15 Dec Amy Poehler Joins National Comedy Center’s Advisory Board of Directors
Amy Poehler and National Comedy Center Executive Director Journey Gunderson
Jamestown, NY – December 15, 2022 – The National Comedy Center, the nation’s official cultural institution dedicated to the art of comedy, announced today that Amy Poehler has joined its Advisory Board of Directors. The actress, writer, producer and director joins a roster of creative talent who helps guide the Center’s mission to present the vital story of comedy in its state-of-the-art museum and to preserve its heritage for future generations.
With a wide-ranging comedy career that spans improv, sketch, situation comedy and feature films, the Emmy Award-winning Poehler has been acclaimed for her eight years as a cast member and writer on Saturday Night Live, as lead actor, producer and writer on Parks and Recreation, and most recently, as a feature film director/producer and television producer.
“Amy has been as influential to comedy as the predecessors she reveres as legends. That mix of being one of the art form’s most important creators, while having a keen appreciation for the work of comedic talent from generations’ past, makes her a perfect fit for the National Comedy Center’s board and mission,” stated National Comedy Center Executive Director Journey Gunderson.
“I’m honored to be joining the National Comedy Center’s Advisory Board,” stated Amy Poehler. “In my time spent at the National Comedy Center, working closely with its executive director Journey Gunderson, Director of Archives Dr. Laura LaPlaca and their teams, it’s clear that this is an incredible organization and a very special place. Every visit is a mind-blowing experience for me – it’s become my favorite museum of all time.
“The National Comedy Center is doing extraordinary work to preserve stand-up comedy, sketch comedy, sitcoms, cartoons and so much more,” added Poehler. “Now, more than ever, we need to celebrate this art form, which heals us, soothes us and unites us. So, it’s really a privilege for me to be a part of this organization.”
“I’m thrilled to welcome Amy to the Advisory Board,” stated Pete Docter, National Comedy Center Advisory Board Member and Chief Creative Officer of Pixar. “She’s a comedic force, whether in front of the camera or behind it. We’ve both experienced the Center first-hand, and value the important work this cultural institution is doing to provide education on the art form of comedy, and to preserve its heritage.”
“On behalf of the entire Advisory Board, we are delighted to have the gifted Amy Poehler join us,” stated comedian, writer and actor Lewis Black, National Comedy Center Advisory Board Chair. “Amy understands the importance of comedy and the incredible impact it can have on our culture. We are so lucky to have her and look forward to working with her as we continue to fulfill the Comedy Center’s non-profit mission.”
Amy Poehler fills the Advisory Board seat formerly held by legendary talent manager and producer George Shapiro, who passed away earlier this year after a seven-decade career managing comedic artists including Jerry Seinfeld, Andy Kaufman and Carl Reiner and serving as an executive producer of Seinfeld.
Poehler joins a robust group of artists, creators, directors, producers and writers on the National Comedy Center Advisory Board.
In 2021, Poehler worked closely with the National Comedy Center’s Archives and Preservation Department on research for her critically-acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning Amazon documentary Lucy and Desi, which she directed and also executive produced alongside Imagine Documentaries and White Horse Pictures. Poehler hosted a premiere of the film in Jamestown, NY at the National Comedy Center before it made its nationwide debut on Prime Video earlier this year.
Poehler is one of Hollywood’s most versatile and sought-after talents with credits including that of actress, writer, executive producer, and bestselling author. Poehler, perhaps best known for her starring role on the Emmy-nominated NBC comedy series Parks and Recreation, can next be seen as co-host alongside Maya Rudolph in the second season of Peacock’s Baking It, where she also serves as executive producer. Other recent projects include serving as co-creator, executive producer, and the lead voice of FOX’s animated series Duncanville, executive producer of Netflix’s Emmy-nominated series Russian Doll, Amazon’s Harlem and Adult Swim’s Three Busy Debras. On March 4, Poehler made her documentary directorial debut with Amazon’s Emmy-winning documentary Lucy and Desi where she also executive produces alongside Imagine Documentaries & White Horse Pictures. She recently starred and directed in Netflix’s Moxie and as well as appearing as co-host (alongside Nick Offerman) and executive producer of the hit crafting competition series Making It. She has a number of additional projects in development as part of her successful production company Paper Kite Productions, including the thriller-drama The Mother-In-Law, Peacock’s unscripted series The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning and the Netflix animated feature Steps.
