WAT’s Adventuress in Chief Karen Loftus has a long history in comedy. At the start of her entertainment career, her many teachers encouraged her to move in a comedic direction. So she reluctantly studied at the iconic Groundlings Studios when they were in NYC.

 

Then when Second City launched in LA, in Santa Monica, she went through the entire program there, studying under Lewis Arquette, among other top teachers.

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At the time, she was part of a five-person improv group, the only woman that performed at an LAX airport hotel alongside Whose Line Is It Anyway, Ryan Stiles, and Colin Mochrie.

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She made it to the final three women to be considered for the then Second City touring company. However, she lost out to Molly Shannon, who joined Andy Dick, and Brad Sherwood on tour.

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She was a part of the advanced sketch comedy troop that performed regularly at The Santa Monica Second City. Karen also created, wrote, and produced another sketch comedy group at the time that performed regularly at The Laugh Factory in West Hollywood, the first to do so.

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She created, produced, performed, and wrote several sketches and songs for GAL-O-RAMA, her all-women’s sketch group, the first in LA that performed for several years at Up Front Comedy in Santa Monica throughout Hollywood. Casting Director Dorian Frankel (Parks & Recreation, Baskets, VEEP, Maron, Curb Your Enthusiasm, etc.) was an original member of the group. Jane Lynch joined later.

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As a solo artist, having done one-woman shows and having written and performed several plays, stand-up comedy was a seamless transition. She cut her teeth in the stand-up scene in New York, where she performed at every club in the City but the Cellar.

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She also ran her room, the iconic Eureka Joes, in the Flatiron District. Jim Gaffigan, Judah Friedlander (30 Rock), and Ben Bailey (Cash Cab) were notable regulars each week for a few years running.

 

It was a comic’s comedy room, a great place to work out, where Rich Voss, Mike Epps, and Dimitri Martin, among others, made Eureka Joes a Tuesday night habit.

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Karen produced an all-women’s monthly comedy night, It’s a Girl, at Caroline’s Comedy Club on Broadway in NYC. She booked a three-person, all-female comedy lineup for the college circuit called, The Charlies.

 

Additionally, she created a five-person stand-up comedy lineup called, The Comedy Crusade, which she booked on the college circuit. Amy Schumer’s Kyle Dunnigan was one of the five alongside her.

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After three years in the NYC comedy scene, Loftus returned to LA. A year of LA comedy later, she moved to London for a year where she hopped on the international stand-up circuit.

 

Her manager then was also Russell Peter’s global comedy booker at the same time. She and Russell were in the same UK documentary, Edinburgh or Bust, about four comedians leading up to the festival.

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Karen’s first international comedy tour was in the Middle East in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Bahrain 20+ years ago. She was often the first or one of the first few female comics in many of the countries that she toured at that time.

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She worked throughout Europe, Asia, and The Middle East. She entertained the US troops for MWR for a month + in Korea, performed at The American Clubs in Asia (Singapore & Hong Kong), and performed at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival (three times).

 

The last time there was with her two-hour + tour-de-force show, American Woman, a One-Woman Comedic Invasion.

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Karen is not on tour as a comedian per se today, but she continues to work as a storyteller, speaker, MC, and host.

 

So if you want to infuse humor into your content, your CEO’s speech, your brand, or an event, she can also sprinkle the fairy dust when necessary.

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Karen has punched up content on sites, scripts, speeches, stories, TV, books, and on social. She has also worked with influencers, CEOs, leaders, performers, and speakers to assist them in their presentations, talks, or approach.

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So, if you are looking for funny ways to weave in the necessary levity when things are heavy or need an edge or more relevance, Karen can provide the punch-up on a one-off, project, or retainer basis.

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She has also done team building with improv, stand-up, and storytelling. Let’s talk!

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When WAT’s Adventuress in Chief, Karen Loftus, returned to LA after living in New York for a few years, she knew she wanted to do something that kept her grounded and close to the street. LA is a town where everyone is overly focused on themselves, so she wanted to do something focused on others in need.

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Through a series of fortuitous meetings and events, she launched her nonprofit program, Body Comedy, in LA. Using humor to heal, she worked mainly with women and girls, survivors of physical and sexual violence.

 

Her goal was to bring them back to a state of childlike joy.

Rather than the more traditional therapy or twelve-step approach they were used to, Loftus focused on their being and their bodies, working from the inside out. She encouraged them to lead with the body, and the mind will follow.

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The three-hour class was a mix of yoga, meditation, sound, chakra, and breathwork to break up patterns and change neural pathways. New pathways were immediately implemented with the art therapy work in improvisation and clown games learned from the premier clowns of Cirque de Soleil and elsewhere.

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Loftus worked in dozens of shelters, facilities, and centers in nearly ten years. She worked with teen prostitutes at Children of the Night, with the male and female population in juvenile halls.

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In the LA prison system, she worked with the most violent female population and worked with male domestic violence offenders. Comedy Central was one key sponsor of Body Comedy for seven years.

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The program was life-changing for participants, and the facilitator, Karen, often called Karne the Clown or Yoga Lady by the participants.

If you or our company are looking for ways to give back to the community, Karen can facilitate talks with your team regarding effective outreach on a physical and financial level in your community, region, country, or globally.

 

Her relations in this space are expansive domestically and internationally.

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Karen’s talks on this subject can inspire a group, a company, an audience, or an event. She talks about how Body Comedy came about, her walk in the dark to figure it out, and its remarkable success for thousands of participants for ten years or more.

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Karen has been hosted at universities (Sewanee University of the South), at conferences (Women in Technology International ) at corporations (Microsoft), and more, bringing her Body Comedy program to corporate, college, and conference platforms.

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If you are interested in bringing Karen Loftus to speak about this program or to share The Body Comedy program with you and your crew, contact her to discuss this further.

TikTok

We can jump in if you are curious about Tik Tok but unsure where to begin. It may be our love of storytelling or our entertainment background here that has given us a fondness for TikTok. Whatever the case, we love the short form video, be it n Tik Tok, Reels, Shorts, or on Pinterest.
 

So, if you want to level up and go bigger on the shorter form, we think we can help you get clear on your branding and messaging and help you find ways to entertain, inform and inspire, all the while getting in the necessary call to action that is needed in your business and brand.

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Regardless of what happens with TikTok, the short form is here to stay. Karen Loftus, WAT’s Adventuress in Chief, comes from the long-form storytelling space, be it plays, TV, films, or books. Yet, she has had her best success in the shorter forms, whether standing up on stage or in articles on the page. 
 

This short-form skill set can be adapted in whatever medium. It may be why she loves a good video, whether on TikTok or otherwise.

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If the platform is overwhelming, do not worry. We have done all the research and fieldwork and know how to use trends and hashtags, how and when to go long or short, and when to bring in seasonal or trendy elements. 

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Like all she does, Loftus will make it fun and effective. So let’s hop on a call to see how your brand can benefit and go for the long run with this entertaining and effective short form.