"Community" Press Kit

STRATEGY
Because it is about a community college,
the natural target for Community is college
students and recent graduates. However, this
is a rather limited demographic. Because the
characters on Community are so varied in age
and backgrounds - for example, the near-elderly
Pierce goes to school with recent high school
graduates Annie and Troy - there is a wide range
of markets to which Community can appeal. We
will be targeting people from the ages of 18 to 34
as the primary market, as they are most likely
to appreciate the bizarre humor. The secondary
target market is people aged 35 to 50.
We will be focusing on appealing to people of
all sexes and ethnicities, as the cast of Community
is very diverse. Of the 8 main characters, two
are black, two are of Asian descent, and one is
Jewish. This means that viewers will likely identify
with at least one of the characters for one reason
or another.
The most difficult demographic to appeal
to will be those who watch the show with their
families. Community is not a graphically violent or
sexual show, but their are sexual references and
many bizarre plots that may not please the whole
family. However, family plays a role in the show;
Shirley, for instance, is getting a degree so that
she may better provide for her two children,
and Abed’s relationship with his parents will be
explored over the course of the season. Because
of these inclusions, among others, it is expected
that families will ultimately have a reason to
watch Community together.

To All Press:
NBC’s newest sitcom, “Community,” is set to air September 17 at 8:30. The show was created by Dan Harmon and
features the Russo Brothers of “Arrested Development” as producers.
Set in the fictional Greendale, Colorado, “Community” brings viewers to the offbeat Greendale Community Col-
lege, where former defense attorney Jeff Winger (Joel McHale, “The Soup”) must attend after being disbarred by his firm,
who found out he forged his law degree. He focuses his efforts on seducing Britta Perry (Gillian Jacobs) an activist who
dropped out of high school. He invites her to his nonexistent Spanish study group, but his plans to be alone with her are
foiled when she brings along the socially awkward pop culture junkie Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi).
Rounding out the study group are several others characters: the former star athlete Troy Barnes (Donald Glover,
“30 Rock”), the ambitious former painkiller addict Annie Edison (Alison Brie, “Mad Men”), the middle-aged divorcee
Shirley Bennett (Yvette Nicole Brown, “Drake & Josh”), and the retired entrepreneur and seven-time divorced Pierce
Hawthorne (Chevy Chase, “Saturday Night Live”). While Jeff is reluctant to associate with these classmates at first, he ulti-
mately realizes they are of more value to him than he thought, and so together they form a community.
Enclosed is a press kit including several talent bios, productions notes, a feature bio, and marketing strategy. If you
are interested in more information or setting up an interview with the cast or crew, please contact Mollie Wiener by phone
at (585) 746-5127.
Best,
Mollie Wiener
NBC’S NEW COMEDY SERIES “COMMUNITY” TO PREMIERE SEPTEMBER 17.
LOS ANGELES – JULY 9, 2009 – “Community,” NBC’s newest show, is a half-hour sitcom. Created by Dan Harmon,
this show will premiere on Tuesday, October 3 at 8:30.
“Community” brings viewers to the offbeat Greendale Community College in Colorado, where classes like “History
of Ice Cream” and “Theoretical Phys Ed” are offered to students for actual college credits. While the structure of the
college isn’t conventional, the characters find a way to study and learn about themselves along the way.
Former defense attorney Jeff Winger (Joel McHale, “The Soup”) must attend Greendale after being disbarred by his
firm, who found out he forged his law degree. Self-absorbed and apathetic to the notion of actually learning something,
Jeff spends more time trying to seduce classmate Britta Perry (Gillian Jacobs) than studying. After inviting Britta, an
activist who dropped out of high school, to his nonexistent Spanish study group, his plans are foiled when she brings
along the socially awkward pop culture junkie Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi).
Abed brings along a few classmates, too – the former star athlete Troy Barnes (Donald Glover, “30 Rock”), the am-
bitious former painkiller addict Annie Edison (Alison Brie, “Mad Men”), the middle-aged divorcee Shirley Bennett
(Yvette Nicole Brown, “Drake & Josh”), and the retired entrepreneur and seven-time divorced Pierce Hawthorne
(Chevy Chase, “Saturday Night Live”). While Jeff is reluctant to associate with these classmates at first, he ultimately
realizes they are of more value to him than he thought, and so together they form a community.
AIRDATE RELEASECOVER LETTER

