Mark Swift (along with his writing partner Damian Shannon) has written in nearly every genre for every studio. Their credits include BAYWATCH (2017) starring Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Zac Efron, the box office hits FRIDAY THE 13th (2009) and FREDDY VS JASON (2003) and were the first writers on the animated hit SHARK TALE (2004). Their latest is the comedic horror thriller SEND HELP starring Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien, directed by Sam Raimi, which will be released theatrically January 30, 2026 from 20th Century Studios. Projects still in development include THE LAST VAN HELSING for Legendary Entertainment, a modern retelling of A CHRISTMAS CAROL for the Russo Brother's AGBO studios, a live-action prequel to the animated classic Aladdin entitled GENIE for Disney, a redo of the sci-fi action war film STARSHIP TROOPERS for Sony based on the novel by Robert Heinlein, and their original tentpole BERMUDA TRIANGLE for Skydance / Paramount studios, among many others. They are currently writing a remake of the 1978 horror classic MAGIC starring Anthony Hopkins and Ann Margaret, with production expected to begin in the Fall of 2026.