My Favorite Scene: 'Inside Amy Schumer' Co-Creator Dan Powell on the Emmy-Winning Boy Band Sketch

By
Comedy Central

No one loves a great scene more than the person who first
dreamed it up -- the writer. We're asking iconic shows' creators and writers to
tell ET all about getting to see their most cherished 
moment
on their series
 make it from script to screen.

For Inside
Amy Schumer co-creator and executive producer Dan Powell, it’s an
Emmy-winning sketch, “Girl, You Don’t Need Makeup,” from season three. Dubbed
by many as the “One Direction parody” -- for its similarities to the band’s hit
song “What Makes You Beautiful” -- the sketch skewered the hypocrisy surrounding
the
"no
makeup" movement
. And what may have started as a “joke within a
joke” for producer Jim Roach and the writers soon became the feminist satire of
the year.

The sketch also came early in season three, which
included celebrated episodes such as “
Last
F**kable Day
” and “12 Angry Men Inside Amy Schumer.” The show itself
went on to be nominated for seven Emmys and capped off a momentous year for
Schumer. Ahead of the home release of
season
four
, which earned four Emmy nominations, including a first for
budding
writer-actress
Claudia O'Doherty
, Powell looks back on his proudest moment from the
series.

MORE: My Favorite Scenes With 'The Mindy Project' Showrunner, 'BoJack Horseman' Creator and 'Girls' EP

Dan Powell,
Co-Creator and Execute Producer
“Girl, You Don’t Need Makeup,” Episode 2, Season 3

My favorite all-time Inside Amy Schumer sketch is “Girl, You Don’t Need Makeup,” from
our third season episode “Cool With It.”  

This video was a massive collaboration, and it’s an example
of every department on the show firing on all cylinders -- not just writing but
production design, casting, wardrobe, hair and makeup, choreography, camera
department, locations, and, of course, our incredible director Ryan McFaul and
cinematographer Jon Furmanski.  

The initial idea came from our writer Kurt Metzger, who also
wrote the first draft of the lyrics.  We paired him up with writer Kyle
Dunnigan, who has a music background, and Kyle began working out a basic melody
and structure for the song. The lyrics came back into the writers’ room
for punch-up and the entire staff pitched in on the jokes. Eventually, Kyle
pulled in his colleague Jim Roach to produce and record the final audio
track. 

The “boy band” in the music video was assembled from scratch
by our casting director Gayle Keller. We needed four guys who looked like
a convincing boy band, but who could also dance and lip sync flawlessly while
hitting the comic nuance. The first time we saw them rehearse the dance on
set, the entire staff burst into spontaneous applause and we knew this was
going to be a standout sketch.

One thing I especially love about the sketch is Amy’s
performance. It’s almost entirely wordless, so it’s all in her expressions
and reactions, and it’s just incredibly funny. Everyone knows how gifted
Amy is with dialogue, but this was able to show another side of her abilities.
 

Ultimately, the song won the Emmy for Best Original Music
& Lyrics. It was our first Emmy, given at the Creative Arts Awards a
week before we won for Best Variety Sketch Series. On the sketch’s YouTube
page there are lots of comments along the lines of “this would be a real hit
song if it wasn’t a sketch” and “does anyone know if this is a real boy band?” I
think that’s what I’m most proud of.   

Inside Amy Schumer
season four, including a look inside the writers’ room, is now available on DVD.