ALLY KORNFELD: GROWING UP FUNNY

Growing up, Ally Kornfeld was inspired by Australian sketch comedy shows with British sensibilities like Fast Forward and The Comedy Company. At the time, the idea of being a professional writer or making a living in Hollywood seemed like a fantasy or an impossibility. “I had no idea people could write and make a living doing that. It seemed like such an unrealistic career.”

In her twenties, Ally committed to following her dreams of being a comedy writer. She studied screenwriting at Australia’s elite film school AFTRS, and improv at Amy Poehler’s theater company UCB in New York City, where she was influenced by watching some of the best comedians in the world like Kate McKinnon, Zach Galifianakis and Hannibal Buress perform on stage. Ally credits the growth in her craft to being mentored by renowned teachers including Rebecca Drysdale of Key and Peel, Jordan Klepper (The Daily Show), Craig Rowin (@midnight, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, College Humor, Search Party), Armando Diaz of Chicago Improv fame, Eliza Skinner (The Late Show), Curtis Gwinn (The Walking Dead, Narcos), and Beth Newell (Reductress).

Ally celebrates her experience collaborating with Charlie McDonnell’s show, Fun Science. “It has been an absolute blast. It’s science presented in fun short scripted videos with funny sketches to illustrate information.” Ally is proud of her writing on TXT Stories for Facebook Watch. “They are short stories told through text messages, but must have dramatic tension, jokes and a payoff at the end to keep people watching. You can reach such a huge audience through online channels, and it’s exciting to be at the forefront of the way entertainment will be consumed in the future.”

Currently, Ally is developing several projects including a collaboration with actress Desiree Staples and UCB Sketch teacher, Rachael Mason. The digital comedy series is similar to 30 Rock but for Influencers. It tells the story of a talent agency for unique YouTube Success Stories. “We had so much fun creating a world where people manage these quirky celebs and media moguls, and after many successful staged reads in theaters around Los Angeles we knew audiences enjoyed and loved it.’

Ally Kornfeld is known for winning the ATX Television Festival’s Pitch Competition, for her comedy series pitch. The award created the opportunity to develop content and to pitch to development executives from Sony, Comedy Central, Happy Madison, and FX networks. 

Look for Ally’s latest creations that include her comedy pilot The Influencers and an episode of ‘Warigami’ that she co-wrote for CW/CBC - the episode will be airing later this season.