The people you’ll learn from.
Working performers, writers, and directors who actually live here - not gatekeepers passing through.
Every person on this page is someone you'll stand in a room with. They came up through the same kind of classes they now teach, on stages from Chicago to the Lower East Side, and decided to build something closer to home.
Nick Carrillo
Nick is an actor and improv comedy instructor who has been teaching and performing improv, sketch, and theater throughout New York City for several years.
Nick has trained/performed/taught with UCB, The PIT, and The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, and was an original cast member of the Off-Broadway hit Puffs; Or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic.
In addition to his stage work, Nick has appeared in commercials and has been featured on NBC, VH1, Comedy Central, and truTV. He also works with Marvel, hosting digital video content and appearing on The Official Marvel Podcast.
As an instructor, Nick focuses on creating a supportive, low-pressure environment where students can have fun, take risks, and build confidence while learning the fundamentals of improv comedy.
Fun fact: Nick has performed improv with Goosebumps author R.L. Stine...twice!
Bianca Casusol
Bianca Casusol, an improv teacher and performer with over a decade of experience teaching across the U.S. and internationally.
Bianca has been a resident teacher and Megawatt house team director at The Magnet Theater in NYC, and currently teaches at Second City New York. She has also taught at festivals and theaters across the country, including The PIT, Dirty South Improv, and more.
Bianca was a founding member of Kiss:Punch:Poem, a genre-blending show praised by Time Out Chicago. Her work has been featured in Reductress, The Risk Podcast, Hot Mic with Dan Savage, Bust Magazine, and more.
In addition to her stage and teaching work, Bianca is a longtime performer with Story Pirates, where she adapts children’s stories into live comedy and sketches, bringing a uniquely playful and creative perspective into her teaching.
Known for creating an inclusive, energizing learning environment, Bianca focuses on helping students get out of their heads, trust their instincts, and access what’s already naturally funny and compelling about them. Her teaching blends strong technical fundamentals with a supportive, confidence-building approach that meets people exactly where they are.
Fun fact: Bianca mixes jam with matcha for a surprisingly great drink. She would also absolutely love to see pictures of your pets.
Ethan Berlin
Ethan T. Berlin is an Emmy-nominated comedy writer and long-time comedy teacher. He has written for Billy Eichner, W. Kamau Bell, Dave Attell, George Lopez, Nikki Glazer, Amy Schumer, Sarah Silverman, Sacha Baron Cohen, Robert Smigel, Michael Ian Black, and numerous other comedians. His comedy students have gone on to work and perform on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Family Guy, SNL, and Severance.
Benny Schecker
Benny is a writer, improviser, and producer who has been active in the NYC comedy scene for over a decade. He currently teaches sketch comedy at Paper Mill Playhouse and currently produces benefit shows for the nonprofit Grassroots Comedy.
Benny has worked in production for industry legends like The Jim Henson Company, Broadway Video and Curb Your Enthusiasm. He was also a writer on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, sending material to and receiving feedback directly from Larry David and Jeff Schaffer.
Benny’s teaching style focuses on helping people drop self-consciousness and tap into a more natural, expressive version of themselves. His sessions are freeing, supportive, and built on the belief that anyone can be great at improv. Bring Benny a PB&J (low sugar jelly) and you’ve got a friend for life.
Fun fact: Benny famously produced the live stage reading of The Interview in protest of Sony’s decision to pull the film, a bold move that drew massive media attention from The New York Times, NPR, and Rolling Stone.
John Kennedy
John is an NYC-based improviser and comedy writer with over 7 years of experience performing and teaching. He performs regularly with the indie improv team Up to No God and is a cast member of The Trial: An Improvised Court Experience.
By day, John deals with the rigid rules of litigation support at a law firm. By night, he helps you break all the rules of logic in the name of comedy.
John focuses on making improv feel accessible, relaxed, and genuinely fun, especially for first timers. As a devoted fan of the New York Mets, he brings a resilient underdog energy to the room that keeps the atmosphere low-pressure and supportive.
Fun fact: John once performed a legal-themed improv show in front of a crowd of actual lawyers. He lost the case on merits but absolutely won the room.