Comedic Arts students have had incredible opportunities to work with some of the biggest names in comedy. They’ve secured internships in production studios, improv theaters, late night shows, satirical magazines, comedy festivals, casting agencies, and more. Below are just some of the places that have hired our students as interns:
Los Angeles
- 3Arts Entertainment — A talent management and television/film production company that has produced shows such as King of the Hill, The Office, Parks and Recreation, The Mindy Project, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and American Vandal
- Upright Citizens Brigade LA — Improv theater known to produce top talent, founded by Amy Poehler, Matt Besser, Matt Walsh, and Ian Roberts. Notable alumni include Ilana Glazer, Abbi Jacobson, Seth Morris, Aubrey Plaza, Zach Woods, Ellie Kemper, Andrew Daly, Jason Mantzoukas, D'Arcy Carden, and Ben Schwartz.
- Groundlings Theatre & School — Cozy venue for an improvisation & sketch comedy troupe that launched many famous careers. Notable alumni include Will Farrell, Will Forte, Jennifer Coolidge, Melissa McCarthy, and more.
- Laugh Factory — Laugh Factory is a chain of comedy clubs, featuring performers such as Adam Devine, Bill Burr, Tiffany Haddish, Tig Notaro, Iliza Sleshinger, Chris D’Elia and more.
- The Comedy Store — A comedy club with several locations in southern California with performers such as Billy Crystal, Steve Martin, Larry David, Marc Maron, Jerry Seinfeld and more.
- Image Movers — Production company owned by Disney that has produced films such as Cast Away, What Lies Beneath, Polar Express.
- The Late Late Night Show with James Cordon — The Late Late Night Show with James Cordon is an entertainment talk show on CBS.
- Fox Entertainment — Fox Entertainment is a production company formed in 2019 after Fox's television studio, 20th Century Fox Television was acquired by Disney. They’ve produced shows such as The Masked Singer, The Prodigal Son, and BH90210.
- Funny or Die — Funny or Die is a comedy video website and film/television production company founded by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Mark Kvamme, and Chris Henchy
- Comedy Central Stage — Comedy club featuring stand up performers such as
- Jimmy Kimmel Live — Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC.
- United Talent Agency — Talent agency representing names such as Iliza Schlesinger, Ali Wong, Tiffany Haddish, and Awkwafina.
- Team Coco — The production team behind Conan on TBS show and the podcast "Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend."
- Jax Media — The production team behind Broad City, Difficult People, Younger and Inside Amy Schumer.
- Mythical Entertainment — A digital production company behind the popular YouTube show Good Mythical Morning.
- Point Grey Pictures — A production company run by Seth Rogan, responsible for such films as Good Boys, Blockers, and Sausage Party.
- ICM Partners — Talent agency that represents Jay Leno, Henry Winkler, Joe Mande, and many other big Emerson names in Comedy.
New York
- Upright Citizens Brigade NY — Improv theater known to produce top talent, founded by Amy Poehler, Matt Besser, Matt Walsh, and Ian Roberts. Notable alumni include Ilana Glazer, Abbi Jacobson, Seth Morris, Aubrey Plaza, Zach Woods, Ellie Kemper, Andrew Daly, Jason Mantzoukas, D'Arcy Carden, and Ben Schwartz.
- Reductress — Reductress is an American satire website that parodies the style, tone, and perspective of media targeted towards women, especially women's magazines.
- People's Improv Theatre — A comedy venue hosting nightly shows, corporate workshops, classes in performance, and writing attended by names such as Ellie Kemper, Kristen Schaal, and Hannibal Buress
- Girl Culture Films — Production company that focuses on bringing talented women directors to the commercial industry. Also develops non-fiction/fiction film and television projects for the networks, studios and streamers.
- Team Liquid — A leading worldwide professional eSports organization.
Boston
- Women in Comedy Festival — Boston’s annual festival featuring women and nonbinary comedians in improv, stand up, sketch, and film with performers such as Nikki Glazer, Wanda Sykes, Amy Sedaris, Emma Willman, and more.
- Boston Comedy Festival — An annual week-long festival in Boston featuring shows, podcasts, industry showcases, classes, and panels
- ImprovBoston — Improv theater in Cambridge that features improv, stand up, and sketch comedy
- Improv Asylum — Improv theater in Boston that features improv, stand up, and sketch performances every night of the week
- The Comedy Studio — A comedy club located in Somerville that features local, fresh talent
- Seacrest Studios — Operated through a gift from the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, Seacrest Studios produces 20+ hours of live programming for patients at Boston Children's Hospital.
Career Events at Emerson Los Angeles
Every semester, soon-to-be graduates of Emerson’s Comedic Arts program attend a panel of Emerson College alumni working in the comedy and entertainment industry, who offer a discussion filled with laughs and advice at our Los Angeles campus.
In recent years the panelists have included:
- Gabi Conti '09, host, writer, producer, journalist, and author, 20 Guys You Date in Your 20s
- Dicky Eagan '95, writer on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Falon
- Natalie Gergely '12, director of development at Abominable Pictures
- Adam Ginivisian '07, comedy agent and partner at ICM Partners
- Dina Hiller '00, head of development at Counterbalance Entertainment and former vice president of comedy development at Paramount
- Brian Liberman '12, senior talent manager, Studio71
- Jamie Loftus '14, a stand-up comedian, animator, podcaster, and writer on Robot Chicken
- Annie Mebane '03, television writer and executive producer, Community, Happy Endings, Atypical, The Goldbergs
- Michael Poisson '08, Emmy-nominated writer for Adult Sims' Robot Chicken
- Valentijn Sloot '12, talent agent with The Gersh Agency
- Kameron Tarlow '12, vice president of development and production at Two Shakes Entertainment