The National Comedy Center opened in 2018 and has collaborated with dozens of artists and estates to preserve materials that represent comedy’s significant artistic, social, and political contributions to American culture including collections illustrating the careers of legendary artists like George Carlin, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Carl Reiner, Betty White, Johnny Carson, Lenny Bruce, The Smothers Brothers, and the development of groundbreaking creative work such as sketch comedy series In Living Color, Saturday Night Live, and more. Two new exhibits opened this past summer – Johnny Carson: The Immersive Experience Hosted by Jimmy Fallon, a multi-screen theater presentation celebrating Johnny Carson’s 30 years hosting The Tonight Show 30 years later, and Carl Reiner: Keep Laughing, a multi-media, interactive exhibit that honors and celebrates Carl Reiner during his centennial year.
Within the Comedy Center’s museum galleries, more than 50 interactive exhibits and immersive experiences employ cutting-edge technology to present the story of comedy from its origins to the present day – using archival documents, artifacts, and media as their core. Its educational programming on the art form has featured George Lopez, Tiffany Haddish, Margaret Cho, Norman Lear, Debra Messing, Rain Pryor (daughter of Richard Pryor), Jay Leno, Kenan Thompson, Gabriel Iglesias, Ben Stiller, John Cleese, Jimmy Fallon, Lin-Manuel Miranda, “Weird Al” Yankovic, and many more.
The National Comedy Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit cultural institution whose mission is funded by philanthropic support. Donations and grants support the museum and its work to present the vital story of comedy and preserve its heritage for future generations. Visit comedycenter.org.
About the National Comedy Center
The National Comedy Center is the United States’ official cultural institution and museum dedicated to presenting the vital story of comedy and preserving its heritage for future generations, as formally designated by the U.S. Congress. Opened in 2018 in Jamestown, New York, the museum complex offers an unprecedented, immersive visitor experience using state-of-the-art technology, interactivity and personalization.
USA Today named the National Comedy Center the “Best New Museum in the Country, TIME magazine named it one of its “World’s Greatest Places” and U.S. News & World Report selected it as one of the “25 Top Family Weekend Getaways in the U.S.,” while Condé Nast Traveler called the National Comedy Center “one of the best museums in the country,” and People magazine named it one of “100 Reasons to Love America.”
The National Comedy Center has been featured in The New York Times, on CBS Saturday Morning, CBS Sunday Morning and on NBC’s TODAY Show, which called it “the Smithsonian of Comedy.”
Visitors from all 50 states and eighteen countries have given the Center a rare 5/5 rating on TripAdvisor, ranking among the highest in the attraction and tourism industry.
Based on the vision of Jamestown native Lucille Ball for her hometown to become a destination for comedy, the non-profit National Comedy Center showcases comedy’s great minds and unique voices in ways that engage, inspire, educate and entertain. The Comedy Center’s mission is to provide education on the comedic arts in the form of commentary and contextualization of its bodies of work across all eras and genres of the art form.
Design for the National Comedy Center was led by the most prominent cultural and interactive design firms in the world, whose portfolios collectively include the award-winning 9/11 Memorial Museum, The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, SNL: The Experience, and more.
The National Comedy Center operates the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum, which explores the lives, careers and legacy of the “First Couple of Comedy” and the incredible impact they had on the world, as well as the pioneering role and remarkable influence that I Love Lucy and Desilu Studios had on the entertainment industry for generations to come.
The Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, produced and presented by the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, NY has showcased comedy’s greatest stars and rising young comedians, including Jerry Seinfeld, Trevor Noah, Lily Tomlin, John Mulaney, Jay Leno, Amy Schumer, Sebastian, Maniscalco W. Kamau Bell, Jim Gaffigan, Paula Poundstone, Joan Rivers, and more than one hundred other comedic artists. This past summer, the 2022 festival featured Margaret Cho, Jeff Foxworthy, SNL alumni David Spade, Rob Schneider and Kevin Nealon, and over 50 live events.
The National Comedy Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit cultural institution whose mission is funded by philanthropic support. Donations and grants support the museum and its work to present the vital story of comedy and preserve its heritage for future generations.