EMMA WILLMANN
Emma Willmann´s coming out moment was made for comedy. She and her mom were at a yoga retreat, where “everyone ate in silence to honor the food. I whispered that I had to tell her something important. Of course she said, ´Shhh, it´s a silent lunch!´ I kept whispering, and finally said, ´I´m gay.´ My mom yelled, ´What!´ and I followed up with, ´Shhh, silent lunch.´” Clearly, a star was born. Willmann started performing in comedy clubs and at open mics in Boston in 2010, and quickly rose through the ranks to win first place in the Boston Comedy Riots two years later. After moving to NYC in 2012, she appeared on the cover of Time Out NY as one of the “10 Funniest Females in NYC,” headlined a sold-out show at the 2014 New York Comedy Festival and killed it in other festivals from here to Europe. The multitalented performer also dove into acting: in one year, Willmann has appeared in two series on ID Discovery (playing a cop on True Crime, she uttered the immortal line, “Is that…a dog…in your freezer?”), starred as a rugby coach on Oxygen, and shot commercials. This year, Willmann has shot four potential pilots and is headlining colleges around the country. -KL
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