Ever notice how your favorite celebrities who are guests on Ellen or Jimmy Kimmel or Stephen Colbert share stories about their lives? That’s because producers ask the stars to come armed with a few stories the host can lead them into. Producers know that storytelling is an essential device to connect viewers to the show and to its hosts and guests.

Here’s an example of preparing stories in advance. I spent some time producing James and Sunda for JLTV. The show was extremely low budget and we all worked on it basically just for the fun of it! These guys, James Harris and Sunda Croonquist are Jewish comedians who had a weekly talk show on the network.  I spent many weeks working with these two, in studio and on location around the country. They are brilliant comics. And they’re brilliant storytellers.  Notice how they take turns telling the story. It’s fascinating. Watch: