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Holly Mandel
Holly Mandel
Adjunct Professor
Improv, Advanced Improv, Sketch Comedy Writing
Email: hmandel@pace.edu
Visit Holly's Website
Holly Mandel is an improv artist, educator, and entrepreneur who splits her time between Los Angeles and New York City. A graduate of UCLA with a double major in Psychology and Sociology, Holly trained at the world-renowned Groundlings Theater & School in LA, where she became a Main Company member, senior instructor, and director for Main Stage shows. She studied with improv pioneers including Jeff Michalski (Second City), Stan Wells (Empty Stage), Norman Taylor (Le Coq), and Aretha Sills (Spolin Method), and has performed and taught character-based and organic improvisation for over two decades.
In addition to her work on stage, Holly appeared in national commercials for over 12 years, frequently using improvisation to create standout characters. Her TV and film credits include roles in Showtime with Eddie Murphy and Robert De Niro, as well as appearances alongside Alex Borstein and other comedic greats—always bringing her signature quirky characters to life through improv.
In 2001, Holly created The Crazy Uncle Joe Show, now the longest-running longform improv show in Los Angeles. A year later, she founded the first woman-owned and operated improv school in NYC, where she introduced her unique approach to character-based improvisation. In 2011, she launched iMERGENCE, a corporate training company using the tools of improv to transform leadership, communication, and culture in organizations around the world.
Holly regularly delivers her original keynote talk, Good Girls Aren’t Funny, internationally and across the U.S., and is a recognized voice on women’s leadership, confidence, and creativity. She performs in improv shows regularly in NYC and LA.
She is currently writing her first book, The Improv Zone, due out in 2026.