We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dina Gusovsky a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Dina thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I had a pretty comfortable and stable career as an Investigative Reporter/Journalist. I’d broken big stories and had received accolades, but there was always something drawing me to comedy. After years of hustling, I got an opportunity to join the Writing team at Late Night with Seth Meyers. It felt thrilling but also terrifying. I wasn’t a spring chicken anymore and I had no idea what to expect in this new position — but I’m so thankful I took the risk. Sure there were bumps in the road — there always are — but I also knew this wasn’t a road too many people get to travel (apologies for all the cliches, feeling sentimental!) and so I tried to approach each challenge with a healthy amount of gratitude and fear. But mostly fear.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am an award-winning Journalist and six-time Emmy award-losing Writer and Performer at Late Night with Seth Meyers. For over seven years, I wrote sketches and long-form segments mainly focused on making politics seem less depressing. I also write and develop TV series, features, documentaries and do standup. If you have more questions about the standup, I’ll probably ask you to come to my next show. Consider that a warning. Or a threat.

Prior to Late Night, I was an Investigative Reporter at CNBC and other Fake News media outlets like Bloomberg and CNN — where I was the youngest employee at 20 years old.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect is connecting with people I don’t even know and vice versa. We’re all so different but we all share common human experiences — love, loss, pain, joy. It’s always fulfilling when I tell a story and the person on the receiving end says: “I can totally relate.” It makes us feel less alone —whether you’re the storyteller or the viewer.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The mission is always to entertain. Give people an escape — life is so difficult and I’d love for us to forget that for a minute or three.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @DinaGusovsky
• Facebook: Dina Gusovsky
• Linkedin: Dina Gusovsky
• Twitter: @DinaGusovsky

Image Credits

Lloyd Bishop/NBC