Today we’d like to introduce you to Corey Pepper.
Corey, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve been an actor, writer, comedian and teacher working in theater, TV, and film for over forty years. Originally from New York where I received my BA in Theater from State University of New York at Binghamton, I moved to LA in ’84. I worked regularly doing standup but hated the late nights. That’s when I discovered improv.
National Lampoon formed their own improv company in Santa Monica and thats where I got training from a slew of Second City Chicago graduates and we started a multi-year run in our theater on the Third Street Promenade. Soon after a twelve years gig working as an improv comic at Disneyland followed, At its conclusion, I got an offer to teach improv at a small studio in the Valley. I immediately fell in love with helping to train actors to do what I love to do. Lisa Picotte was a friend of a friend who had a very successful program training child actors in scene study. Her program was growing and she had the brilliant idea to start offering improv classes to her students in an effort to make their auditions stronger and the young actors to feel more confident in themselves.
So in 2008, I started teaching child actors from ages 8-17 short-form improv. Over the ensuing years, the program has grown tremendously. We started in the Complex on Santa Monica Blvd, moved for a bunch of years to the ComedySportz Theater, and now we have our very own studio in the Pico-Fairfax area. Our classes have grown as well, now teaching Tots (ages 5-7), Tweens I and Tweens II (ages 7-12), Teens (ages 13-18) and our advanced performing troupe The Improv Hooligans (14-18). Our students make us proud everyday with their hard work and commitment. Our success stories are all over the place on both the big and small screen. Along with my teaching partner, Loretta Fox, we work with young people to make them a success in anything they choose to do because improv skills are really life skills and learning improv is not only fun but helps you to make a positive first impression and if you’re an actor, helps you to book work.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Being an actor is never smooth road, but that came as no surprise to me. I grew up outside of NYC and starting auditioning professionally since the age of fourteen. I booked work each summer in an East Coast tradition: Summer Stock. That’s where you go away to some mountain, beach, vacation area and do ten different shows in 11 weeks. It’s exhausting but great training. But meeting so many actors who were older than myself and already living in NY as working actors, gave me the really skinny on the business, so I was realistic going in.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
We specialize in training young actors. I’m most proud of the success stories of our students. This includes people like Haley Ramm (Light as a Feather), Sarah Gilman (I Didn’t Do It), Grace Kaufman (Man With a Plan, The Sky is Everywhere), Daniel DiMaggio (American Housewife), Logan Pepper (American Housewife), Yasmeen Fletcher (Upside Down Magic) and Bianca Grava (Magic Camp).
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Luck as a lot to do with everything that happens to an artist. But as long as you are prepared with training, you gotta keep moving forward. How lucky was it that my friend who knew Lisa Picotte, made the introduction so that I could be a part of her program and help to grow it? And how lucky was I that I got teamed up with Loretta Fox to teach and who adds so much to the program and is now a dear friend.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5571 W.PIco Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019
- Website: http://www.youngactorworkspace.com/
- Phone: 323-653-3318
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @lisapicotteworkspace
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisapicotteworkspace
- Twitter: #lisapicotteworkspace
Image Credit:
Corey Pepper
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