PRODUCTION NOTES
Because of its abundant references to other
television shows and films, “Community” is the type
of show that one can watch over and over again
and still find something new each time. Pop-culture
enthusiast Abed Nadir makes his affinity for making
references clear from the start, with a dramatic
recitation of a monologue from “The Breakfast
Club” in the Pilot. The show even uses its own cast as
inspiration for its referential humor. In one episode,
Abed poses as Don Draper to seduce Annie, who is
played by Alison Brie. Brie also has a recurring role
as Trudy Campbell on AMC’s “Mad Men.” “We all
love pop culture, so we wanted to include it in our
show,” showrunner Dan Harmon said. “It turned out
to set the tone for the whole series in a big way.”
FOR THE LOVE OF REFERENCES
At the time, Harmon felt he had “nothing to
gain from them and nothing to offer them.” He soon
realized, however, that they were just as human
and interested in doing well as he was. As he puts it,
“I was in this group with these knuckleheads and I
started really liking them.” The initial self-centered
outlook inspired Harmon to created Jeff Winger,
who - just liked Harmon did - comes around to
appreciate his fellow classmates more than he ever
thought he would.
With so many characters, the major challenge of
getting “Community” off the ground was casting.
Creator Dan Harmon said, “casting was 95 percent of
putting the show together.” Harmon had worked with
Joel McHale, John Oliver, and Chevy Chase before –
the latter of whom was particularly fond of Harmon’s
work, which was the only reason he was convinced to
take a role in a sitcom. The casting of the show turned
out to be a success, thanks to the improvisational skills
of several of the actors. Of Chase, Harmon says “he
tends to come up with lines that you can actually end
scenes with,” and adds “it’s incredible what these guys
are capable of.” The chemistry and humor of the cast
strive to make the show all the more likable.
A BUNCH OF KNUCKLEHEADS
Though “Community” creator and show runner
Dan Harmon may never have lied about his Spanish
proficiency, he did base the premise of the show on
his own experiences at Glendale Community College
in Los Angeles. He and fellow members of his class
– Spanish 101, of course – got together for a study
group that Harmon was at first unhappy with.
FUNNY GUYS

BIOS
Triple-threat Donald Glover plays Troy
Barnes, a former high school star athlete
making a new start for himself at Greendale
on NBC’s new comedy series “Community.”
Viewers may know Glover from “30 Rock,”
where he served as a staff writer.
Glover is also a founding member of the
Internet sketch comedy show “DERRICK
Comedy,” and he tours and performs stand-up
comedy; his first special aired in March 2010
on Comedy Central.
In addition to being an actor, Glover is a
rapper under the stage name “Childish
Gambino.” He recently released two mix
tapes, and he is set to release a new album
next year.
Glover was born in California and moved
to Atlanta at the age of 4. He attended New
York University’s Dramatic Writing program
at Tisch. He also studied improvisation and
comedy writing with the Upright Citizen’s
Brigade Theatre, where he improvised with
performers such as Amy Poehler and Horatio
Sanz.
Glover currently resides in Los Angeles.
Donald Glover
Ken Jeong stars at Senor Ben Chang, the easily
aggravated Spanish professor in NBC’s new sitcom
“Community.” Jeong is best known to audiences as
Mr. Chow in the hit comedy film “The Hangover.”
Jeong saw his feature film debut as a doctor in
“Knocked Up,” which established him as a prominent
comedy actor and earned him roles in “Pineapple
Express” and “Step Brothers.”
In 1995, Jeong moved to Los Angeles where he began
performing regularly at the Improv and Laugh
Factory. He appeared on a number of television
series, including NBC’s “The Office,” “Entourage,”
and “MADtv.”
After receiving his undergraduate degree at Duke
University, Jeong went on to attain his medical
degree at the University of North Carolina. He
completed his residence in New Orleans while
developing his comedy concurrently.
Jeong currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife
and twin daughters.
Ken Jeong
Alison Brie
Alison Brie stars as Annie Edison, an
ambitious but tightly-wound student in
NBC’s new comedy “Community.”
Audiences will recognize Brie from AMC’s
“Mad Men,” on which she has a recurring
role as Trudy Campbell. Brie has also had
roles as Amber in “Hot Sluts,” Rebecca in
“My Alibi,” and Nina on “Hannah Montana.”
Brie was born in Hollywood and raised
in the suburb of South Pasadena in Los
Angeles, California. She took interest
in acting at an early age and began
performing in community theatre shows
at the Los Feliz Jewish Community Center.
After graduating from high school in
2001, she pursued her BFA in Acting at the
California Institute of the Arts.
Brie currently lives in Los Angeles.

