While Guy Branum ’01 may not practice law, he knows how to play a lawyer. His role in the Apple TV comedy “Platonic,” alongside stars like Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne, showcases his comedic talent, but behind the scenes, his law degree comes in handy.
“My great contribution to television is stopping people from saying, ‘When we were interns at the law firm,’” he explains on a video call from his home in West Hollywood. “There aren't interns at the law firm; there are law clerks or summer associates.”
The writer, comedian, and actor has worked in Hollywood for over two decades. He recently won an Emmy for his writing on season three of “Hacks,” the critically acclaimed HBO show about a veteran comedian (Jean Smart) teaming up with an up-and-coming comedy writer (Hannah Einbinder). He had just started a comedy tour this spring when the invite came to work on the show’s fifth season, meaning he had to cancel all his summer plans, including touring.
“This idea of fictionalizing a female comic of the sort that I had worked for in various capacities over the years was really interesting and exciting,” he says about joining the “Hacks” writers’ room. “You're having to balance emotional truth, you're having to keep the show grounded, but then you are also having to reflect on a character who is outsized and amazing, and also a person who is an artist. Trying to write stand-up for a television show that feels like stand-up is one of the hardest things possible because of how well you must know the character.”
Branum has an impressive Hollywood portfolio, with a slew of acting, writing and producing credits along with several accolades, including an Emmy, Golden Globe, and awards from the Producers Guild of America and Writers Guild of America.
Even though Branum has found success in comedy, his path wasn’t always clear, especially at Minnesota Law, home to some pivotal moments in his life.
Learning to Ask for Help
It’s been a bumpy ride to self-acceptance for Branum, who grew up in the rural Northern California town of Yuba City. After earning his undergraduate degree at Berkeley, Branum felt pressure from his parents to pursue a professional degree, which led him to explore law school.
It was during his time at Minnesota Law when Branum decided to go public with his sexuality. He described seeing his classmates in a loving, romantic relationship and realizing he would never have anything like that unless he came out as gay.
“After four years in the Bay Area, which should have been a nice, supportive place to do it…I benefited from a different kind of support and distance that were evident in Minnesota,” he says. “I was emotionally exploding all over the place, and my professors and fellow students didn't always know how to deal with me, but they were always so willing and present. They helped me out when I needed it. Minnesota was the place where I learned to ask for help.”
Minnesota was just one stop on his rollercoaster of a journey filled with incredible experiences, growth, and, most importantly, comedy.
Mixing Law and Comedy
After law school, Branum returned to the Bay Area, where he started doing stand-up comedy. Eventually, he hosted and wrote for a cable TV show about video games. From there, he went on to contribute to late-night shows, host his own talk show, write for sitcoms, and publish a memoir, My Life as a Goddess.
Branum’s law school education has proven to be a valuable asset to his comedy career. His legal knowledge often comes in handy when addressing legal issues in a show. A particular legal writing class he took at Minnesota Law emphasized the importance of brevity, a lesson he applies to his writing to this day.
“My professors were emphatic about language being as plain and direct as possible,” he says. “That has been astoundingly valuable as a writer who frequently needs their action lines to be as simple as possible.
“Law is all about integrating a fact pattern with a legal pattern,” Branum continues. “That is helpful for writing jokes because it makes you nimble in the way that you can understand how the facts you are dealing with fit into a structure. It's all about structuring information and what you choose to make explicit and leave implicit.”
For Branum, his comedy writing is rooted in love. He’s especially proud of the roles of actor and writer he played in the 2022 queer romantic comedy movie “Bros.”
“What you're trying to do as a comedian is put all of the things you can do in the same place as much as possible,” he says. “That’s what was so great about working on 'Bros.' I was acting in it, but also there as the on-set punch-up person. Nick Stoller is a straight director who chose to do something that was very much about the queer community – he did a beautiful job listening and working with queer creators and the queer cast. My job was to be a doula for him in that process.”
Branum has battled adversity and felt like he didn’t fit a specific mold that was needed to find success in the entertainment industry. But he kept embracing his values, working on self-acceptance, and continuously finding spaces where his talent was valued. When asked what advice he’d give current law students getting ready to launch their careers, Branum says to be “nimble.”
“Many of the people I graduated with are still attorneys, but many of them have taken the skills they learned and used those to become lobbyists, business people, politicians,” he says. “The law is a moving, growing thing. Remember your capacity to move and grow as your career grows – you define the terms of your success.”