investigative entertainment Producer
Caveat NYC
140-seat venue, live podcast recording location, and production company for nerdy nightlife on the Lower East Side, NYC
As co-founder and creative producer, I established our slate of original research-based entertainment, took pitches and developed shows, hired and managed a 25 person staff, and oversaw production for 60 shows per month. I recruited high-profile comedians, scientists, journalists and experts to join our shows such as George Takei, Phoebe Robinson, Jordan Klepper, and Ilana Glazer. In March 2020, I spearheaded our abrupt transition to all-remote live shows (you know, for fun). Over three years we built a coalition of nerds and performers dedicated to getting a little bit smarter and a little bit drunker.
PODCASTS
Space bus podcast
SpaceBus is an Educational Adventure Podcast with a mission to launch kids to school, even if their desk is the kitchen table. This free remote learning resource helps parents & teachers start their elementary-aged kids’ school day on the right foot with 6 minute episodes featuring exciting scientific experts and a fun cast of characters!
As producer, I was recruited by a team of Nickelodeon alumni to refine the original concept, identify exciting scientific topics and experts, interview experts, and give notes on scripts.
After self-producing a great first season, we’re seeking network partners or sponsors for season 2!
Nevertheless She existed podcast
Recorded at Caveat in NYC, each episode brings the story of an erased woman from history right to your earbuds. You'll hear the tales of gay nuns burned as witches, the queen of thieves in 1800s NYC, and the most badass combat journalist you’ve never heard of. Comedians Molly Gaebe and Kylie Holloway host this high energy feminist history rager. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll definitely say "f*ck yeah" because Nevertheless, She Existed.
I guided the development of this concept from a one-time Women’s History Month event to a monthly live show, to a weekly podcast.
LIVE SHOWS
Nerd search livestream competition series
Welcome to the American Idol of nerdiness!
What's a nerd, you ask? For us, it's anyone who is an enthusiast about something. Anything! (And we mean anything.) Every Monday in May, join host Matthew Starr and his panel of distinguished super-nerd judges as they vet our nerd contestants - a series of questions and games aimed at revealing their passion for and commitment to their nerdy pursuit.
I developed the concept and segments with the host, recruited contestants and judges, and managed the transition from live stage show to remote livestream in May 2020
Our team is currently pitching Nerd Search as a TV series - for more info, contact me
Why Your train is f*cked live show
Get on board for a deep dive into the history of the MTA. Whether you love it, hate it, or want to compose more informed rage-tweets about it during your next 20 minute delay - we've got you covered. Your hosts Meg Pierson (TEDx, VERSUS) and Justin Williams (City College, SirusXM), along with a mysterious “man on the inside”, will conduct our show through the twists and turns of history; revealing unbelievable stories, subway life-hacks, and truly upsetting details about our subway system.
I created this show in March 2018 after a particularly delayed subway ride. I wasn’t so mad about the actual delays - it was not knowing WHY the delays were happening that pissed me off. I realized there was a huge audience in NYC for pissed-off subway riders, and decided to create a show to give them answers (and a fun night out). Each show consisted of a comedic monologues that broke down the complicated history and infrastructure of one element of the subway system we love to hate, as well as comedian stories, transit expert guests, and featured buskers. In the two years the show ran monthly, it became a sold-out event with a dedicated audience of transit enthusiasts, MTA employees, and regular subway riders.
Doctors Without Boundaries live show
Real-life ER doctors Andres Mallipudi and Darien Sutton welcome chronically over-sharing comedians to tell stories of their weirdest diagnoses. The Doctors then do what they wish they had time to do with their patients: break down the insane history of how the medical community has treated that condition, why that condition has been stigmatized, and the real facts you should know when dealing with the condition yourself.
This show is a healthy hypochondriac's dream complete with a "No Co-Pay" question box so that you can ask the doctors your own embarrassing medical questions.
As producer, I created the structure, title, and branding for the show. I worked with the doctors to get them more comfortable on stage, developed segments, booked guests, and helped them condense their knowledge and experiences into short, funny scripts.
In March 2020, I adapted this show to a remote livestream format to accommodate the doc’s COVID exposure before NYC shut down. Thankfully, the groundwork I did preparing for this livestream enabled Caveat to switch all its shows to remote livestream format just days later.
FESTIVAL
underground science festival
Excerpt from NY Times article by Sopan Deb
May 31st, 2018
You already know about Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Bill Nye. Now the founders of Caveat, a performance space on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, want to introduce you to the scientists you probably don’t know, like Rosalind Franklin and Frances Colón.
As hosts of the first Underground Science Festival, that began May 30 and continues through June 6, running concurrently with the World Science Festival, Kate Downey and Ben Lillie are using comedy to shine a light on the achievements of those history has overlooked. Frustrated by years of science events dominated by older white men, they said they began developing the festival earlier this year.
Assistant, Producing Department
2013 - 2014 season
Assistant Director - Powder Her Face at BAM, Dir. Jay Sheib
2013 season
Rehearsal Coordinator - 2011 season