Joel McHale – A Friendly Face After All
Comedian and actor Joel McHale’s face has been described by fans and critics alike as “punchable,” and at first
glance, it’s not hard to understand why. Since 2004, he’s hosted the weekly E! series The Soup, in which he makes snarky
and satirical comments about various recent pop culture happenings. Even if you’re not an avid pop culture junkie, you’ve
probably come across “The Soup” or at least a clip of it given that it’s the third highest rated show on the network. In it,
McHale stands in front of a green screen spouting off sarcastic remarks and sports a smug expression throughout the du-
ration of the show.
It is no surprise, then, that the upcoming NBC comedy “Community” stars McHale as Jeff Winger, a former
defense attorney whose license is suspended when his firm finds out that his law degree is fraudulent. Forced to attend a
local community college in the hopes of quickly receiving a real degree and returning to his beloved job, the vain and sar-
castic Jeff focuses more on sleeping with attractive women and cheating on tests than actually learning something, making
his character quite the unlikeable protagonist at the opening of the show. This characterization seems to be fairly consis-
tent with the public perception of McHale as a person, and I make sure to focus on this perception when I have the chance
to sit down with him for an interview.
We meet at a small restaurant in West Hollywood. It’s a family oriented café that’s surprisingly free of the glitz and
glamour associated with the area. “I come here a lot. They have my favorite coffee in the neighborhood,” he explains to me
as we sit down and receive our menus. He doesn’t need to look at it once, I notice. The waitress who serves us seems to
know him, not just because of his status as a celebrity, but because of the frequency with which he visits this place. They
give each other smiles as greetings and make small talk while he gives me a second to look over the menu.
Once we’ve received our food – a ham and prosciutto sandwich, complete with a side of potato chips, for him – I
ask him the most pressing question on my mind: “so, how do you feel about people wanting to punch you in the face?”
He laughs. “Is that what people say?” His tone drips with irony, showing that he’s fully aware of the unlikeable
image he has, perhaps unintentionally, put forth. “It’s strange. I don’t think I’m that bad of a guy, but apparently everyone
else seems to think so. I do put on a very sarcastic front when I’m hosting The Soup, and people seem to think I’m a poor
man’s Ryan Seacrest, so I guess that’s where the animosity stems from. It’s really all part of the program though, when I’m
on The Soup,” he explains.
He pauses to take a bite of his sandwich, and his facial expression shows that he clearly enjoys it. “They never get it
wrong here,” he comments after swallowing, wiping the corner of his mouth with a napkin. “Anyway, where were we? Oh,
people want to punch me. That’s right,” he chuckles. “Yeah, so I think people dislike the version of me that’s on The Soup
because I seem smug and cocky. If they knew how nervous I was when I’m up there, maybe they’d reconsider that point of
view.”
“Nervous?” I ask, encouraging him to elaborate.
“Yeah,” he says after taking a sip of coffee (taken with one sugar, no milk). “I’m dyslexic, and for The Soup, I have
to read off a teleprompter. It’s a huge struggle, sometimes, trying to be witty while also needing to concentrate really hard
on what I’m reading and trying to say it at the same time. Maybe that’s why I come across less charming and more arro-
gant. It’s also hard to seem nice and sweet when you’re making fun of people.”
“But that’s the job,” I reason. “People shouldn’t blame you for doing your job, right?”
“I guess not,” he shrugs after a brief moment of contemplation. “People think what they think; I can’t always con-
trol that.”
“Do you watch any of the programs that you’re so often making fun of on television?”
“No, not really,” he admits. This comes as a surprise to me. “I’m not a fan of reality television. I’m a fan of good
television, which reality television rarely is. That’s why it’s so fun to make jokes about it, but it can be exhausting too, hav-
ing to think so much about shows that are just so morally bankrupt.”
“Is that why you took a role in Community?”
“Absolutely,” McHale says. “It’s a bit of a departure for me, though it’s still in the realm of comedy. It’s a great show.
I’m really excited for people to see it.” Once he finishes his chips, I encourage him to speak more on his upcoming series.
“I play a smug lawyer. Pretty outlandish, right?” We both laugh. “But you’ll see as the series progresses, there’s more than
meets the eye, not just for Jeff Winger, but for all of the characters. The show gets weirder as it goes on. That’s part of the
fun.”
“Are you similar to Jeff?”
“A little,” he says. “I like to think I’m a little more likeable. But he cheated his way to getting a law degree, and I
cheated on tests in school because of the whole dyslexia thing. But other than that, I’m not as selfish as Jeff. He can be
pretty self-absorbed, and it pisses his classmates off a lot. But also, at the end of the day, he often swoops in and saves
everyone from terrible situations, showing that he may be a jerk, but he’s really a jerk with a heart of gold.”
“That should be interesting to see unfold on the show,” I say.
“I think so,” he nods emphatically. “It’s really something else, I think – the whole show, I mean.” He appears so
caught up in his feelings about the show that he needs to pause to collect his thoughts. It’s something that surprises me,
given his on-screen confidence. Would others think he was so punchable if they saw him like this?
“What’s your favorite part of working on the show?”
“Oh, the cast,” he says immediately. “Everyone is so great. We’ve become a family. That’s trite, but there’s no other
way to say it. We have so much fun. And Dan Harmon is such a brilliant writer. Like I said, the show gets more bizarre as
it goes on, and Dan is the reason for that. That guy is insane. You ask him if he wants a glass of water, and thirty minutes
later he’s still answering your question. I’ve never met anyone like him, but he’s great. I can’t imagine the show without
him.”
When we’ve wrapped up our meal and make our way outside the restaurant, he turns to me. “So, do you want
to punch me in the face now that you’ve gotten to know me?” The question is accompanied by an amiable smile, but
underneath it I wonder if I’m picking up on just a little bit of insecurity. It must be hard to be hated, even if it’s just for an
act.
“No,” I smile back.
“Whew,” he says, pretending to wipe sweat off of his brow for added effect. “That’s comforting!”
He gives me a hug – an unintentionally intimidating gesture, given that he’s 6’4” – as a way of saying goodbye,
and thanks me for the interview.
So there you have it. Joel McHale: a neighborhood café frequenter, sandwich lover, and nervous teleprompter
reader – maybe not such a jerk after all. Let’s leave Joel McHale’s face alone, everyone. No punching.

