ComedySportz Chicago Names New Managing Director

By: Mar. 24, 2015
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ComedySportz Chicago, founded on August 1, 1987, announces Karin McKie as Managing Director, effective Monday, March 23, 2015, taking the reins from Matt Elwell, who has held the role since February 2010.

"Karin McKie is a ComedySportz veteran of over 25 years with the brand," said Board Chair Dave Gaudet. "ComedySportz Chicago couldn't be more pleased to welcome Karin back to the Windy City to share her enthusiastic leadership with our team of performers and educators as we roll out new branding and continue to grow our community, regional and global presence."

McKie has lived in Northern California since 2009, where she received her MFA in Creative Writing and was a Global Technology Initiative Scholar to China and Taiwan. She has been working as an English educator as well as an arts journalist focusing on feature writing and film reviews. She also performed with, facilitated Bay Area business team building and was Marketing Director for ComedySportz San Jose, where she orchestrated charity, business and government partnerships for its 25th anniversary in fall 2012.

From 1993-2008, McKie was a SAG-AFTRA actor and arts publicist in Chicago. She performed and taught with, as well as facilitated marketing and special events for, ComedySportz Chicago, in the Windy City, at Club Med locations in Mexico and the Dominican Republic, and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. A native of Springfield, Virginia, McKie performed with D.C.'s ComedySportz while working public relations for WETA, the third largest producer in the PBS network, on programs such as The Civil War and In Performance at the White House. She plans to emulate her parents' varied skills into her new role: her father was Deputy Managing Director of the Federal Communications Commission and her mother was a cultural anthropologist and Education Director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

"By my side on the east, middle, west and other far-flung coasts, ComedySportz has been a crucial part of my life, likely my longest and most consistently fulfilling relationship," McKie said. "ComedySportz tenets have been integral components of my career and my adult self, often the foundation of my patience, respect, flexibility, fortitude and grace under fire. I'm thrilled to 'yes, and' the way back to my sweet home Chicago."

At the end of 2014, Elwell was tapped to become the next Executive Director of CSz Worldwide, a global leadership role that supports all producers of ComedySportz. Elwell will lead the organization's global rebranding efforts advancing a suite of CSz Worldwide corporate entertainment, learning and development, and events marketing solutions.

"Each local company gives CSz Worldwide unparalleled reach for delivering entertainment and education experiences throughout our locations in 24 cities and regions in the domestic United States and Western Europe," said Elwell, who will continue to perform with ComedySportz Chicago as well as design and deliver their corporate training solutions.

"My goal is to 'walk our talk,' leveraging improv's values and approaches to make us faster, nimbler and more responsive to the evolving needs of our business clients and audiences alike," added Elwell. "I've played ComedySportz for 15 years and I'm honored to support what we do on such a large scale and to shepherd bringing our headquarters to Chicago, the world's comedy capital!"



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