Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Charlotte Elfenbaum. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Charlotte, appreciate you joining us today. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?
When I say I’ve had every job under the sun, I’m barely exaggerating. I genuinely believe that every type of work environment can teach you something valuable, especially in entertainment.
On the first day of acting class in college, my teacher, J.W. Morrissette (who I based my Writing Lab character on at The Groundlings), kicked things off with the question, “What is Theatre?” Well, to save you some time and money, the answer is, “Theatre is collaboration.” And that concept applies to every part of this industry. Sure, we could try to be like Bo Burnham and do everything ourselves, but honestly, that takes a VERY long time. I saw this firsthand when I was the second assistant to the President of E! News. The number of people involved in completing just one project is staggering. There’s a reason why the credits at the end of movies are practically as long as the movie itself. Collaboration is at the heart of this business, and it’s totally okay to ask for help. In fact, it’s essential. Use all your resources. I’m not shy about reaching out to someone I met at a party five years ago because they mentioned they can edit.
Another lesson that has stuck with me came from an acting teacher when I was in high school who emphasized “risk preparedness.” The idea is to be ready for anything, even if it’s not explicitly asked for. For instance, always bring a headshot, even if the casting notice doesn’t mention it. If you’re asked to sing 16 bars of a song, be prepared to sing the whole thing. This mindset has been invaluable, especially in my survival jobs in event work and as a PA. When a client needs something, I make sure I already have it on hand—no leaving things in the car or back at the studio. I’ve seen other PAs get caught off guard when a client asks for something, and their response is, “Well, you didn’t ask for that.” My approach is different: always assume you might need it and be one step ahead. It’s all about having options and being prepared for anything.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Charlotte Elfenbaum, and I proudly hail from the great city of Chicago! The actual city. It’s funny how being a comedian sort of fell into my lap. I’ve been told I’m funny my entire life. In second grade, our class was having a talent show, and I told the TA, “I don’t know, man, I’m not good at anything,” and he responded, “Well, actually, you are really funny”—I was seven.
I think my sense of humor developed partly because of my parents’ horrible divorce when I was six, which lasted for years. In times of turmoil, I learned that you have to be your own joy. Being the youngest of four, I always had a different outlook on the world. I was super mature for my age and often told I had an “old soul.” This perspective always made me stand out.
I started in musical theatre in middle school, always being cast as the funny friend, even though I wanted to be the ingénue, (am I right ladies?). Someone mentioned I should check out The Second City, and I eventually joined The Second City youth ensemble in high school and was doing improv regularly. I continued with theatre in high school and college.
During my senior year of college, I auditioned for The Second City Conservatory because everyone said you never get in on the first try. Well, I did. This meant commuting every weekend of my second semester. Since I was going to the city anyway for Conservatory, I worked as the house manager of a theatre called The Playground. This was where I truly learned the ins and outs of working in theatre and producing a show. It taught me how to manage a box office, run lights and sound, always have a supply of toilet paper, and be overall versed in every aspect of running a theatre.
I was also the President of my college short-form improv team, which is why I’m so hot and so cool. During an improv show at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the head of the Journalism department thought I was really funny and gave me my own show on the local news station called “Charlotte’s Take.” That was my first taste of writing and producing my own show, and since then, having my own talk show has always been something I dream of. I started doing stand-up locally, and my first official gig (and by official, I mean I was paid $20) was hosting an event for a dance team at school.
After Conservatory, I auditioned and made it onto Second City’s house team TWISTY! After COVID took that beautiful opportunity in its stride, I decided I would always regret it if I didn’t give LA a try. Since moving to LA, I have hosted and performed in a number of shows. I am trained in reading a room and love to make everyone feel as comfortable as possible. I host a monthly show at The Pack Theatre and you can find me doing lots of random gigs all around LA. I am open to any and all opportunities!
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
It’s okay to say “no.” When I first moved to LA, I struggled with this concept immensely. If someone asked me to work an event or be in a show, even if I had other commitments, I would say yes. It’s like when you’re at an audition and they ask, “Can you ride a unicycle on fire?” You just say yes and then watch 100 Youtube videos about Unicycling later.
In LA, you constantly hear the phrase “you never know.” Nobody really knows anything in this town. You hear “you never know” from casting directors at Q&As, talking about the unpredictability of commercial casting and how the odds are stacked against you. You hear “you never know” when discussing who the next big star might be, or who will find overnight success. This pervasive uncertainty made me feel like the only way to maintain any semblance of control was to say yes to everything. But burnout is real.
It’s okay to turn down gigs that will cost you your well being. For example, I once took a PA job asking people on the Santa Monica Pier for their best parenting advice in exchange for a box of Life Cereal, as part of a Julie Bowen Life Cereal campaign. I was super busy this day and should not have stretched myself so thin. But in the back of my mind I thought, “You never know—maybe they’ll need another actor on set, or maybe Julie Bowen will see me and think I’m the next Carol Burnett and put me on her hit TV show.” Spoiler alert: neither of those things happened. Instead, I just ended up getting sporadically yelled at by tourists and beach dwellers on a hot Monday morning.
And what’s the most memorable lesson I learned from asking everyone on the Santa Monica Pier for their best parenting advice? The unanimous answer: “Don’t have kids.”
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
In high school, I was at a teen improv jam at The Second City in Chicago, and I remember there was this young girl in the audience. During an improv scene, I said something like, “I don’t know, I found him in the garbage can,” and she just lost it, laughing hysterically. After the jam ended, I saw her and her dad, and she was still cracking up, repeating, “I found him in the garbage can” over and over. That was the moment I realized, “Wait, I can say stuff that makes people happy even after the show’s over?” That feeling I think is what drives me everyday to pursue comedy. Being able to bring people joy that will last with them.
Not to brag (okay, maybe a little), but just the other day, someone came up to me and said, “You said the funniest thing I’ve ever heard, and I think about it every day.” That’s the best feeling ever. And yes, this is probably the most I’ve ever bragged about myself, and I’ll definitely be talking about it in therapy. I’d share the joke, but let’s just say it was about something that rhymes with “smishmortion.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://charlotteelfenbaum.com
- Instagram: charthestarhaha
Image Credits
Joshua Michael Shelton