WHAT COMMUNITY CHARACTER ARE YOU?
1) Which of the following majors interests you
the most?
a) Cinema
b) Psychology
c) Law
d) Chemistry
e) Business
2) Pick a television show.
a) Mad Men
b) Parks and Recreation
c) Breaking Bad
d) Game of Thrones
e) Friends
3) What are you doing on a Friday night?
a) Partying
b) Baking
c) Working on a film
d) Studying
e) Working out
4) What clique do you associate with?
a) Punks
b) Jocks
c) Nerds
d) Popular kids
e) I don’t believe in cliques
5) Pick a fashion trend.
a) Leather jackets
b) Graphic tees
c) Anything designer
d) Cardigans
e) Bomber jackets
6) Pick a place to relax.
a) A bar
b) Coffee shop
c) The library
d) A sports game
e) At home
You’re ambitious and
hard-working, and you’d rather
spend your free time with your
nose in a book than anywhere
else. Maybe you’ve gone off
the deep end once or twice, but
you always come back to put
your best foot forward. Your
go-getter attitude will take you
far - maybe just remember to
relax once in a while.
YOU ARE: ANNIE EDISON!
CREATIVE COLLATERAL PIECE

ONLINE STRATEGY
Because Greendale’s motto is “You’re Already
Accepted,” the online activation for Community
will be “Greendale.edu,” which will allow fans to
log onto the website and “apply” to Greendale.
Once accepted, they can take a quiz to find out
what major best suits them, and they will get a
corresponding course schedule. These majors and
classes will highlight the zaniness of Greendale.
Users of this site can talk to other members via the
chat function or share their Greendale activity
through various social media, like Twitter and
Facebook. This will hopefully encourage others to
sign up and become Greendale students as well.

"Community" Press Kit

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